In the United States alone, more than four million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus, and chronic liver disease is the twelfth leading cause of death.

In this revised and updated edition of her groundbreaking 2000 book, renowned hepatologist Dr. Melissa Palmer discusses all facets of liver disease, from symptoms and tests to treatment options and lifestyle changes. In addition, this comprehensive handbook reveals cutting-edge research on the dangers of hepatitis C, one o...

Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries and save lives. From The Hot Zone to The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston’s bestselling works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds of nature they never dreamed of.

Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible...

In this lucid and revolutionary book, cardiologist Robert Superko counsels readers about how to outwit their genes by identifying "metabolic markers" that predict future heart attacks. "To make a preemptive strike, you have to know which factors are putting you in harm’s way," he explains. So rather than focusing on cholesterol count, Superko outlines a patient-doctor partnership to create a personal risk profile he calls a "cardiac fingerprint." Here’s the drill: Through a detailed...

Forensic anthropologist Bass nicely complements his memoir, Death's Acre, with this unnervingly cheerful collection (ably co-written by science journalist Jefferson) of case studies and anecdotes from the field of corpse identification. With careful attention to detail and the occasional darkly humorous aside, the authors describe charred maggot cocoons; the grotesquely dismembered victims of a fireworks factory explosion; and the forensic uses of sonar, scanning electron microscopes a...

The essential reference to what's really in the products we buy.

Every day Americans eat processed food and use toiletries, cosmetics, household cleaners, gardening supplies and often pet care products of some kind. It's time to ask What's in This Stuff? The answers are shocking. This fascinating book reveals how many of the products used every day contain poorly tested chemicals that are implicated in health problems, and offers simple, nontoxic alternatives.

In this groundbreaking work of investigative journalism by the author of the New York Times bestseller Kingdom Coming, Michelle Goldberg exposes the global war on women?s reproductive rights and its disastrous and unreported consequences for the future of global development

Women?s rights are often treated as mere appendages to great questions of war, peace, poverty, and economic development. But as networks of religious fundamentalists, feminists, and bureaucrats...

Science journalist Cohen and Cosgrove, a WebMD contributor, offer an emotionally charged indictment of the medical-pharmaceutical complex centered on efforts to control height (making boys taller, girls shorter) in otherwise normal, healthy children. Reviewing five decades of such efforts, such as in the 1950s with the administration of estrogen to stunt tall girls' growth, the authors take to task pediatric endocrinologists, drug companies and the parents who bring their children for treatme...

A medical expert reveals risks of the most commonly prescribed drugs-and why the drug industry doesn't want consumers to know about them.

Recent scandals involving diabetes drugs, Vioxx, and many other medications reveal the serious and undisclosed risks of some of the most commonly used prescription drugs in this country. In Before You Take That Pill, Dr. J. Douglas Bremner, a researcher and clinician at Emory University whose study on Accutane and depression made he...

Gently dismantling the myth of medical infallibility, Dr. Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science is essential reading for anyone involved in medicine--on either end of the stethoscope. Medical professionals make mistakes, learn on the job, and improvise much of their technique and self-confidence. Gawande's tales are humane and passionate reminders that doctors are people, too. His prose is thoughtful and deeply engaging, shifting from sometimes painful...

Increase the effectiveness of your cancer treatment and live a fuller, healthier life.

According to oncologist D. Barry Boyd, controlling weight, becoming active, and reducing stress are not simply nuances of basic well-being; they are absolutely necessary for the successful treatment of cancer. Even with the best medical care, including chemotherapy, a patient's cancer treatment can be sabotaged if these areas are neglected.

In The Cancer Recovery Plan, Dr. Boyd pres...

A Washington Post Best Book of 2001, Scourge provides a definitive account of the dramatic story of smallpox by a leading "expert on biological and chemical weapons" (The New York Times). Jonathan B. Tucker traces the history of the smallpox virus from its first recorded outbreak around 3700 B.C. through its use as the first biological warfare agent in human history, and draws some decisively important lessons for the future. In a timely debate, Tucker addresses the ever-growing concerns abou...

The leg bone's connected to the hip bone, and so on. For many of us, anatomy can seem intimidating and unrewarding, but the right teacher can clear such feelings away in a heartbeat. Our fascination with our bodies is a powerful force, and once we start looking, we find that beauty is much more than skin-deep.

It so happens that the right teacher can take the form of a book. Gray's Anatomy is one of those few titles that practically everybody has heard of, and with good r...