Beat Your Risk Factors

A must for women who are frightened, confused, or overwhelmed by the myriad health advisories coming at them daily: invaluable instruction on assessing risk and creating a personal plan for action. Rather than being simply overwhelmed, or terrified into immobility by morbidity/mortality statistics for the general population, counsels medical writer Libov, readers should instead determine their personal risk factors: first by creating a family medical tree (what health problems keep appearing?); and second by assessing one's own lifestyle risk factors (she provides all the tools here). Information is not enough, she rightly points out: 'you need to know how this information applies to you.' So Libov advises what preventive measures and what screening/medical procedures will provide the most protection against common cancers (breast, cervical, colon, lung, ovarian, and skin), diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and stroke. Libov selected these diseases with a purpose: 'They are disorders you can do something about. These diseases can be prevented, or, by being diagnosed earlier, can be better managed or even cured.' For each, she makes use of the best information currently available and gives appropriate cautions as to when traditional medical advice seems to have put women in danger (dismissing the vague symptoms of ovarian cancer, for example.) Determine personal risk, do everything possible to reduce it, and try not to worry about things that can't be changed-this is a gold mine of eminently reasonable, knowledgeable advice.-