Breathe Right Now: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Treating the Most Common Breathing Disorders [Hardcover]

Debra Fulghum Bruce (Author), Laurence A. Smolley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 1998

For the 70 million Americans who suffer from one or more breathing problems, the first complete guide to their causes and their treatment.

Allergies, asthma, sinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—these and other misery-causing and often life-threatening respiratory disorders plague tens of millions of Americans. The good news in Breathe Right Now is that modern medicine has developed a wide range of effective treatments for the sneezing, sniffling, shortness of breath, wheezing, sleep disorders, and other problems that have caused so many people to put their lives on hold. Written by a trained clinician and an experienced medical writer, it is the first comprehensive reference and medical self-help book that does not endorse any single prescribed regimen or cure. Rather, it offers authoritative and accessible information on the many types of breathing disorders and provides a myriad of medical and nondrug options for managing them.

With up-to-date information on the latest research and medical breakthroughs, numerous charts and checklists on drugs, symptoms and risk factors, full coverage of mind/body and other alternative therapies, and special sections on the particular needs of children and the elderly, this is a book that will be helping readers breathe easier for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Writing for lay readers, pulmonologist Smolley and Bruce, a medical writer with a family history of respiratory disorders, present a wealth of information about such ailments. First, they explain in depth what causes common breathing problems, including allergies, asthma, and nasal disorders. A chapter each is then devoted to selecting medical treatment, avoiding triggers, achieving optimal fitness (even for those with exercise-induced asthma), using a nutritional approach to prevent breathing problems, and controlling nighttime problems. The role stress and emotion play in weakening the immune system and exacerbating breathing problems is covered, as are alternative nondrug treatments, which the authors suggest might be used to complement traditional medical treatments. Finally, lists of Internet resources, national support groups, and a glossary are provided. Throughout, readers are encouraged to confer with their primary-care physician, specialists, and family members in developing a personal action plan to control breathing problems. A valuable addition to any consumer health collection.?Sue Hollander, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib. of the Health Sciences, Rockford
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Smolley, who specializes in lung problems and sleep disorders, saw his father die from sudden shortness of breath; Bruce comes from a family whose members have suffered a variety of breathing problems, and she has long had difficulty breathing. Their combination of professional expertise and personal experience makes for a wide-ranging book that scientifically, sympathetically, and clearly explains breathing problems. For the sufferer seeking answers, the first step in what sometimes is a long process is finding a knowledgeable, understanding doctor. Accurate diagnosis is the foundation of all subsequent treatment, Smolley and Bruce say, and patients should seek control of their self-care. Smolley and Bruce discuss allergies, asthma, and many other diseases and problems as well as treatments, the avoidance of disease triggers, achieving optimal fitness, and using good nutrition and various psychological practices. They also allow that alternative therapies can often be helpful. William Beatty

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (March 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393045994
• ISBN-13: 978-0393045994
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,573,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THE BOOK IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES/ASTHMA/SINUSITIS, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breathe Right Now (Mass Market Paperback)

Couldn't breathe. Bought this book. Showed my doctor who changed all my medications. That was six months ago. TODAY? I BREATHE so well that I'm training for the NY marathon. It's hard for me to believe that getting the RIGHT medication can be crucial for allergy and asthma. But I'm a believer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!, March 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breathe Right Now: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Treating the Most Common Breathing Disorders (Hardcover)

I have had allergies since birth--and never have felt good until I did the things written in this book. An excellent book on why allergies happen and what you can do--today--to stop them. I took the book to my doctor and she changed my medication to include steroid nasal inhalers. This helped me go through two pollen seasons without missing any work. SUPERB!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Current and Hopeful, September 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Breathe Right Now (Mass Market Paperback)

After a diagnosis of COPD and/or asthma, I did what I always do. I set out to learn as much as possible. This is a wonderful, comprehensive and hopeful book. I have checked much of the info with my pulmonary MD and he too was most impressed and is suggesting it to patients. It is written in understandable terms, with a fine resources section. I learned a lot, and felt a bit more in control of this disease. Because if you give in, it will "git ya". Well done!