Medicine Books

I give this to my first level Reiki Students to help take away the mystery of how Reiki got started in the United States and it's source.

This book explains the beginnings and history of Reiki and gives examples of how to use the energy not only for healing the body, but getting rid of old guilts and fears, helping your plants grow, and much more. Such dramatic results have been seen with this method that more and more hospitals in the U.S. are having a Reiki Master on call to help in aiding the healing process of their patients. Even though the symbols are not shown, this book gives the author's tested examples of the results achieved using this universal energy that is available to all of us. I highly recommend this book.

This is an excellent book. I highly recommend it for my students and for other Reiki Practitioners.

Thank you Frank Arjava Petter for being daring and brave to bring the 'real' version of Dr. Usui's Reiki to the west. I had from the beginning a little difficulty to accept everything which was said about the 'grand-masters' and their likes. And in the past very little facts were given about Dr. Usui and mainly in a kind of fairy story tale. Now I can accept Reiki as I believe Reiki should be: free from major money making and available for all people who truly wish to heal themselves, others and the world. God and Reiki bless us all. B. Müller, Reiki Master, South Africa

I have studied Reiki and am a Reiki Master. I give this book to all of my Reiki students because it explains Reiki so simply and well. I especially like that it is informative without giving the impression that only the author's opinion of Reiki is important, and also that it sites Reiki's founder, Dr. Mikao Usui. It is clearly a tool to help one further one's understanding of Reiki.

This book is all you will need for renal pathophys your 1st and 2nd years. It is small and doesn't look like much, but is extremely well written. THis is all I used for my 2nd year renal module (with a little robbins on the side), and I nailed the exam. I recommend for any med student.

Helps for reviewing material that is kind of obscure. I preferred reading Robbins Basis of Pathology to get a good glance at the material.

Excellent book as a primary text for both pre-clinical renal pathophys and clinical rotations. Highlights important clinical pearls and practical information for the medicine wards. Highly recommended.

This was readable over the 4-week renal block. It made a huge difference in learning physiology, which was covered during the first two weeks and apparently confused a good deal of my class. I didn't go to class and instead learned almost all the physiology from this book, and I did well above average.

Though the text can be a bit dense and overly wordy sometimes (Glomerulonephritides chapter), it does an excellent job at explaining pathophysiology. Pictures are in B&W though, so if you're just looking for nice slides, pick up Robbins. If you're looking to gain understanding, pick up this book.

Baby-steps you through the complex physiology, starting from the VERY BASICS for each topic at hand, just to keep the people who snoozed thru Gen Chem up to snuff (i.e. "What is a buffer and how do buffers work?" for the acid/base chapter), then moves on to more difficult stuff, until you're surprised that you can actually understand the really advanced physiology.
Doesn't only explain what happens, but also WHY the water or particular solute "decides" to be filtered/excreted/reabsorbed/secreted at each part of the tubular lumen/ECF/peritubular capillary. Really methodical and well-organized. Highly recommended!

Read book cover to cover in preparation for your renal exam during nurse anesthesia school. Usually required too.

This is simply the best in its class--a foundation of my medical education. The diagrams are excellent. Text explanations are clear, detailed, precise and, most importantly, succinct. When I die, bury me with Vander's Renal Physiology.

Real Physiology provides the basics needed for a medical school renal unit. By purchasing this book, a medical student is able to focus on the renal system in more detail than in some basic physiology texts.

Very good book, everything is simplified, easy introduction into subject, it is almost like being spoon fed.
Pathologic correlation's are given, it does not have all the biochemistry but major subjects are covered and author has conceptualized that makes everything easy.

Dr. Simon's has written a book that everybody must read that is having issues with cancer. This book helped me and my family through a terribly hard time and turned the experience into a great learning experience that left me and my family healthy and happy. Dr. Simon's wise words will provide much needed comfort and assurance on many levels to those who's life has errupted into un-immaginable chaos. It is a well-written treasure not only for advice but for those trying to lead a more integrated life. This book is a must read for anybody that has spiritual or medical questions concerning cancer or life in general.

