HEALTH BOOKS / REVIEW : Guides That Can Help You Take Charge of Your Health

IN CONTROL: A Guide for Teens With Diabetes

By Jean Betschart and Susan Thom

Chronimed Publishing, $9.95

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It’s especially tough for teens to deal with diabetes. The need to develop independence and responsibility in adolescence is doubly hard for the diabetic who has to worry about diet, exercise, insulin and sleep schedules. This book is designed to help teens fit their medical care smoothly into their lives. The tone is lighthearted, and teens will find this little book helpful and nonthreatening.

THE AMERICAN HOLISTIC HEALTH ASSN. COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

By William Collinge

Warner Books, $24.95

THE CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO HOMEOPATHY

By Dana Ullman

Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc., $13.95

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These two books represent quality resources for the growing number of Americans interested in exploring alternative medicine. The AHHA book comes highly recommended from many respected Western medical scientists, including Dr. Joseph Jacobs, the first director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The book explores such topics as Ayurveda, mind-body medicine, message therapy and chiropractic.

The Ullman book describes numerous conditions that are receptive to homeopathic cures. It is well supported with a listing of scientific resources at the end of each chapter.

MEN’S FITNESS MAGAZINE’S COMPLETE GUIDE TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Joe Weider’s Men’s Fitness

Magazine with Kevin Cobb

HarperPerennial, $20

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It seems strange that there are scores of books on women’s health but very few health books for men. This new one from the editors of Men’s Fitness makes an important contribution. Every man will benefit from advice on when to get physical exams and on how to deal with stress and cope with the aging process. Anyone familiar with the magazine will find the book carries a more serious tone. The authors not only discuss common medical concerns of men--prostate health, weight gain and heart attacks--but delve into areas such as male violence against women and gay relationships.

A GYNECOLOGIST’S SECOND OPINION: The Questions and Answers You

Need to Take Charge of Your Health

William H. Parker, M.D.,

with Rachel L. Parker

Plume, $13.95

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The message contained in this book is one that is not repeated often enough: Patients have to be partners with their physicians in health decisions. Parker shows why this is crucial for women seeking gynecological care. The recent burst of interest in women’s health research has created many alternatives to treating diseases. But how do you know what’s best for you? Parker, a clinical professor at UCLA Medical Center, details some of the most perplexing conditions and provides information that women can use to reach a decision with their doctors.

MAN TO MAN: Surviving Prostate Cancer

By Michael Korda

Random House, $20

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Korda’s book proves that a single, highly personal, moving account of an individual’s illness can provide more education to the masses than every medical textbook on the planet. Korda, editor in chief of Simon & Schuster and an acclaimed author, discovered he had prostate cancer in 1994. His book is an intimate account of his journey through treatment and recovery. Although it’s his story--and Korda obtained the best medical care that money and fame can generate--he explores issues relevant to any man with the disease.