The Physical Illness & Disease category has 1,338 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 7,177 ratings. The most-rated is Why We Sleep.
Pale Rider
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. With a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people and a global reach, the Spanish flu of 1918–1920 was the greatest human disaster, not only of the 20th century, but possibly in all of recorded history. And yet, in our popular conception it exists largely as a footnote to World War I. In Pale Rider, Laura Spinney recounts the story of an overlooked pandemic, tracing it from Alaska to Brazil, from Persia to Spain and from South Africa to Odessa. She shows how the pandemic was shaped by the interaction of a virus and the humans it encountered, and how this devastating natural experiment put both the ingenuity and the vulnerability of humans to the test. Laura Spinney demonstrates that the Spanish flu was as significant – if not more so – as two world wars in shaping the modern world, in disrupting, and often permanently altering, global politics, race relations, family structures, and thinking across medicine, religion and the arts.
©2017 Laura Spinney (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The Moth in the Iron Lung
Summary
A fascinating account of the world’s most famous disease - polio - told as you have never heard it before. Epidemics of paralysis began to rage in the early 1900s, seemingly out of nowhere. Doctors, parents, and health officials were at a loss to explain why this formerly unheard-of disease began paralyzing so many children - usually starting in their legs, sometimes moving up through their abdomen and arms. For an unfortunate few, it could paralyze the muscles that allowed them to breathe. Why did this disease start to become such a horrible problem during the late 1800s? Why did it affect children more often than adults? Why was it originally called teething paralysis by mothers and their doctors? Why were animals so often paralyzed during the early epidemics when it was later discovered most animals could not become infected? The Moth in the Iron Lung is a fascinating biography of this horrible paralytic disease, where it came from, and why it disappeared in the 1950s. If you’ve never explored the polio story beyond the tales of crippled children and iron lungs, this book will be sure to surprise.
©2018 Forrest Maready (P)2018 Forrest Maready
Undoctored
Summary
In his New York Times best seller Wheat Belly, Dr. William Davis changed the lives of millions of people by teaching them to remove wheat from their diets to reverse years of chronic health damage. Now he goes beyond cutting wheat to help people take charge of their own overall health in Undoctored. Dr. Davis wants the world to understand that conventional medicine is no longer working in our favor. He exposes how millions of people are prescribed unnecessary medications, given dietary recommendations crafted by big business, and undergo unnecessary procedures recommended by health-care practitioners to feed revenue-hungry health-care systems. He then shows how listeners can create a comprehensive program to reduce, reverse, and cure common health issues through simple strategies, including harnessing the collective wisdom of new online technologies, so that they can break free of a health-care system that puts profits over health. Undoctored is the spark of a new, individually empowered health-care movement. The results of Dr. Davis's six-week program are superior to solutions provided by the conventional health-care system. Listeners will be equipped to manage their own health and sidestep the misguided motives of a profit-driven medical system. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 William Davis (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Crisis in the Red Zone
Summary
New York Times Best Seller An urgent wake-up call about the future of emerging viruses and a gripping account of the doctors and scientists fighting to protect us, told through the story of the deadly 2013-2014 Ebola epidemic “Crisis in the Red Zone reads like a thriller. That the story it tells is all true makes it all more terrifying.” (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction) From the number-one best-selling author of The Hot Zone, now a National Geographic original miniseries.... This time, Ebola started with a two-year-old child who likely had contact with a wild creature and whose entire family quickly fell ill and died. The ensuing global drama activated health professionals in North America, Europe, and Africa in a desperate race against time to contain the viral wildfire. By the end - as the virus mutated into its deadliest form, and spread farther and faster than ever before - 30,000 people would be infected, and the dead would be spread across eight countries on three continents. In this taut and suspenseful medical drama, Richard Preston deeply chronicles the pandemic, in which we saw for the first time the specter of Ebola jumping continents, crossing the Atlantic, and infecting people in America. Rich in characters and conflict - physical, emotional, and ethical - Crisis in the Red Zone is an immersion in one of the great public health calamities of our time. Preston writes of doctors and nurses in the field putting their own lives on the line, of government bureaucrats and NGO administrators moving, often fitfully, to try to contain the outbreak, and of pharmaceutical companies racing to develop drugs to combat the virus. He also explores the charged ethical dilemma over who should and did receive the rare doses of an experimental treatment when they became available at the peak of the disaster. Crisis in the Red Zone makes clear that the outbreak of 2013-2014 is a harbinger of further, more severe outbreaks, and of emerging viruses heretofore unimagined - in any country, on any continent. In our ever more interconnected world, with roads and towns cut deep into the jungles of equatorial Africa, viruses both familiar and undiscovered are being unleashed into more densely populated areas than ever before. The more we discover about the virosphere, the more we realize its deadly potential. Crisis in the Red Zone is an exquisitely timely book, a stark warning of viral outbreaks to come.
