Injuries Books

Sometimes a book is born from a creative need, from a story caught in a head, a fantasy world that needs to be released. Sometimes a book comes from facts to be taught or a point to be made. And sometimes, every once in a while, a book is born from bravery. These are books that exemplify the power of words, of the sharing of an experience to both release and capture. These are the books that hug our hearts, embrace our souls and make us human. Stranger in my Skin is such a book.

Stranger in my Skin weaves it way through the life of a young woman. Back and forth through time and place Alysa Philips shares the story of her battle for survival. As the child of a Mormon family with a strict, harsh father and yielding mother she grew up in an environment she describes in terms that seem both commonplace and extreme. Her father counts the food his family eats and the gas they use with no exceptions. Her mother accepts this and adds her own brand of rigidity. It is from this background that she meets Joel, the man who will come to haunt her every minute for, what seems like now, forever. Joel is the son of a self identified doctor- a man who believes God has shared only with him the secrets to cure all disease. He uses his sons to help sell this idea of lymphnogenesis (not the real name) . His fervor forms the cult that entraps Alysa into a life of starvation, violence and rigidity.

Joel convinces her that she is ugly, unacceptable and unwanted. He and his cult family control every move of Alysa Her mother refuses to speak to her, "Instead, she emailed me or copied inspirational thoughts and scriptures onto pink cards, decorated them with stickers and left them in my shoes, under my pillow, or in my backpack. Her small notes added pounds to my backpack after I found them, but I never had the courage to throw them away." Alysa is alone to cope with the overwhelming stress of trying to measure up to the impossible as judged by the immovable. Her mother, doctors and teachers all ignore the obvious resluts of this strain, the bruises and cuts. With more strength than she ever gives herself credit for in this memoir, Alysa is able to leave Joel. Even though he continues to contact her and tries to see her, she is able to stay away. She begins a series of moves as she looks for a place that will be the answer to her search for relief, small town Arizona to Alaska and back. But the pain follows at every step in her journey; it can not be left behind.

This pain and fear in her life oozes out in the blood of her body as she self-injures. She explains she has "cut, burned, gouged and otherwise mutilated more than two hundred times." This is a powerful look at the world that engulfs her in confusion and panic. As she attempts to find out how to cope in a world seems to ignore her drowning, self mutilation becomes her tool for survival. In graphic descriptions Alysa Phillips has the courage to share her struggle though the fog and terror.

The poignant chapter, Afterword, gives a glimpse into the present, the world that still engulfs Alysa today as she tries to organize the past. The realization that she lived in the same cult with the nomadic pair David and Elidah- who becomes the infamous pair that kidnapped and held Elizabeth Smart- is a hard fact for the reader . It is interesting that Alysa does not use any of the true names of the cult or cult members to avoid a potential legal issue, which is telling in itself. The world protects the abusers but at what price to their victims, both past and future.

This book is a triumphant gift that shares its questions and fears with us. It will find its way to those who will see themselves in its pages, those that will find solace through familiarity. Self-mutilation, self-injury is no longer a hidden secret, Alysa Phillips has brought it from darkness to the front and center of society's consciousness. And in the glaring daylight it can be faced.

Stranger In My Skin is the true-life memoir of author Alysa Phillips, whose adolescence in a conventional Utah town turned dark and oppressive due to her controlling father and her involvement with a threatening boyfriend and his cult-leader father. The physical, sexual, and emotional abuse she suffered in her childhood left long lasting scars that simple "geographic cures" of moving herself from one place to another could not heal. Post-traumatic stress syndrome from the horrors she experienced drove her to mutilate herself and attempt suicide. Her survivor's story of a long, slow struggle toward the semblance of a normal life is an emotionally overwhelming testimony that cannot be put down.

As a somewhat-former cutter, I've read all (that I know of) the available memoirs about cutting, and this one is probably the best. The author describes vividly the feelings that have led her to cut, and I found that her words mirrored my own feelings and experiences. In addition, Alysa is just generally a great writer, putting phrases together beautifully and elegantly. It's a pleasure to read well-written literary nonfiction, even if the topic is a difficult one.

