Diabetes: Dr. Bernstein’s Solution: A Complete Guide To Achieving Normal Blood Sugars, by Richard K. Bernstein, MD (NASW), published by Little Brown.
I know there is a great story behind this book because a number of years ago, I interviewed a brittle diabetic, a lay person, married to a physician. This man, Richard Bernstein, found that he could control his blood sugar with a glucose-monitoring device then used solely by physicians. He was able to maintain a normal blood sugar through this test method. He convinced a prominent researcher to test his method on other lay people. The study confirmed Bernstein’s observations. Though approaching middle age, Bernstein then enrolled in medical school and is now a leading diabetologist. In the preface of his book he writes: “In 1946 I developed diabetes. According to current statistics, I should have been dead years ago, but today I’m in excellent health, routinely work twelve or more hours a day, and have outlived all but a handful of people who developed diabetes when I did. “ He says his book is designed as a tool for patients, to be used under the guidance of their physicians or diabetes educators. The book details not only his conquest of diabetes, but covers in a step-by-step fashion “virtually everything that must be done to keep blood sugar in the normal range.” You can reach Dr. Bernstein by phone at 914-698-7500 and by FAX at 914-698-7523. The PR for the book is Christine Stanley who can be reached by phone at 212-522-8075 and by FAX at 212-467-4348.
The Complete Guide To Natural Sleep by Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D., (NASW) published by Keats.
If being a science writer in this fast-paced world is keeping you up at night, this book should be on your night table. Dr. Buchman, who has written many books about health and preventive medicine, first explains the research into the physiology of sleep and sleep problems and then gives “safe and natural remedies.” She describes medications, foods, and circadian rhythm disturbances that can prevent sleep. She presents scenarios that help infants, toddlers and teenagers to get their z’s while you get yours. Natural remedies she offers include herbal and homeopathic as well as flower and water aids. Dr. Buchman also describes physical and mental exercises. How about a “shake that improves sleep” and an “antigravity leg exercise. “ You may also learn about the Shen-man, the most “important pressure point for sleep.” Dr. Buchman can be reached by phone at 212-362-3525 or by FAX at 212-362-3630. The PR for the book is Tom Hirsch at 203-966-8721 ext.16.
The Death of Innocents: A True Story of Murder, Medicine, and High-Stakes Science by Jamie Talan (NASW) and Richard Firstman, published by Bantam.
Talan, a science writer at Newsday, and her husband, Richard Firstman, a former reporter-at-large for the same paper, have written an expose about murder, medical politics, and bad science—all told with the narrative drive of a mystery novel. It is the story of Waneta Hoyt, an upstate New York woman whose five babies died suddenly between 1965 and 1971. Their deaths were attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A Syracuse pediatric researcher, who had the last two babies under study in his hospital lab, decided these deaths offered a possible answer to SIDS. In 1972, the doctor published a paper in Pediatrics, proposing a theory, the authors maintain, that became the prevailing wisdom about SIDS. They reveal how multimillion-dollar, NIH-sponsored studies were launched and a new industry of infant apnea monitors burgeoned. It was only after a forensic pathologist in Dallas alerted a Syracuse prosecutor to her suspicions about the babies’ deaths described in the paper, that an investigation was begun. It led to the conviction of Hoyt for infanticide. The book, says Helter Skelter author Vincent Bugliosi, is “a medical-legal thriller of the first order…not only a splendid and riveting read, but in its explosive revelations of maternal infanticide and misguided medicine, one of the most consequential true-crime stories of our time.” Talan and Firstman can be reached by phone at 516-843-3026 and by FAX at 516-754-3556. The PR for the book is Chris Artis at 212-782-9037.
The Science Class You Wish You Had…The Seven Greatest Scientific Discoveries in History and The People Who Made Them by David Eliot Brody (NASW) and Arnold Brody, Ph.D., published by Berkley/Perigee.
In a family of scientists, it took a lawyer in the bunch to write a lucid and entertaining book about science. Like any good lawyer, David Brody enlisted the aid of experts. His co-author is his brother, Arnold, professor of pathology at Tulane University Medical School; their first cousin, Stephen Karon, is the director of the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, NY; Kenneth and Betty Brody, both chemistry teachers and experts in the history of science gave of their expertise to their relatives as did many other scientists who were not related. Why did David Brody, who is still a practicing attorney, write a book about science? He says from the time he was young, he was always interested in science, particularly as it relates to the certainty of life. He says there are also important similarities between science and the law. “Although personalities tend to influence the outcome of trials and other results of the legal process, the institutions of law and science are both intended to be based strictly on reason and logic. “ The book takes readers on a journey from the very beginning of the universe to the more recent discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule. In an easy, conversational style, the authors describe the arrangement of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the atom, the laws of physics that govern Newton’s theory of gravity, evolution, DNA, the basic principles of genetics, and much more. Along the way they relate details about the scientists responsible for these great advances. David Brody can be reached at 303-830-5677. The PR for the book, Heather Mikesell, can be found by phone at 212-951-8914 and by FAX at 212-545-1914.
Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age by Michael Riordan (NASW) and Lillian Hoddeson, published by Norton.
