Up-to-date, easily understandable answers to common medical questions.

With the assistance of former Medco executive Lotvin and Fisher, Chopra (Medicine and Continuing Education/Harvard Medical School; The Liver Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery, 2001, etc.) presents a quasi-reference book in five parts: food and drink; drugs, vitamins and supplements; medicine; alternative medicine; and health risks. Each part includes a half dozen or more questions, such as "Is Wine the Best Medicine?" "Does Aspirin Prevent Cancer" and "Should Children be Immunized?" While most are about common concerns, others, such as "Is Restless Leg Syndrome Really a Billion-Dollar Disease?" read more like a headline from a tabloid. In a brief discussion of each issue, the authors present science-based evidence to support the answer, or in some cases, an examination of the lack of evidence currently available. Sidebars highlight key points in the discussion so that readers looking for a specific answer can readily find it without reading the entire section. Chopra adds a coda to each discussion in which he sums up the take-home message in a paragraph or two. Although the preface and the introduction stress that the doctors will be presenting only evidence-based answers, this is not, strictly speaking, always the case. Chopra inserts his personal experience with acupuncture ("I know it works. I've seen it. More important, I've felt it") and with prayer ("I personally pray for my sick patients and encourage their family and friends to do so"), even though the text has made clear that the scientific evidence isn't there. The introduction's explanation of clinical trials and of epidemiological and longitudinal studies is clearly written and contains useful information for anyone attempting to assess a medical claim. The concluding chapter outlines the healthful lifestyles of the two doctors along with the gentle suggestion that readers learn from them. Includes a foreword by Mehmet Oz.

Helpful, accessible information about a broad variety of health concerns.

If you've ever been intrigued by ads for newsletters that promise to tell you "what doctors don't want you to know," just buy this book. Chopra (medicine, Harvard Medical Sch.) and cardiologist Lotvin want us to know everything, including the myths that sometimes get in the way of good medical care. Arranged in six sections—"Food and Drink," "Drugs," "Vitamins and Supplements," "Medicine," "Alternative Medicine," and "Health Risks"—the book covers prevalent theories one by one. Each is analyzed according to current scientific research and shown to be either true or false or somewhere in between. For instance: no, vaccines do not cause autism. And yes, one glass of red wine a day is good for you. VERDICT Well organized and easy to read, this title will be of interest to anyone interested in medical science. Highly recommended.—Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH