We've all heard the mantra, "exercise for good health." In fact, exercise, or lack of it, may be the most important factor in avoiding, or surviving and recovering from, the top three killers across developed countries--heart disease, cancer, and stroke. But few of us understand exactly how different forms of exercise work--physiologically speaking--to keep us healthy and prevent or treat disease. Here, two nationally known exercise experts lead a stellar team explaining, in reader-friendly terms, what exercise does to our bodies and how it spurs beneficial biological actions. In addition to explaining how and why exercise powers us and promotes longer life, Understanding Fitness includes a review of social factors affecting exercise. Exercise for specific conditions--from arthritis to cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and osteoporosis, is also addressed.

Incorporating many rare photographs--most never made public before--from the family albums of survivors who tell their stories in this volume, Harvard professor Julie Silver, M.D., and historian Daniel Wilson help readers understand the sheer terror that gripped parents of young children every spring and summer during the first half of the 20th century as polio epidemics ran rampant. Interviewed as part of the Polio Oral History Project directed by Silver and funded by Harvard, foundations, and private donors, the people featured in this book describe what is arguably the most feared scourge of modern times. Polio killed and maimed millions of Americans. Silver, Wilson, and their interviewees take us into homes and across time to understand the disease's effect on the family and the community. Testimonies are included from people who worked in polio wards, as well as from those involved in worldwide eradication efforts. The book also addresses the emergence of the polio and disability rights movement, the challenges of post-polio syndrome, and the state of polio research and developments today. And it explores the concern that polio could return in an even more vicious form as a result of bioterrorism. This work will be of interest to anyone intrigued by health and medical history; infectious disease and other epidemics; the psychological effects of disease on children, adults, and communities; politics in the Roosevelt era; and bioterrorism.

If you or someone you love has had a stroke, you understand that after a stroke, a person has many questions: "What is a stroke, and why did I have one?" "How can I best recover from my stroke?" "How can I make sure this never happens to me again?" Every 45 seconds someone in this country has a stroke; this means that about five million stroke survivors in the United States are facing these questions and a host of emotional and physical and practical challenges. As medical specialists treating and caring for stroke survivors, Drs. Stein, Silver, and Frates understand these challenges; they wrote this book to help people recover as fully as possible after having a stroke and to explain all of the different things a person can do to prevent a stroke or a recurrent stroke. They explain what a stroke is, how it occurs, and what kinds of injuries it can cause--and they explain all about stroke recovery. They carefully focus on how stroke survivors can work with their doctor to lower their risk of a future stroke, including taking medications and altering their lifestyle. They look at stroke research that will provide better treatment options in the future, and they offer a relatively simple plan for taking control in preventing stroke or recurrent stroke. This book, then, is for anyone whose genetics, physiology, or lifestyle make them susceptible to stroke--in other words, every one of us. It will be especially helpful to people who have already had a stroke and who understand the importance of taking steps to avoid another one. From the Foreword, by Robert J. Wityk MD, Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital: "This book may help you navigate the sometimes confusing corridors of medicine to empower you to take control of your health or that of your loved one. Read it and learn, and then discuss it with your physician. Between your involved interest, what you discover here and your doctor's expertise, your or your loved one's recovery lies in very good hands, indeed."

A twelve-year cancer survivor and oncology rehabilitation specialist, Dr Julie K Silver wrote After Cancer Treatment to help others recover from the exhaustion and physical devastation that often follow treatment. This new edition of the book, retitled Before and After Cancer Treatment, describes improved therapies, better delivery of care, holistic care options, and energetics. In covering the benefits of prehabilitation strategies, which improve physical and emotional strength before beginning therapy, the book adds another dimension to the experience of cancer treatment. Dr Silver fills this survivor-oriented book with exercise and diet recommendations as well as step-by-step instructions for fighting fatigue, monitoring mood, and overcoming setbacks. Readers are encouraged to set balanced goals, take time to heal, and consult both conventional and alternative medicine. Most people will live for many years after their initial cancer diagnosis-often cured or in remission. Some will live with cancer as a chronic condition. The goal is always to live life to the fullest, which means feeling as strong as possible-physically and emotionally. Dr Silver recommends daring to dream again and preparing for the future. Wherever they are in their own journey with cancer, readers will find here a personal, practical, and powerful guide to recovery.

