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.

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.

In this new biography of Chris Barnard we not only learn about the life of South Africa’s most famous surgeon, from his Beaufort West childhood through his studies locally and abroad to his prominent marriages – and divorces – but James Styan also examines the impact of the historic heart transplant on Barnard’s personal life and South African society at large, where apartheid legislation often made the difficulties of medicine even more convoluted.

The role of black medical staff like Hamilton Naki is explored, as is the intense rivalry that arose between other famous heart surgeons and Barnard. How did Barnard manage to beat them all in this race of life and death? How much did his famous charisma have to do with it all? And in the light of his later years, his subsequent successes and considerable failures, what is Barnard’s legacy today?

Styan covers it all in this fascinating new account of a real heartbreaker that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first heart transplant.

Chris Barnard needed the help of exceptional men and women to stay ahead of the fast-developing science of transplantation. One of these exceptional men were Winston Wicomb, the darker brother of the famous Randall.

He had to be hidden as a child to prevent the Apartheid inspectors from discovering his family’s racial identity. He had to endure the rampant racism that existed in South Africa at school and in the army… Winston, who had to fix cars in the backyard to make ends meet, had a curious encounter with Chris Barnard and got appointed in his research laboratory. Winston had to develop an apparatus with which hearts could be kept alive to enable transport.

This is the story of an unlikely hero; a man who changed transplantation forever, and a South African citizen who never got the recognition he deserved.

It’s a story of perseverance. And hope. Even... love.

What would you do if you discovered that the food you have been told is good for you is actually the cause of your ill health …?

In December 2010, Professor Tim Noakes was introduced to a way of eating that was contrary to everything he had been taught and was accepted as conventional nutrition ‘wisdom’. Having observed the benefits of the low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) lifestyle first-hand, and after thorough and intensive research, Noakes enthusiastically revealed his findings to the South African public in 2012. The backlash from his colleagues in the medical establishment was as swift as it was brutal, and culminated in a misconduct inquiry launched by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The subsequent hearing lasted well over a year, but Noakes ultimately triumphed, being found not guilty of unprofessional conduct in April 2017.

In Lore of Nutrition, he explains the science behind the LCHF/Banting diet, and why he champions this lifestyle despite the constant persecution and efforts to silence him. He also discusses at length what he has come to see as a medical and scientific code of silence that discourages anyone in the profession from speaking out against the current dietary guidelines. Experienced journalist Marika Sboros provides the full backstory to the HPCSA hearing, which reads like something out of a spy novel.

Written in an accessible style, Lore of Nutrition is informative, highly controversial and an eye-opener for anyone who cares about their health.

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.

Nursing care remains at the cutting edge of science as innovations in patient care continuously evolve. However, fundamental and general skills are still necessary to develop the clinical reasoning skills a nurse requires in order to provide safe, high-quality care to patients and communities.

All chapters include updated information where appropriate. New topics include the latest methods in infection control, information on electronic patient records, the ethical use of social media and a review of nutritional information.

Each chapter contains:
• The prerequisite knowledge necessary for study of that chapter, to ensure integration with other core subjects
• Ethical considerations
• Relevant medico-legal considerations
• Key concepts and terminology as well as new vocabulary

This guide is written with love and care by a palliative nursing sister to help ease the journey for patients and their loved ones.

This book offers mindful advice for patients and their loved ones on navigating the cancer journey – from the time of diagnosis to remission or terminal stages – armed with appropriate information and emotional support. It covers the practical aspects of cancer treatment in a simple, comprehensive way – from medical aids, treatments and side effects to nutrition, complementary therapies and caring for a loved one. It also addresses questions and fears, what to say and do, and how to deal with a terminal diagnosis.

Amongst this, you will also find stories of how others experienced and managed their cancer journey.

When the world stopped, all hopes rested on finding a vaccine. One team answered the call and were ready to act. But how do you develop a life-saving drug when every second counts and one mistake could be catastrophic?

Married couple and decades-long research partners Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci did just that within weeks of the pandemic breaking out. From convincing Big Pharma to support their ambitious project, to navigating political interference from the Trump administration and the European Union, the road to producing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was by no means smooth. But these cutting-edge innovators overcame every obstacle to provide more than two billion doses of the life-saving drug to countries all around the world in record time.

The Vaccine draws back the curtain on one of the most important medical breakthroughs of our age, containing contributions from the fascinating couple themselves, as well as more than 50 scientists, politicians, public health officials, and BioNTech staff.

