Ilana and Martin Gerschlowitz are an ordinary middle-class South African family – young, newly married with bright, promising futures. Ilana falls pregnant and gives birth to David, a happy, healthy baby boy. At 10 months old, David suffers recurring ear infections, and at 11 months old a terrible fever sends him to hospital. David’s behaviour abruptly changes – he no longer looks at his parents, his motor and budding language skills disappear, and the light in his eyes dims. It is the beginning of a journey with autism that few parents would ever want to encounter, and yet a staggering number of children are now diagnosed with autism, and the number of diagnoses rises every year.

Ilana and Martin work tirelessly to understand David’s autism diagnosis, and to search for ways to treat their son. The couple arrange an international autism conference, open a treatment centre for autistic children, and begin outreach programs for underprivileged families dealing with autism.

Ilana falls pregnant again and their third son, Aaron, develops normally. And then the unthinkable happens – at 16 months Aaron develops ear infections and they decide to insert grommets. Immediately after the procedure, they realise that Aaron is not behaving in his usual manner. Within days, it becomes clear that Aaron, too, has developed autism, and their journey begins afresh. Armed with the knowledge gained from years of treating David, the couple set about ensuring that Aaron’s condition is treated swiftly and carefully.

A quest is never what you expect it to be.

Elizabeth Madeline Martin spends her days in a retirement home in Cape Town, watching the pigeons and squirrels on the branch of a tree outside her window. Bedridden, her memory fading, she can recall her early childhood spent in a small wood-and-iron house in Blackridge on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg. Though she remembers the place in detail – dogs, a mango tree, a stream – she has no idea of where exactly it is. ‘My memory is full of blotches,’ she tells her daughter Julia, ‘like ink left about and knocked over.’

Julia resolves to find the Blackridge house: with her mother lonely and confused, would this, perhaps, bring some measure of closure? A journey begins that traverses family history, forgotten documents, old photographs, and the maps that stake out a country’s troubled past – maps whose boundaries nature remains determined to resist. Kind strangers, willing to assist in the search, lead to unexpected discoveries of ancestors and wars and lullabies. Folded into this quest are the tender conversations between a daughter and a mother who does not have long to live.

Taken as one, The Blackridge House is a meditation on belonging, of the stories we tell of home and family, of the precarious footprint of life.

South African born-and-raised Hollywood screenwriter Helena Kriel is researching the ancient text of the Kama Sutra for a movie she’s writing. At the same time, she is travelling to India to meet with sages and find answers to the universal challenges of sex and love. While searching for love in her doomed relationships, little does she know she will find her answers in caring for her dying brother, Evan, in South Africa.

Set in the mid-1990s, South Africa is just emerging from the darkness of apartheid and bursting with vibrant chaos. The story zooms in on an intense year in the narrator’s life. It centres around the lively and eccentric South African Kriel family: Maya, the combative but inspired mother; Lexi, the sister recently returned from living in a temple in India; Ross, the younger brother diving with sharks; and Helena, the narrator, herself on a journey to understand love and death. At the heart of the story is Evan, her terminally ill 30-year-old gay brother, who has been keeping his illness a shameful secret. Conscious, sensitive, terrified and trying to hang onto sanity as his world changes, Evan becomes paralysed then finally goes blind as death draws ever closer. But it is Evan who leads the family through the fire.

In living through her brother’s fight to stay alive, the narrator finds herself at the heart of a savage story, one she would not have chosen. How could she know when she set out to India to find ancient solutions to the modern problems of our age that her brother’s approaching death would be her greatest teacher? How could she imagine that dying brings everything to life?

The Year Of Facing Fire is an astoundingly written memoir by one of South Africa’s finest writers. It traverses universal themes including love, death and sex, and finds value in the ordinary and great beauty in the uncertain.

Samantha is stamped with a 'bipolar' label that becomes the trajectory for her tortured existence. For the next three decades she will wind through a maze of anguished suffering, accompanied by memory-effacing medical interventions in the form of electroconvulsive therapies, heaps of pills and repellent hallucinations. As her helpless family and loved ones watch, often in terror, Samantha yo-yos between acceptance and denial of her diagnosis. Time and again believing she is well, she plummets into the devastating chasm of her illness.