A twelve-year cancer survivor and oncology rehabilitation specialist, Dr Julie K Silver wrote After Cancer Treatment to help others recover from the exhaustion and physical devastation that often follow treatment. This new edition of the book, retitled Before and After Cancer Treatment, describes improved therapies, better delivery of care, holistic care options, and energetics. In covering the benefits of prehabilitation strategies, which improve physical and emotional strength before beginning therapy, the book adds another dimension to the experience of cancer treatment. Dr Silver fills this survivor-oriented book with exercise and diet recommendations as well as step-by-step instructions for fighting fatigue, monitoring mood, and overcoming setbacks. Readers are encouraged to set balanced goals, take time to heal, and consult both conventional and alternative medicine. Most people will live for many years after their initial cancer diagnosis-often cured or in remission. Some will live with cancer as a chronic condition. The goal is always to live life to the fullest, which means feeling as strong as possible-physically and emotionally. Dr Silver recommends daring to dream again and preparing for the future. Wherever they are in their own journey with cancer, readers will find here a personal, practical, and powerful guide to recovery.

Ideal for on-the-go reference and review, Easy EMG, 3rd Edition, covers fundamental principles, how to perform, and how to interpret electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS)-all in an easy-to-read, well-organized resource. This unique, pocket-sized manual offers expert guidance on the most common conditions encountered in daily practice, with clear illustrations showing the correct needle placement for each condition. Presents "just the facts" of EMG and NCS in a compact format-perfect for on-the-go learning or review. Features at-a-glance tables of complex information for quick and easy reference and a new, all-inclusive chart that includes electrodiagnostic findings in specific disorders. Depicts precise needle placement through clear, computer-generated illustrations. Includes new and updated videos, including clips on motor and sensory nerve conduction studies and H-reflex. Reflects the latest changes to EMG billing codes to ensure accurate, up-to-date application. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

Packed with practical, up-to-date guidance, Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 4th Edition, by Walter R. Frontera, MD, PhD; Julie K. Silver, MD; and Thomas D. Rizzo, Jr., MD, helps you prevent, diagnose, and treat a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders, pain syndromes, and chronic disabling conditions in day-to-day patient care. This easy-to-use reference provides the information you need to improve patient function and performance by using both traditional and cutting-edge therapies, designing effective treatment plans, and working with interdisciplinary teams that meet your patients' current and changing needs. An easy-to-navigate format provides quick access to concise, well-illustrated coverage of every essential topic in the field. Presents each topic in a consistent, quick-reference format that includes a description of the condition, discussion of symptoms, examination findings, functional limitations, and diagnostic testing. An extensive treatment section covers initial therapies, rehabilitation interventions, procedures, and surgery. Contains new technology sections in every treatment area where recently developed technologies or devices have been added to the therapeutic and rehabilitation strategies, including robotic exoskeletons, wearable sensors, and more. Provides extensive coverage of hot topics in regenerative medicine, such as stem cells and platelet rich plasma (PRP), as well as a new chapter on abdominal wall pain. Delivers the knowledge and insights of several new, expert authors for innovative perspectives in challenging areas. Offers a clinically-focused, affordable, and focused reference for busy clinicians, as well as residents in need of a more accessible and targeted resource. Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

How to heal faster, better, and stronger during recovery from a serious illness or injury--a Harvard doctor's complete recovery plan When people are seriously ill or injured, they receive immediate and often life-sustaining treatment. Then at some point they are usually left to their own devices to "finish" healing. At the time that patients are discharged from treatment or their doctors tell them, "I don't have anything else I can offer you," they are often shifted into a zone where they are better than at their sickest point, but not as healthy as they once were. This zone, between illness and good health, is where rehabilitation specialists focus. Dr. Silver calls this area of medicine, where physiatrists work, The Healing Zone. This is the place where doctors are most concerned with physical and emotional healing after an injury
or illness.
Our bodies are amazing in their capacity to heal, however, people can be taught how to heal faster, better, and stronger, both physically and emotionally. You Can Heal Yourself offers the strategies needed to achieve optimal healing.

Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting as many as 48 million people in this country alone. It can demoralize and depress both patient and family, especially when there is no effective pain control and no hope for relief. Improperly managed, chronic pain can lead to substance abuse (usually painkillers) and to acute psychological and emotional distress. Pain begets stress and stress begets pain in a wretched downward spiral.

Silver reviews the causes and characteristics of chronic pain and explores its impact on individual family relationships and on the extended family, covering such issues as employment, parenting, childbearing and inheritance, and emotional health. Silver treats aspects of chronic pain not covered in a typical office visit: how men and women differ in their experience of chronic pain, the effect of chronic pain on a toddler's behavior or an older child's performance in school, the risks of dependence on and addiction to pain medications, and practical ways for relatives beyond the immediate family circle to offer help and support to the person in pain.