A journey through the history and science of epidemics and pandemics – from measles to coronavirus.

For centuries mankind has waged war against the infections that, left untreated, would have the power to wipe out communities, or even entire populations. Yet for all our advanced scientific knowledge, only one human disease – smallpox – has ever been eradicated globally. In recent years, outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have provided vivid examples of how difficult it is to contain an infection once it strikes, and the panic that a rapidly spreading epidemic can ignite.

But while we chase the diseases we are already aware of, new ones are constantly emerging, like the coronavirus that spread across the world in 2020. At the same time, anti-microbial resistance is harnessing infections that we once knew how to control, enabling them to thrive once more.

Meera Senthilingam presents a timely look at humanity’s ongoing battle against infection, examining the successes and failures of the past, along with how we are confronting the challenges of today, and our chances of eradicating disease in the future.

From tuberculosis to bird flu and HIV to coronavirus, these infectious diseases share a common origin story: human interaction with animals. Otherwise known as zoonotic diseases for their passage from animals to humans, these pathogens - both pre-existing ones and those newly identified - emerge and re-emerge throughout history, sparking epidemics and pandemics that have resulted in millions of deaths around the world. How did these diseases come about? And what-if anything-can we do to stop them and their fatal march into our countries, our homes, and our bodies?

In How to Survive a Pandemic, Dr. Michael Greger, physician and internationally-recognized expert on public health issues, delves into the origins of some of the deadliest pathogens the world has ever seen. Tracing their evolution from the past until today, Dr. Greger spotlights emerging flu and coronaviruses as he examines where these pathogens originated, as well as the underlying conditions and significant human role that have exacerbated their lethal influence to large, and even global, levels.

As the world grapples with the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus 2019, Dr. Greger reveals not only what we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones during a pandemic, but also what human society must rectify to reduce the likelihood of even worse catastrophes in the future.

This revised edition has three comprehensive chapters on Environmental Health. Vlok’s Community Health remains the ideal accompaniment for health professionals working in the community.

Building on the reputation of Manual of Community Nursing and Communicable Diseases, Vlok’s Community Health is relevant for the Community Health Professional under the Re-engineered Primary Healthcare System. Topics covered include Public Health, the National Health Insurance and Community Oriented Primary Care, as well as care of the individual throughout the lifespan. This well-written text places emphasis on practical application of theoretical concepts. The practical aspects extend to the chapters on Managing the Community Clinic and Caring for the Disabled at Home, which contain informative examples and suggestions.

Social aspects have not been overlooked and appropriate chapters on Family Pathologies, Intimate Partner Violence and Cultural World Views have been included.

Across the world, 2 billion people 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.

Culture and its impact on health assessment and interventions is widely recognised as an essential aspect of medical training. While courses are proliferating throughout Africa and the rest of the world, there has, until now, been no suitable student textbook or reference text to support such initiatives. The authors of Cultural issues in health and health care deal with the basic principles of transcultural care and focus on training practitioners to be able to put the principles into practice in their own health settings.

For Personal Health Courses Connecting Your Health to Your World-Money and Technology Edition Health: The Basics, Eleventh Edition focuses health coverage on real-world topics that have the greatest impact on students' lives, bringing health topics to life and keeping students hooked on learning and living well. This text addresses students' diverse needs and learning styles with new Video Tutors and the new (optional) MasteringHealth. (TM) Along with its dynamic new content and technology, this book retains its hallmarks of currency, excellent research, strength in behavior change, attractive design, imaginative art, and unique mini-chapters. This program presents a better teaching and learning experience-for you and your students. Health: The Basics, Eleventh Edition will: Personalize learning with MasteringHealth (optional): MasteringHealth coaches students through the toughest health topics. Engaging tools help students visualize, practice, and understand crucial content, from the basics of health to the fundamentals of behavior change. Cover health topics with a real-world focus: Money and Technology are two of the timeliest issues arising in health today and are addressed through the new Money & Health and Tech & Health boxes. A new mini-chapter targets financial challenges students face every day, such as budgeting, scams, and debt. Make health mobile: Video Tutors throughout the text present key figures or points of discussion in an engaging video. QR codes make these short videos easily viewable from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Support instructors: Robust instructor tools, including the Teaching Toolkit with rich media, the Test Bank, and the new MasteringHealth learning platform help you plan your lecture and assess students. Encourage critical thinking and behavior change: Learning Catalytics (TM) is a "bring your own device" student engagement, assessment, and classroom intelligence system that enables instructors to assess students in real time, improve students' critical-thinking skills, access rich analytics, and more. Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MasteringHealth does not come packaged with this content. MasteringHealth is not a self-paced technology and should only be purchased when required by an instructor.