Life Interrupted is a deeply compelling memoir that brilliantly humanises the sufferer beyond the label. It is groundbreaking in the way the author shares the horrors of psychosis and unbounded mania, the fears of depression and the emergence of recovery.

This book will not only appeal to the over four million people diagnosed with bipolar in South Africa, but to the millions of people who are affected by loved ones with bipolar, as well as to everyone who reads it.

Die oorlewingstog van 'n dapper vrou.

“ ʼn Kale vlakte waar my regterbors eens was. Ek maak my oë toe en laat my brein toe om te proe aan hierdie monumentale ding. Kanker schmanker, besluit ek. Ek is nog net soveel vrou soos voor die operasie. My vroulikheid het toe al die tyd nie in my bors gesit nie. Dit sit in my kop, in my hart, in daardie onmeetbare, onaantasbare iets wat die gees genoem word.”

In hierdie aangrypende boek deel die bekende spanningsverhaalskrywer Madelein Rust die intiemste besonderhede van haar reis met borskanker. Dit is ʼn brutaal eerlike vertelling wat haar belewenis van die siekte met patos en humor uitbeeld. Lesers verkry ʼn eiesoortige blik op die fisieke ervarings van borskankerstryders sowel as die ewig veranderende binnewêreld van dié wat teen die siekte veg.

Kanker schmanker! rus borskankerstryders toe met inligting wat nie altyd geredelik beskikbaar is nie en help hul geliefdes om die reis met kanker beter te verstaan. Dit is ʼn boek van hoop en triomf wat die leser hardop laat huil en laat lag. Dis 'n verhaal vir elkeen van ons wat ʼn stryd van enige aard stry.

Shéri Brynard has reached many remarkable milestones, although she was born with Down Syndrome. She talks about how love and acceptance from her family and friends formed her. She tells of her adventures, her pain and the harsh realities she has to face as an adult with Down Syndrome. Her mother tells the tale of living in Shéri’s shadow, speaking without holding back about her crisis of faith when she heard that her daughter had Down Syndrome. A touching tale.

Across the world, 2 billion experience menstruation, yet menstruation is seen as a mark of shame. We are told not to discuss it in public, that tampons and sanitary pads should be hidden away, the blood rendered invisible. In many parts of the world, poverty, culture and religion collide causing the taboo around menstruation to have grave consequences. Younger people who menstruate are deterred from going to school, adults from work, infections are left untreated. The shame is universal and the silence a global rule.

In It's Only Blood, Anna Dahlqvist tells the shocking but always moving stories of why and how people from Sweden to Bangladesh, from the United States to Uganda, are fighting back against the shame.

In 2011 the world was shocked when the news broke that Joost van der Westhuizen, known for years as the golden boy of South African rugby and a former Springbok captain, had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND).

This rare condition attacks the central nervous system, causing progressive disability. There is no known cure. All who have seen Joost in action will know that he is not one to give up without a fight. His game-changing prowess as a brilliant scrum half is now focused on a battle for survival and, more importantly, on making a difference to the lives of others with the disease. In a race against time, Joost has a dream to fulfil. He says: “In the beginning you go through all the emotions and you ask, ‘Why me?’ It’s quite simple. ‘Why not me?’ If I have to go through this to help future generations, why not me?” His acceptance of his symptoms is equally pragmatic: “One day you can’t move your arm, another day you don’t have speech. Every day you are reborn and you take the day as it comes.”

Glory Game – The Joost van der Westhuizen Story is a compelling narrative of redemption set against the backdrop of an illustrious career in rugby. It is the story of a modern-day warrior forced to face his own human frailty. Joost shows us that beyond ambition, success and fame lies the true wealth of family and friends, and that within a ravaged body the spirit can remain invincible.

When Lauren Segal receives a call from her husband one wintry morning in 2014, the furthest thing from her mind is her biopsy results. For two years she’s been living a cancer-free existence after a double mastectomy that has put her in the clear. The call shatters the foundation of her world – the lump she thought was scar tissue is malignant. Her cancer is back.

