| How to Use This Book | 11 |
| Taking Control of Your Health | 15 |
| Introduction | 16 |
| Inheritance, Age, and Health | 20 |
| Understanding inheritance | 24 |
| Health at different ages | 27 |
| Health care throughout life | 38 |
| Lifestyle and Health | 46 |
| Diet and health | 48 |
| Exercise and health | 55 |
| Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs | 62 |
| Sex and health | 67 |
| Psychological health | 72 |
| Safety and health | 77 |
| Assessing Your Symptoms | 87 |
| Introduction | 88 |
| General Charts | 92 |
| Not feeling well | 92 |
| Fatigue | 94 |
| Loss of weight | 96 |
| Overweight | 98 |
| Difficulty sleeping | 100 |
| Fever | 102 |
| Excessive sweating | 104 |
| Lumps and swellings | 106 |
| Feeling faint and passing out | 108 |
| Headache | 110 |
| Vertigo | 112 |
| Numbness and/or tingling | 114 |
| Twitching and tremor | 116 |
| Facial pain | 118 |
| Difficulty speaking | 119 |
| Forgetfulness and/or confusion | 120 |
| Feeling depressed | 122 |
| Anxiety | 124 |
| Itching | 125 |
| General skin problems | 126 |
| Rash with fever | 128 |
| Hair and scalp problems | 130 |
| Painful or irritated eye | 132 |
| Disturbed or impaired vision | 134 |
| Hearing loss | 136 |
| Earache | 138 |
| Sore throat | 139 |
| Hoarseness and/or voice loss | 140 |
| Coughing | 142 |
| Shortness of breath | 144 |
| Wheezing | 146 |
| Difficulty swallowing | 147 |
| Vomiting | 148 |
| Recurrent vomiting | 150 |
| Abdominal pain | 152 |
| Recurrent abdominal pain | 154 |
| Swollen abdomen | 156 |
| Anal and rectal problems | 157 |
| Diarrhea | 158 |
| Constipation | 160 |
| Chest pain | 162 |
| Palpitations | 164 |
| Poor bladder control | 165 |
| Frequent urination | 166 |
| Painful urination | 168 |
| Back pain | 170 |
| Neck pain or stiffness | 172 |
| Painful arm or hand | 174 |
| Painful leg | 175 |
| Painful joints | 176 |
| Swollen ankles | 178 |
| Men's Charts | 180 |
| Erectile dysfunction | 180 |
| Testes and scrotum problems | 181 |
| Problems with the penis | 182 |
| Women's Charts | 184 |
| Breast problems | 184 |
| Absent menstrual periods | 186 |
| Painful menstrual periods | 188 |
| Heavy menstrual periods | 189 |
| Abnormal vaginal bleeding | 190 |
| Lower abdominal pain in women | 192 |
| Abnormal vaginal discharge | 194 |
| Genital irritation in women | 195 |
| Painful intercourse in women | 196 |
| Children's charts | 198 |
| Vomiting in children | 198 |
| Diarrhea in children | 200 |
| Fever in children | 202 |
| Breathing problems in children | 204 |
| Coughing in children | 206 |
| Abdominal pain in children | 208 |
| Weight problems in children | 210 |
| Looking for Disease | 211 |
| Introduction | 212 |
| Visiting your doctor | 216 |
| Medical history and examination | 218 |
| Obtaining samples for testing | 221 |
| Testing samples | 224 |
| Tests on blood structure and function | 226 |
| Chemical tests | 229 |
| Tests for microorganisms | 234 |
| Cell and tissue tests | 236 |
| Genetic tests | 238 |
| Visualizing internal organs | 242 |
| Imaging techniques | 244 |
| Viewing techniques | 254 |
| Your body and disease | 257 |
| Introduction | 258 |
| Genes and inheritance | 262 |
| Genetic disorders | 268 |
| Cancer | 272 |
| Living with cancer | 276 |
| Infections and infestations | 282 |
| Viral infections | 286 |
| Bacterial infections | 298 |
| Protozoal and fungal infections | 305 |
| Worm infestations | 310 |
| Serious injuries and environmental disorders | 314 |
| Serious injuries | 316 |
| Poisoning and environmental disorders | 321 |
| Skin, hair, and nails | 328 |
| Generalized skin conditions | 332 |
| Localized skin conditions | 340 |
| Skin infections and infestations | 351 |
| Minor skin injuries | 356 |
| Hair and nail disorders | 358 |
| Musculoskeletal system | 362 |
| Bone disorders | 368 |
| Joint and ligament disorders | 374 |
| Muscle and tendon disorders | 388 |
| Musculoskeletal injuries | 391 |