The only fully illustrated, modern A-Z guide for those studying and working in health and social care. Features over 1500 clear, concise and up-to-date definitions and explanations, covering requirements of National Occupational Standards for learners and teachers/tutors in schools, colleges and the workplace. Useful as a quick reference guide to safe practice for qualified practitioners. Full-colour, highly illustrated approach allows for a clear explanation of terms and makes information easier to access. A-Z dictionary format that means the guide is easy and quick to use. Legislation appendix ensures access to key up-to-date information.

"For weeks and weeks people from ethnic minority communities have been wanting to know how they can better protect themselves from coronavirus." [BBC News June 13th 2020] We believe that during Covid-19, ethnic minority communities in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and all others vulnerable to seasonal Vitamin D deficiency, have been seriously let down by politicians and medical-scientific officialdom. As a result they have been needlessly deprived of extensive biological knowledge that would have protected them against disease and death from a novel virus, for which adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential. We are two retired physicians of similar ages, who together bring a century of experience to many aspects of medical practice and medical education. This includes the endocrinology of vitamin D, the prevention and treatment of serious infections, experience of previous pandemics, and a sadly sceptical view of present medicoscientific politics. During the course of the Covid-19 disaster we both came up against the neglect of first-line immunity provided by adequate levels of Vitamin D, critically important for effective defence against invasion by all new viruses, and supported by science. This is explored from many aspects in this book, in which we identify important lessons for the future, including the folly of relying exclusively on Big-Pharma and the scientists it supports.

At the dawn of the Progressive Era, when America was experiencing an industrial boom, many working families often ate contaminated food, lived in decaying urban tenements, and had little access to medical care. In a city that demanded change, Los Angeles women, rather than city officials, championed the call to action.

Cultivating Health, an interdisciplinary chronicle, details women's impact on remaking health policy, despite the absence of government support. Combining primary source and municipal archival research with comfortable prose, Jennifer Lisa Koslow explores community nursing, housing reform, milk sanitation, childbirth, and the campaign against venereal disease in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Los Angeles. She demonstrates how women implemented health care reform and civic programs while laying the groundwork for a successful transition of responsibility back to government.

Koslow highlights women's home health care and urban policy-changing accomplishments and pays tribute to what would become the model for similar service-based systems in other American centers.

Wellness medicine is the field that focuses on improving overall functioning, quality of life, and wellbeing, beyond symptom management of medical illness, leading to restoration and maintenance of health. The Handbook of Wellness Medicine provides a practical guide to the latest in evidence-based medicine, as well as best practice, to assist healthcare professionals in utilizing the full range of interventions to improve wellness and help patients complete their journeys to full health. The volume is organized into five parts: Part I introduces the concept of wellness by detailing the definitions and assessment/measurement methods, and formulating wellness plans. Part II describes wellness plans in major illnesses, categorized by organ system/disorder. Part III covers the methods to improve wellness in special populations. Part IV details each wellness intervention, including the scientific evidence behind it and its practical application. Part V focuses on integrating and personalizing the interventions into one's life to maintain wellness.

A virus is not human, but the reaction to it is a measure of humanity.

America has not measured up well. Tens of thousands are dead for no reason. America is supposed to be about freedom, yet illness and fear make its citizens less free. After all, freedom is meaningless if we are too ill to think about our right to happiness or too weak to pursue it. So, if a government is making its people unhealthy it is also making them unfree.

On December 29, 2019, Timothy Snyder fell gravely ill. As he clung to life he found himself reflecting on the fragility of health, not recognized in America as a human right, but without which all rights and freedoms have no meaning. And that was before the pandemic. We have since watched understaffed and undersupplied hospitals buckling under waves of coronavirus patients. The federal government made matters worse through wilful ignorance, misinformation, and profiteering.

This passionate intervention outlines the lessons we must all learn, wherever we are, and finds glimmers of hope in dark times. Only by enshrining healthcare as a human right, elevating the authority of doctors and truth, and planning for our children's future, can everyone be properly free.

