Before You Call the Doctor is the thorough and medically responsible self-case guide everyone needs. Written in clear, easy-to-understand language, it covers the essentials of home care for hundreds of ailments, from serious illnesses such as heart failure and emphysema to everyday maladies such as colds and constipation. Each entry explains the disorder, lists effective at-home treatments, identifies when you should see your doctor, and highlights those signs and symptoms that warrant immediate professional treatment. Before You Call the Doctor also covers: – First-Aid for common medical emergencies – The seven keys to optimal health – a lifelong system to cut medical costs – Men’s and women’s health issues – How to stock your medicine cabinet, maintain a family health record – and much more. Doctors are – and always have been – the treatment alternative of last retort, after Band-Aids, aspirin, and home remedies like Mom’s chicken soup. If you want to be an informed participant in your own medical well-being instead of a passive consumer you owe it to yourself to read Before You Call the Doctor, the book that belongs in the home library of anyone who’s ever taken a temperature – or an aspirin.