Take Care of Yourself: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Self-Care

by James F. Fries, Donald M. Vickery

A revised edition of the classic self-care guide, with new research on aging. "Every family should have this book"(Annals of Internal Medicine).




Continuing to break new ground after forty years in print, Take Care of Yourself is the go-to guide for at home self-care. Simple to use, even in a crisis, the easy-to-navigate flowcharts help you quickly look up your symptoms and find an explanation of likely causes and possible home remedies, as well as advice on when you should go see a doctor. This comprehensive guide covers emergencies, over 175 healthcare concerns, the twenty things you should keep in a home pharmacy, and how to work best with your doctor. This new edition explains the latest research on how to postpone aging and what you can do to prevent chronic illness and stay in your best shape as you age. With new information on the Zika virus, prescription pain relievers, and other pertinent updates throughout, Take Care of Yourself remains your path to the most comprehensive and dependable self-care.

Genres: Reference, Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Science, Medical, Survival

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1968

About the author

Jim is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in conceptualization of strategies to promote healthy aging, in behavioral approaches to decrease morbidity, in long-term outcome assessment, in self-management strategies, in design of efficacious and effective interventions, in evaluation of long-term behavioral interventions by randomized clinical trial, and in managing large scale patient data collection and analysis projects. He has published over 300 articles, 11 books, and numerous book chapters and invited papers. Heis a frequent keynote speaker, including two addresses on the Compression of Morbidity to the Nobel Committee, two keynote addresses to the Institute of Medicine, and the keynote to the Johns Hopkins University Community of Scholars on the 100th anniversity of the institution.

In 1980, he introcuded the Compression of Morbidity hypothesis, which has provided the conceptual foundation for health promotion and healthy aging programs. The Compression of Morbidity hypothesis holds that primary preventive factors have a greater effect upon morbidity than upon mortality and that chronic diseases with onset later in life will be present for a shorter length of time.

Dr. Fries established ARAMIS (Arthritis, Rheumatism and Aging Medical Information System) in 1975 and has continued as Principal Investigator through its current 33 NIH-sponsored years. ARAMIS pioneered the concept of the chronic disease databank. Currently, his NIH Roadmap PROMIS grant will provide measures for better assessment of long-term patient outcomes. Dr. Fries plays an important role in The Health Project, a private-public consortium of national leaders who seek consumer-oriented solutions to health care crises. Dr. Fries established Healthtrac, Inc. in 1984. Healthtrac has been the premier population health improvement program and the model for Medicare and WHO initiatives.

Modern self-management techniques directed at empowering patients toward appropriate decision-making in their own best interest were pioneered by Dr. Fries and co-author Donald Vickery in 1976 with the book Take Care of Yourself, with 240 printings and 20 million copies through the present 8th edition. Dr. Fries wrote Living Well, based upon Take Care of Yourself concepts and directed at senior populations, The Arthritis Helpbook (co-authored) and Arthritis: A Comprehensive Guide. He is recognized by ISI as one of the 250 most cited medical scientists in the world. He is a Research Hero of the Arthritis Foundation, and has been awarded the Clinical Research Award of the American College of Rheumatology. He is the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus of the Johns Hopkins University.

He lives with his wife of 52 years, Sarah, 3 horses, and a dog in Woodside, California. He has run the Boston Marathon and has climbed (6) or attempted to climb (1) the highest mountain on each continent

Reviews

[ALLEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supposing, one fine day, you cut your thumb on a can lid. Should you dress it yourself? Will you need stitches? And is tetanus a factor? Or suppose your child who never gets earaches gets an earache -- with fever. Do you question the child or head straight to the ER? Deciding whether and from where to seek medical help can be just as crucial as what happens once you're there. Probably we've all been confronted with, or at least thought about, the consequences of a $$$ trip to the ER when home remedy might work just as well -- or, what's worse, the consequences of doing nothing when urgent medical attention is key.

This book, now in its Tenth Edition, uses the "logic tree" approach to determining not just what bothers you or those in your care, but how urgent it is, how long it has been a problem, and then how to deal with it. Today, solutions aren't just the home medicine cabinet, scheduling a doctor visit or the Emergency Room, but include urgent centers, in-pharmacy clinics and telephone consultations with a nurse or physician assistant ("PA"). I urge this book for all American homes.

[Cecilia Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

exceptional very informative book . highly recommend it ! easy to read and understand.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't actually read this edition but realized my current copy was the 5th edition, 1993 and I seemed to have missed a decade of medical advice. I'm curious to see changes in suggested home treatments and over the counter meds.
My first edition was the 1st, a give away from my insurance company in 1976. I've updated a few times and each edition is worth it. I'm afraid this may be the last edition since I see that Dr. Vickery died the year before this was published. He was 64.

[pjr8888]

a "give=away" book to State Fund employees from the State Fund Wellness Program

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful, basic guide on what to due when you're sick or injured.

[Jacquelyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to use, keep at home,quick and tell you when you need to see a doctor or not.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with many of the health and medical books I own, I have reads parts of them according to information I needed at that time. I am marking them as "Read" and they are all 5 stars!

[Reeds]

Very practical.