Dr. Simon has shared insights into healing that take into account the coventional and integrative approaches to healthcare. He reminds us that we have entered into a phase of medicine that needs to consider a person's conscious awareness of health, so the appropriate modalities of care can be administered. David Simon utilizes eastern and western knowledge to make his work thorough and comprehensive. He takes into account the need for practicioners to be sensetive to the direction(s) a patient finds meaningful in their movement toward wholeness. This emphasis on consciousness incorporated in healthcare is a movement toward modern medicine paralleling the evolution of our time. I also recommend: What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living by Samuel Oliver

This phenomenal book is a must have in a library of self-care literature. It reads easily and resonates with truth, leaving a profound impact. I recently returned from a week seminar with Dr. David Simon at the Deepak Chopra Wellness Institute in La Jolla,CA. My personal experience was transformational. I not only walked away with concrete, tangible tools to work with my cancer, I also deepened my relationship with myself and was taught many loving ways to embrace and empower myself through this difficult time in my life.

The nurturing environment was so safe and invitational to self-discovery of each individuals particular experience with cancer. I strongly recommend anyone facing cancer to invest in themselves with this wonderful program.

Dr. Simon's book addresses many of the issues that are so often not dealt with by modern conventional cancer treatment centers. Too often cancer patient feel as if their real needs are not being met by doctors and hospitals. Dr. Simon focuses on treating the person, not just the diseasse. His books creates an entirely new perspective for the cancer patient by simply remembering that they are a person. He addresses the emotional issues cancer patients face as well as treatments for common side effects caused by conventional treatment. His advice on nutrition, sensory tools for healing, and assessing alternative treatment modalities is easily succint, but very insightful. Futthermore, his five day seminar lets you explore these issues much deeper. Realizing that I am much more than the sum of my phsyical parts is an important gift that Dr. Simon has helped to give me.

The book is easy to follow and interpret even if you are new to this type of thinking. After reading the book I was so motivated to find a way to heal my own spirit while facing cancer treatment that I decided to attend the one week program called Return to Wholeness at the Chopra Center for Well Being in LaJolla CA. I highly recomend the book and program outlined in the book to anyone who is facing the challanges of cancer treatment.

Dr McK Jefferies who sadly passed away recently was a pioneer in the use of low does cortisone. Mention the word cortisone to most people and they react with predictable horror due to the well documented side effects of long term usage at supra-normal doses. What the good doctor discovered over many years of case histories which he documents in this book, is that in low doses, cortisone can benefit any number of maladies and can be used safely for an indefinite period of time. RIP, you will be missed.

If you are interested in preventative medicine, you must read this book. Even if you aren't interested, you have to read this book. Dr. Jefferies is brilliant, he beautifully explains how Cortisol is safe to use in the treamtent and prevention of disease.

The Safe Use of Cortisol by William McK Jefferies MD is a medical classic, and along with its companion classic by Broda Barnes, Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness, both books should be required reading by every medical student and MD and deserve a prominent place in every medical library. I have read both numerous times, and plan to re-read both again.

This book contains a condensation of clinical knowledge from the career of a medical giant, and a wealth of knowledge not found anywhere else, and is complete with references to the medical literature, case histories, laboratory studies and dosages.

In this slim volume, Safe Use of Cortisol, Dr. McK Jefferies points out an important distinction which is not widely known by mainstream doctors or the public. This is the distinction between the lower and completely safe, physiologic doses of cortisol, and the dangerous higher pharmacologic dosage levels commonly used by mainstream doctors to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune diseases.

While the lower cortisol doses below 40 mg per day are safe, above this dosage level is increased risk of adrenal suppression, and increased risk of adverse side effects including moon face, osteoporosis with spontaneous fractures, thinning of skin with easy bruising, striae, subcutaneous hemorrhages, fluid retention with edema, and cataracts.

Cortisol is widely available as inexpensive Cortef from the corner drug store, and is the bio-identical hormone secreted by the adrenal gland. Since it is a natural hormone, it cannot be patented, explaining the lack of funding for research by the pharmaceutical companies.

