Many people in developing countries lack access to health technologies, even basic ones. Why do these problems in access persist? What can be done to improve access to good health technologies, especially for poor people in poor countries?

This book answers those questions by developing a comprehensive analytical framework for access and examining six case studies to explain why some health technologies achieved more access than others. The technologies include praziquantel (for the treatment of schistosomiasis), hepatitis B vaccine, malaria rapid diagnostic tests, vaccine vial monitors for temperature exposure, the Norplant implant contraceptive, and female condoms.

Based on research studies commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to better understand the development, adoption, and uptake of health technologies in poor countries, the book concludes with specific lessons on strategies to improve access. These lessons will be of keen interest to students of health and development, public health professionals, and health technology developers—all who seek to improve access to health technologies in poor countries.

In a book sure to inspire controversy, Gene Heyman argues that conventional wisdom about addiction—that it is a disease, a compulsion beyond conscious control—is wrong.

Drawing on psychiatric epidemiology, addicts’ autobiographies, treatment studies, and advances in behavioral economics, Heyman makes a powerful case that addiction is voluntary. He shows that drug use, like all choices, is influenced by preferences and goals. But just as there are successful dieters, there are successful ex-addicts. In fact, addiction is the psychiatric disorder with the highest rate of recovery. But what ends an addiction?

At the heart of Heyman’s analysis is a startling view of choice and motivation that applies to all choices, not just the choice to use drugs. The conditions that promote quitting a drug addiction include new information, cultural values, and, of course, the costs and benefits of further drug use. Most of us avoid becoming drug dependent, not because we are especially rational, but because we loathe the idea of being an addict.

Heyman’s analysis of well-established but frequently ignored research leads to unexpected insights into how we make choices—from obesity to McMansionization—all rooted in our deep-seated tendency to consume too much of whatever we like best. As wealth increases and technology advances, the dilemma posed by addictive drugs spreads to new products. However, this remarkable and radical book points to a solution. If drug addicts typically beat addiction, then non-addicts can learn to control their natural tendency to take too much.

“If you want to understand how the latest advances in genomics and AI can completely transform your health, and to translate this promise into practical tools that you can apply today, read this book!”—Mark Hyman, author of Young Forever

Taking us to the cutting edge of the new frontier of medicine, a visionary biotechnologist and a pathbreaking researcher show how we can optimize our health in ways that were previously unimaginable.

We are on the cusp of a major transformation in healthcare—yet few people know it. At top hospitals and a few innovative health-tech startups, scientists are working closely with patients to dramatically extend their “healthspan”—the number of healthy years before disease sets in. In The Age of Scientific Wellness, two visionary leaders of this revolution in health take us on a thrilling journey to this new frontier of medicine.

Today, most doctors wait for clinical symptoms to appear before they act, and the ten most commonly prescribed medications confer little or no benefit to most people taking them. Leroy Hood and Nathan Price argue that we must move beyond this reactive, hit-or-miss approach to usher in real precision health—a form of highly personalized care they call “scientific wellness.” Using information gleaned from our blood and genes and tapping into the data revolution made possible by AI, doctors can catch the onset of disease years before symptoms arise, revolutionizing prevention. Current applications have shown startling results: diabetes reversed, cancers eliminated, Alzheimer’s avoided, autoimmune conditions kept at bay.

This is not a future fantasy: it is already happening, but only for a few patients and at high cost. It’s time to make this gold standard of care more widely available. Inspiring in its possibilities, radical in its conclusions, The Age of Scientific Wellness shares actionable insights to help you chart a course to a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life.

A concise, easy-to-understand reference book, the revised and updated second edition of All about Your Eyes tells you what you need to know to care for your eyes and what to expect from your eye doctor. In this reliable guide, leading eye care experts:
* explain eye anatomy and how healthy eyes work
* describe various eye diseases, including pink eye, cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy
* provide up-to-date information on surgery
For each eye problem, the authors describe in simple, straightforward language:
* what it is
* the symptoms
* what, if anything, you can do to prevent it
* when to call the doctor
* diagnostic tests and treatment
* the likelihood of recovery
All about Your Eyes includes a glossary of technical terms and, following each entry, links to websites where further information may be found.

Contributors. Natalie A. Afshari, MD, Rosanna P. Bahadur, MD, Paramjit K. Bhullar, MD, Faith A. Birnbaum, MD, Cassandra C. Brooks, MD, Pratap Challa, MD, Melissa Mei-Hsia Chan, MBBS, Ravi Chandrashekhar, MD, MSEE, Nathan Cheung, OD, FAAO Claudia S. Cohen, MD, Vincent A. Deramo, MD, Cathy DiBernardo, RN, Laura B. Enyedi, MD, Sharon Fekrat, MD, Henry L. Feng, MD, Brenton D. Finklea, MD, Anna Ginter, MD, Tanya S. Glaser, MD, Michelle Sy Go, MD, MS, Mark Goerlitz-Jessen, MD, Herb Greenman, MD, Abhilash Guduru, MD, Preeya Gupta, MD, Renee Halberg, MSW, LCSW, S. Tammy Hsu, MD, Alessandro Iannaccone, MD, MS, FARVO, Charlene L. James, OD, Kim Jiramongkolchai, MD, Michael P. Kelly, FOPS, Muge R. Kesen, MD, Kirin Khan, MD, Wajiha Jurdi Kheir, MD, Jane S. Kim, MD, Jennifer Lira, MD, Katy C. Liu, MD, PhD, Ramiro S. Maldonado, MD, Ankur Mehra, MD, Priyatham S. Mettu, MD, Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD, MHS, Nisha Mukherjee, MD, Kenneth Neufeld, MD, Kristen Peterson, MD, James H. Powers, MD, S. Grace Prakalapakorn, MD, MPH, Michael Quist, MD, Leon Rafailov, MD, Roshni Ranjit-Reeves, MD, Nikolas Raufi, MD, William Raynor, BS, Cason Robbins, BS, Ananth Sastry, MD, Dianna L. Seldomridge, MD, MBA, Terry Semchyshyn, MD, Ann Shue, MD, Julia Song, MD, Brian Stagg, MD, Christopher Sun, MBBS, Anthony Therattil, BS, Daniel S.W. Ting, MBBS, Fay Jobe Tripp, MS, OTR/L, CLVT, CDRS, Obinna Umunakwe, MD, PhD, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, Susan M. Wakil, MD, C. Ellis Wisely, MD, MBA, Julie A. Woodward, MD

A book for our times: a moving meditation on the tension between loneliness and freedom, individualism and love.
 
At no time before have so many people lived alone, and never has loneliness been so widely or keenly felt. Why, in a society of individualists, is living alone perceived as a shameful failure? And can we ever be happy on our own? Drawing on personal experience, as well as philosophy and sociology, Daniel Schreiber explores the tension between the desire for solitude and freedom, and the desire for companionship, intimacy, and love. Along the way he illuminates the role that friendships play in our lives—can they be a response to the loss of meaning in a world in crisis? A profoundly enlightening book on how we want to live, Alone spent almost a year on Germany’s bestseller list.