Customer Reviews

Take Care Of Yourself: The Complete Illustrated Guide To Medical Self-care, Sixth Edition

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Enables the reader to take charge of his/her basic medical care by explaining in plain terms the disease process, what to do for yourself at home, and what to generally expect at the doctor's office. Makes that office or ER visit w/its high copay worthwhile, and less wasteful of MD time, because you've already done all the simple at-home treatments. Simple and easy-to-follow, lets you know how much worry you'll need by the guiding phrases "see physician now" or "make appointment". I've had my copy since 1980, and NOBODY is getting it away from me.

I have referred to this book innumerable times, and each time have easily found the guidance I needed. The book is logically arranged and well-written, and the flow charts which walk you through the symptoms and direct you toward either home treatment or the doctor's office are brilliant.

No-one looking for a guide to evaluating the seriousness of symptoms would regret for a moment the purchase of this book. I only wish that the book aimed specifically for children and their illnesses were not out of print.

Even though the cover claims that the book is 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Medical Self-Care', there are better books that you can purchase for a few dollars more that meet the claim. It is very easy to read and not intimidating at all like the other medical self-care books. That is probably why this book is so popular. I was given this copy free by my HMO a long time back and I have found it valuable enough to keep it for all these years. Anytime I experience some symptoms of bad health, I refer to this book first to see if I can find a quick solution. Only if I can't find it in this book, do I pull out my other two books - 'The Merck Manual of Medical Information' and 'The American Medical Association Family Medical Guide' which are absolutely the best in the field.

There is a very good section on preventive health care at the beginning of the book followed by 1-2 page descriptions of 175+ symptoms and home treatment advice. For each symptom, there is a simple flow chart that is easy to follow in case you are experiencing that symptom. The flow chart will lead you through possible causes of the symptom and what to do about it. The especially useful feature of this flow chart technique is the focus on when to apply home treatment and when to see a doctor. My family and I have always been interested in treating medical problems at home if possible before getting the medical establishments involved. This book helped us try to treat basic symptoms at home more effectively without fear of making a mistake.

I am not sure if I would recommend the purchase of this book, but if you receive a questionaire from your HMO that promises to mail you this book for filling out the form, I would say 'go for it'. I definitely recommend buying one of the following two books for home self-care - The Merck Manual of Medical Information and The American Medical Association Family Medical Guide. If in doubt, all of these books strongly advice you to seek a medical professional's assistance. Bottom line - I don't think it hurts to have a couple of self-care books that arm you with knowledge about basic health related problems and maybe even appease your hypochondriac side.

Around our house, we refer to "Take Care of Yourself" as The Book. We have found it to be a valuable resource, especially the flowcharts which help you determine what you can treat at home (and how to treat it) and what you should call or see a doctor about. Even better, it covers wellness care as well as illnesses and injuries. It has special sections for men's and women's specific health problems as well. I think that every household should have a copy of this book.

This book is a consumer's guide to staying out of the doctor's office. The authors' goals are to help ordinary people recognize when they need to seek a doctor's help, and when they can get along fine without a doctor. The book mostly focuses on symptoms and common injuries. As a reader, you say to yourself, "I have a rash," or "My daughter has a sore throat." Then you look up the symptoms in the index, which points you to a short 2 page article about what might be the possible causes and likely outcomes of your problem. Each short article includes a flowchart with questions that help you determine whether you should apply home treatment, make an appointment with a doctor, or head for the emergency room. The articles also describe what kinds of home treatments are effective, and what you can expect if you decide to see the doctor.

Naturally, this book can't substitute for proper medical care. It is quite limited, for instance, on descriptions of formal medical diagnoses- -in general, it is not a good source for patient information if your doctor says you're sick with a disease that you've never heard of. On the other hand, it does an excellent job of letting you know when you need to see a doctor, and when you don't. The language is very non-technical and easy for ordinary people to understand. My aunt, a nurse practitioner, gave me a copy of this book when I first went away to college since I would be making decisions about when to seek medical care on my own for the first time. Since then, I've used the book innumerable times, and it is one of the very few that I take with me when I move from place to place.

We've used this reference extensively for over 20 years to figure out when a particular problem requires professional medical attention (urgent or otherwise) and when there may be an effective home treatment. We first started using it at the urging of our family doctor. When we use it before making an appointment, our doctor knows that we're well informed and prepared to make efficient use of our time with him. Now that our son is away at college, we've gotten him his own copy.

This is a quick and handy guide with solution-at-a-glance flow charts to help you diagnose and treat common medical problems that don't require a doctor's care.

It is NOT a substitute for your doctor.

The book gives a simple plan for preventative health care by surveying the 5 "keys to health:" exercise, obesity, alcohol, smoking, diet/nutrition. It also gives criteria for choosing a doctor, tells how you can detect poor medical service and advises on what to expect when you visit a doctor.

In it you'll learn:
how to treat common medical symptoms
how to save time and money
to cut out unnecessary trips to doctors and emergency rooms.

A caveat: Do NOT use aspirin in any form to treat fevers and common pediatric illnesses in children less than 12 years old.

The guide is not intended to replace a physician's care. It's a guide to help you determine when to call or see a doctor or when to give the specified treatment at home. If in doubt, see your doctor.

Quality medical care begins at home, say Drs. Vickey and Fries, and they've proved the information to help you get it. This one should be on everyone's bookshelf, especially if you have children.

Find your problem and go through their simple charts to see what you should do. It's very simple, so there is not a lot of depth. Treat minor burns, scrapes, fevers, colds, etc. There are also an emergency and sexuality sections. This is by no means an exhaustive book of symptoms and diagnoses, but still good to have.

This work has a variety of symptoms to known disease processes
during childhood, adulthood and old age. Strategies to deal
with stress/strain, chest pain, eye problems, digestion and
the urinary tract are set forth in detail throughout the book.
Urinary tract infections may be treated initially by drinking
more fluids ; such as water and juices i.e. cranberry.
The author distinguishes between home treatment and instances
when a physician must be called to deal with more serious

symptoms. Simple wounds can be soaked and cleaned with
warm water for short periods. Larger wounds take longer to heal
and require a physician's intervention.

This work is perfect for immediate interventions until definitive improvement is seen or a physician becomes available.
It should be in every personal health library.

This is a great book to keep with your first aid kit or on your family book case. I also highly recomend its companion book, Taking Care of Your Child, if you have kids, get them both.