©2019 Richard Preston (P)2019 Random House Audio
The Brain That Changes Itself
Summary
An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, MD, traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed - people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these marvelous stories to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and education, Dr. Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.
©2007 Norman Doidge (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The Science of Natural Healing
Summary
Delve into the world of holistic healthcare, the range of nature-based methods and treatments that are both clinically proven and readily available to you - and that provide an alternative way for you to nurture your own optimal health, disarm stress, and deepen the experience of well-being. These 24 compelling and practical lectures offer a rich spectrum of choices and possibilities for your own healthcare, as well as practical tools for creating a truly healthful lifestyle. Whether you're looking for a sound alternative to the drugs so common in our health-care system or you're merely curious about the validity of herbal medications, this course points you to numerous empowering avenues for healthful living. You'll examine a number of far-ranging topics, including: The power of food healing Micronutrients and natural supplements Clinically proven herbal medicines Natural treatments for common medical conditions The mind-body connection in healing And, natural approaches to mental and spiritual health No matter what kind of life you're living, optimal health is one of the greatest assets you can have. In speaking deeply to a truly integrative approach to healing, these lectures can make a profound difference in your health now and in the future and help you live your life to the absolute fullest. Disclaimer: These lectures are not designed for use as medical references to diagnose, treat, or prevent medical illnesses or trauma. Neither The Great Courses nor Dr. Guarneri is responsible for your use of this educational material or its consequences. If you have questions about the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical condition or illness, consult a qualified physician. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses
The Angel and the Assassin
Summary
A thrilling story of scientific detective work and medical potential that illuminates the newly understood role of microglia - an elusive type of brain cell that is vitally relevant to our everyday lives. "The rarest of books: a combination of page-turning discovery and remarkably readable science journalism." (Mark Hyman, MD, number one New York Times best-selling author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?) Named one of the best books of the year by Wired Until recently, microglia were thought to be helpful but rather boring: housekeeper cells in the brain. But a recent groundbreaking discovery has revealed that they connect our physical and mental health in surprising ways. When triggered - and anything that stirs up the immune system in the body can activate microglia, including chronic stressors, trauma, and viral infections - they can contribute to memory problems, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s. Under the right circumstances, however, microglia can be coaxed back into being angelic healers, able to make brain repairs in ways that help alleviate symptoms and hold the promise to one day prevent disease. With the compassion born of her own experience, award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa illuminates this newly understood science, following practitioners and patients on the front lines of treatments that help to “reboot” microglia. In at least one case, she witnesses a stunning recovery - and in others, significant relief from pressing symptoms, offering new hope to the tens of millions who suffer from mental, cognitive, and physical health issues. Hailed as a “riveting”, “stunning”, and “visionary”, The Angel and the Assassin offers us a radically reconceived picture of human health and promises to change everything we thought we knew about how to heal ourselves.
©2020 Donna Jackson Nakazawa (P)2020 Random House Audio
Viruses, Plagues, and History
Summary
The story of viruses and humanity is a story of fear and ignorance, of grief and heartbreak, and of great bravery and sacrifice. Michael Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity, focusing mostly on the most famous viruses. Oldstone begins with smallpox, polio, and measles. Nearly 300 million people were killed by smallpox in this century alone and the author presents a vivid account of the long campaign to eradicate this lethal killer. Oldstone then describes the fascinating viruses that have captured headlines in more recent years: Ebola, Hantavirus, mad cow disease (a frightening illness made worse by government mishandling and secrecy), and, of course, AIDS. And he tells us of the many scientists watching and waiting even now for the next great plague, monitoring influenza strains to see whether the deadly variant from 1918 - a viral strain that killed over 20 million people in 1918-1919 - will make a comeback. For this revised edition, Oldstone includes discussions of new viruses like SARS, bird flu, virally caused cancers, chronic wasting disease, and West Nile. Viruses, Plagues, and History paints a sweeping portrait of humanity's long-standing conflict with our unseen viral enemies. Oldstone's book is a vivid history of a fascinating field, and a highly reliable dispatch from an eminent researcher on the front line of this ongoing campaign.