Chapter 4 of the book discusses generally accepted uses of Cortisol, starting with the most logical use which is adrenal insufficiency, also called Addison's disease. However, McK Jefferies also discusses mild adrenal insufficiency, which is not usually recognized by mainstream doctors, and should be. Other uses of low dose cortisol include ovarian dysfunction with infertility, chronic fatigue, allergies and auto-immune diseases.

McK Jefferies relies on the Cortrosyn ACTH stimulation test to evaluate adrenal function, as well as urinary cortisol metabolites and serum cortisol tests. He also addresses thyroid function as part of the overall clinical picture; hence the connection with Broda Barnes and the continued advocacy of McK Jefferies' work by the Broda Barnes Institute.

I found Chapter 5, Gonadal Dysfunction and Infertility, to be the most fascinating and clinically useful chapter. McK Jefferies used low dose cortisol to successfully treat thousands of young women suffering from irregular menstrual cycles, ovarian dysfunction, hirsutism (facial hair, and acne, both signs of elevated testosterone).

Nowadays, teenagers with irregular menstrual bleeding are routinely given birth control pills with synthetic hormones to regulate their cycles. The synthetic hormones in BCPs are associated adverse side effects and do not address the underlying fertility issues.

Unknown to the mainstream medical system, the real treatment for irregular menstrual bleeding is found in this medical classic book, namely low dose cortisol and thyroid which successfully normalizes menstrual cycles and restores fertility. Dr. McK Jefferies suggests that the cause of the infertility and irregular periods in these patients is usually excess adrenal production of either androgen (PCOS) or estrogen, and the low dose cortisol serves to suppress this excess hormone production by the adrenals and allow normal ovarian function.

Now recognized as the most common genetic disorder in the population, (CYP21A2) non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency is associated with menstrual irregularities, hirsutism and acne from elevated testosterone. Rather than low dose cortisol, current practice is to use similar low dose dexamethasone (See the 2006 review in J Clin Endo & Metab Vol. 91, No. 11 4205-4214, by Maria I New). Perhaps non-classical 21-OH should be renamed McJefferies Syndrome to give proper credit to this great clinician.

McJefferies stresses that normalization of thyroid function is also required for menstrual regularity and fertility. Broda Barnes agrees with McK Jefferies on the importance of thyroid for normalizing menstrual cycles, and both treat with thyroid medication even though the thyroid blood tests may be completely normal. They have found the blood tests to be unreliable. This is at variance with mainstream medical practice which clings dogmatically to the thyroid blood tests. Most mainstream doctors would refuse to offer thyroid medication unless there is a documented "out of range" lab value.

Chapter 9 deals with using low dose cortisol for viral infections such as influenza. Although there was some initial concern that low dose cortisol would reduce immunity in some way, Dr. Mc Jefferies was surprised to find in clinical practice that his patients maintained on low dose cortisol typically reported fewer common colds and other viral illnesses than their family members, suggesting an enhancement of immunity. Another practice he used was to increase the cortisol dosage when patients felt a common cold or viral influenza coming on. He found that this enabled the patient to ward off or recover from the illness more quickly. Of course, he also points out that excess doses of cortisol would have the opposite effect and impair resistance to infection.

The final chapters of the book discuss the use of low dose physiologic cortisol for rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, auto-immune disease, chronic fatigue.

In addition to the ACTH stimulation tests still in use today, we now have the newer, salivary cortisol testing which I am sure Mc Jefferies would have found useful in his day. What he would have written about the use of salivary cortisol testing ? Unfortunately we will never know. Perhaps a future medical author will build on McK Jefferies work and incorporate salivary testing and other new developments in a future book.

I reviewed the third edition which was published in 2004. The first edition was published in 1983. Other books recommended along side this one are, Adrenal Fatigue by James Wilson, Hypothyroidism, the Unsuspected Illness by Broda Barnes, From Fatigued to Fantastic: by Jacob Teitelbaum, Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy by Barry Durrant Peatfield.

Jeffrey Dach MD

This book saved my life. If I could meet this doctor I would kiss his feet. I went from absolutely no medical problems all my life until I was 35. At that time, I was under severe stress for a very prolonged period of time and went from 118 lbs - all my life, to 280 lbs. I developed hyperinsulimia - which I diagnosed through reading and research- my regular doctor didn't understand and I had to go to an endocrinologist to get a blood test and a diagnosis - but no help - I knew my adrenal glands became exhausted and couldn't get a doctor to comprehend this either.

