Nutrition and HIV: A New Model for Treatment

Romeyn, a San Francisco internist specializing in HIV and nutrition, posits wasting, or starvation from within, as the enemy in opposing the advance of HIV infection. Already a grandmother when she began her internship in 1988, Romeyn exhibits here a remarkable combination of compassion, common sense and expertise. She explains clearly how HIV infection promotes wasting and why maintaining lean body mass is essential. She provides a self-help program for monitoring one's condition, improving one's appetite, taking the necessary supplements and dealing with special problems. A strong patient advocate and a proponent of aggressive and early treatment, she offers advice on the therapies currently available for fighting both the virus and secondary infections, choosing a doctor and a health-care plan, getting into new drug trials and using computer sources of information. Ten appendixes and a glossary pack in additional useful information. Although its focus is on nutrition, this is a truly comprehensive guide to combatting the ravages of HIV infection.

Romeyn, a San Francisco-based internist and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, states that "HIV is a disease of decreasing nutritional status." Through the loss of nutrients and weight, the body loses the ability to fight off AIDS or opportunistic infectors. Her book arms HIV+ individuals with the knowledge to monitor and control their own nutritional status aggressively and thus maintain better health. Romeyn explains how individuals can perform their own nutritional assessment and preserve body mass through supplements and careful eating habits. Charts, recommendations, and scientific references are included. Special problems, medicines, lifestyle suggestions, and social support for the HIV+ individual are incorporated throughout the text. Although written for the highly educated reader, this book is readable and packed with useful information. Recommended for all health libraries serving HIV+ populations.?Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp., Tampa, Fla.

HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

HIV/AIDS is without doubt the worst epidemic to hit humankind since the Black Death. As of 2004 an estimated 40 million people were living with the disease, and about 20 million had died. Despite rapid scientific advances there is still no cure and the drugs are expensive and toxic. In the developing world, especially in parts of Africa, life expectancy has plummeted to below 35 years, causing a serious decline in economic growth, a sharp increase in orphans, and the imminent collapse of health care systems.

The news is not all bleak though. There have been unprecedented breakthroughs in understanding diseases and developing drugs. Because the disease is so closely linked to sexual activity and drug use, the need to understand and change behavior has caused us to reassess what it means to be human and how we should operate in the globalizing world. This Very Short Introduction tackles the science, the international and local politics, the fascinating demographics, and the devastating consequences of the disease, and suggests how we must respond.

HIV and the Pathogenesis of AIDS

This is really excellent book about HIV. It is easy to understand but contains nearly all advanced recent topics including history, immunology and pathogenesis of HIV. Especially for the students who study HIV, this is the best reference for general and specific knowledge.

The new edition of HIV and the Pathogenesis of AIDS provides a state-of-the-art review of the current research, explains the history of the disease, and examines how scientists, clinicians, and public health workers have responded to the challenges presented by HIV/AIDS in the 25 years since its recognition.

Many exciting developments in the field have deepened scientific understanding of HIV/AIDS and have provided novel approaches for prevention and treatment. The book explores potential approaches for therapy and a vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection and AIDS is discussed. Thoroughly updated and revised, the third edition continues to provide a comprehensive analysis of the subject that is unmatched in the field. Figures and tables illustrate and emphasize key points and the text is extensively annotated. Written in an accessible and clear style, the book presents a balanced view of HIV/AIDS and serves as a valuable reference for students, researchers, clinicians, and health care providers.

The Guide to Living with HIV Infection: Developed at the Johns Hopkins AIDS Clinic (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

This up-to-date 1998 book is absolutely essential reading for anyone with HIV or AIDS. The book not only addresses the medical aspects of this virus, but also such issues as understanding and communicating about HIV, how to deal with HIV's possible effects on the body, insurance and HIV and guidance for making legal, financial and medical decisions. No book written prior to 1998 offers current enough information about this virus. For this year, this book can serve as a vital referenc manual for those with HIV or those who love someone with HIV.

Bartlett, professor of medicine and director of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and Finkbeiner, a science writer, have written this authoritative, plain-spoken book to let people with HIV infection, Aids-Related Complex (ARC), or AIDS "know what they're up against" and to help them deal thoroughly and positively with the medical and emotional problems the infection presents. Aimed at teaching HIV-infected people "how to live as long and full and satisfying a life as possible," this guide offers practical advice on such topics as what to do when diagnosed, how to prevent transmission, and how to maintain positive attitudes. The glossary is especially helpful in understanding HIV/ARC/AIDS terminology. With more than one million Americans living with HIV infection, this book is recommended to the broadest readership as one of the best AIDS popular handbooks. The paperback is a good buy.
- James Swanton, Albert Einstein Coll. of Medicine, New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul: Stories to Inspire, Support and Heal (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Your support group in a book, filled with boundless strength and profound hope - until the fight is won.

Along with the shock, fear and loss many women face upon a breast cancer diagnosis comes unexpected strength, wisdom, and strong networks of sharing, support and healing. In Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul, survivors and their family members talk openly about how difficult their fight with breast cancer has been and how they made it through the dark times with a belief in a higher power and the support of those closest to them.

Find strength in the encouraging stories of how family members confront their fears and show genuine affection for one another through gestures such as a granddaughter cutting the hair off of all her dolls so that they will look more like her grandma, who is bald from chemotherapy, and the gentle touch of a three-year-old son on his mother's back giving comfort to his sick mommy, and a husband who shows his wife the depth of his love during a weekend getaway after she heals from a total mastectomy.
Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivors Soul will show you the beautiful side of the human spirit and spark the optimism sometimes lost in the mist of an illness. It is for everyone with breast cancer and everyone who loves someone touched by the disease.

The New Health Insurance Solution: How to Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan

You no longer need a traditional employer plan to get good, affordable health insurance. The New Health Insurance Solution can help you cut your health insurance costs in half if:

* You're self-employed, an independent contractor, or your employer doesn't provide health insurance (you can probably get coverage on your own for about $94/month—a fraction of what an employer would have to pay for the same coverage)
* You are employed and pay extra to cover your spouse or children under your employer-sponsored plan—you may save 50% by taking them off your employer plan
* You own a small business and are getting killed by double-digit premium increases—you can now give employees tax-free money to buy their own plans and get your company out of the health insurance business

The book also explains in detail the best solutions for you if:

* You can't find affordable health insurance because you or a child have an expensive preexisting medical problem (your state has a program to provide you with guaranteed coverage )
* You're currently putting money into an IRA or a 401(k)—because you don't realize that an HSA is always a better option
* You're unsure how you or your parents will be able to afford health insurance during retirement, or how to maximize benefits from Medicare—including the new Part D prescription drug plan

The New Health Insurance Solution is the definitive guide to the new ways every American can now get affordable health care—without an employer.

PAUL ZANE PILZER is a world-renowned economist, a former advisor in two White House administrations, an entrepreneur/employer, an award-winning adjunct professor at NYU, and a New York Times bestselling author.

Long-Term Care Insurance Made Simple

Have an extra $40,000 each year that you don’t know what to do with? You or your parents may end up paying this amount or more each year for long-term care, and the costs are escalating rapidly. Don’t let medical expenses ruin your retirement plans. In Long Term Care Insurance Made Simple author Les Abromovitz offers practical advice on whether you need a policy and tells you how to buy the best one for your money.

With anecdotes, humor, and real-life horror stories, Abromovitz makes long-term care insurance easy-to-understand. Each chapter ends with a short summary highlighting key information for you to remember to ask your insurance agent, health care provider or a legal professional. He’ll tell you if a medical expense can be applied as a tax deduction or not. And tells you why hiding your parent’s life savings when faced with the decision to place them in a nursing home does not work. You’ll find out the latest changes in the law affecting long-term care policies. Develop the right financial strategy to protect your family and make sure their money is not at risk.