Injuries Books

This is a well written and organized basic reference of herbal knowledge applied to emergency injuries, infectious diseases, and a variety of bodily ills and conditions. Written by a naturopathic physician who founded a leading manufacturer of organic herbal remedies (Western Botanicals, Inc.), this is a no frills source book. The section on creating your own custom-made preventive formulas is especially valuable, including recipes for female balancing, sinusitis snuff, nerve repair, and lung strengthener. You will also appreciate information about how to grown your own medicines and how to boost nutrition with herbs. A chapter called "The common cold is the cure" introduces intriguing concepts as well as an amazing "cold sheet treatment'. Finally, Dr. Christensen's "Rules for Getting Well from ANYTHING" says it all.

This superb book puts a human face on those living and working at or near the economic bottom of our society. It describes in detail the emotional and personal ramifications of working in jobs that are looked down upon and stereotyped, as well as how family relationships are complicated by a parent's subordinate position and their desire and sacrifices for a child's success. It is easy-to-read and carries a profound message.

Common homeopathic first aid and emergency treatments are the focus of Homeopathic Medicine Chest; not the usual maintenance care offered in competing books. Ambika Wauters tells how to diagnose symptoms, use homeopathy during a crisis, and how to evaluate the body's response to homeopathic remedies.

As the title suggests, this book was written for people who have interest in homeopathy and athletics and dance, but its value stretches beyond helping the athletically-inclined to perform better and more safely. This is the first homeopathy book I have read that constrains homeopathy to a specialized area: as such, it has deepened my understanding of homeopathy in general because it applies homeopathy to another area that I know something about, athletics, and that almost functions as another rubric through which I have been able to learn about all phases of diagnosis and treatment. It will be useful to the coach, sports medicine professional, athlete or significant other to an athlete.

It is obvious that Thomas knows athletes due to his use of varied examples throughout. According to the book's bio, he was a Physical Education Officer for the Royal Air Force, where he rehabilitated injured athletes. He captained the RAF at rugby and has led numerous expeditions to hike major mountain ranges. He began using remedies in 1976 and subsequently trained as a homeopath. He now practices in North Wales.

One of the illuminating things about this book is that it broadens the homeopathic concept of "correcting an imbalance" in a person. For years, I have used homeopathy to neutralize illnesses. Here, the definition of an "out of balance" person includes healthy people who get injured or who want to remain in balance when they are pursuing challenging athletic activities.

This book is complete in itself. You can use it even if you have no experience with homeopathy. Thomas uses a methodical approach to introducing homeopathy, which I include here in some detail since so little information is available on amazon.com.

The book is organized into 3 main sections:

*Homeopathy, A Basic Outline

Ch 1, Towards a Speedy Recovery: overall homeopathy primer, with sports examples. Includes comments about using homeopathy in conjunction with other treatments.
Ch 2, Homeopathy in Practice: background on the athletic patient, including physical and mental symptoms. Also references for older athletes. Choosing remedies and learning to use remedies in a methodical and practical way.
Ch 3, Principles of Homeopathic Treatment: more on homeopathy, dosages, provings, treating the specific injury or the whole person.
Ch 4, Homeopathic Symptomology: this chapter is excellent for overall learning. Thomas gives the best process for diagnosis that I've yet come across. It's very methodical and applicable to homeopathy in general. He illustrates the importance of the description of the pain, which shows you how to use the Materia Medica much better. You'll learn to differentiate between a tearing pain and a throbbing pain and how that can help you to choose the right remedy. A doable list of questions to ask.
Ch 5, Managing Homeopathic Treatment: more on remedies, prescriptions, dose frequency, changing symptoms. Excellent examples for dancers and athletes of several types and ages.

*Applying Homeopathy

Ch 6, Traumatic Injury and First Aid: you'll learn about administering remedies in different ways that are widely applicable. I was grateful for this chapter when I spained my ankle on Christmas evening (2nd/3rd degree) while playing in the snow. I followed his advice, and was on my feet three days later. My wife, who has seen numerous injuries professionally, was amazed at my recovery. Thanks to this book, I avoided spoiling the holiday (for us and medical people) by foregoing a trip to the emergency room. He includes any injury you can think of: fractures; muscle tears; older players; after old injuries; unconscious players (he was a rugby player, after all ;-). The "After Old Injuries" part is especially fascinating. He explains and gives examples of athletes who injured themselves years before and how these injuries don't really heal, how they manifest themselves later on and how to treat them.