After going to Suzanne Somers web site I learned of the Born Clinic in Grand Rapids. I made an appointment and I had a saliva test done that said my coritsol was abnormally low.

I knew that my cortisol was extremely high before it became low, as I gained 160 lbs. Most doctors don't understand this - and even many of the ones who do won't try cortisol in small doses. Years ago doctors were giving people such high doses (even for ADD)and causing their bodies great harm - but never thought to only replace what their bodies were missing/not making. It's unbelieveable as it is like common sense to me.

I was exhausted for four years and couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't shop as I would be exhausted by the time I got into the store. I had dizziness and ringing in my ears that Univeristy of Michigan could not explain or find anything wrong with me. I had facial, arm, fingers and leg numbness that they looked at me like I was a mental patient. I had problems breathing and my heart rate would go up to 120-130 just by walking to the bathroom. I had weakness in my arms just trying to wash my hair. I heard every reason in the world from doctors for my problems - none of which were true. My tolerance for heat was horrible and I would sweat like a pig just from walking. My attention span diminished - I had never had a problem with my ablity to concentrate ever!

For me, all of this greatly dimished or went away when I started taking 7.5 mg of cortisol four times per day. Food cravings stopped as well as waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. I had developed dark red marks under my arms accompanied with ithcing. My neck developed dark spots on it that looked like my neck was dirty. This started to go away - just like the doctor said it would.

This doctor talks about almost all of my symptoms and I was amazed!

The bad part is in trying to find a doctor to help you. I thank God that I have found one but it wasn't easy. I suffered for a very long time and am angry at a medical community that pretends it is God when it knows next to nothing about the human body and poo hoos doctors like this one.

NO, there is no research being done because as one of the writers points out - it's cheap. The drug companies and our government cannot make any money - it doesn't matter that people are dying and living lives that are not really living at all.

If you have problems that doctors are not healing, buy this book you won't be sorry. It is only $45.00 new from the publisher on line.

Low adrenal reserve has been implicated in many conditions: chronic fatigue syndrome, auto-immune and thyroid diseases, allergies, anxiety/panic disorders, depression, hypoglycemia, etc. The treatment is safe, cheap, and very effective!

Beware that most doctors are not educated on this topic. The only condition they recognize is Addison's Disesase as established by the ACTH stimulation test. While Addison's disease is a near complete and permanent adrenal failure, the low adrenal reserve is a partial one and not always permanent. The ACTH stimulation test doesn't reveal it. So if you need a test, insist on other tests such as 24-hour urine, serum AM cortisol level, or saliva cortisol. The best test though is a trial adminstration of Cortisol. If it works, you have it, if it doesn't, you don't.

A lot of folks who have been under stress for long time or on a very restrictive diet end up with low cortisol. Many recover on their own, while others don't. They end up with what seems like a permanent flue that doesn't go away and go on to develop chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, depression, auto-immune diseases, etc. If that happened to you, supplemental Cortisol is the answer.

Great book for students as well. problem based. Excellent for Sub-I's. Fast pre-read for interns. Has most pediatric specialties, including NICU. Nice Primer on vents. I let my interns borrow it for primers on vents. Nice bits about congenital heart defects as well.
You see?
harriet is not the only pocket book.

The saint frances series proves to be a great hit ! I was exposed to these guides with the inpatient medicine guide, and it was obvious to me that the pediatrics guide won't let me down. Among the leading features - great ambulatory section, excellent metabolic diseases panels ( who has the time to read nelson's section on metabolics ? ), very concise sections in neonatology, ID and emergencies... the list goes on. Recommendations for the future - an additional section on normal growth and development would be a good addition.
In summary - a must have for students during clinical clerckships, the problem oriented approach is very helpful when preparing for the oral exam, for written exams - nelson's still no. 1, but this book is a great adjuvant.