Shedding a light on the science behind the breakthrough, The Vaccine tells the story of the trailblazers to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude. More suspenseful than a novel, this is a real-life story of an extraordinary race against time to save the world.

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.

The new edition of Understanding Psychopathology provides an introduction to psychopathology that is up-to-date, integrative, and both locally and culturally relevant, presenting South African and African research where available.

While explanations of disorders have been revised throughout, in this edition diagnostic criteria tables from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) have been selectively included based on disorders commonly focused on in undergraduate psychology programmes.

In addition, the fourth edition integrates a stronger bio-psychosocial approach throughout the book, discussing the situational factors underpinning mental health.

This is the story of a race - not against other vaccines or other scientists, but against a deadly and devastating virus.

On 1 January 2020, Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University, read an article about four people in China with a strange pneumonia. Within two weeks, she and her team had designed a vaccine against a pathogen that no one had ever seen before. Less than 12 months later, vaccination was rolled out across the world to save millions of lives from Covid-19. In Vaxxers, we hear directly from Professor Gilbert and her colleague Dr Catherine Green as they reveal the inside story of making the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the cutting-edge science and sheer hard work behind it.

This is their story of fighting a pandemic as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Sarah and Cath share the heart-stopping moments in the eye of the storm; they separate fact from fiction; they explain how they made a highly effective vaccine in record time with the eyes of the world watching; and they give us hope for the future.

Vaxxers invites us into the lab to find out how science will save us from this pandemic, and how we can prepare for the inevitable next one.

Many sports people are interested in trying yoga techniques in the hope of improved flexibility, strength, breathing and concentration, but many can be prevented from optimal results due to a lack of understanding on the part of yoga teachers of the specific physical requirements of their sport. This is a manual for professionals who work with athletes of all disciplines and shows them how to adapt yoga practice for swimmers, cyclists, runners, tennis players and more.

This bridge between evidence-based modern sports medicine and the ancient practices of yoga, provides solid training guidance as well as offers psychological wisdom to help control and refine the actions of the mind.

Essential reading for yoga therapists and teachers, athletic coaches and bodywork professionals who work with athletes.

Why do some people get really sick, even die from flu, while others don’t? Colds and flu, including Covid-19, are viral diseases that a healthy immune system should be able to fight off with natural immunity. But what is a healthy immune system and how can you promote your own immune power with diet and nutritients?

This book explains:

• How viruses work and where are their weaknesses
• Why animals that make vitamin C rarely succumb to flu or colds.
• The truth about vitamin C and how to use it when you’re infected.
• How black elderberry blocks viral replication.
• Why vitamin D levels crash in winter to make us more susceptible.
• Other critical immune support nutrients from selenium to zinc.
• How intravenous vitamin C saves lives in those with respiratory distress.

The reader will also discover how to restore and maintain a healthy immune system when not infected, complete with recipes for foods and drinks, and what to eat, drink and supplement when you are under attack to shorten duration and severity of colds and flu.

Companion text to Juta's Manual of Nursing Volume 1: Fundamental and General Nursing. Suitable for use in the Staff Nurse, Professional Nurse and Midwifery, or Nursing Auxiliary courses, Juta's Manual of Nursing Volume 2: The Practical Manual is the `how to' book in the Juta Nursing range of books. Written in a clear and logical style, nursing procedures are explained in a step-by-step manner to help the student develop competencies to provide quality nursing care. Rationales for actions are always given, so that the student understands the reasons behind specific activities. Each nursing procedure has the following features: Explanation of the procedure, Learning outcomes, Learning assumed to be in place, Indications and contraindications, Resources required, Specific guidelines for the particular procedure, Essential patient teaching, Critical assessment criteria, Tips for nurses and/or precautions. Now in its second edition, additional procedures have been added and where appropriate, the latest evidence-based information added. Care has been taken to explain the integration with related aspects of the nursing curricula.

Incorporating the thinking, feeling and behaving dimensions of human experience, this third South African edition of Corey's best-selling book helps students compare and contrast the therapeutic models expressed in counselling theories.

Theory and Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy: A South African Perspective introduces students to the major counselling theories and demonstrates how each one can be applied to two cases (‘Stan’ and ‘Bonolo’).

Through clear explanations, examples and accessible language, the text demonstrates how to apply theories in practice, and helps South African students develop an individualised, contextualised counselling style.

Award-winning journalist Charlotte Bauer's warm, witty and wise quest for the meaning of life after youth and how to navigate the menopausal years.

A deliciously funny and sage guide to midlife - an unscientific, flaws-and-all account of one woman's adventures and misadventures through the dark comedy of the wilderness years.