Freedom belongs to individuals. But to be free we need our health, and for our health we need one another.

Facing death results in more fear and anxiety than any other human experience. Though much has been done to address the physical pain suffered by those with a terminal illness, Western medicine has been slow to understand and alleviate the psychological and spiritual distress that comes with the knowledge of death. In "What Dying People Want, " Dr. David Kuhl begins to bridge that gap by addressing end-of-life realities--practical and emotional--through his own experiences as a doctor and through the words and experiences of people who knew that they were dying.
Dr. Kuhl presents ways of finding new life in the process of dying, understanding the inner reality of living with a terminal illness, and addressing the fear of pain, as well as pain itself. He also offers concrete guidance on how to enhance doctor/patient relationships and hold family meetings, and provides an introduction to the process of life review.
It is possible to find meaning and peace in the face of death. "What Dying People Want" "helps us learn to view the knowledge of death as a gift, not a curse." ("New Times")

To achieve material success in a technologically advanced society, it may be necessary to subject yourself to a great deal of stress. However, it is not necessary to stay tense. The president of Independent Power Systems International, John Perkins manages large-scale projects aimed at conserving energy and improving the environment. The Stress-Free Habit is the result of his twenty years of experience as a management consultant to governmental organizations and businesses in countries as diverse as Ecuador, Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The author points out that stress is all around us and, while it is often useful and even essential, it can also be extremely harmful. While other cultures incorporate very specific methods of stress management as part of their daily routines, such methods are noticeably absent from the fabric of modern Western culture.Perkins emphasizes that we can--and should--seek out these techniques wherever they are to be found and put them into practice in our own lives. Throughout his travels and contacts with a variety of native cultures, the author has observed and integrated traditional practices that have enabled him and his co-workers to manage stress effectively and achieve high levels of success. The Stress-Free Habit consolidates this practical wisdom in a simple easy-to-follow eight-step program. Those who practice it experience physical and psychological benefits, including elimination of alcohol and drug abuse, insomnia, headache, diarrhea, and nervous disorders, as well as a lower probability of heart attack. The principles of The Stress-Free Habit come to life in tales of remarkable encounters with individuals who have mastered the art of creative living. Their stories are a testament to techniques of stress management that can help you live a longer, more relaxed, and more productive life.

This title attempts to capture the essence of transformation and trends in the South African health sector. On the one hand, it offers an overview of recent and current developments in the South African health care system; and on the other, of trends in the health status of the South African population. The title retains a strong historical thread, but the focus is generally on the nature of transformation process, gains made and failures encountered.

Integrative Women's Health remains the only in-depth, broad-based reference on integrative women's health written for health professionals. It helps providers address not only women's reproductive health, but also conditions that manifest differently in women than in men, including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, HIV, depression, and cancer. The text presents the best evidence, in a clinically relevant manner, for the safe and effective use of herbs, vitamins, diet, and mind-body strategies alongside conventional medical treatments. As leading educators in integrative medicine, editors Dr. Maizes and Dr. Low Dog demonstrate how clinicians can implement their recommendations in practice, going beyond practical care to examine how to motivate patients, enhance a health history, and understand the spiritual dimensions of healing. In managing the patient, alternative therapies are never seen as substitutes for mainstream medical care, but always "integrated" into the overall regimen, and always subjected to the best available evidence. New to this second edition are chapters on environmental medicine and women's reproduction, thyroid health, and lesbian health.

New York Times Bestseller Wall Street Journal Bestseller A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year From economist Anne Case and Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton, a groundbreaking account of how the flaws in capitalism are fatal for America's working class Life expectancy in the United States has recently fallen for three years in a row-a reversal not seen since 1918 or in any other wealthy nation in modern times. In the past two decades, deaths of despair from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism have risen dramatically, and now claim hundreds of thousands of American lives each year-and they're still rising. Anne Case and Angus Deaton, known for first sounding the alarm about deaths of despair, explain the overwhelming surge in these deaths and shed light on the social and economic forces that are making life harder for the working class. They demonstrate why, for those who used to prosper in America, capitalism is no longer delivering. Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism paints a troubling portrait of the American dream in decline. For the white working class, today's America has become a land of broken families and few prospects. As the college educated become healthier and wealthier, adults without a degree are literally dying from pain and despair. In this critically important book, Case and Deaton tie the crisis to the weakening position of labor, the growing power of corporations, and, above all, to a rapacious health-care sector that redistributes working-class wages into the pockets of the wealthy. Capitalism, which over two centuries lifted countless people out of poverty, is now destroying the lives of blue-collar America. This book charts a way forward, providing solutions that can rein in capitalism's excesses and make it work for everyone.

