Customer Reviews

Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is both fascinating and fun. The detective approach makes it a great read. There is a ton of useful information in here. The book is quite funny and very well written. If you're interested in the human body and what it's trying to tell you, there's no better book out there.

Pessimists and hypochondriacs should probably avoid "Body Signs." Anyone over the age of fifty will be horrified at the number of symptoms that are caused simply by getting old and wearing out. Too many places in the text state that "it [a particular disorder] affects people around the age of 60" or "nearly 90% of men will have this condition by the time they reach their 80s."

This book has got everything from red palms to floating poop to something called "Sister Joseph's nodule." The latter, found in the navel, "usually signifies an advanced cancer in the abdominal cavity, but the malignancy can occur in virtually any organ." Cripes! I would have thought that a body sign named after a nun would have been benign, at the very least.

It you have a symptom that you find too embarrassing to mention to your physician, "Body Signs" is a good place to check it out. The authors work their way through excrement, bladder functions, borborygmus (gurgling stomach), `flatus vaginalis' and private parts. You have the option of looking up the anatomical feature that interests you, all the way from head hair to toe nails, or reading through this book from cover to cover. Not all of the symptoms mentioned within are fatal. In fact, a few of them are indicators of ruddy good health.

Some of my favorite parts of this book are the anecdotes. Did you know that "The 16th-century German theologian Martin Luther claimed he could `drive away the evil spirit with a single f*rt" or that former President Bill Clinton has a bent...well, read "Body Signs" and find out for yourself.

"Body Signs" is one of those books which really belongs in everyone's home library. Most people have become extremely health-conscious these days, even though many do not seem to act upon the medical advice which is -- relentlessly, it seems -- thrust on us by the media and our own healthcare providers. I receive at least three e-mail health reports every day and I'm sure others do as well. Unfortunately some of the information provided is inconsistent, counterintuitive, and even contradictory, but medical research is being conducted at such a rapid pace today that this is probably to be expected. But we all want to be physically and mentally well and so it behooves us to pay attention to the latest findings and, at least, give them some consideration in our lives.

Recommendations for maintaining one's health is one thing; but what do we do when we notice that something seems not quite "right" or "normal" with our own health right now? I don't know anyone, young or old, who hasn't complained at some time about some unusual ache, sudden mysterious pain, or perceptible bodily change, and is unable to exactly identify the cause, whether or it classifies as serious or minor, temporary or chronic, or should be ignored or warrants a trip to the physician. Speaking for myself, I certainly do not want to run to my physician every time I suspect something is awry. (I should mention that I don't like such visits in the first place and definitely do not like hospitals, although I've been forced to stay in one twice in the past six years -- emergencies only, suffice to say.)

So, what to do if we need some advice about our immediate medical concerns? Well, we might turn to this book, "Body Signs," just to see if something might be serious and if it just a normal change due to age, diet, minor illness, or such. The book is premised on the idea that most of the signs of diseases and disorders can be detected by our senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. One could consider the book to be a diagnostic detective manual. Therefore, it should be understood that this is not a comprehensive "medical" reference book. It is more like a first-step checklist to determine if more information is needed about whatever condition one is experiencing. As the book points out, there are many perfectly normal and harmless physical "quirks" that we have from time to time; on the other hand, there are physical signs we can note that may indicate a serious health condition, necessitating an appointment with a health care professional or a trip to the emergency room.

"Body Signs" covers our body from tip to toe (so to speak), from our hair, to our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, from our necks to our private parts to our feet, and lots of other areas in between. I can't think of any part of one's body that is not discussed somewhere in the text. And, to add to the value of the material itself, the authors have spread throughout the book many little boxes (rather like sidebars) with headings such as "Sign of the Times" (interesting barely-related factoids), "Significant Fact" (interesting definitely-related factoids), and "Warning Sign" (self explanatory, I would think). The book also includes three appendices: one containing a body signs review, one suggesting relevant websites and books, and one which is a "checkup checklist." Highly recommended for everyone!

I could hardly believe the depth of subjects in Body Signs. It seems that the authors covered everything anyone might want to know, at least,about symptons that do not require a physician.
I liked the format very much. It is "kicky" without being trendy. One doesn't get bored.
Body Signs certainly should be on everyone's reference bookshelf.

This text is a great starting point for gathering informative data on your worst fears. The easy style and keen observations included as a sidebar reference quickly help put concerns to rest while offering insights for the next step in addressing personal questions. A great companion to webmd.com.

How wonderful to be able to look up a symptom I'm experiencing and be able to find a clearly written explanation for it! I love this book! "Body Signs" is a welcome addition to my collection of informative medical books.

Today I made a timely discovery in Body Signs! I was looking up snoring and noticed something about sleep apnea, which a friend has. Body Signs suggests that if you have sleep apnea and are having surgery, it's important to let the doctor know about the apnea. Well, I was just in time, because my friend is having surgery in a few days! This book is invaluable and the information is so accessible, easy to read, not to mention entertaining! I find myself referring to it all the time.

Okay, I will admit it: I have been called a hypochondriac. Well, maybe not the classic definition of one, as I don't go around imagining I have symptoms of diseases I do not, but I am the type of person (like many of us in this electronic information age) who experiences a very real symptom or body sign as this book calls them, heads straight to the internet for information, and then becomes frightened about the endless morbid possibilities. While this book contains tons of interesting information about bodily functions, it is not a diagnostic manual. It will however help you to calm yourself down, if you, like me find yourself panicked over what you see in the toilet, refer to the appropriate chapter, and then breathe a deep sigh of relief because you remember you ate a bunch of beets last night (see Chapter 8). Sorry for the full disclosure but I really want to illustrate my point. This book certainly has come in handy to me on a few occasions. If you are not really like me (congratulations, you probably lead a much happier life because you spend less time worrying!) then this book is probably not for you. If you are like me, and I am sure many of you are, check this book out. It is nice to have on hand in times of crisis.

Interesting and enlightening. Many tips to help stave off illness and help you know what to ask and how to tell your Doctor what may or maynot be wrong. Heartily recomend this book to all intelligent people.

But then again, I doubt many MDs, Ph.D.s, or RNs would be in need of a reference manual of this caliber. Yet for the untrained it has a wealth of information, which although available in numerous other places and forms is neatly packaged and presented with insight and a definite humorous panache. The only problem I find with it is that it could turn a person into a hypochondriac or turn a hypochondriac into a super-hypochondriac. Yet I would score the book highly for ease of readability and information for the average reader of health fare, which is exactly for whom this book was intended. If you want more in-depth information you can always buy a copy of the Merck Manual and a good medical dictionary to help identify the medical phraseology in it. You won't need either to enjoy this book.