The Bottom Line: This book is a must have in every white coat for Pediatric
clerkship students, and for interns as well. Covers all the basic topics,
and even a few that are more advanced. Great chapters that are full of
useful information are the hallmark of this book. Also would be great for
"bullet" presentations for students and residents for teaching. Excellent
job on the first edition!!

The Sain Frances Guide is an outstanding pediatric reference, which should be more widely used than some older and more established pediatric pocket references. I have recommended the Saint Frances Guide to my residents, and I feel that their fund of knowledge and grasp of the issues in pediatrics has improved as a result of their exposure to this book. Dr. Migita had brought together a compendium of excellent material covering a broad spectrum of relevant pediatric health issues, yet does this in a concise and easy to read manner. Without reservation, I think that this pediatric handbook is second to none.

This book would be well-suited for students on their
pediatric clerkship. It is a nice, portable handbook
that covers the basics of pediatrics while not getting
bogged down in the details that are often beyond the
scope of medical students. I think that this book
would be most useful to student in the clinic and on
the wards when they are between patients and need to
quickly review or learn the basics of pediatric
illnesses. The cardiology section of the book is
especially useful for students as it clearly explains
the essentials of pediatric heart disease while also
providing a graphical representation of each murmur
and sample EKG findings associated with each defect.
The Hot Key and mnemonics are helpful in purveying the
nuances and important pearls of pediatrics to those
who are new to the specialty. In general, I cannot
think of any weak points with this book. I think that
it would be an excellent book for students on their
pediatric rotation.

This book has helped me to understand epilepsy so I am not feeling as anxious or hopeless about my daughter's seizures. I highly recommend it for anyone who has seizures or knows/loves someone that does.

My son was diagnosed with seizures. Other than talking to his neurologist my only other source of information was the internet. I wanted unbiased factual information to educate myself and this book is the answer. I felt more empowered reading this and I would highly recommend it for other parents or even teachers with students that have seizures and epilepsy.

I personally benefited tremendously from this very positive book. My little boy has seizure disorder and i was desperate for any knowledgeable information that could guide me and help me through this terrible horrifying experience for any parent.
This is definitely a book i would recommend.

I did read a lot of books about epilepsy, but this one is the best!
You get all the informations you need to have a good picture about this illness. It is very well written, very easy to understand and covers all the basics and also the more deeper informations about for example side effects etc..
I can recommend this book as a standard book you should have.

This book is full of straight-forward information about epilepsy and its effects on the brain. It addresses initial medical evaluations and diagnoses, and discusses various treatments--traditional and complementary therapies--in depth. The authors handle these potentially complicated topics with simplicity of language and great compassion.

In fact, the best part of this book is the authors' ability to recognize and allay parental fears by dispelling myths surrounding the illness. A substantial section of the book offers suggestions to help a family (not just the patient) cope with epilepsy--at home, school, in extended family settings, and so on.

This is a well-researched and documented book. I highly recommend it for any parent facing a dignosis of epilepsy for the first time.

This cardiology book is phenomenal and a must-have for any veterinary resident in the field of internal medicine, emergency critical care, and obviously... cardiology. Very well written, but very poorly bound. My book binding fell apart with just routine use, but that's not to discredit the book. Definitely the best cardio book out there. I'm eagerly awaiting edition 2.

Dr. Justine Lee
www.drjustinelee.com

This is probably the first textbook I've read like a novel. I started on page 1, and just couldn't stop reading. For those that feel their veterinary cardiology skills may be sub-par, this is a very good investment. It starts with anatomy, then physiology, normal then abnormal, and has entire chapters dedicated to different classes of drugs. It explains everything starting at the basics, so even those that have very little cardio knowledge will understand the text. The book also has color pictures included, along with color doppler ultrasound pictures for those that may be interested.

This text is most highly recommended!

this book has been a great help during cardio, and im so happy i decided to buy it. it has a great section on ECGs, great anatomical sketches so you can see which parts of the hear are affected during different problems, and is very organized and amazingly easy to read. i honestly found this book friendlier and more interesting than most of the lectures i was given in class.
it certainly goes way beyond what i was expected to know for my vet school class, but theres nothing wrong with having extra info in a book. :o)
i agree with another person who posted- its very unfortunate that the publishing company couldnt spend a bit more on this book. the paper is thin, the binding isnt the best, but ive been working with lots of cardio books lately and this has been my favorite.

