The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health

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