Anyone who has ever received a medical diagnosis—or cared for a suffering loved one—knows that the one symptom common to all ailments is the abundance of questions. We turn to our doctors for answers, and we turn to the Internet, but sooner or later we find ourselves in need of something more comprehensive. We want the guidance of someone authoritative, someone who has been there before, someone who has the empathy to anticipate our questions and concerns and who will take the time to give thoughtful answers.

In short, we need an author.

At the American Fork library, you’ll find a good variety of books on common medical diagnoses and current issues in medicine. Come upstairs to the 610 section, “Medicine and Health,” and find recent, hard-hitting titles on any number of medical topics including anatomy and human physiology, diseases, pharmacology, surgery, diet, personal health, hygiene and safety, exercise, relaxation and sleep.

February, the month of love and valentines, is also a good time to ask: Are you heart healthy? Please join us on February 15 at 7:00 p.m. for “Heart Healthy,” a cooking class taught by the Utah State University Extension Service.

Then, while you’re here, check out these new titles, hot off the presses:

The Simple Heart Cure, by Chauncey Crandall. Heart disease kills more people than any other medical condition, and no one is more aware of this than top cardiologist Dr. Chauncey Crandall, who has performed over 40,000 heart procedures during his career. In this book, you’ll find a groundbreaking approach to preventing and reversing heart disease—an approach honed by his study of foreign cultures free of heart disease and decades of experience helping patients achieve a healthier heart at any age. Dr. Crandall is living proof of his program’s success. At the age of 48, and with no major risk factors, he found himself in the ER with a “widow-maker” blockage of his main coronary artery. His unique perspective as both doctor and patient helps him empathize with the difficulties in making a transition from years of bad habits to a heart-healthy way of life. Plus, Dr. Crandall believes in using every weapon in his medical arsenal—conventional medicine, emerging treatments, lifestyle changes, even alternative therapies—to help his patients recover.

The 30-Day Heart Tune-Up, by Steven Masley, takes readers step by step through a revolutionary program to tune up their hearts, energy, and waistlines, with 60 delicious recipes to help jump-start a heart-healthy diet. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans today. But the good news is that everyone—regardless of size, genetics, gender, or age—can treat arterial plaque and prevent heart attacks and strokes with this book. The keys to the program are shrinking arterial plaque, improving circulation, and strengthening your heartbeat. The tools in this book include heart-healing foods, exercise that strengthens the heart and arteries, stress management, and a customized heart- friendly supplement plan.

The End of Heart Disease, by ,M.D. One of our country’s leading experts in both preventive medicine and the science of food, Dr. Fuhrman speaks directly to readers everywhere who want to take control of their health and avoid taking medication or undergoing complicated, expensive, unnecessary, and often ineffective procedures or surgery. Grounded in the latest scientific research and Dr. Fuhrman’s twenty-five years of clinical experience treating heart disease, The End of Heart Disease shows us how we can significantly lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce weight, heal obstructive coronary artery disease, and even eradicate advanced heart disease—all without the need for dangerous procedures like angioplasty or bypass surgery. Dr. Fuhrman shows us how to eat for optimal heart health, with a range of options for differing needs and conditions. He provides detailed menu plans and delicious recipes for heart-healthy meals and snacks and includes helpful questions for doctors and patients.

The Fourth Trimester, by Kimberly Ann Johnson. Practical advice to support women through postpartum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels—providing women with a roadmap to this very important transition. Kimberly Ann Johnson draws from her vast professional experience as a doula, postpartum consultant, yoga teacher, body worker, and women’s health care advocate—as well as her own personal experience—to cover simple practices and home remedies to facilitate healing and restore energy, learning to exercise safely postpartum, exploring the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise postpartum, and much more.

Beyond the Baby Blues, by Rebecca Fox Starr. Most people have heard of post-partum depression. What many people do not know is that anxiety and depression can be experienced during pregnancy, as well, and the impact can be both debilitating and devastating. This book combines one woman’s story of her struggle with perinatal distress with actionable advice from a professional in the field. Rebecca Fox Starr shares her personal story of marriage, motherhood, prenatal anxiety and depression, her severe postpartum anxiety and depression, and her recovery process and hope for the future. Throughout the narrative, Dr. Amy Wenzel, a specialist in the field of Perinatal Mood Disorders, provides readers with clinical information and advice. Readers will see themselves in the narrative and understand that the devastating effects of prenatal and post-partum depression can be confirmed, treated, and managed, giving them hope for a brighter future.

Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ, by Guilia Enders. For too long, the gut has been the body’s most ignored and least appreciated organ, but it turns out that it’s responsible for more than just dirty work: Our gut is at the core of who we are. Gut: The Inside Story of our Body's Most Underrated Organ gives the alimentary canal its long-overdue moment in the spotlight. With quirky charm, rising science star Giulia Enders explains the gut’s magic, answering questions like: Why does acid reflux happen? What’s really up with gluten and lactose intolerance? How does the gut affect obesity and mood? Communication between the gut and the brain is one of the fastest-growing areas of medical research—on par with stem-cell research. Our gut reactions, we learn, are intimately connected with our physical and mental well-being.

The Mind-Gut Connection, by Emeran Mayer. We have all experienced the connection between our mind and our gut—the decision we made because it “felt right;” the butterflies in our stomach before a big meeting; the anxious stomach rumbling we get when we’re stressed out. While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the gut microbiota—the microorganisms that live inside our digestive tract— communicate with one another. In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medicine and executive director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, offers a provocative look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health and listen to the innate wisdom of our bodies.

