Subject Guide: General Health and Wellness

The databases, books and websites recommended below primarily contain information about various aspects of health and wellness, including illnesses, treatments, drugs, nutrition and healthy living.  Most books, DVDs or audiobooks in the Library are in the 610-619 call number range of the non-fiction section.

Last updated: January 17, 2015

Databases

• Alt HealthWatch

  Alt HealthWatch focuses on multiple perspectives of complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. Full-text content comes from more than 180 international peer-reviewed and professional journals, magazines, reports, proceedings, and association and consumer newsletters, plus hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research, and book excerpts.

• Consumer Health Complete

  Comprehensive consumer-oriented health information, including articles from many health reference books and encyclopedias and thousands of health reports as well as physician-generated videos and hundreds of medical images and diagrams.

Catalog Links

• 
  52 Small Changes : One Year to a Happier, Healthier You

  by Brett Blumenthal

  Whether as New Year’s resolutions, birthday wishes, or daily promises, most everyone vows at some point to make a major life change. But change is easier said than done, especially when it comes to better managing our wellness amidst the chaos of everyday living.

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  American Medical Association Complete Guide to Prevention and Wellness

  For general readers, this comprehensive guide from the American Medical Association gives advice on how to prevent diseases and stay healthy. It details the steps to take to prevent heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, some forms of cancer, and other diseases, by making lifestyle changes relating to nutrition, exercise, weight loss, lowering stress, and rest, and understanding the body.

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  It also describes ways to keep all parts of the body healthy, along with risk factors for diseases, and how control allergies, prevent headaches, and reduce risk for dementia. The final section addresses wellness at different life stages and for men and women. There is no bibliography. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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  Dr. Chopra Says: Medical Facts and Myths Everyone Should Know

  by Sanjiv Chopra and Alan Lotvin with David Fisher

  WE’VE ALL SEEN THE HEADLINES: The Pill That Can Prevent Cancer! A Guaranteed Way To Avoid Alzheimer’s Disease! The Food That Lowers Bad Cholesterol! BUT WHAT SHOULD WE BELIEVE? ONCE UPON A TIME, maintaining your health seemed relatively simple. But today we’re barraged by a never-ending array of conflicting medical advice. It’s all terribly confusing, and most of us aren’t sure what news we can trust and what we can ignore.

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  Doctor Chopra Says offers a solution that will help you make the right decisions for your health. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Sanjiv Chopra teams up with renowned cardiologist Dr. Alan Lotvin to give you the most cutting-edge medical research available.

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  If It Makes You Healthy: More than 100 Recipes Inspired by the Seasons

  by Sheryl Crow and Chuck White with Mary Goodbody

  Known as much for her youthful looks and natural chic as she is for her sunny and heartfelt songs, Sheryl has written a cookbook that is true to her style Rock star. Activist. Mother of two. How does Sheryl Crow have time to keep so healthy and fit? Sheryl knows how to eat right and deliciously thanks to personal chef Chuck White, affectionately known as “Chef Chuck.”

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  The duo met while Sheryl was battling breast cancer, which for her, was a wake-up call to eat better. Since then, Chuck has taught Sheryl how to do just that by cooking foods that are seasonal, locally grown, and vitamin-rich to keep her on top of her game and always ready to perform.

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  The Power of Rest : Why Sleep Alone is Not Enough : A 30-Day Plan to Reset Your Body

  by Matthew Edlund

  Imagine feeling restored . . . refreshed . . . renewed Too many of us accept sluggishness and fatigue as the inevitable side effects of hectic lives-but Dr. Matthew Edlund shows us there is a better way. After years of clinical research and consultations with hundreds of patients, he realized that many people aren’t just sleep-deprived, they’re rest-deprived.

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  Our hearts, minds, and central nervous systems are overloaded, and we’ve long forgotten the feeling of being truly refreshed. he Power of Rest is the much-needed antidote to our frenetic modern pace. Dr. Edlund has identified four crucial types of active rest-physical, mental, social, and spiritual-to create a groundbreaking 30-day rest makeover program that fits easily into even the busiest schedules. The benefits of making time for active rest have proven extraordinary: by using the body’s unique power to restore and renew itself, you can look younger, lose weight more effectively, and experience greater joy in your work and relationships. We would never expect our bodies to function without food. How can we expect to feel fully fueled and alert without intelligent, directed rest? This step-by-step plan introduces one simple, enjoyable technique each day-many of which can be accomplished in a minute or less and can easily be incorporated into your life. Learn to tap into these powerful techniques that quickly lead you to a healthier, more successful, more relaxed life.

