Have you ever wanted to corner a doctor at a party and pick his or her brain about your newest symptom or self-diagnosis, but social graces prevented you? Well this informative book is the closest you can get to that banter.

Breakthrough Heath is a medical reference book that you can refer to many times. It's written in a simple direct approach and broken down into alphabetized chapters on illnesses from alcoholism to wrinkles. Within each chapter, Dr. Rosenfeld writes about "the latest news" in current studies on subjects in the areas of medication, treatments and the "bottom line," which incorporates his personal suggestions.

Unfortunately, now that I am past 50, I find myself discovering a new medical problem with each yearly checkup. Last year, it was high blood pressure; this year, it's high cholesterol. I felt both of those chapters were enlightening. In one chapter, the suggestion was to cook with sesame oil since it was found to be helpful in cases of high blood pressure.

Some other subjects covered are: breast cancer, cold and flu, depression, diabetes, reflux disease, lupus, menopause, Parkinson's disease, sinusitis and stroke. If every time you read or re-read this book you discover one new thing to try or one more question to raise with your personal physician, it will certainly be worth the price.

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