Ch 7; Overuse Injuries and Conditions: how to manage athletic performance; anxiety and fatigue; the effects of long-term activity; managing performance through high-stress events like tournaments; pain as a signal; warning signs and (of course) remedies for over-exertion.

Ch 8, Local Treatment for Specific Injuries: the foot; the ankle; the leg; the knee; thigh, hip and groin injuries; genital injuries; shoulder injuries; arm, elbow, wrist and hand; back and neck; the cervical spine; head injuries. Again, Thomas, while focusing on specific injuries, gives examples of how to treat the whole person. For example, a leg injury, even though it is the immediate complaint, may be secondary to a wider imbalance in the athlete, so he gives you a broad perspective. However, this chapter is extremely useful and specific.

Ch 9, Treating Common Conditions: a wide range, these "conditions" affect athletes' performance. A selected list: alcohol (hangovers); altitude; anxiety; asthma; athlete's foot; blisters; burns; common cold; confidence (lack of); cramps; diarrhea (food poisoning); flying; hangover; hay fever; headache; ingrown toenail; nerves (pre-preformance); tinea cruris/pedis (jock itch); warts; wounds.

Ch 10, Descriptions of Remedies (Materia Medica): this is notable because the descriptions are all focused on athletics, which enables someone experienced with homeopathy to learn the remedies more completely.

*Advanced Uses of Homeopathy

Ch 11, Susceptibility to Injury: this is illuminating and enlightening. A select list: predisposition to injury covers how a person's constitution predisposes him/her to certain types of injuries; psychological factors; treating the potential for injury; results of injury; treating the whole person.

Ch 12, Enhanced Performance: using remedies to avoid injuries. By definition, athletics and training are about pushing oneself to higher limits. Another way to look at it is trying to find different levels in which one can be in balance. However, training always has the potential to get one off balance. This chapter recognizes the inherent tension in athletics and teaches the reader to use remedies to help maintain balance while challenging oneself. This was illuminating to me in seeing homeopathy in a wider context than treating "illness." Think of it as "proactive homeopathy."

Ch 13, Other Complementary Therapies and Techniques: how to use homeopathy in conjunction with other techniques. A select list: acupuncture/acupressure; osteopathy; chiropractice; Qi Gong; reflexology; Alexander Technique; hypnotherapy.

Appendices: homeopathic suppliers and organizations; homeopathic first aid kit; further reading. There are also remedy and general indices.

In sum, Thomas offers a practical approach to using homeopathy to enhance the well-being of patients, loved ones or yourself. There are too many useful pointers to mention, but here are some highlights:

*Using Arnica in contact sports by putting one tablet in a water bottle. Also useful when the athlete is returning after injury.
*Special focus on dance.
*Several examples of different types and genders of athletes: top performance, middle age, recreational.
*Thomas describes three phases of treatment, with remedies for each phase.
*In-depth diagnostic case shows how to use the Materia Medica's sections methodically to find the right remedy.
*Addresses the emotional and physical aspects of athletic performance and injuries in a practical way. Offers a rich description of what injury means to an athlete, from emotional and physical perspectives.
*Offers homeopathic treatment advice for specific injuries while addressing the whole person.

This book really describes all boots and bandages very thoroughly! I just bought a new horse who was used with boots all his life and I've never used them before! This book was an awesome into for me! Good for any rider in any field of equines!

The contributors to this book have a lot of practical experience in acturally treating the problems they report. The list of contributors reads like a "who's who" of sports medicine. The suggestions for rehabilitation as well as the description of surgical interventions really gives a well rounded approach. I like this book along with the companion field guride. Topics in the book cover the whole spectrum of nutrition, women athletic conditions, evaluation, physical therapy, surgical interventions, returning to competition after injury, peripheral injuries as well as prevention and treatment of spinal injuries. A really good book for physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists and others interested in knowing more about sports related injury and treatment.