The changes taking place within family medicine in South Africa today affect the provision of health care in both public and private sectors.

Mounting scientific evidence generated over the past decade highlights the significant role of our cities' built environments in shaping our health and well-being. In this book, the authors conceptualize the 'urban health niche' as a novel approach to public health and healthy-city planning that integrates the diverse and multi-level health determinants present in a city system. The authors trace the origins of public health and city planning, drawing upon the shifting paradigms of epidemiology. Advanced network analysis techniques are employed to examine multi-scale associations between individual-level health outcomes and built environment features such as density, land-use mix and road network configuration. Healthy Cities will prove a fascinating read for an interdisciplinary body of scholars, practitioners and policy makers within the domains of public policy, regional and urban studies, urban planning, spatial epidemiology, health geography, sociology, public health and psychology.

William DeFoore provides a compelling read with practical solutions to one of society's most pressing concerns-anger and rage. His practical ten-step approach will enable readers to reach a new level of psychological and physical health by learning to deal with their anger in healthy ways. Through gripping stories, research and narrative, DeFoore explores the many faces of anger, including passive anger, anger during the grief process, anger among males, and anger that can actually help us connect with our spirituality and life purpose. Completely new chapters cover anger in women, anger in children, school and workplace violence, and domestic violence. Key Features First edition sales exceeded 160,000 copies. DeFoore's affiliation with Wisdom Media offers a strong promotional platform: He writes a monthly column for Wisdom Radio plays his Wisdom Spectrums 19 times a day Major speaking engagements enable him to be on constant publicity tours.

The Illustrated South African first aid manual for the home, office and outdoors is a vastly expanded and updated new edition of First Aid for the South African home, office and outdoors. It provides concise yet comprehensive instructions on how to deal with all common first-aid emergencies. There is even a section on basic first aid for domestic pets. The text is accompanied by step-by-step illustrations, which provide ‘at-a-glance’ reminders for the first aider of the latest procedures to follow. Also included are guidelines on what a first-aid kit should contain at home, as well as at the office or factory, and outdoors. Health hazards faced by first-aid workers are covered, as well as their legal responsibilities.

For most Western governments, defending against the threat of infectious disease is now an accepted security priority. Deciding what resources and policies to put in place to protect populations from pandemics, however, involves difficult political choices. How can we get these decisions right? And what are we prepared to sacrifice to achieve better health security? In this book, Simon Rushton explores the politics of pandemics in the contemporary world. Looking back over three decades of public health, he traces national and international efforts to tackle infectious disease, focusing in-depth on three core areas in which securitization has been particularly successful: rapidly spreading pandemic diseases, HIV/AIDS and man-made pathogenic threats, such as biological weapons. Three central problems raised by common responses to disease as a security threat are then examined: the impact upon individuals and civil liberties; the tendency to treat the symptoms and not the underlying causes of disease outbreaks; and the limited range of diseases deemed worthy of global attention and action. Arguing against a tendency to treat global health security as a technical challenge, the book stresses the need for a vibrant, and even confrontational, political engagement around the implications of securitizing public health.

Being healthy doesn't have to be hard. Eating junk food, drinking too much and rarely (or barely) exercising - we've all been there. Sometimes you just need a bit of help, some practical advice and a few words of encouragement to get yourself back on track. Intended for anyone with a busy life, this handbook gets straight to the point, gathering together useful tips, motivational quotes and achievable steps towards a healthier body and a happier mind. No matter where you're starting from or aiming for, there's something here to spur you on, including: Dietary hacks to avoid overeating, improve sleep and reach your ideal weight Good guidance on fats and carbs, which are often misunderstood An honest look at how alcohol can affect your health (and your finances) Easy ways to reduce your alcohol consumption Clever ideas for matching your workout to suit your mood and schedule Sound advice on choosing exercises that keep you motivated