What if your HMO came up with the perfect way to make money? What if it killed you? Tom Kanon is an international expert in nanotechnology who uses microbots to deliver healthcare directly to the organs and cells of the human body. He envisions a world where disease has been vanquished and designer robots police the human body. Microbots with specialized tools will remove cardiac plaque, carry hormones and enzymes where they are needed, and act as portable insulin pumps, miniature defibrillators, and pacemakers. Kanon's nanobot research soon attracts the attention of Jack Taylor, the CEO of Omni Health HMO. Taylor shrewdly woos Kanon into accepting a position as the head of the emergency room at Omni to tighten the company's stranglehold on the market. Kanon thought he knew everything about his field-until people start dying at his hospital and none of the other staff members care. As Tom struggles to find out why, he races against time to ensure the safety of his patients and loved ones against those who want them dead. But wanting to trust someone and knowing whom to trust are two very different things in the world of global corporate domination fueled by the bottom line.

Explains how to receive better service from an HMO while building a good doctor-patient relationship, avoiding red tape, and protecting vulnerable patients, including children and the elderly.

Court, a nationally recognized consumer advocate and founder of a health care watchdog project, and Smith, an attorney and president of a public policy consulting firm, expose appalling practices of HMOs and the corrupt world of managed care. They telltrue stories of patient victims who got caught and killed in the system, and expose the profit motive behind the misery, revealing the collusion of the insurance industry's powerful lobbyists with Congress and state legislatures to block any serious reforms. They supply an HMO patients' self-defense kit to help patients overcome HMO stonewalling.

Do you know what’s really good for you? In this age of countless miracle cures, it’s vital to separate the myths that endanger your health from the medical facts you need. FACT: Unfiltered coffee can clog your arteries. FACT: Donating blood may lower your risk of heart disease. FACT: You don’t really need eight glasses of water a day. FACT: Coughing won’t help if you’re having a heart attack. (But aspirin will!) We’ve become a nation of cyberchondriacs, diagnosing ourselves with false information and half-truths found on sketchy websites. In Medical Myths That Can Kill You, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, chief medical editor for NBC News, provides clear, practical, scientifically proven advice that can lead you to a healthier, happier life. Discover the simple, everyday things that affect well-being, and get the information you need to revitalize your body, maintain your longevity, manage your care, and possibly even save a life–yours.

Take charge of your health and stop turning over your life to our confusing and intimidating healthcare system–before it’s too late. Dr. Erika Schwartz believes that today’s patient is but a leaf blowing in the wind of group-think protocols, corrupt medical societies, insurance companies on the take, and a billion dollars in marketing and lobbying pressure from drug companies. What is the quick fix? The answers are here in the ten clear chapters, giving examples every step of the way. It’s a simple process that takes you, the patient, from being a victim to being in charge. Developing personal self-confidence, choosing the right doctor for you, walking out on the wrong ones with impunity, and making the right choices will add up to great healthcare with you at the center. Follow the plan and the facts and change your life and those of your loved ones. Life is to be enjoyed not feared. This book will put enjoyment back into your life and remove the fear and intimidation from your healthcare.

THE GROUNDBREAKING GUIDEBOOK ON THE HEALTH OF BOYS AND MEN -- FOR THE WOMEN WHO LOVE THEM Men are likely to die, on average, nearly six years earlier than women -- and they have higher mortality rates for many of the leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, accidents, suicide, chronic liver disease, and cancer. The women in their lives -- mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, and daughters -- are traditionally charged with managing their health concerns. From Boys to Men is a unique resource designed to arm women with much-needed information about men's health issues and to help them educate their male loved ones on how to take care of themselves. Filled with Dr. Senay's expert medical advice, personal anecdotes, and a healthy dose of humor, From Boys to Men will resonate with women of every age and stage of life. TOPICS INCLUDE: BOYS Health issues unique to infants · the most dangerous threats to teenage boys· learning disabilities and developmental disorders · gender issues · sportsmanship · body image · sex and sexuality MEN Preventative care · emotional needs and disorders · stress and depression · high cholesterol and blood pressure · coping with illness · sexual dysfunction...and more.

In 2003, Dr. Laura Nathanson was widowed after the misdiagnosis of her beloved husband. After this tragedy, she was determined to help others protect themselves and their loved ones from similarly preventable health care disasters—and help them benefit from health care miracles. In What You Don't Know Can Kill You, Dr. Nathanson provides a guide to getting the best medical care and navigating our frustrating and often impenetrable health care system. In clear, non-medical language, she shows how to: Flag any signs of misdiagnosis and misleading analysis of symptoms Prevent miscommunication among specialists from having dire consequences Stay safe in the hospital and bypass its dangers· Choose a health care plan without falling into the "uncovered services" trap Full of empathy for each individual patient and caregiver, What You Don't Know Can Kill You will empower patients to be their own best advocates.

As US healthcare delivery is in flux, an international surgeon dissects and scrutinizes the performance of socialized medicine in Britain vs the free market healthcare system in the US. The results are sobering. Lacking funds, resources and personnel, socialized medicine results in almost twice the death rate from breast and colon cancer and 50 percent higher mortality from heart attack (myocardial infarction). The high intensity, fast paced US healthcare can presently afford such luxuries as aggressive intervention for cardiac disease, technology-laden surgical procedures and intensive screening for cancer. Meanwhile Britains cash-strapped NHS is over-stretched in keeping up with todays emergencies, with precious few resources to avert tomorrows tragedies. As the Affordable Care Act becomes a reality, US health care delivery takes a sharp turn leftward, following the same trajectory as Britain. Underfunded and overwhelmed, only seven of the original twenty-three health care co-operatives remain open, leaving the US taxpayer with a $1.7 billion dollar bill, and almost one million Americans uninsured, again. Health care is on a fast track to a Lehman Brothers 2.0, when the health care sector will be on life support from the US taxpayer, and a single payer system will emerge, with its second rate outcomes. When this day dawns, a US national health service will surface, just like Britains: Free for all, from cradle to grave. And accountable to none.

This breakthrough book covers the head-to-toe, outside-inside health needs of today's 10- to 21-year-olds. Written by experts in adolescent medicine and parent-child relationships, this comprehensive reference gives no-nonsense, straightforward guidance on how to talk with teens in a way that will help them take charge of their own health. Andrea Marks, M.D., and Betty Rothbart, M.S.W., take a unique approach -- they focus on the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social issues that make these years such a challenging time. They show how physical health concerns must be considered within the context of the three main goals of adolescence: • gaining independence • clarifying sexual identity • Finding a realistic, satisfying place in society Combining authoritative information with sound advice on communicating with teens, who really do want and need their parents' help (even though at times it may seem otherwise), Healthy Teens, Body and Soul will teach parents how to open the lines of communication that will result in healthier, happier teens (and parents!).

This oft-quoted all-time favorite of the medical community will gladden--and strengthen--the hearts of patients, doctors, and anyone entering medical study, internship, or practice. With unassailable logic and rapier wit, the sage Dr. Oscar London muses on the challenges and joys of doctoring, and imparts timeless truths, reality checks, and poignant insights gleaned from 30 years of general practice--while never taking himself (or his profession) too seriously. The classic book on the art and humor of practicing medicine, celebrating its 20th anniversary in a new gift edition with updates throughout. Previous editions have sold more than 200,000 copies. The perfect gift for med students and grads as well as new and practicing physicians. Approximately 17,000 students graduate from med school each spring in North America.