Excellent book, friendly and deep and concise on every topic dealt with.

This is an excelent textbook of canine and feline cardiology of highest interest for any veterinary clinician (specialist and not) and any student who wants to learn before going to the real world of disease. It is in my opinion the cardiology textbook that is closest to the clinician and to the reality of the needs and manegement of the cardiovascular patient, with the most rigourous scientific literature.

My mother was, and several of my extended family are Christian Scientists, but I could never quite "wrap my head around it" enough to practice it as a lifestyle. I bought and read Mr. Peel's book years ago, and it was a "good read". I had danced back and forth with Science, eventually giving up on it as a lifestyle for me. BUT, I had a premature infant in a hospital 22 years ago, and I KNOW that the prayers that were prayed for the efficacy of the doctors and staff treating my baby worked. (if one is under medical treatment it conflicts with Christian Science treatment, but one can ask for prayerful support of the care-givers). I've seen healings, and I've seen it "not work" just like conventional medicine doesn't "work" all the time. Actually, CS probably has a better track record, but Scientists don't toot their horns over every success. You don't hear about the little everyday ones. People need to understand that this is a viable path of life to follow, not just medically, and Mr. Peel's readable style drew me on to the end. It relaxed my guilt over not being able to BE one, opened my heart to TOTALLY respect Christian Science treatment and the people who rely on it. More and more medical doctors don't dismiss spiritual healing anymore. This book provides a layman with an authentic look into Christian Science.

I learned to respect the honest, scholarly approach of Robert Peel in his fascinating 3-part biography of Mary Baker Eddy. He doesn't disappoint with this fascinating review of spiritual healing in the modern age. Anyone curious about the efficacy of spiritual healing would be fascinated by this book and profit from it. I'm amazed that such a helpful book is now out of print.

I first read this book upon publication in the 80's while studying at Harvard Divinity School, where the author had studied several decades earlier. (I re-read the book again last week, and found it still at the top of the class.) At the time of my first reading, I found little written on the topic of spiritual healing, even though I had access to Harvard's great libraries. In the interim, the literature on this topic has flourished, mostly from the pens of MD's who have earned the ire of their colleagues for breaking lockstep with the "church of medicine". And I've read most of those authors: Benson, Chopra, Segal, Dossey, Weil, et al. Those names are nearly 'household' while Peel remains unknown -- a travesty, as in many ways his intellectual rigor is their equal, and his familiarity with the subject eclipses them all.

The spiritual healing which Peel describes is not an alternative "medical" approach to healing. It is a path apart. His work disabuses the reader of the materialistic worldview of medicine by first describing a healing of cancer through prayer which was witnessed and participated in by a medical doctor who conducted a prayer group in St Louis. This healing appears on p.17, concluding simply that the change of state, from matter to energy, should have resulted in a nuclear event (the disappearance of 38 pounds of tumor overnight!) sufficent to level a small city, according to modern physics. Of course, materialists would say: "Impossible!" And here I will quote Richard Feynman's definition of science as "the belief in the ignorance of authority." Mary Baker Eddy wrote: "Impossibilities never occur." The event is well documented, as are all of the many healings attested to in this book.

If you have enough honest curiosity to explore reality with an open mind by questioning the possible 'ignorance' of what you've been taught, you will be benefited by reading this important book. Advances in knowlege have usually come through those who are willing to question 'what they know that just ain't so.' (-Twain.) Do you have sufficient curiousity to turn aside to learn 'why the burning bush is not consumed?' Peel will speed your progress, whether you are a scientific thinker, or a spiritual seeker. You won't be disappointed. ~eric.

It is difficult to dismiss seventh century healings as mere fables. Yet, there are always medical skeptics who speak of spontaneous remission. Biomedicine rests on the concept of the human being as a physical organism.

The human spirit is larger than the specialized activities of humans. Today followers of scientific and religious orthodoxy are scandalized by spiritual healing. There is a tendancy to write off spiritual healing as a product of suggestion or the placebo effect. It is thought the diseases healed are psychosomatic or hysterical.

