Consumer Connections
ISSN 1535-7821 Vol. 27 No. 4 2011
News
Book Reviews
- The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic
- Managing Anxiety in People with Autism
- Learn to Live Through Cancer: What You Need to Know and Do
- Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple Sclerosis, 2nd ed
- Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and Other Disorders, 5th ed.
- The keto cookbook : innovative delicious meals for staying on the ketogenic diet
- The Smart Woman’s Guide to Diabetes: Authentic Advice on Everything from Eating to Dating and Motherhood
- Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies
- Ask the Doctor about Parkinson’s Disease
- Diet Myths Busted: Food Facts not Nutrition Fiction
- 3-D Human Body
- Radical medicine: Cutting-Edge Natural Therapies that Treat the Root Causes of Disease
- Eating Clean for Dummies
- Using Web 2.0 for Health Information
- Teaching Teens with ADD, ADHD and Executive Function Deficits
Publication Information
News
CAPHIS News
Plans are shaping up to have a great meeting in Seattle in May! We’ll be sponsoring one session and co-sponsoring two others. Join us on Monday, May 21st, from 2-3:30 pm for “Consumer Health Outreach: Taking the Consumer Health Library out of the Library”. Four presenters will speak about how they have reached beyond the walls of their library and into the community using innovative and creative approaches to provide services to the community. Topics include:
- Community Day: Reaching out to first responders and community members
- On the air! Librarians and doctors using the radio to communicate with listeners about health
- Out of the library and into the mall
- Health enhancement for rural elderly: Improving health literacy for seniors in Eastern Montana
The sessions we are co-sponsoring consist of one on patient advocacy – meaningful user needs assessment, and demystifying library funding. Plan to join us for the CAPHIS business meeting for a time of refreshments and section business. Look forward to seeing you in Seattle!
Book Reviews
Carroll, Linda. The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic. Simon & Shuster. 2011. 299p. ISBN 0978-1-4516-2722-0. $26.00.
The Concussion Crisis is an alarm bell for parents, coaches and medical personnel to face the denial that exists regarding high school, college and professional sports’ “concussion culture.” The authors, Carroll, a health writer, and Rosner, a sports writer, tell the story of brain trauma through the experiences of both famous sports figures and unknown individuals who have been injured by repeated head blows. All of these players shared the love of their sport, from boxing to football to soccer, as well as the passion of winners, to continue pushing themselves through the unrecognized symptoms of brain injury. Some of the sports figures highlighted in the book were eventually affected enough with brain trauma-induced depression, that they took their own lives. Mood swings, short-term memory loss, a shuffled walk and eventual dementia had taken over the previously bright and agile people as their brains were repeatedly injured without time to heal and without ending their involvement with sports when they were strongly cautioned by their physicians to do so.
The authors chronicle the changes in the regulations in the National Football League. In 2010 there was an effort to institute a no head contact recommendation in the National Hockey League. These proposed changes in professional sports leagues, though not completely in place to date, have begun to erode the idea that a concussion is a tolerable injury at any age level. This is a book for every library, but certainly for consumer health libraries.
Reviewed by: Jackie Davis, Sharp Memorial Community Health Library, San Diego, CAChalfant, Anne M. Managing Anxiety in People with Autism. Woodbine House, 2011. 294. index. ISBN 978-1-60613-004-9. $19.95
Managing Anxiety in people with Autism is a guide to recognizing and reducing anxiety in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The author is a practicing clinical psychologist who specializes in learning, developmental and mental health issues in children and their families and is on faculty at the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
The book is divided into three sections: a description of why people with ASD are so susceptible to anxiety; strategies that parent/caregivers or teachers can use to help autistic children manage anxiety; and lastly, detailed descriptions of direct therapy, with an emphasis on how the author uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify and change behaviors that characterize anxiety. The last chapter offers suggestions for intervention for parents and families who feel vulnerable and isolated as a result of the pressures of anxiety and ASD.
Chalfant writes in an easy-to-follow style. Each chapter includes tables presenting comparisons, boxed items such as descriptions of key terms within the chapter, examples from the author’s case work and summaries at the end of each chapter. Many of the suggested strategies in Part II resemble parenting techniques and structured teaching methods common for all children: encouraging “brave” behavior during gradual exposure to anxiety-making experiences; ignoring fearful behavior that leads to avoidance and impedes a child’s progress; breaking down tasks into easier-to-handle chunks; and use of praise and rewards. The book is intended to guide parents, caregivers and teachers in helping ASD children face social interaction, control their emotions and express their fears.
