The Doctors Book of Home Remedies: Simple, Doctor-Approved Self-Care Solutions for 146 Common Health Conditions

Health care gets another draught of do-it-yourself spirit in the updated version of this 1990 bestseller (some 16 million copies were sold, and it was translated into more than 20 languages). Employing advice culled from hundreds of doctors, the editors present an A-to-Z of common ailments from asthma to menopause to warts, and multiple suggestions about what to do about them. Included within are ""8 Tips to Stop the Cough,"" ""14 Soothing Ideas"" for lactose intolerance, ""12 Comforting Steps"" for vaginal infections and ""35 Hints for a High-Energy Life."" The advice isn't always assured-e.g., witch hazel for cold sores is something patients ""claim...really helps""; and ""theoretically, it is possible"" that phenol could kill the herpes simplex 1 virus-but there's more than enough solid ideas to make this volume worthwhile. It's not a medical manual, warn the editors, but a reference ""designed to help you make informed decisions about your heath""-and perhaps to help you refrain from calling your doctor at 10 p.m. on a Sunday owing to a particularly violent case of the hiccups. (Sept.)