©2010 Michael B. A. Oldstone (P)2018 Tantor
Sleep
Summary
One third of our lives is spent trying to sleep. Most us have disturbed, restless nights and rely on a cocktail of caffeine and sugar to drag us through the day. Yet the hours we spend in bed shape our moods, motivation and decision-making skills - defining our performance in work, at home and while keeping fit. We need a new approach to sleep. In this groundbreaking audiobook, Nick Littlehales, elite sleep coach to some of the world's leading sports stars and teams, lays bare his strategies for us all to use. Discover how to map your own sleep cycle, what the optimum room temperature is, which bedding is best and why napping is actually good for you. Listen to Sleep, learn from the best in sport, and kick-start a more confident, successful and happier you.
©2016 Nick Littlehales (P)2016 Penguin Books Ltd.
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 4th Edition
Summary
The perennial favorite for parents who want to get their kids to sleep with ease - now in a completely revised and expanded fourth edition! In this fully updated fourth edition, Dr. Marc Weissbluth, one of the country's leading pediatricians, overhauls his groundbreaking approach to solving and preventing your children's sleep problems, from infancy through adolescence. In Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, he explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child's natural sleep cycles. Rewritten and reorganized to deliver information even more efficiently, this valuable sourcebook contains the latest research on: The best course of action for sleep problems: prevention and treatment Common mistakes parents make trying to get their children to sleep Different sleep needs for different temperaments Stopping the crybaby syndrome, nightmares, bed-wetting, and more Ways to get your baby to fall asleep according to her internal clock - naturally Handling nap-resistant kids and when to start sleep training Why both night sleep and day sleep are important Obstacles for working moms and children with sleep issues The father's role in comforting children How early sleep troubles can lead to later problems The benefits and drawbacks of allowing kids to sleep in the family bed Rest is vital to your child's health, growth, and development. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child outlines proven strategies that ensure good, healthy sleep for every age.
©1987, 1999, 2003, 2015 Marc Weissbluth, Trustee, Marc Weissbluth Revocable Trust (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
An Anthropologist on Mars
Summary
To these seven narratives of neurological disorder, Dr. Sacks brings the same humanity, poetic observation, and infectious sense of wonder that are apparent in his best sellers Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. These men, women, and one extraordinary child emerge as brilliantly adaptive personalities, whose conditions have not so much debilitated them as ushered them into another reality. PLEASE NOTE: Some changes have been made to the original manuscript with the permission of Oliver Sacks.
©1995 Oliver Sacks (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
Rabid
Summary
A maddened creature, frothing at the mouth, lunges at an innocent victim—and with a bite, transforms its prey into another raving monster. It’s a scenario that underlies our darkest tales of supernatural horror, but its power derives from a very real virus, a deadly scourge known to mankind from our earliest days. In this fascinating exploration, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart four thousand years in the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. The most fatal virus known to science, rabies kills nearly 100 percent of its victims once the infection takes root in the brain. A disease that spreads avidly from animals to humans, rabies has served as a symbol of savage madness and inhuman possession throughout history. Today, its history can help shed light on the wave of emerging diseases—from AIDS to SARS to avian flu—with origins in animal populations. From Greek myths to zombie flicks, from the laboratory heroics of Louis Pasteur to the contemporary search for a lifesaving treatment, Rabid is a fresh, fascinating, and often wildly entertaining look at one of mankind’s oldest and most fearsome foes. Bill Wasik is a senior editor at Wired magazine and was previously a senior editor at Harper’s, where he wrote on culture, media, and politics. He is the editor of the anthology Submersion Journalism and has also written for Oxford American, Slate, Salon, and McSweeney’s.