Through her own experiences as a fifty-something woman, and those of her three sisters, her indomitable mum and rebellious auntie, Charlotte tackles the big questions every woman seeks answers to at this time of our lives - chiefly: How the hell am I going to get over being young in a world obsessed with youth?

Written with warmth, wisdom and irreverence this guide to midlife is perfect for readers of Nora Ephron, Caitlin Moran and India Knight.

Fundamentals of Research Methodology for Healthcare Professionals presents the fundamental principles of research methodology and supports the vital role that research plays in the improvement of health science practices. The book provides novice and emerging researchers with the principles of philosophy of science as well as practical research methods. It is valuable for research capacity development and is also an accessible resource for more experienced researchers reviewing research principles.

This fifth edition of Fundamentals of Research Methodology for Healthcare Professionals has been updated to incorporate the latest trends in research methodology and evidence-based practice. The book details the steps involved in planning and undertaking a research project, from identifying and formulating the problem through to reporting findings. It underscores the importance of having a clear understanding of research methodology and terminology in order to read research reports with critical insight, implement evidence-based practice, and expand research. This edition is certain to stimulate awareness of the myriad researchable and research-requiring questions encountered daily in healthcare practice.

Key features include:

• clearly defined learning objectives to indicate the focus of each chapter
• practical examples of research projects or steps in the research process
• chapter summaries to reinforce learning
• exercises to put theory into practice
• a practical, hands-on introduction to research methodology

This authoritative, best-selling text presents the latest skills and techniques for handling crisis situations.

The authors' task model clearly illustrates and elucidates the process of dealing with people in crisis, from defining the problem to obtaining commitment. Using this model, the authors build specific strategies for handling a myriad of different crisis situations, accompanied in many cases with the dialogue that a practitioner might use when working with the individual in crisis.

This book puts you on the front lines with the crisis worker throughout the chapters, and then illuminates the techniques and strategies the worker used.

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.

"Why walk when you can soar..."

These are the opening words on Tracy Todd’s website and they are a powerful affirmation of the person Tracy is today – a sought-after inspirational speaker whose uplifting presentations have inspired and given hope to many people. But it is difficult to imagine what she has overcome in a tough and often lonely journey.

At the age of twenty-eight her life was turned upside down when a horrific road accident left her a quadriplegic, paralysed from the neck down. Her life as an athletic, marathon-running young mother and teacher was abruptly shattered. Despite months of rehabilitation, Tracy often found herself wondering if her life was worth living. Everything she had taken for granted was now beyond her reach and frustration at her helplessness threatened to overwhelm her. Against the odds, Tracy chose to live.

Her strength of character and determination prevailed and, sustained by the support of her son, family and friends, her care assistants, and an unbelievably caring community, she set about gaining the independence to rebuild her life and reclaim her identity – which she has done, with dignity and grace. Brave Lotus Flower Rides The Dragon is an honest, inspiring and engaging memoir in which Tracy’s natural warmth and humour are tangible and, most importantly, she embodies what the human spirit can achieve.

Now in its 7th edition, this well-established title has been updated and revised to reflect the latest research in the field of mental health nursing. A team of authors from a range of higher education institutions has revised the text to ensure the book remains relevant to the current realities of nursing mental health care users in South Africa. The text takes the curricula of mental health nursing into account to ensure it is suitable for the new nursing programme. Rich in evidence-based practice and case studies, the book incorporates the diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5 ™ with accompanying explanatory text.

New to the 7th edition:

• DSM-5 ™ diagnostic criteria retained with updated accompanying text
• Updated research added throughout
• Completely new chapter 6, ‘Legal structures in mental health care nursing’, that outlines the broader legal context within which mental health nurses practise and discusses the rights a mental health care user is entitled to in terms of the Mental Health Care Act
• Rewritten chapter 8, ‘Working with cultural diversity in mental health care’, that focuses on diversity, culture and cultural competence
• Rewritten chapter on personality disorder (chapter 18) that helps the reader acquire an understanding of the common characteristics and difficulties that people diagnosed with a personality disorder experience and uses a psychodynamic and transactional analysis model to understand these characteristics and difficulties and to help direct treatment.
• Extensive list of web resources at the end of each chapter retained and updated

This newly updated text equips nurses and other health-care professionals to deal with the legal issues they encounter in daily practice.

Informative and relevant, The A-Z of Nursing Law covers all recent changes to the law and legislation that affect the nursing profession. As the only local book of this nature, it has become an invaluable resource for nurse practitioners and other health-care professionals.

Undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students will also find it useful.

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.