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  T.O.'s Finding Fitness

  by Terrell Owens with Buddy Primm and Courtney Parker

  Terrell Owens helps make the mind, body and spirit connection for total health.

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  The End of Illness

  by David B. Agus with Kristin Loberg

  Can we live robustly until our last breath? Do we have to suffer from debilitating conditions and sickness? Is it possible to add more vibrant years to our lives? In The End of Illness , David B. Agus, MD, one of the world’s leading cancer doctors, researchers, and technology innovators, tackles these fundamental questions, challenging long-heldwisdoms and dismantling misperceptions about what “health” means.

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  With a blend of storytelling, landmark research, and provocative ideas on health, Dr. Agus presents an eye-opening picture of the human body and all of the ways it works—and fails—showing us how a new perspective on our individual health will allow each of us to achieve that often elusive but now reachable goal of a long, vigorous life. When Dr. Agus decided to pursue a career in oncology, many of his mentors questioned his choice. Why, they asked, would a promising young doctor want to enter a field known for its inescapably grim outcomes? But it was precisely the lack of progress that inspired Dr. Agus to join the war on cancer. He moved away from the modern methods of the medical establishment, which aim to reduce our afflictions to a single point. Instead, as he does in this book, Dr. Agus argues for the adoption of a systemic view—a way of honoring our bodies as complex, whole systems. This outlook informs how we can avoid all illnesses—not just cancer. Dr. Agusempowers us to take charge of our individual health in personal, customized ways we could not have imagined before.

Web Links

• AIM Docfinder

  Contains the licensing background and disciplinary information of physicians and other health care practitioners. From Administrators in Medicine (AIM), the national nonprofit organization for state medical and osteopathic board executives.

• CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  The CDC is a major component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Topics on the CDC site include Diseases and Conditions, Emergencies and Disasters, Environmental Health, Healthy Living, Injury, Violence and Safety, Life Stages and Populations, Travelers' Health, and more. Available also in Spanish plus many other languages. 

• Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

  A public education project on prescription medicines from Consumer Reports. Also, see other information included on different topics.

• DeKalb County Board of Health

  Public health resource for DeKalb County. Includes the capability to search for DeKalb County restaurants, hotels and swimming pools--and see the results on their latest Health Inspection Reports.

• Drug Digest

  Noncommercial, evidence-based, information on drugs and herbs. Includes pill images, drug comparisons and a convenient way to check for on drug interactions, plus more. From Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), the nation’s largest independent pharmacy benefit manager.

• FDA-United States Food and Drug Administration

  From the federal agency responsible for protecting public health. This is the first place to look for information about food and product recalls. Plus other information, such as generic equivalents for your prescriptions.

• Flu.gov

  One-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information. Includes options for information in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. The site is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

• Georgia Department of Community Health

  The Georgia agency that provides services to help families and individuals stay healthy and self-sufficient.

• Georgia Division of Public Health

  Information from the primary state agency that has the ultimate responsibility for the health of Georgia communities and the entire state population.

• Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner - Consumer Services

  Provides assistance for persons dealing with insurance issues or complaints in Georgia. Includes a glossary of insurance terms and list of commonly asked questions with answers.

• Health.gov

  This site is coordinated by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  It also includes dietary and physical activity guidelines. 

• HealthCare.gov

  Find out about private insurance plans and possible financial assistance available through the Health Insurance Marketplace. HealthCare.gov is a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

• Hospital Compare

  Find information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions. This site was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services, and others.

• LabTests Online

  Includes lab test descriptions, screening guides and more. Organized by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), this site is the product of a collaboration among professional societies representing the clinical laboratory community.  Spanish-language version available plus other languages.

• MayoClinic.com

  From the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. The mission of the site is to provide useful and up-to-date information and tools that reflect the expertise and standard of excellence of Mayo Clinic.

• MedlinePlus

  The best place to start for all types of health and wellness information. Search for specific information or browse the list of topics that cover common diseases and conditions as well as exercise and nutrition. Includes information on drugs and supplements, easy-to-understand tutorials, and links to clinical trials plus more. Updated daily. From the the U. S. National Library of Medicine. Spanish-language version also available.

• MyPlate

  From the United States Department of Agriculture, My Plate shows the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet using a familiar image—a place setting for a meal.

• National Institutes of Health

  There are 21 health institutes and centers including the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute on Mental Health. Information on current medical research is found here.

• Nutrition.gov

  Find information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety from various agencies of the U.S. federal government. Nutrition.gov is a service of the National Agricultural Library, Department of Agriculture.

• Senior Health

  The Library’s Senior Health subject guide focuses on health information for older adults.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  The U.S. government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.

• WHO-World Health Organization

  The directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters. Also available in Spanish plus other languages.