| Cardiovascular system | 396 |
| Major cardiovascular disorders | 402 |
| Heart rate and rhythm disorders | 415 |
| Heart valve and heart muscle disorders | 421 |
| Peripheral vascular disorders | 430 |
| Blood and the lymphatic and immune systems | 440 |
| Blood disorders | 446 |
| Disorders of the lymphatic system | 458 |
| Immune disorders | 460 |
| Allergies | 466 |
| Respiratory system | 470 |
| Nose and throat disorders | 474 |
| Lung disorders | 482 |
| Nervous system and mental function | 508 |
| General nervous system disorders | 516 |
| Disorders of the brain and spinal cord | 521 |
| Peripheral nervous system disorders | 543 |
| Mental health disorders | 551 |
| Eyes and Vision | 566 |
| Eye disorders | 570 |
| Eyelid and tear system disorders | 583 |
| Vision disorders | 586 |
| Ears, Hearing, and Balance | 592 |
| Outer- and middle-ear disorders | 596 |
| Hearing and inner-ear disorders | 599 |
| Teeth and gums | 606 |
| Disorders of the teeth | 608 |
| Gum disorders | 617 |
| Digestive system | 620 |
| General digestive and nutritional problems | 626 |
| Disorders of the mouth, tongue, and esophagus | 632 |
| Disorders of the stomach and duodenum | 639 |
| Disorders of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas | 643 |
| Disorders of the intestines, rectum, and anus | 655 |
| Hormones and metabolism | 670 |
| Pituitary gland disorders | 676 |
| Thyroid and parathyroid gland disorders | 679 |
| Adrenal gland disorders | 684 |
| Metabolic disorders | 687 |
| Urinary system | 694 |
| Kidney disorders | 698 |
| Disorders of the bladder and urethra | 709 |
| Male Reproductive system | 716 |
| Disorders of the testes, scrotum, and penis | 718 |
| Prostate disorders | 724 |
| Male hormonal disorders | 728 |
| Female reproductive system | 730 |
| Menstrual, menopausal, and hormonal problems | 734 |
| Disorders of the female reproductive organs | 741 |
| Breast disorders | 754 |
| Sex and reproduction | 762 |
| Sexually transmitted diseases | 764 |
| Sexual problems | 769 |
| Infertility | 774 |
| Pregnancy and Childbirth | 778 |
| Problems in pregnancy | 784 |
| Problems in labor | 800 |
| Problems after childbirth | 806 |
| Infancy and Childhood | 810 |
| Problems in babies | 816 |
| Chromosome and gene disorders | 821 |
| Skin and hair disorders | 828 |
| Musculoskeletal disorders | 832 |
| Disorders of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems | 836 |
| Disorders of the nervous system | 844 |
| Developmental and psychological disorders | 851 |
| Eye and ear disorders | 856 |
| Disorders of the digestive system | 862 |
| Endocrine and metabolic disorders | 866 |
| Disorders of the reproductive and urinary systems | 870 |
| Treating disease | 873 |
| Introduction | 874 |
| Drug treatment | 878 |
| Understanding drugs | 880 |
| Drugs for infections and infestations | 883 |
| Drugs acting on the skin | 890 |
| Drugs for musculoskeletal disorders | 894 |
| Drugs for cardiovascular disorders | 897 |
| Drugs for blood and immune system disorders and cancer | 903 |
| Drugs for respiratory disorders | 909 |
| Drugs acting on the brain and nervous system | 912 |
| Drugs for eye and ear disorders | 919 |
| Drugs for digestive disorders | 922 |
| Vitamin and mineral supplements | 927 |
| Drugs acting on the endocrine system and metabolism | 930 |
| Drugs acting on the reproductive and urinary systems | 936 |
| Surgery | 940 |
| Having an operation | 942 |
| Types of surgery | 947 |
| Care and therapies | 954 |
| Patterns of care | 956 |
| Rehabilitation therapies | 961 |
| Death and dying | 964 |
| Psychological therapies | 968 |
| Complementary therapies | 972 |
| First aid | 976 |
| First aid procedures | 978 |
| Dressings and bandages | 996 |
| Drug glossary, useful online sites and addresses, and index | 999 |
| Drug glossary | 1000 |
| Useful online sites and addresses | 1026 |
| Index | 1038 |
| Acknowledgments | 1103 |