In a few months, America will celebrate the 50th anniversary of a scientific breakthrough that ushered in the information age—the transistor. Riordan, assistant to the director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and a physicist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and his co-author, a professor of history at the University of Illinois at Urbana, describe the emergence of this amazing device. They relate how two physicists at Bell Laboratories—John Bardeen and Walter Brattain—jabbed two electrodes into a sliver of germanium and discovered that the power coming out of this semiconductor was almost one hundred times stronger than what went in. The way was paved for a hundred billion-dollar industry, the explosive growth of Silicon Valley, and the birth of the Information Age through ever-fast, ever-smaller, and ever-more-affordable computers. The authors have tapped a wide variety of primary sources including recollections of the scientists directly involved with the transistor’s development. Riordan and Hoddeson observed: “Today the transistor is little more than an abstract physical principle imprinted innumerable times on slivers of silicon—millions of microscopic ripples on a shimmering crystal sea.” They bring “that sliver” to life. The PR for the book is Maya Rutherford by phone at 212-790-4388 and by FAX at 212-869-0856.
Marketing Health Care to Women: Meeting New Demands for Products and Services by Patricia Braus (NASW) published by American Demographics.
Braus, a Rochester, NY, freelance and contributing editor to American Demographics magazine, explores what women want in health care, how marketing has failed women in the past and what women will expect and demand from health care in the future. Drawing from an abundance of demographic studies, polls, and interviews, the book seems to answer Freud’s question, “What do women want?” Braus writes that women view health care differently than men. She describes how some forward-looking medical practitioners have changed the way they practice medicine to appeal to women. The alterations include everything from removing the hated scales from the hallway to getting rid of those skimpy gowns. She concludes that American women still trust their physicians for health information. The second most popular source is from friends and family, she says. About one out of five women says that advertisements are a source of health information very often or fairly often, while 57 percent say they use television often for health information. Braus can be reached at 716-461-1146.
Menopause: The Most Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Information Available to Help You Understand This Stage of Life, Make The Right Treatment Choices and Cope Effectively by Ann B. Parson (NASW) and Isaac Schiff, MD, published by Times Books.
These co-authors, Parson is a Boston freelance and Dr. Schiff is head of obstetrics and gynecology at Massachusetts General, evidently know what women want. Their book has gone into a second printing. Parson can be reached by phone at 617-731-9594 and by e-mail at aparson@bu.edu. The PR for the book is Diane Henry, who can be reached by phone at 212-572-6058 and by e-mail at dhenry@randomhouse.com.
Web Security & Commerce by Simson Garfinkel (NASW) with Gene Spafford published by O’Reilly & Associates.
Garfinkel, a computer consultant and columnist for both The Boston Globe and Hot Wired Magazine’s on-line service, and Spafford, a professor of computer science at Purdue University, and founder and director of the Computer Operations, Audit, and Security Technology (COAST) at Purdue, have produced a timely book. They point out:
The authors cut through the hype and the front-page stories. They tell readers what the real risks are and explain how to minimize them. Security is an issue for any organization that has a site on the web but they point out there are also other important issues. Companies are selling products over the Internet. Banks are letting depositors write electronic checks and view their accounts. Medical information is being transmitted online. As the value of the information sent over the Web rises, so do the stakes. Their book illustrates proven techniques for keeping personal information secure. It describes browser bugs that lead to security problems, the potential dangers of visiting sites that use Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, and plug-Ins, and online privacy issues. Garfinkel can be reached by phone at 508-696-7222; by FAX at 508-696-8989 and by e-mail at simsong@nasw.org.
Anti-Aging Hormones That Can Help You Beat The Clock: Benefits and Dangers by Ruth Winter, M.S., (NASW) published by Crown Publishers; Brain Workout: Easy Ways to Power Up Your Memory, Sensory Perception, & Intelligence by Arthur Winter, MD and Ruth Winter, published by St. Martin’s Press; A Pain In The Neck: The latest Information On Causes, Therapies and Prevention by Arthur Winter and Ruth Winter, published by WiseGuide Press.
Anti-Aging Hormones explores the following questions and more:
Brain Workout, written with my husband, a neurosurgeon and director of The New Jersey Neurological Institute, describes the latest research on cognition, showing that brain function does not necessarily diminish with age. The book describes mental and physical exercises that can stimulate the brain. It defines the differences between “normal” forgetfulness and serious memory loss and emphasizes proper diagnosis that may lead to recovery of mentation. The third book is self-published with the aid of my computer expert son. I decided to try that route when Crown refused to pay for my hotel room to do an early morning TV show and the same day gave John Gotti’s daughter one million dollars for a book. After 30 books with major publishers, I felt it was probably time to try the self-publishing route. As of this writing, I am dealing with distribution and publicity. For those who are interested in A Pain in The Neck, or who want to discuss self-publishing, you can reach me by phone at 973-376-8385 or by e-mail at Ruthwrite@AOL.com. The PR at Crown for Anti-Aging Hormones is Mary Ellen Briggs by phone at 212-572-2542 or by FAX at 212-940-7868. The PR at St. Martin’s for Brain Workout is Joe Rinaldi at 212-674-5151 ext. 710.
The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, Or How To Build a Dinosaur, by Rob DeSalle and David Lindley (NASW), published by BasicBooks.
Of this examination of the scientific premises of the two popular sci-fi films, Peter Dodson, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, proclaimed: “The result is a thoroughly entertaining and informative book written in a breezy style.” The review appeared in the August 1, 1997 issue of Science.