Stress

Inlander, president of People's Medical Society and author of many consumer medical books, and Moran (67 Ways to Good Sleep) can't be faulted for wasting ink or paper in this no-nonsense informative guide. Citing surveys showing that stress contributes to 50% of all illnesses in the U.S. and that job stress costs about $200 billion annually, they first offer, in Q&A format, a succinct explanation of stress, covering its physiological components and ramifications. The bulk of the book then deals out ""Tips for Preventing and Relieving Stress,"" with headings on such topics as lifestyle, time management and exercise. Subheadings give practical suggestions: under ""Make your job work for you,"" bulleted tips include, ""Try to be an active participant. Passivity leads to stress and lack of self-control."" Part 3 gives information on traditional medical, social, pharmacological and complementary medical modalities for treating stress. Boxed sidebars, such as ""A Crash Course in Nutrition,"" an appendix of stress self-tests, a glossary and an index add depth to a book that is all the more useful for being refreshingly free of extra verbiage. A People's Medical Society Book. Author tour. (Dec.)