The book concludes with appendices related to assessment measures, helpful websites, books and resources. This would be an appropriate addition to any consumer health library, especially in a pediatric setting.
Fleishman, Stewart B. MD Learn to Live Through Cancer: What You Need to Know and Do.Demos Medical Publishing, 2011. ISBN 978-1936303083. 348 pp. $18.95.
Written by a physician who was the Founding Director of Cancer Supportive Services at Continuum Cancer Centers of New York, Dr. Fleishman is currently involved in research focused on quality of life and symptom management which serve as the basis of this book. The book introduces the LEARN system which is focused on the healing that accompanies cancer treatment and survivorship. The LEARN process highlights the importance of living, education, activity, rest and nutrition. Written for consumers, the book is text rich and often has long involved sentences which some readers might find daunting. However, Consultation in a Box offers real life scenarios on how patients have encountered and worked through issues related to cancer. Checklists and tools that patients and families can complete are included in the book such as questions to ask providers, how to find foods that are high in protein or calories when appetite is poor, goal setting, and distress barometers that can be used at different points through the journey with cancer. Much of the content of the book focuses on how patients and family members can advocate for themselves and how to seek help for specific situations which accompany cancer care and recovery.
Other useful books on this topic of self guidance through the cancer diagnosis, treatment and survival are the American Cancer Society Guide to Nutrition for Cancer Survivors: Eating Well, Staying Well during and After Cancer, the American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Cancer Caregiving A to Z: An At-Home Guide for Patients. This book would be recommended for patients who are searching for a guided plan of action for cancer treatment and survival and does duplicate many topics that are in American Cancer Society resources.
Reviewed by: Carol Ann Attwood, MLS, AHIP, CHIS, MPH, RN,C; Patient and Health Education Library, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ.Gingold, Jeffrey N.Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple Sclerosis, 2nd ed.demosHealth, 2011. 209 p. index. ISBN 978-1-936303-20-5. $19.95.
Attorney Jeffrey Gingold has updated his 2006 book with over 14 chapters and a resource list outlining strategies, sources and tips for the cognitive challenges of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Topics include family relations, exercise, and accepting assistive devices. However, Gingold’s particular interest is the cognitive difficulties experienced by MS patients. The public may be generally aware of the symptoms and erratic nature of MS: optic neuritis, exacerbations, and numbness and celebrities with MS, such as Montel Williams and Teri Garr, may contribute to this basic awareness. However, Gingold contends the cognitive lapses experienced by MS patients are unseen and under-reported. Coping with these lapses is a thread running throughout this book.
Gingold writes passionately and confidently and the book is at a Flesch-Kincaid grade level ranging from 8-12+. The resource list includes scholarly articles and research organization web sites. While the book provides encouragement and guidance for MS patients, librarians should remember much of the book is opinion and advocacy based on the experience of one patient, and Gingold acknowledges this. If local practices and collection development policies include buying materials written by patients, this book is an appropriate addition to a consumer health collection. It may not be suitable for academic or research collections. Patient support groups and health care students may find the book of value for building skills to work with MS patients.
At the time of this review, Kindle and NOOK editions of this book were available. Selection resources such as Amazon list similar books, such as MS and Your Feelings.
Reviewed by: Will Olmstadt, MSLS, MPH, AHIP, Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
Kossoff, Eric H., Freeman, John M., Turner, Zahava, & Rubenstein, James E. Ketogenic Diets: Treatments for Epilepsy and Other Disorders, 5th ed. Demos Health, 2011. 341 p., appendices, index. ISBN: 9781936303106. $29.95.
Originally developed in the 1920s, the ketogenic diet has been used to treat epilepsy at Johns Hopkins Hospital since the 1980s. The authors state that over 50% of children on a ketogenic diet will have fewer seizures and/or need less medication after one year; most children show improvement after 3 months. Recent research documenting this success is reviewed early in the book and an appendix includes references to journal articles about the diet.
Since the diet is complicated, the book provides detailed information about starting the diet, foods used and avoided, required dietary supplements, calculations needed for meal planning and suggested meal plans and recipes. Useful insets about specific families’ experiences with the diet are interspersed throughout. Information about Internet resources, including a new chapter about the website KetoCalculator https://www.ketocalculator.com/, are included. Shorter chapters about other ketogenic diets, particularly the modified Atkins diet, are also included. Aware that this level of detail may prompt readers to try the diet on their own, the authors stress the importance of starting the diet under the care of a physician and/or a dietitian, preferably using a team approach similar to the one used at Johns Hopkins.