I would recommend this book for people who've come from rigid backgrounds and struggle with cutting. You'll see yourself often in the book. As always, of course, make sure you're in a safe place when you read the book in case you find parts of it triggering. I would also recommend this book for those who want to understand the people they love or care about who struggle with cutting.

Although the author doesn't offer a perfect, neat and tidy ending (is that kind of ending even real, anyway?), she does offer solidarity and hope that we all can begin to make better choices that lead us away from the pain we've been unwittingly subjected to.

The cases format allows quick and segmental review of popular surgical and trauma presentations. High yield tips designed for Shelf and USMLE2 examinations are very useful.

Ok, Ok, so I'm going into psychiatry and don't like surgery and didn't do well in my rotation. This book got me ready for Surgery, Step 2 style, with as little pain as possible. Author has a way of explaining things that makes sense and all the high-yield stuff seems to be covered (at least, all of the surgery stuff that was on my exam). Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed using this series to review for step 2. It kept me focused on the "big picture" and forced me to realize which subjects I did and didn't know, allowing to focus my limited study time on areas I was weak in. Well-written cases with great explanations. Definitely a 5-star review source.

This book is skimpy on legal analysis. It discusses seven cases in the eight pages devoted to legal analysis. There is no attempt to write an exposition of tort theories that have been applied, merely a brief of the cases. I exected more legal analysis than the book provides. The strength of the book is discussion of experts.

As a seasoned Southern Callifornia litigator I found Dr. King's work an immense help and time-saver. I used it as a continual reference through four hard-fought major toxic mold cases, and even provided copies to my clients. While it's not meant to be a citable tertiary reference, it provides clarity to a complex area of the tort law and is very useful in discovery and mock trial preparation. Its medical information is invaluable, since that is where the key discovery and evidentiary battles are fought. It's written from the defense point of view and therefor useful to the plaintiff bar as well. Well done!

I am not a lawyer, but I am a concerned homeowner and mother that recently had a mold claim filed. Although Dr. King's book is written for lawyers, I found the information in it to be invaluable in understanding some of the health effects of mold as well as some of the difficulties that my lawyer was having in trying to get our claim resolved. I showed a copy of the book to our attorney, and he bought it right away. He told me that the information in the book really helped him settle our claim favorably. Thanks, Dr. King!

Have read last two editions they keep getting better but unlike other texts that get morte in depth with each edition, this book is pretty superficial which is great for a resident but wears thin as an attending.

I am not a trauma specialist, but reading many chapters of this book has helped me understand a lot of the principles of this complex aspect of medicine.

The book is very up-to-date and I have never heard a trauma car-giver make bad comments about it. All 3 trauma attendings I have worked with have recommended this book.

For a surgery resident that does trauma rotation, I think this might be too much. Pubmed instead would be more value-for-time, but if you want to study further this is a great book.

This textbook should be the standard for any surgeon taking care of trauma patients. Some of the graphics are poorly reproduced and dated, but the information is current and well presented.

As a Physical Therapist and head of a rural health consortium's wound management team, I found this to be an invaluable tool for assesment, planning, monitoring and reimbursement. I feel this is the best clinical resource currently available for PTs.

This is a great reference for pressure ulcers, surgical wounds, vascular ulcers, and management of neuropathies. I found the title misleading because I expected it to cover all types of wounds including treatment of fresh lacerations and puncture wounds from accidents. If your looking for information on these last two subjects, this is not the book to use. However, if you care for people with pressure ulcer risk or wounds, diabetic risks, surgical incisions, or venous or arterial ulcers in long term care, rehab, home health, or are a wound care specialist, this reference is the definitive resource. As an RN who works in a multidisciplinary environment with PTs, I found the information on the PT role in wound management collaboration very informative. It actually has a section on managing wound healing with physical therapy technologies such as diathermy, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to name a few. If you prefer to buy hard cover books for your reference library, don't let the "paperback" disuade you. This book is really a hardback similar in type to school textbooks.