This is an excellent resource for any Accident Investigator. There is alot of useful information pertaining to human behavior before, during, and after an accident

This is an awesome, expansive discussion specifically on the subject of tendons. In fact, it is the only book specifically on tendon that i have been able to find. Trying to locate specifics on tendon anatomy, physiology, pathology, and histology is very frustrating but this book collects it all into one place with excellent discussion, photos, and drawings. This is the kind of subject-specific anatomy and physiology book i think we need more of.

Human Walking is not a book intended to fuel architects' imaginations, but all the kinds of designers will profit with the clear, enlightening explanation given by those excellent authors, about that extraordinaire natural - and civilized, as it is explained - feat. When an architect designs a sidewalk (and you will be surprised by the inadequacy of the most common or official standards of that conspicuous class of objects), she / he does not have a hint about that dynamic phenomena named "human walking". We architects really use a static model of sidewalk use and experience - and people's needs -, and do not consider the huge variety of gaits, paces, strides, treads (the English language has dozens of denominations for this varied action) that people do perform graciously (awkwardly, lively, peacefully) as the most human of the humane movements. We walk all our lives long, walking is the destiny of human beings, as I have delightfully learned. I commend that book to designers, in order to know more deeply and soundly about a very important feature of urban life and form.

Dr. Richard Neubauer has created a must-read for all parents, family members and other caregivers of children with cerebral palsy or other brain injury. He has taken a complex medical subject and explained it such that people without specific medical training can understand. This book is equally suited to readers interested in learning more about either cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury, with both topics handled well and without confusion. Cerebral palsy is a multi-factorial term for hypoxic brain injury in the peri-birth time period. i.e. in-utero or during the birth process, something causes the interruption of the normal blood supply and oxygen to the brain of the baby. The other type of brain injury in the young child is traumatic - e.g. near drowning, suffocation or motor vehicle/bicycle accident.

"Hyperbaric Oxygenation for Cerebral Palsy and the Brain-Injured Child" excels in meeting one of the most urgent needs of a parent with a recently injured child - the need for factual credible medical information. Dr. Neubauer includes a clear discussion of the underlying physiology of the brain and how it works, followed by the mechanics of cerebral plasy and brain injury that provides a solid foundation for later discussions related to treatment. He then introduces a new and sophisticated diagnostic technique called Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT). SPECT scanning is of particular interest with regard to brain-injured children because it represents an opportunity to objectively access brain function in patients with cerebral palsy or brain injury - a capability that adds significant science to what might otherwise be simply anecdotal observations of patient improvement.

It is with this background that Dr. Neubauer provides readers with the foundation to understand the principle thesis of his book - that intermittent, high-dose oxygen administered as a drug directly addresses the pathophysiology of brain injury, leading to sometimes rearkable improvements in brain function and quality of life. He explains the medical basis for Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy (HBOT), along with a thorough discussion of why HBO can, and does in his opinion, fundamentally improve brain function in children with cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury. Dr. Neubauer concludes with a pragmatic discussion of costs, insurance, acceptance by the medical community at large, and how to find a HBOT center that is skilled in the treatment of children with cerebral palsy or brain injury.

While this book is not intended as an academic discourse on the subject of cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury, Dr Neubauer provides a realistic perspective that not every patient will respond to HBOT. He notes that each child is different and only 70-80% can be expected to respond favorably. This is why SPECT scan is stressed as an objective technique for the parents to realize whether there is any hope for their child. For example, if the SPECT scan does not improve after six months of treatment, the child is not likely to respond.

Lastly, the book also includes several examples of clinical success with various children, with perhaps the most compelling being Rebecca Nemeth written by her father. Mr. Nemeth shares his experience of fear and frustration, along with the hope and joy realized through the improved quality of life his daughter has experienced following HBOT.

"Hyperbaric Oxygenation for Cerebral Palsy and the Brain-Injured Child" promises to remain the defining book for parents for many years to come.

This review was written by Frederick S. Cramer, M.D.,President, XIV International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine.