THE HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL GUIDE TO TAKING CONTROL OF ASTHMA: A Comprehensive Prevention and Treatment Plan for You and Your Family

Similar in scope to other excellent publications from the Harvard Medical School, this authoritative overview of asthma—a disease that afflicts millions of Americans—will be welcomed by patients and their families. With editorial assistance from Waring, these three leading physicians who practice at the Partners Asthma Center, have written a guide in layman's terms. The authors explain how asthma is diagnosed and how the various symptoms, such as shortness of breath, wheezing and tightness in the chest, manifest themselves in different individuals. A large portion of the book is devoted to a lengthy and highly useful discussion of the current therapies available, as well as the pros and cons of specific medications. Although the authors do not recommend alternative and complementary therapies, because they consider them to be largely unproven, they do single out emotional stress as an asthma trigger; other triggers, such as allergens and environmental pollutants, are also identified, along with suggestions for avoiding or alleviating them. (Jan.)