if you're looking for wound care decision pathways, protocols, documentation guidelines and how-to instructions on basic dressing change type wound care - then this is the book for you. the book's shortcomings are an almost complete lack of specificity on therapeutic interventions such as debridement techniques designed to activate certain tissue processes, and a wordy superficiality in most of the text. not a text for physicians or experienced clinicians looking for sophisticated interventions. a good comprehensive guide for beginners

The most amazing thing is the human spirit and it's power. In "You've Gotta Fight Back!," Dirk Eldredge gives testimony to the ability of people who are faced with a variety of health and life challenges to beat the odds and overcome or manage their conditions. With detail and compassion, he tells the stories of a number of people who had the courage and insight to study, research, and work hard, and make the most of the life challenge they were facing. He also lauds supportive spouses, caretakers, family members, and friends for the role they play in helping these challenged people. For a person who has been diagnosed with a serious illness, this book can give hope and encouragement.

They are some of the most disheartening and utterly devastating words in the world: You've got ... Life will never be the same again. Suddenly, the day to day issues that used to cloud your mind seem petty. Everything becomes about the pain, disease, the condition, or the disability.

When dealing with a serious illness, injury, or disability it's really difficult to stay positive. Often just the thought of fighting back and living each day to the fullest seems much too overwhelming. Still, that's exactly what we must do.

You've Gotta Fight Back! is filled with inspiration and heartwarming stories about people who pushed the limits. Some took it as a challenge when the doctors gave them months to leave, extending their lives for decades through pure will. Others took control of their health issues, asked questions, and made choices that worked for their situation. All of these stories are genuine, showing that we all have good and bad days but the most important thing is to never give up.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/07)

When confronted with truly life-changing circumstances, such as serious illness, injury or disability, most people find the situation extremely overwhelming and horrifying. Most of us think that something of the kind will never happen to us or our nearest and dearest, and when it does we do not know where to turn to and how to react.

Mr. Eldredge's "You've Gotta Fight Back!" is an inspiring and very much no-nonsense book about fighting back when confronted with such adversity in life. Through more than a dozen touching and encouraging true life stories of people afflicted by different diseases, conditions or accidents we learn about their way of dealing with their conditions. We learn about different approaches to life-changing events and how different people learned to accept the changes and/or learned how to fight back. One of the simple, yet very profound insights in fighting back and being happy again is the so-called triumvirate of happiness: someone to love, something to do and something to look forward to. Even if we are not in a perilous situation at the moment, we would do well to remember those three simple rules.

Some of the most valuable advice I found in this book dealt with coping with the situation and how to make the best out of it. While the book is never mindlessly cheerful and it never promises any miracles, it clearly illustrates how it is possible to find happiness and fulfillment even under such extremely adverse conditions. It underlines the importance of working together with the doctors and other medical professionals; of having a positive outlook and attitude, of finding ways and means to still live life to the fullest, of finding humor even in the worst situations and more. Another segment of the book that I found very valuable was all the parts dealing with the role of caregivers, who are oftentimes forgotten or at least overlooked in the struggle.

My favorite part of the book is the author's affirmations which I've copied on a card to carry with me. I do not know anybody who could not benefit from this: "I'm going to be a happy person. I will think happy, positive, enthusiastic thoughts and push out anxiety, fear, hatred, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. I'm going to enjoy life. I will try to make somebody else happy each day. I'm going to love my family and friends and know that they love me. I'm going to be a very confident person. I have a lot of successful experience, so I have every reason to be confident of myself and my ideas. I'm going to remember always that happiness is a state of mind, not a set of circumstances. I make my own happiness in my own mind and my own unhappiness in my own mind. I choose to be a happy person."

