Overkill : Repairing the Damage Caused by Our Unhealthy Obsession with Germs, Antibiotics, and Antibacterial Products
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Popping antibiotics to quiet every ear infection has been likened to dropping nuclear bombs to quiet every enemy. Simply put, it's overkill. Risk assessment expert Kimberly M. Thompson, Sc.D., beseeches individuals to become germ savvy in order to prevent new, more resistant bacteria from reaching epidemic proportions. Busting myths and highlighting facts about food safety, cleaning products, medicines, and immune systems, Thompson plows through 31 common illnesses "that are treated--and mistreated--with antibiotics." Each segment briefly describes the ailment and its causes, signs, and symptoms. Thompson also provides specific preventive measures and treatment options for each illness, based on the reader's "RQ," or Risk Quotient (determined via an initial survey that assesses one's personal health risk profile). Those who score a low RQ for bacterial infection receive gentle prescriptions: avoid, hydrate, wash, supplement, immunize. Folks in the medium- to high-risk categories will find information about herbal remedies, helpful foods, or salves; they might also find direct orders to stop smoking, spend more time exercising, or "work with your doctor." A useful primer on food-borne and household pathogens, recipes for natural cleaners, and special attention to high-risk populations (including children and immune-compromised people) round out this vital home resource. --Liane Thomas
Review
"Dr. Thompson has written a highly readable, yet detailed and revealing, book that is both instructive and absorbing. She uniquely weaves her savvy knowledge base of prevention with the science of microbes. . . . Given current concerns with biological terrorism, this book provides a standard-setting approach for readers that other authors have failed to address." --Frederick M. Burkle Jr., M.D., MPH., senior scholar, scientist, and visiting professor, The Johns Hopkins University, and author of Disaster Medicine
"Overkill is must reading for people desiring to live healthier lives. . . . It moves "managed care" from the doctor's office back to the home -- where most health care belongs." --Harold M. Koenig, M.D., chairman and president, The Annapolis Center, and former Navy Surgeon General
Overkill: Repairing the Damage Caused by Our Unhealthy Obsession with Germs, Antibiotics, and Antibacterial Products,Kimberly Thompson,Debra Fulghum,Debra Fulghum Bruce,Rodale Books,1579545343,Antibiotics,Communicable diseases,Consumer Health,Diet / Health / Fitness,Diseases - Contagious,Drug resistance in microorgani,Drug resistance in microorganisms,General,Health & Fitness,Health Care Issues,Health/Fitness,Hygiene,Prevention,Health & Fitness / General,Popular medicine,Popular science
Book Contents:
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