©2012 Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
The Great Cholesterol Myth
Summary
Heart disease is the #1 killer. However, traditional heart disease protocols - with their emphasis on lowering cholesterol - have it all wrong. Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease. Even doctors at leading institutions have been misled for years based on creative reporting of research results from pharmaceutical companies intent on supporting the $31-billion-a-year cholesterol-lowering drug industry. The Great Cholesterol Myth reveals the real culprits of heart disease, including: Inflammation Fibrinogen Triglycerides Homocysteine Belly fat Triglyceride to HCL ratios High glycemic level Bestselling health authors Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. give listeners a four-part strategy based on the latest studies and clinical findings for effectively preventing, managing, and reversing heart disease, focusing on diet, exercise, supplements, and stress and anger management. Get proven, evidence-based strategies from the experts with The Great Cholesterol Myth.
©2012 Jonny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. (P)2013 Tantor
Making Babies
Summary
Making Babies offers a proven three-month program designed to help any woman get pregnant. Fertility medicine today is all about aggressive surgical, chemical, and technological intervention, but Drs. David and Blakeway know a better way. Starting by identifying "fertility types", they cover everything from recognizing the causes of fertility problems to making lifestyle choices that enhance fertility to trying surprising strategies such as taking cough medicine, decreasing doses of fertility drugs, or getting acupuncture along with IVF. Making Babies is a must-have for every woman trying to conceive, whether naturally or through medical intervention. Drs. David and Blakeway are revolutionizing the fertility field one baby at a time. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2009 Sami S. David (P)2017 Hachette Audio
The Breakthrough
Summary
Follow along as this New York Times best-selling author details the astonishing scientific discovery of the code to unleashing the human immune system to fight in this "captivating and heartbreaking" book (The Wall Street Journal). For decades, scientists have puzzled over one of medicine's most confounding mysteries: Why doesn't our immune system recognize and fight cancer the way it does other diseases, like the common cold? As it turns out, the answer to that question can be traced to a series of tricks that cancer has developed to turn off normal immune responses - tricks that scientists have only recently discovered and learned to defeat. The result is what many are calling cancer's "penicillin moment", a revolutionary discovery in our understanding of cancer and how to beat it. In The Breakthrough, New York Times best-selling author of The Good Nurse Charles Graeber guides listeners through the revolutionary scientific research bringing immunotherapy out of the realm of the miraculous and into the forefront of 21st-century medical science. As advances in the fields of cancer research and the human immune system continue to fuel a therapeutic arms race among biotech and pharmaceutical research centers around the world, the next step - harnessing the wealth of new information to create modern and more effective patient therapies - is unfolding at an unprecedented pace, rapidly redefining our relationship with this all-too-human disease. Groundbreaking, riveting, and expertly told, The Breakthrough is the story of the game-changing scientific discoveries that unleash our natural ability to recognize and defeat cancer, as told through the experiences of the patients, physicians, and cancer immunotherapy researchers who are on the front lines. This is the incredible true story of the race to find a cure, a dispatch from the life-changing world of modern oncological science, and a brave new chapter in medical history. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Charles Graeber (P)2018 Hachette Audio
Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear
Summary
Barefoot enthusiasts say ditching your shoes is essential for optimal whole-body function. Doctors say minimalist shoes cause injury. Who's right? What if they both are? In Whole Body Barefoot, biomechanist Katy Bowman explains how both sides are right and wrong by broadening the perspective of over-simplified "shoes are good" or "shoes are bad" arguments. Using evolutionary-based and biomechanical arguments, Bowman demonstrates that shoes, in a modern context, have purpose, but that the trade-off for protection can be reduced whole-body health if we don't select the right shoes for our body and skill level. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2015 Katy Bowman (P)2015 Katy Bowman
Crooked: Man-Made Disease Explained
Summary
Why do babies have lopsided smiles? Why are so many people's eyes misaligned? What started as a simple search to understand this phenomenon turned into a two-year quest that uncovered hidden links between our crooked faces and some of the most puzzling diseases of our time. From autism to Alzheimer's and from chronic fatigue syndrome to Crohn's disease, Crooked methodically goes through the most recent scientific research and connects the dots from the outbreak of metallic medicine in 1800s England to the eruption of neurological and autoimmune disorders so many are suffering from today. If the theories put forth in this audiobook are true, the convergence of metals, microbes, and medicine that started 200 years ago may have set humanity on a path of suffering that could make the deadliest epidemics in history pale in comparison. Thankfully, for the millions who are afflicted, who may have found nothing to explain the cause of their suffering - these same theories could also illuminate the path to healing and recovery.