Sometimes the words used are anecdotal evidence. This puts the issue into some sort of pejorative category. Christian Science healing is one way of worshipping God. Peel claims emotional coercion is contrary to Christian Science ethics. (Critics of Christian Science would not support such an assertion.)

Many individual cases are considered in the latter half of the book where selected testimonies of healing are set forth in considerable detail. Peel makes his points with much persuasive force.

Robert Peel gives a wonderful background understanding of Christian Science and spiritual healing.

Many testimonies including his own personal family's add to the authenticity of his writing.

Well worth the read.

If you attend the course of statistics, this 's one of my recommedation. Good book and applicable.

.
What can be said that Dr. Chernik has not already written?

I am learning my statistics for epidemiological purposes and laboratory methods. This book is fun because the descriptions of the tests are succinct and it is replete with examples using medical data. I have been using it as a quick reference for statistical methods that I read about in journal articles, but have not had formal training in or experience with. This book is complementary to by basic stats book. This book is a must for amateur biostatisticians.

This very recent book is already getting rave reviews from health professionals particularly in the US Navy where Dr. Riffenburgh is known. I recently met Dr. Riffenburgh at an ASA chapter meeting in San Diego and again at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Indianapolis this past August. The Foreword by Vice Admiral Richard Nelson sets the stage for the book and praises Dr. Riffenburgh.
I am a biostatistician working in the medical device industry. Last year I taught an introductory course to health science majors at Cal State Long Beach. Had Dr. Riffenburgh's book been out I may have used it. In the future if I teach the course again before my own book comes out I would use it.

Dr. Riffenburgh has a wealth of experience working on clinical trials and medical problems that require statistical analysis. He has a good fundamental understanding of statistical methods and a sense from his experience as to what topics are important to medical researchers. Although he was not formally trained as a statistician he understands statistical methods and the subtleties of the subject. He is sympathetic to the students who do not have strong math backgrounds and conveys the ideas clearly to them with the aid of several carefully selected data sets.

The book is very unique in that it is constructed to be two books in one. He wants to meet the needs of students who need to understand the basics of biostatistics so that they can appreciate, understand and evaluate the medical literature. Part I, consisting of chapters 1 through 9 is designed for them. The second need is for a reference text for physicians and other medical researchers who will need to use statistical methods in their work and publications. Chapters 10 through 21 are designed for them. As he states in his preface the text is aimed to be a 30/90 book. By this he means that it covers 30% of the statistical methods in common use but based on survey articles of methods used in medical journals it covers 90% of those techniques. He claims that 82% are covered in Part I and the remaining 8% in Part II.

Part I is an elementary text that is written in a tutorial fashion and introduces concepts through the data examples. It is well written and does a good job of explaining important ideas such as the difference between clinical and statistical significance, the interpretation of confidence intervals and the idea that the classical statistical approach to hypothesis testing is designed to reject the null hypothesis and not to "prove" it. Consequently he warns the readers not to conclude that the null hypothesis is accepted just because a particular test does not reject it.

Part I covers most important elementary topics. Part II repeats much of the material in Part I but presents it a little differently. In these chapters the material is presented in easy to use reference style using a lot more formulae. The level of the second half is a little higher and includes some more advanced topics (the other 8%). Topics covered in Part II but not Part I include sequential methods, meta-analysis, time series methods and survival analysis. Actually survival analysis is briefly discussed in Part I under epidemiological studies.

Another unique feature is the section of chapter summaries at the end of the book. This is sort of a Reader's Digest summary of the book that highlights the key results for those who want a reference source but may not have the patience to read through the material or those who after taking the course want a quick refresher. I have never seen this done before but I think it may have some value.

I believe that Dr. Riffenburgh has succeeded in his goals and I admire the fresh approach that he has taken. It is very difficult to avoid much of the basic mathematics without losing some of the important concepts and foundation to the subject.

Many authors that try, fail miserably. On the other hand authors that include too much mathematics scare off many of the students that the text is targeted for. Riffenburgh with this book and Motulsky with his book "Intuitive Biostatistics" have both carefully crafted a text that succeeds in this goal.