There are several helpful appendices, including one specific to “keto-friendly” products. The diet requires very careful monitoring and control of carbohydrate intake. The importance of looking for hidden carbohydrates in foods, medications, cosmetics and other personal care items that can affect the diet’s success is highlighted. Although written at a high reading level, Ketogenic Diets is recommended for most consumer health libraries, and highly recommended for those in children’s hospitals.
Reviewed by: Deborah Magnan, Samuel and Sandra Hekemian Medical Library, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
Martenz, Dawn Marie and Cramp, Laura. The keto cookbook : innovative delicious meals for staying on the ketogenic diet.DemosHealth, c2012. 131 p., index. ISBN 978-1-936303-23-6. $29.95.
The ketogenic diet is difficult and potentially dangerous, but it is the last, best hope for some people with severe seizure disorders. This book offers 96 recipes with color photos, along with brief advice on how to make the child’s environment safe (no food, mints, gum, etc. left within reach) and sample forms explaining the dietary needs to school personnel, ER physicians, and airport security. Martenz is the mother of a child on the ketogenic diet, and Cramp is the lead specialist dietitian in charge of outpatient use of the diet at Children’s National Medical Center. The recipes appear to be simple enough for the average cook to follow, some include brand names of products that are “keto-safe.” Other recipe books include Keto kid by Deborah Snyder (Demos, 2007) and The ketogenic cookbook by Dennis and Cynthia Brake (Pennycorner Press, 1997). Ketogenic Diets by Kossof, Freeman, Turner and Rubenstein, now in its fifth edition, has some recipes but without the precise measurements (ratios, carb counts, calories) of The keto cookbook.
Reviewed by: Brenda R. Pfannenstiel, MALS, MA, AHIP, Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, Kansas City, MO.
Mercer, Amy Stockwell. The Smart Woman’s Guide to Diabetes: Authentic Advice on Everything from Eating to Dating and Motherhood. Demos Health. 2012. 237 p index. ISBN: 978-1936303137-7. $16.95.
Written by author Amy Mercer, who was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 14, this book provides women with information needed to understand and deal with living with diabetes. While Mercer’s main focus is on type 1 diabetes, Mercer provides a description of the different types of diabetes and each chapter contains information relevant to women with the condition.
The book covers topics such as diabetes diagnosis, diet, exercise, and travel. In addition, teens with diabetes can learn how to handle dealing with their condition while also dealing with the pressures of adolescence. The author provides teens and other diabetic women tips on how to talk to others about their condition. The book also covers information about eating disorders and body image as well as pregnancy, motherhood, and aging. Each section contains tips and quotes from other women who have experienced these issues while managing their diabetes.
While generally well written and interesting, in some places there are too many integrated quotes which may take away from the general tips, but women wishing to hear from other “voices” of women who have had these experiences with diabetes may find them useful. The book concludes with a listing of useful print and web resources for finding additional information. Overall, women newly diagnosed with diabetes will find Mercer’s book useful in learning to manage their life with diabetes.
Reviewed by: Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Center, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, VCU Libraries. Richmond, VA.
Morris, Artemis, M.D. and Molly Rossiter. Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies. Wiley, 2011. 357p. $19.99 ISBN 978-1-118-02381-5.
Artemis Morris, a naturopathic doctor, and writer Molly Rossiter collaborated on this new addition to the Dummies series. They address a wide variety of topics related to reducing inflammation through nutrition and lifestyle changes. It follows the typical structure of the Dummies series with helpful tips throughout. The tone is friendly and conversational. In addition to discussing inflammation and how diet can help, the book includes more than 100 recipes to help get started.
Where the book is most successful is when Morris explains the basics of inflammation and helps put the importance of reducing inflammation response in context. There are also some very good sections on living an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and fine advice on supplements and using caution when evaluating their claims. However, the book has several flaws. The authors tend to make generalizations that are not always explained. Despite mentioning studies and sources throughout the book, they are not listed fully in an appendix or notes. Very few additional resources are mentioned within the text to assist the reader. The editing and organization of the recipes could be improved. One example is a recipe for Nutty Steel-Cut Oats gives the serving size as the entire recipe (for four cups) with 927 calories. Overall the book has good basic information but with the lack of a bibliography, poor editing and limited additional resources given I would consider this an optional purchase.