"You've Gotta Fight Back!" is an extremely valuable book for anybody needing encouragement and guidance while in a difficult situation. Written in a fluid, easy-to-read style, it should find a permanent home on your bookshelf - to help you, your family or your friends if help should be needed.

This text was essential in helping me teach our student athletic trainers. It was very well written and should be a model text for every sports medicine/athletic training program. The authors did an uot standing job. By far, the best athletic training text I have ever used.

This text provides a good review of sports medicine and rehabilitation of common injuries for the medical professional. Very readable--a good start for those interested in musculoskeletal medicine and athletics. The chapters are well organized and well-referenced. I think this is one of the better sports medicine books available.

The basic essentials series are terrific little books. Long enough to provide everything you need to know about a topic such as wilderness weather, outdoor cooking, or backpacking, yet short enough to keep you from reading too much extra and unneccesary stuff. Camping can be dangerous even for the most experianced, things happen. You need to be prepared and this book will help you, in addition I reccommend a Red Cross Basic First Aid class. Covers all the basics starting from first aid to helping the victim of a serious accident stay alive and comfortable util the professional rescuers arive. Covers wounds, abdominal pains, bites and stings, CPR, heat or cold exposure , wrap sprains, fractures and dislocated joints. as well as lists of essential items for an outdoor first aid kit.

The book helps you build the proper first aid kit depending on your type of need with its suggested lists of items. An effecient 68 pages in length with very helpful illustrations, is softcover and a good small size for packing. This is a good book to keep at home too, and keep a copy in your car trunk as well. You might also consider adding another book from the Basic Essentials Series, Wilderness Survival. I highly reccommend this and others in the series.

Not bad! However, I would have preferred a little more depth being in the medical profession. It is a good book for the novice. Bone and joint injuries was done very well as was the physical examination section. It is a nice book for campers and naturalists.

My step-son loves the Berenstain Bears. My husband and I love the message of each book. Each topic relates to real life, we absolutely think they're a necessity!

The Excuse Note touches on the subject of forged notes - something nearly every student has probably tried from time to time. Following a minor injury, Sister enjoys not having to participate in P.E. and writes a note saying she needs to stay inactive until... well... until she feels like participating again! It's a cute story, but if you think you've heard this before from the Berenstain Bears, you're right. Excuse Note was originally published as part of the Cub Club Book Club, a special limited edition series of Berenstain Bears books published in 1992-1993. This is the second book of the series to be re-issued - "The Berenstain Bears Catch the Bus," published last year, which was originally also a part of the Cub Club entitled, "The Berenstain Bears On Time.") Perhaps there is a trend here, and many of those stories will reprinted, especially consdering Stan and Jan are in (and have been for a few years) the process of transferring storytelling and ilustrating duties to their sons, Michael and Leo, who have actually been writing many of the recent books though still (wisely) published under the name of Stan and Jan. Which raises the question: will the series ever end? It could be said that the series is running out of original ideas - there are over 300 books to the Bear Family's credit now (40 years!), and, as we see by this title, we are beginning to see duplicates. But there are, of course, topics which the Bear Family has yet to tackle. The Chapter Books have tackled everything from first dates to smoking, but I think the First Time Series would welcome titles touching on topics like flying for the first time or visiting firefighters and/or police officers.

This book offers a wealth of information on a whole range of diving related medical subjects and provided the information at a level that even non medically trained readers could follow clearly and concisely. This reference offered me a great starting point to begin to understand many of the medical considerations facing divers and their doctors.

This book appeals to me for a few reasons.....

It is a concise no nonsense approach to diving medicine for everyone from diving novices to hyperbaric physicians (I have seen both groups use this book). I think it is a must for all doctors who treat or do medicals for divers. The main problem with this book is that it comes in paper back and my personal copy is now deteriorating from overuse. Its that kind of book that you just keep going back to.

For the price and breadth of knowledge (including venomous fish/shark attacks the facts as well as decompression illness and medical conditions that preclude diving) there is no book than can come close.