Cancer: A Love Story is the intimately searing memoir of a four-time cancer survivor. The book magnificently tracks Lauren’s journey to come to terms with the untold challenges of facing the dreaded disease. Forced to face her needle phobia, the author leads the reader into her crumbling world as she confronts the terrors of treatment – from debilitating chemo to nuking radiation. Death is her uninvited companion.

But in the midst of her lonely horror, in a quest for deeper meaning, Lauren discovers the unexpected gift of awareness of unanticipated opportunities that cancer presents – to confront her unmasked humanity – her fears, strengths and weaknesses.

“Throughout my arduous journey into the world of cancer, I have discovered that proximity to death brings with it a new proximity to life. I have learned that luck and unluck, happiness and distress, hope and despair are tightly coiled into a life well lived.” Lauren’s story removes the enormous stigma that still surrounds breast cancer; it tackles the deep fear surrounding diagnoses and treatment and it encourages us to take control of our health. It ultimately triumphs by showing the reader how a person in any unwanted life situation can come out on the other side. The book also provides vital insights for professionals involved in the care of cancer patients and a hugely informative section on chemo tips for those undergoing treatment.

First published in 1984 and now in its seventh edition, Coovadia's Paediatrics and child health 7e is a comprehensive introductory textbook, highly regarded by academics and students alike.

This tried and tested best-seller is an introduction to paediatrics and child health emphasising a primary care approach from a southern African perspective to enable practitioners to deal effectively with local health problems. The book maintains a problem-based approach to facilitate a full evaluation of the sick child from a holistic perspective.

This is a clinical textbook dealing with the medical diagnosis and treatment of paediatric health issues. The nine parts cover the practice of paediatrics, focusing on associated disorders. The book maintains a problem-based approach to facilitate a full evaluation of the sick child from a holistic perspective. There are chapters devoted to social paediatrics and child health, as well as a comprehensive list of topics dealing with all aspects of childhood disease including oral and dental conditions, and dermatological or specialty surgical conditions.

It's aimed primarily at Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) students studying Paediatrics in their 4th, 5th or 6th year modules. Paediatrics is also incorporated in the Bachelors of Nursing (BCur) programme usually at 3rd and 4th year.

Since the first edition of HIV and AIDS Education, Care and Counselling was published almost 20 years ago, it has become the standard handbook in Africa for thousands of HIV and AIDS practitioners. However, ongoing HIV and AIDS research requires regular revisions to the handbook for it to remain current with developments in prevention and treatment. Consequently, this new edition has been updated with input from two new specialist co-authors. This has strengthened the multicultural and multidisciplinary approach of this edition to Africa's unique challenges. Key features: A new design that improves readability and accessibility; In situ definitions and explanations of key terms and concepts; An updated glossary of important HIV and AIDS terminology; and Terminology, Frequently Asked Questions and Enrichment boxes that provide insight into specific aspects of HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. Key updates: This edition includes a wealth of new information for healthcare practitioners on nursing care principles covering co-infections and complications of HIV infection and ART; infection control; and management of TB, drug-resistant TB, STIs and comorbidities. Specifically, the sixth edition includes: The latest ARV protocols in South Africa; The WHO's best practice suggestions; ART treatment as prevention; HIV, TB and STI prevention and management for schoolchildren, aligned with the Department of Basic Education's Life Skills and Life Orientation criteria; Development of children and adolescents from traditional, communal or collectivistic backgrounds; and The Dual Process Model (DPM), focusing on the latest research in bereavement counselling.

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING, Fifth Edition, provides a solid foundation in anatomical and physiological principles relevant to communication sciences and disorders. Ideal for speech-language pathology and audiology students, as well as practicing clinicians, the text integrates clinical information with everyday experiences to reveal how anatomy and physiology relate to the speech, language, and hearing systems. Combining comprehensive coverage with abundant, full-color illustrations and a strong practical focus, the text makes complex material approachable even for students with little or no background in anatomy and physiology. Thoroughly updated to reflect current trends, techniques, and best practices, the Fifth Edition of this acclaimed text is supported by innovative Anatesse learning software-now accessible online via PC, Mac, and tablet devices-featuring tutorials, interactive quizzes, and other resources to help students of all learning styles master the material and prepare for professional licensing exams.

