Customer Reviews

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health : Lessons from the Harvard Men's Health Studies

5 star:		(10)
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3 star:		(1)
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This is an excellent medical reference book for men. The information is very well organized into three separate parts: 1) what makes men different, 2) what makes men healthy, and 3) men's main diseases, how to prevent them, test for them, and treat them. The book is quite long at 470 pages. But, it reads easily. And, it makes for an excellent medical reference to go back to when you want specific scientific information on various men's health topics.

The best part about the book is that it is based on extensive medical studies. The advice provided is the result of statistically significant conclusions derived from these studies. Thus, the objectivity, integrity, and intelligence derived from this book is so much greater than from any of the medical authors positioning themselves as the current diet or health care guru.

The book confirms the value of EFV. The ultimately healthy lifestyle consists of a lot of Exercise with a diet that includes lots of Fruits and Vegetables. These three factors (exercise, fruits, vegetables) appear to be universal protectors against all age related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Similarly, the high risk factors regardless of the health risk considered seemed to be always the same, including: smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, lots of saturated fats and trans fats in the diet.

The book has a ton of information besides the self-evident basics mentioned above. There are lots of tables, graphs, and summaries that make the information easy to retrieve. These include info on BMI, PSA test levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, recommended frequencies of screening tests, recommended dosage and toxic levels of vitamins and minerals, Glycemic index, life expectancy charts, and lots more interesting stuff.

With the medical knowledge derived from this book, you will be in a far better position to take care of your health and initiate a mutually productive dialogue with your general practitioners and specialists. The World is getting increasingly complex. Technology and science evolve rapidly. Nowhere does this increasing complexity have a greater impact than on healthcare. This book will help you understand your health, risk factors, relevant testing, and cures to be considered.

As we age, we will invariably be faced with some challenging options and decisions. This book is a great road map to help us out along the way. If you are well informed, it takes a lot of anxiety out of the equation. That takes care of a major health risk already [stress and anxiety]. This book is good for you!

Along the same line of excellent health related information, I also strongly recommend another great book from Harvard Health Publications: "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter C. Willett. It is the best book on diet and nutrition I have ever read. And, that is also because it is based on scientific studies, and not on subjective opinions from egocentric blowhards.

This book is packed with information on men's health. It covers everything from diet and exercise, through men's maladies (prostate, bladder and problems of the genitals). It covers everything in an easy-to-understand manner that includes many charts and diagrams. In particular I appreciated the section on exercise and stretching, and have revamped my exercise regimen based on this book. I am glad I got this book, and recommend it to all men.

I've read many articles and books on health, but my husband has never been interested. I thought his heart attack might be a wake up call so I bought him Dr.Simon's book. Believe it or not, it's working! David not only is enjoying the book but he's finally getting into prevention. He recommended the book to two of his friends who were concerned about prostate disease and prostate cancer. And to my surprise, I found that I actually learned more from this book about nutrition and fitness than from my women's health books. I highly recommend "The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health" to every man AND woman.

I was not sure that I should order The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health. I bought the book because I wanted the most accurate and up-to-date information, but I was worried that a Harvard publication might be too boring and technical. I have been pleasantly surprised. The book is amazingly complete, but it is also clear and understandable. Instead of being stuffy, Dr. Simon is lively and even funny. I had planned to use the book as a reference, but I found myself reading right through it. I'm sure I'll refer to it often. I recommend it to everyone with a serious interest in health (and a good sense of humor).
Adam,
Phoenix, Arizona

I've never written a review of a book based on the quality of its of printing before, but here I am compelled to. It looks it a 1942 first edition was scanned at low resolution and then printed with a clapped-out inkjet. Every letter on every page has a little flaky shadow below it. Weird thing is on the imprint page is says "Manufactured in the USA" - sigh.

I suppose it shouldn't stop one from buying the book as it's obviously not going to be read like a novel, but it wasn't cheap so the quality can't be ignored. Shame on Simon & Schuster for putting this in customers' hands.

Edition info: I ordered this in October 2010 and it is the edition copyright 2002.

I've subscribed to the Harvard Men's Health Watch newsletter for years, and I look forward to my new issue each month. So I was eager to read this book, which is written by the newsletter's editor. It totally lived up to my expectation. This book contains a wealth of information, and the writing is engaging and understandable without being patronizing. I've learned a lot about health from the newsletter, but this book is even better (and easier to use as a reference!). Having just turned 40, I have more health questions than I'd like to admit to, and I find this book a great guide. My rating is "Excellent."

The other reviewers have said it all. This is an amazing book packed with beneficial information for all men. I am young (almost 20), but I still find this book to be incredibly useful and informative. I plan to get some more copies of this book to give as gifts to my father and uncles.

This book is well worth the money.

Life saving information is in this very well written book. I learned smokers can develop bladder cancer besides the norm such as heart disease. Get this book if you are past 40 and/or avoid seeing a doctor for checkups. There are many easy to read articles in this book which you may feel too embrassed to discuss with your doctor.

I got the book to restore peace to my health club workouts. As my friends have turned 50, many have been asking "Dr. Joel" about prostate cancer. I'd be glad to answer, but it's not exactly my end of the body, since I'm a dentist. I read the two chapters on prostate cancer, but then I went back to read the rest of the book. I don't want to be an instant expert, but I now have a quick answer to all of the questions: read The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health for yourself. It's really an excellent book.

My husband I found this book to be very informative. The material was presented in a lucid and engaging fashion. We found the chapters on diet, exercise, and prostate especially helpful.