I did give the book four stars instead of five. This is because I think there are a few important topics in biostatistics that are not included or are covered too briefly. These include equivalence testing, group sequential methods, intention-to-treat analysis, methods for handling missing data and longitudinal data analysis.

The author deserves recognition for including important topics such as meta-analyses, non-parametric methods, logistic regression, sensitivity and specificity and survival analysis methods. These topics are often omitted from elementary courses but are all important in biostatistical applications.

This very recent book is already getting rave reviews from health professionals particularly in the US Navy where Dr. Riffenburgh is known. I recently met Dr. Riffenburgh at an ASA chapter meeting in San Diego and again at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Indianapolis this past August. The Foreword by Vice Admiral Richard Nelson sets the stage for the book and praises Dr. Riffenburgh.

I am a biostatistician working in the medical device industry. Last year I taught an introductory course to health science majors at Cal State Long Beach. Had Dr. Riffenburgh's book been out I may have used it. In the future if I teach the course again before my own book comes out I would use it.

Dr. Riffenburgh has a wealth of experience working on clinical trials and medical problems that require statistical analysis. He has a good fundamental understanding of statistical methods and a sense from his experience as to what topics are important to medical researchers. Although he was not formally trained as a statistician he understands statistical methods and the subtleties of the subject. He is sympathetic to the students who do not have strong math backgrounds and conveys the ideas clearly to them with the aid of several carefully selected data sets.

The book is very unique in that it is constructed to be two books in one. He wants to meet the needs of students who need to understand the basics of biostatistics so that they can appreciate, understand and evaluate the medical literature. Part I, consisting of chapters 1 through 9 is designed for them. The second need is for a reference text for physicians and other medical researchers who will need to use statistical methods in their work and publications. Chapters 10 through 21 are designed for them. As he states in his preface the text is aimed to be a 30/90 book. By this he means that it covers 30% of the statistical methods in common use but based on survey articles of methods used in medical journals it covers 90% of those techniques. He claims that 82% are covered in Part I and the remaining 8% in Part II.

Part I is an elementary text that is written in a tutorial fashion and introduces concepts through the data examples. It is well written and does a good job of explaining important ideas such as the difference between clinical and statistical significance, the interpretation of confidence intervals and the idea that the classical statistical approach to hypothesis testing is designed to reject the null hypothesis and not to "prove" it. Consequently he warns the readers not to conclude that the null hypothesis is accepted just because a particular test does not reject it.

Part I covers most important elementary topics. Part II repeats much of the material in Part I but presents it a little differently. In these chapters the material is presented in easy to use reference style using a lot more formulae. The level of the second half is a little higher and includes some more advanced topics (the other 8%). Topics covered in Part II but not Part I include sequential methods, meta-analysis, time series methods and survival analysis. Actually survival analysis is briefly discussed in Part I under epidemiological studies.

Another unique feature is the section of chapter summaries at the end of the book. This is sort of a Reader's Digest summary of the book that highlights the key results for those who want a reference source but may not have the patience to read through the material or those who after taking the course want a quick refresher. I have never seen this done before but I think it may have some value.

I believe that Dr. Riffenburgh has succeeded in his goals and I admire the fresh approach that he has taken. It is very difficult to avoid much of the basic mathematics without losing some of the important concepts and foundation to the subject.

Many authors that try, fail miserably. On the other hand authors that include too much mathematics scare off many of the students that the text is targeted for. Riffenburgh with this book and Motulsky with his book "Intuitive Biostatistics" have both carefully crafted a text that succeeds in this goal.

I did give the book four stars instead of five. This is because I think there are a few important topics in biostatistics that are not included or are covered too briefly. These include equivalence testing, group sequential methods, intention-to-treat analysis, methods for handling missing data and longitudinal data analysis.

The author deserves recognition for including important topics such as meta-analyses, non-parametric methods, logistic regression, sensitivity and specificity and survival analysis methods. These topics are often omitted from elementary courses but are all important in biostatistical applications.

Comprehensive, succinct with relevant examples that make the teaching points clear to even a non-biostatician like myself.
I have used this book in helping me to design clinical studies and it was extraordinarily useful! Thank you Dr Riffenburgh.