Reviewed by: Valerie Sherman, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Akron, OH
Okun, Michael S. and Fernandez, Hubert H. Ask the Doctor about Parkinson’s Disease. Demos Health, 2010. 235 p., index. ISBN 978-1-932603-81-1. $15.95.
The authors of this book, Drs. Okun and Fernandez, are noted experts in Parkinsons Disease (PD) and regularly contribute to the “Ask the Doctor” section of the National Parkinsons Foundation web site at http://www.parkinson.org/. The book is in fact designed as a composite of many of the questions received in that forum, as well as those the authors felt it vital to address regardless. The answers are obviously well-researched (and documented), and backed up with the doctors’ years of practical experience in the field. They also carefully note where the science is lacking, and where experts disagree. The book is divided into logical sections on PD basics, coping, symptoms, drug therapies, CAM treatments, “multidisciplinary approaches,” surgeries (including deep brain stimulation), stem cell and other new treatments. There are helpful charts for the confusing array of drugs, and appendices including a medication schedule and a human diagram of PD symptoms.
Like other works written by experts, however, this one could use the help of a plain language editor. While it is true that motivated patients – and those with PD would likely be in that category – are known to forge through highly technical materials in their quest for information to fight the disease, the point of any book written for consumers is to make that task as easy as possible for them. Because of the high reading level, this should be regarded as a secondary purchase for library collections, especially in places where the education level of users is limited. A better initial purchase might be Understanding Parkinson’s Disease: A Self-Help Guide (Cram, Schechter & Gao, 2nd ed., 2009).
Reviewed by: Kay Hogan Smith, UAB Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
Birmingham, AL
Rosenstein, Ann A. Diet Myths Busted: Food Facts not Nutrition Fiction. Enumclaw, WA: Idyll Arbor, Inc. 2011. ISBN: 9781882883837. 296 p. $18.00.
While many diet and nutrition books vie for library and bookstore space, this one deserves a look because it takes a fresh approach by educating readers on how to make healthy choices. Each chapter addresses common myths, why we tend to believe the myths, and the facts. Key points to remember are summarized for quick reference. Quotes and comics, both funny and inspirational, are interspersed to provide a light, easy to read style. She tackles myths surrounding fat, hormones, caffeine, soft drinks, negative calories in celery, and many more topics of popular interest, but also incorporates facts about denial and emotional aspects of dieting. Nutrition in pregnancy and what to feed children are also included. A detailed glossary, bibliography and index are useful additions. Ann Rosenstein is a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. She has written four other books on water fitness and also answers questions about nutrition and fitness on her website, http://www.dietfitnessdiva.com/.
Reviewed by: Nancy O’Brien, Iowa Health – Des Moines, Des Moines, IA
Walker, Richard, 3-D Human Body. DK, 2011. 71p. illus. glossary. index. ISBN 978-0-7566-7216-4. $17.99.
For those interested in human physiology, this is a colorful, interactive introduction. The book is divided into three main sections: basics (the sell, skin, skeleton, muscles, joints); control (nervous system, senses); and maintenance (cardiovascular and respiratory systems, digestion, immune system, liver function). Each item is covered with double-page photo spreads and annotations explaining the illustrations. Scanning electron micrographs, ultrasound images, X-rays, and photographs show how the body works. In addition to all of this, there is a companion website. Users may download a program, go to one of the six augmented reality spreads indicated by a special icon, and use the webcam on the computer to animate the images. They can watch the heart beat, make a skeleton run, and follow the progress of food through the digestive tract. This is a nice addition to consumer health collections and both children and adults will appreciate it.
Reviewed by: Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland Public Library, Oakland, CA.
Williams, Louisa L. Radical medicine: Cutting-Edge Natural Therapies that Treat the Root Causes of Disease. Healing Arts Press, 2011. 694p. illus. index. ISBN 978-159477411-9. $75.00.
Interest in complementary and alternative therapies continues to be high. This encyclopedia first published in 2007 as Radical Medicine: Profound Intervention in a Profoundly Toxic Age is written by a naturopath. The author clearly states that she prefers homeopathy and comes out squarely against vaccination. She also discusses the toxicity of mercury amalgam dental fillings at length and advocates detoxification to rid the body of toxic metals. She is in favor of organic, non-processed foods and prefers raw milk. While this book provides a detailed overview of some alternative therapies, the author’s bias against important public health tools makes it hard to recommend. Academic health sciences collections with inclusive coverage of alternative therapies may want to consider it.
Reviewed by: Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland Public Library, Oakland, CA.
