With the publication in 1996 of The Harvard Guide to Women's Health, women seeking answers to questions about their health had access to the combined expertise of physicians from three of the world's most prestigious medical institutions: Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. With complete information on women's health concerns, physical and behavioral, this A to Z reference quickly became a definitive resource, praised especially for its coverage of topics not previously considered under the umbrella of women's health. The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health reunites the authors to bring a valued health reference up to date for a new generation--and for those women who have come to rely on the Harvard Guide and are now wondering what to do about their health as they enter a new stage of life, asking questions like the following:

• I've been on hormone replacement therapy. Should I stop? How?


• Could this rash be lupus?


• I've been on the Pill. What is my risk for stroke?


• Fat is bad, fat is good: What should I believe? And what's left to eat?


• When does ordinary worry become chronic anxiety?


• What screening tests do I need now?

In addition to revised recommendations reflecting the current medical thinking on menopause and hormone replacement therapy, the New Harvard Guide includes

• updated recommendations about cardiac health and heart disease--the #1 killer of women in the United States


• entries reflecting recent advances in the understanding and treatment of autoimmune diseases


• better coverage of health concerns throughout a woman's life span, from her first period to menopause and beyond, with a new entry on perimenopause


• expanded nutritional recommendations, including a unique chart of the U.S. government's Daily Reference Intakes for micronutrients, broken down for teens and women whose needs may differ because they are pregnant, breastfeeding, or postmenopausal


• updated information on over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, procedures, screenings, and diagnostic tests




Amazon.com Review
A well-researched update to the 1996 edition, The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health is an essential reference guide for women of every age. Combining simple alphabetical listings with complete cross-referencing throughout the 300 topics, it's easy to find what you're looking for--anything from airbags to wrinkles, asthma or vulvar cancer. Many of the entries include illustrations, and a number of anatomical charts give welcome assistance if you can't quite remember where your inguinal nodes or tibial nerves are hiding. Making use of the most current research, much of it from the Women's Health Initiative, the advice combines alternative therapies with advanced diagnostic suggestions and the latest recommendations for physical exams. Unlike some medical reference books, the tone here is reassuring--not scary. The authors (also responsible for the first edition) do a fine job of balancing potential serious diseases with the general likelihood that the majority of us are fairly healthy--and just as concerned about hair dye as we are our blood pressure. Best of all, the wide range of topics covered make it equally appropriate as a gift for a girl going off to college (or even just entering puberty), and for a mother concerned about dealing with menopause. --Jill Lightner