Now in its third edition, Pharmacology in Clinical Practice has been updated to ensure it remains up-to-date and relevant.

Particular care has been taken to simplify and clarify difficult concepts by explaining the links between pharmacology and physiology by providing definitions of new concepts, and using plain language for ease of understanding. Fundamental concepts, such as pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, are well covered in a matter that is accessible and clear. Individual chapters cover the various systems of the body.

Updates include:

• A colour plate to illustrate the links between pharmacology and physiology
• Additional information on side-effects, contra-indications and patient education for groups of drugs
• A guide on how to access this information, to assist with exam preparation and nursing practice
• An updated chapter on nursing management of drug preparations and treatment
• An updated chapter on clinical applications
• A chapter on the legal framework for dispensing and prescribing.

To be diagnosed with dementia is "like being blindfolded and let loose in a maze". There is no clear treatment to follow, because each case is unique. But once thickets of misunderstanding and misinformation are brushed aside, there are pathways to hope.

"Secular models of support don't adequately reflect Christian values of compassion, love and service," explains Louise Morse. "Neither do they describe the power of spiritual support. This is key to the wellbeing of the caregiver, as well as the person with dementia."

This book is packed with examples of what works, as well as practical advice and accessible medical information. Louise Morse is a cognitive behavioural therapist and works with a national charity whose clients include people with dementia. Her MA dissertation, based on hundreds of interviews, examined the effects on families of caring for a loved one with dementia.

Reverse Your Diabetes provides all the information and support you need to take control of type 2 diabetes and, potentially, to reverse it.

Based on the latest research and proven results, this clear and effective programme outlines the key steps you need to take to turn around your health: watch what you eat, get more active, monitor your progress and commit to change. Written by diabetes expert Dr David Cavan and in association, Reverse Your Diabetes also tackles the myths and misinformation about type 2 diabetes.

This is an essential book that will empower you to take control of your diabetes and maximise your health for good.

Imagine you could travel through the spellbinding worldof Fantastic Beasts... What would you pack if you were going to 1920s Paris? What kind of beasts could you imagine meeting there? What do you think it would be like to befriend a Niffler, to face an Obscurus or to visit a magical circus? Packed with fun activities and photos from the two Fantastic Beasts films, including full-page posters and an eight-page fold-out guide to Newt's beasts and unique London home.

The original Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First by Tom Kitwood was published by Open University Press in 1997. It was a seminal text in the field of dementia studies and is still cited and referenced as core reading on person-centred dementia care. Tom died unexpectedly, just 12 months after the book was published. This book continues to inspire many people to challenge simplistic paradigms about dementia. Since the original book was written, however, there have been many changes in our understanding of dementia. The editor of this new edition, Dawn Brooker was mentored by Tom Kitwood. She has drawn together a remarkable group of writers to provide a commentary on Kitwood's work. This new edition reproduces the original chapters but provides extra content from subject experts to update the book to a contemporary level. Dementia Reconsidered Re-visited is an ideal main text or supplementary text for all those studying or working in nursing, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, adult education, gerontology and health and social care more generally. "This important book does three things. It brings to a new generation the insight and vision of Tom Kitwood. It highlights the remarkable progress we have made in recent years. But most important of all it reminds us what still needs to be done if we are to fully respect the rights of people with dementia and their family care-givers. Kitwood inspired Alzheimer's Society to knit together research, care, and societal change. We are now re-inspired to make sure all progress is evidenced and evaluated for its impact. We must realise the enormous opportunities the digital age offers people affected by dementia but in doing so constantly listen to and learn from their many and varied voices across nations and cultures." Jeremy Hughes CBE, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society, UK

Embrace veganism and keep the whole household happy and well-fed - without making a different meal for everyone. Not a fan of tofu? Fear not - this vegan cookbook is packed with over 100 healthy, delicious recipes that will appeal to adults and children alike, using grains, pulses, and other meat- and dairy-free alternatives as the base ingredient. You'll find options for every meal of the day, whether you're looking for quick lunch box ideas for vegan kids or preparing a big dinner for the whole family. "The good stuff" box on each recipe gives an expert breakdown of nutritional value, so everyone is getting the nourishment they need. An additional "flex it" section on many recipes gives busy cooks an option to easily add meat or dairy to their meal, perfect for pleasing non-vegan members of the household or families wanting to go "flexitarian". This is everyday food for everyone, with nutritionally balanced vegan meals and flexible options - There's a Vegan in the House is the essential cookbook for any household venturing into veganism.

'With my job on Today, I have become obsessed with sleep. The Nocturnal Brain interweaves bizarre real life stories with cutting edge neurological science in the true tradition of Oliver Sacks. A fascinating read.' Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4 'Casebooks of neurological disorders are often strange and wonderful, but this one is special.' Sunday Times 'The Nocturnal Brain will not promise to cure your insomnia, but it does make for an entertaining and thought-provoking bedtime read.' The Guardian What happens to our brain at night? Are we really fully asleep and if so how is it that some individuals end up doing what they do? Or can it be the case that perhaps the brain never fully goes to sleep and that in some individuals there is a disconnect between the sleeping part of their brain and the active part of their brain so that the two become confused? Does this happen to all of us in varying degrees and can the reverse be the case too - so that some individuals are actually asleep during the day while appearing to be awake?! In this ground-breaking book, Dr Guy Leschziner takes us on a fascinating journey through the nocturnal brain to illustrate the neuroscience behind nightmares, night terrors and sleep walking.

The onset of the quadruple burden of disease in South Africa, the challenges faced by the medical establishment to curtail the rapid growth of multiple epidemics, the inadequate response by the state to various inequities in the health system, and the public debates associated with it, have all combined to draw attention to the sociological aspects of health and disease. Sociology as a resource of knowledge and a unique analytical and conceptual perspective can be used to understand, explain and positively influence the course of health and disease in South African society and our responses to it.

As a health practitioner or scholar you must be equipped with the skills to critically evaluate research and debates in your profession, be able to adapt to changes and contribute to the development of knowledge and best practice. This reader will familiarise you with relevant content and assist you to develop the analytical capacity and conceptual skills you will need.

Society, Health and Disease in South Africa is authored by experienced educators and researchers in the fields of sociology, social work, anthropology, healthcare policy and practice.

Filled with 750 photos of African, Arabic, Caribbean and South Asian foods, this visual guide is the essential resource for diabetes management, carb awareness, weight loss, portion control and healthy eating. The Carbs & Cals range of books is nationally recognised as the leading resource for diabetes & weight loss, using their revolutionary method of showing hundreds of food photos to make counting carbs and calories a breeze. FEATURES: - 750 photos of food & drinks commonly consumed by African, Arabic, Caribbean and South Asian communities - Carb content clearly displayed using blood glucose icons, highlighting each portion's possible effect on blood glucose level - Values for calories & fat also shown - Up to 3 portions for each food - Pictorial format makes the book accessible for those with limited English language skills - Informative introduction, explaining blood glucose and diabetes, the amount and type of carbs (and other nutrients) to consume, glycaemic index, culturally relevant food swap ideas and a guide to weight loss. CHAPTERS: Includes sections for African, Arabic, Caribbean and South Asian foods (arranged into meals, sides, snacks, breads, desserts and drinks), along with a general section encompassing foods commonly eaten by all the communities.

In this moving, deeply humane and surprisingly uplifting book, poet Mike Barnes shows that a side of dementia that is almost entirely missing from public discussions of their condition: `All people with dementia, and some of them strikingly, show depths of sensitive awareness, resilience rising to heroism, and a capacity for joyful relatedness.' Be With balances candour about the devastations of dementia with insights into its paradoxical and indeed often uncanny enhancements of life, the ways in which it sometimes calls forth capacities long buried by the defences of full cognition. Fiercely alive, marked by a sharp, unerring eye for detail and a wonderful way with metaphors, Be With encourages us to focus on fellowship and accurate witness: to simply be with who, and what, is actually before us.