The Body Clock Guide to Better Health: How to Use Your Body's Natural Clock to Fight Illness and Achieve Maximum Health

Timing Is EverythingWhat's the best time of day to take your asthma medicine ? Why can' t teenagers get up in the morning? Does an athlete perform better in the morning or the afternoon? Are Pap smears and mammograms more effective at different times during a woman's cycle? Do couples have a better [...]
Visa längre beskrivning

Timing Is EverythingWhat's the best time of day to take your asthma medicine ? Why can' t teenagers get up in the morning? Does an athlete perform better in the morning or the afternoon? Are Pap smears and mammograms more effective at different times during a woman's cycle? Do couples have a better chance of conceiving during the day than at night? How does the body adjust to working the night shift? Why do we tend to gain weight in winter? All these patterns and mechanisms are governed by the body's internal clock, a clock to which more and more doctors and medical researchers are paying close attention. Chronomedicine — diagnosis and treatment based on body time — is at the cutting edge of mainstream medical practice. Surveys show that most doctors know little about this rapidly evolving field. And since the average visit to a doctor today lasts less than fifteen minutes, you need all the information you can get in order to take charge of your own care and treatment. Just as important, an understanding of the body's internal timing can lead to better overall health and fitness, whatever your age or physical condition. Michael Smolensky, one of the nation's leading authorities in the field, and Lynne Lamberg, a veteran medical journalist, have distilled mountains of medical research into a highly readable book that combines an exploration of this break-through medical science with a wealth of specific, practical health information. Detailed discussions of major health issues such as sleep, exercise, nutrition, medications, sexuality, and fertility set the stage for a first-of-its-kind A-to-Z reference to specific health disorders. Whether it's arthritis or asthma, diabetes or depression, heart disease or ulcers, breakthroughs in chronomedicine can revolutionize your care. To help you assess your own chronobiological status, the book provides many fill-in diaries that let you track when symptoms worsen or diminish, how medication affects them, how long relief lasts, and whether and when side effects occur. Filled with up-to-the-minute information and authoritative practical health tips on everything from seasonal affective disorder to jet lag, The Body Clock Guide to Better Health represents the next great leap forward in health and wellness. Michael Smolenksy, Ph.D., directs the Chronobiology Center at Hermann Hospital in Houston, part of the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. His is one of a handful of facilities in the United States that focus on body time in health and disease. A tenured professor of environmental sciences, he also is coeditor-in-chief of the journal Chronobiology International. He has been a consultant to the American Medical Association regarding chronotherapy and is a frequent expert commentator on television and radio. Lynne Lamberg reports on biological rhythms and sleep for The Journal of the American Medical Association and for major magazines and newspapers. She reviews books for the general public in her monthly column, Books for Sleepless Nights, www.sleephomepages. org/books/. This is her sixth book. "Knowledge about our biologic time structure can help us lead a healthy life. When we are ill, it may help our physicians to diagnose and treat us. This book summarizes for the first time for the general public the most important findings on biological rhythms and health, and tells clearly how to apply these findings to everyday life." —Erhard Haus, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pathology, Regions Hospital; President, American Association for Medical Chronobiology and Chronotherapeutics "An extremely well written and authoritative guide, which will be essential reading to all who are concerned with how the biological clock affects our health and daily life. The authors have managed to make the field of human chronobiology very approachable, without trivializing any of the underlying science." —Timothy H. Monk, D.Sc., Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Human Chronobiology Research Program, University of Pittsburgh "This is an astonishingly comprehensive description of the interactions of the body's clock system and health and disease. Combining a readable style with accurate and current information, it will be valuable for just about anyone." —Mary Carskadon, Ph.D., President, Sleep Research Society; Director, Sleep and Chronobiology Research Laboratory "As accurate as the papers I read in the scientific journals, but with one big difference: this book really makes the topic come to life. Reading it will be an enjoyable way for anyone to learn more about circadian rhythms and how they impact our health and well-being." —Charmane Eastman, Ph.D., Director, Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago "Palpable benefits of chronobiology for health optimization, disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment are available today, not in some dimly foreseen future. This book shows you how to think about and act in concert with your biological rhythms. It demonstrates how to maximize health and performance, minimize necessary drugs, and diminish the damaging side effects of medicines while enhancing the desired therapeutic benefits of essential medications. It is simply a matter of timing, and we all know, timing is everything." —William J. M. Hrushesky, M.D., Professor, University of South Carolina Cancer Center; Director of Research, Dorn DVAMC "The Body Clock Guide to Better Health is an important read for both patients and physicians, with its in-depth look at new therapeutic interventions called chronotherapies that improve disease management. Easy to use charts help readers track body rhythms in health and disease, while 'Timewise Tips' offer a wealth of practical self-care advice." —Richard Martin, M.D., Head, Pulmonary Division; Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Medical and Research Center "Here is your guide to the galaxy of body rhythms: chronomedicine is the new frontier!" —Anna Wirz-Justice, Ph.D., Professor, Centre of Chronobiology, University of Basel, Switzerland