Wright, Jonathan, MD. and Linda Larsen. Eating Clean for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, 2011. 362p. Index. ISBN 978-1-118-00013-7. $19.99.
Eating Clean for Dummies encourages the reader to avoid processed foods (i.e, “anything that comes in a box and has a label”) in favor of whole foods: fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Authors Wright and Larsen draw upon their considerable expertise in nutrition, food science, and nutritional healing to explain the many benefits of clean eating, and the plethora of negatives associated with eating processed and fast foods. Every aspect of how to alter your lifestyle is covered: grocery shopping, cooking methods, stocking your kitchen, eating clean on the go, even how to restore the family dinner to your schedule and make it fun. “Clean” recipes for meals, desserts, and snacks are also included so readers can immediately put clean eating into practice. As is typical of the Dummies series, this book is well organized with a detailed table of contents, subject index, and icons within the chapters highlighting main ideas. Readers can quickly find the sections that interest them; at no time does the information feel overwhelming. With a writing style as clean as the eating plan it promotes, Eating Clean for Dummies is an easily readable, persuasive, and thoroughly informative work. Highly recommended for all public libraries and consumer health collections.
Reviewed by: Doris Jean Metzger, MLIS, The Main Link Peer Support Center, Towanda, PA
Younger, Paula PGCE, MA, MCLIP; and Morgan, Peter, MA, Using Web 2.0 for Health Information. Facet Publishing (Distributed in the U.S. by Neal-Schuman Publishers), 2011. 164p, Index, glossary. ISBN 978-1-85604-731-9. $125.00.
Paula Younger, Library Manager at Weston Area Health Trust, Bristol, UK, specializes in electronic resources. Peter Morgan, Head of Medical and Science Libraries at Cambridge University, is active in the areas of open access and repository policies. Rather than being a training manual on how to identify and use Web 2.0 tools, or an exhaustive listing, this book is a collection of case studies (along with introductory chapters from the editors) from librarians and information professionals who are well versed in their subject areas and in their choice of tools.
Although Web 2.0 has been around about a decade, its use in the healthcare field is still relatively new. The case studies in the contributed chapters delve into choosing appropriate tools and evaluating their use, and attention is also given to online learning technologies. Supporting research, content for developing countries, serving the needs of health care consumers, information needs of clinicians, and a very practical account of using Twitter to publicize a hospital library’s services are among the topics covered. In conclusion the editors remind us that the Internet is always in flux and rather than relying upon certain tools, the approach that will serve us well is learning to be aware of changing technologies and the different ways we can use them.
Reviewed by: Patricia Devine, MLS, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region, Seattle, WA.
Zeigler Dendy, Chris A. Teaching Teens with ADD, ADHD and Executive Function Deficits. Woodbine House, 2011, 376p. index. ISBN 978-1-60613-016-2. $24.95.
This comprehensive book should be required reading for every teacher and parent of students with ADD, ADHD and executive function deficits. There are clear and concise explanations of why students exhibit certain behaviors and incorporates the latest brain research. Ms. Zeigler Dendy worked as a teacher, school psychologist and counselor for 40 years, and she also has children and grandchildren with ADHD. She has authored other books and has a website http://www.chrisdendy.com/ with additional information.
The scope of “Teaching Teens” is wide and deep, covering basic information such as definitions, differences between boys and girls, medications, Federal Education Laws that offer certain protections and programs, and more. The best aspects of the book are the abundant practical solutions found in each section for managing these disabilities, and for creating an atmosphere in which the student can both feel comfortable and successful in their class work. The blank forms in the Appendix are useful for teachers, parents and students for identifying effective methods for learning.
The book is easy to read with an inviting and hopeful approach that is contagious. Zeigler Dendy’s book is a must have for every college offering an education degree. It is a resource that could easily find its way into a consumer health library as well.
Reviewed by: Jackie Davis, Sharp Memorial Community Health Library, San Diego, CA
Publication Information
Statement
Consumer Connections (ISSN 1535-7821) is the newsletter of the Consumer and Patient Information Section of the Medical Library Association. It is published on the CAPHIS website quarterly. Notification of publication is sent via the CAPHIS listserv. CAPHIS is the largest section of the Medical Library Association.
Newsletter articles and book reviews are copyrighted; please contact the editor for reprint permission.
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Please submit items for Consumer Connections during the third quarter for publication in the following quarter.
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Please send submissions in electronic format to the editor:
Nikki Dettmar
e-mail: snydern@u.washington.edu
Telephone: (206)543-3409
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