©2018 Forrest Maready (P)2018 Forrest Maready
The XX Brain
Summary
"In The XX Brain, Lisa meticulously guides us in the ways we can both nourish and protect ourselves, body and mind, to ensure our brains remain resilient throughout our lives." (from the foreword by Maria Shriver) The first audiobook to address cognitive enhancement and Alzheimer's prevention specifically in women - and to frame brain health as an essential component of women's health. In this revolutionary audiobook, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, director of the Women's Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medical College, provides women with the first plan to address the unique risks of the female brain. Until now, medical research has focused on "bikini medicine", assuming that women are essentially men with breasts and tubes. Yet women are far more likely than men to suffer from anxiety, depression, migraines, brain injuries, and strokes. They are also twice as likely to end their lives suffering from Alzheimer's disease, even when their longer lifespans are taken into account. But in the past, the female brain has received astonishingly little attention and was rarely studied by medical researchers - resulting in a wealth of misinformation about women's health. The XX Brain confronts this crisis by revealing how the two powerful X chromosomes that distinguish women from men impact the brain first and foremost and by focusing on a key brain-protective hormone: estrogen. Taking on all aspects of women's health, including brain fog, memory lapses, depression, stress, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, and the increased risk of dementia, Dr. Mosconi introduces cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches to protecting the female brain, including a specific diet proven to work for women, strategies to reduce stress, and useful tips for restorative sleep. She also examines the controversy about soy and hormonal replacement therapy, takes on the perils of environmental toxins, and examines the role of our microbiome. Perhaps best of all, she makes clear that it is never too late to take care of yourself. The XX Brain is a rallying cry for women to have full access to information regarding what is going on in their brains and bodies as well as a road map for the path to optimal, lifelong brain health. This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains resources, a diet plan, and recipes. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Lisa Mosconi, Maria Shriver (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Eat for Life
Summary
Add years to your life and life to your years with number one New York Times best-selling author Dr. Joel Fuhrman's no-nonsense, results-driven nutrition plan that will help you look and feel your best inside and out. Eat for Life is the first book to showcase Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Diet in full - the most practical, balanced, and focused way to eat, lose weight, and live longer. Emphasizing high-nutrient, whole plant foods that supply abundant amounts of micronutrients, it can broken down into a simple equation: H = N/C. Or, Health = Nutrient intake per Calorie consumed. Most Americans are deficient in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and consume too many macronutrients (calories). Natural, colorful plant foods contain the largest assortment of micronutrients, including anti-cancer phytochemicals. When consumed in large quantities every day, these plant foods are proven to decrease cravings, reverse the symptoms of nearly every disease, and maintain ideal weight. The Nutrarian Diet helps you shed more pounds, reach lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, reverse diabetes better, and reduce hunger and cravings more than any other program available. Combining Dr. Fuhrman’s wise food and lifestyle advice with his famously straightforward, practical recipes, Eat for Life is a daily guide to eating well, a healthy cookbook and meal plan, and a blunt kick-in-the-butt to help you take control of your health destiny. All people - sick or healthy, overweight or slim, young or old - can benefit from this plan. Eat for Life will help our bodies to thrive and experience a modern miracle: a long, disease-free life without heart disease, strokes, dementia, or even cancer. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Joel Fuhrman (P)2020 HarperAudio
Consciousness and the Brain
Summary
How does the brain generate a conscious thought? And why does so much of our knowledge remain unconscious? Thanks to clever psychological and brain-imaging experiments, scientists are closer to cracking this mystery than ever before. In this lively book, Stanislas Dehaene describes the pioneering work his lab and the labs of other cognitive neuroscientists worldwide have accomplished in defining, testing, and explaining the brain events behind a conscious state. We can now pin down the neurons that fire when a person reports becoming aware of a piece of information and understand the crucial role unconscious computations play in how we make decisions. The emerging theory enables a test of consciousness in animals, babies, and those with severe brain injuries.A joyous exploration of the mind and its thrilling complexities, Consciousness and the Brain will excite anyone who is interested in cutting-edge science and technology and the vast philosophical, personal, and ethical implications of finally quantifying consciousness.
©2014 Stanislas Dehaene (P)2014 Tantor