The China Story, by T. Colin Campbell. The science is clear. The results are unmistakable. You can dramatically reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes just by changing your diet. More than 30 years ago, nutrition researcher T. Colin Campbell and his team at Cornell University, in partnership with teams in China and England, embarked upon , the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease. What they found when combined with findings in Colin’s laboratory, opened their eyes to the dangers of a diet high in animal protein and the unparalleled health benefits of a whole foods, -based diet. Featuring brand new content, this heavily expanded edition of The China Study includes the latest undeniable evidence of the power of a plant-based diet, plus updated information about the changing medical system and how patients stand to benefit from a surging interest in plant-based nutrition.

Fast Food Genocide, by Joel Fuhrman. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an unflinching, provocative exploration of how our food is killing us and the ways in which we are unwitting participants in an exploding health crisis. Fast food is far more than just the burgers, fries, and burritos served at chain restaurants; it is also the toxic, human-engineered products found in every grocery store across America. These include cold breakfast ; commercial and preserved (deli) meats and cheeses; sandwich breads and buns; chips, pretzels, and crackers; fried foods; energy bars; and soft drinks. The truth is that our highly processed diet is the source of a national health crisis that is exploding into a genocide with unseen tragic implications. The solution hiding in plain sight—a nutrient- dense, healthful diet—can save lives and enable humans to reach their intellectual potential and achieve successful and fulfilling lives.

How Not to Die, by Dr. Michael Greger, internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org. This book examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America—heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, high blood pressure, and more—and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches to help prevent and reverse these diseases, freeing us to live healthier lives. In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not to Die includes Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen—a checklist of the twelve foods we should consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting edge nutritional science, these doctor's orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives.

Celiac Disease, by Peter Green. Do you suffer from gastrointestinal complaints, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, anemia, and/or itchy skin conditions? Have you consulted numerous doctors, and been prescribed drugs and diets that have only temporarily alleviated some symptoms? If so, you may have celiac disease, a hereditary autoimmune condition that affects nearly one in every hundred people—97 percent of whom remain undiagnosed and untreated. Dr. Green, together with Rory Jones, an accomplished medical writer who was diagnosed with the disease in 1998, have written this authoritative guide on how celiac disease is properly diagnosed, treated, and managed. This revised and updated edition contains the most current information on celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten sensitivity. It examines the disease’s many manifestations and includes an entire section devoted to coping with the psychological aspects of living with a chronic illness and following a gluten-free diet.

Medical Medium Thyroid Healing, by Anthony William. Across age groups, from baby boomers and their parents to millennials and even children, more and more people—women especially—are hearing that their thyroids are to blame for their fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, memory issues, aches and pains, tingles and numbness, insomnia, hair loss, hot flashes, sensitivity to cold, constipation, bloating, anxiety, depression, heart palpitations, loss of libido, restless legs, and more. In Medical Medium Thyroid Healing, Anthony William, the Medical Medium, reveals an entirely new take on the epidemic of thyroid illness. Empowering readers to become their own thyroid experts, he explains in detail what the source problem really is, including what’s going on with inflammation, autoimmune disease, and dozens more symptoms and conditions, then offers a life-changing toolkit and many new recipes to rescue the thyroid and bring readers back to health and vitality.

Master Your Diabetes, by Mona Morstein. The evidence is clear: We are in the midst of a worldwide diabetes epidemic. In the United States alone, one in three Americans is either diabetic (29 million patients) or prediabetic (87 million patients), costing an annual $242 billion in medical treatments. In Master Your Diabetes, naturopathic physician and diabetes expert Dr. Mona Morstein shows how people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can gain and maintain excellent control of their blood sugar levels, preventing and even reversing existing complications through education combined with medical support and encouragement. This is the first comprehensive guide for patients, caregivers, and medical practitioners to demonstrate an integrative approach based on the “eight essentials” of treatment and prevention: a low-carb diet, exercise, good sleep, stress management, healing the gut, detoxification, supplementation, and medications.

End of Diabetes, by Joel Fuhrman. The New York Times bestselling author, one of the country’s leading experts on preventive medicine, offers a scientifically proven, practical program to prevent and reverse diabetes—without drugs. At last, a breakthrough program to combat the rising diabetes epidemic and help millions of diabetics, as well as those suffering with high blood pressure and heart disease. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Research director of the Nutritional Research Foundation, shows you how to live a long, healthy, and happy life—disease free. He offers a complete health transformation, starting with a diet with a high nutrient-per-calorie ratio that can be adapted for individual needs. Dr. Fuhrman makes clear that we don’t have to “control” diabetes. Patients can choose to follow better nutritional guidelines that will control it for them, even before they have lost excess weight. The end result is a medical breakthrough—a comprehensive reversal of the disease.

The End of Alzheimer’s, by Joel Bredesen. Everyone knows someone who has survived cancer, but until now, no one knows anyone who has survived Alzheimer's disease. In this paradigm-shifting book, Dale Bredesen, MD, offers hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline. Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, The End of Alzheimer’s outlines 36 factors that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain. The protocol shows how to rebalance these factors using lifestyle modifications like taking vitamin B12, eliminating gluten, or improving oral hygiene. The results are impressive. Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement with 3-6 months; since then the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more. Now, The End of Alzheimer’s brings hope to patients, caregivers, physicians, and treatment centers with a fascinating look inside the science and a step-by-step plan that fundamentally changes how we treat and think about AD.

The Migraine Brain by Carolyn Bernstein. You know that your migraine isn't just a headache. But you may not know that migraine actually is a neurological disease. Affecting one in five women, one in twenty men, and one in twenty children, it's a debilitating, complex, and chronic condition that manifests in a combination of symptoms that can include excruciating head pain as well as other distinctive physical and emotional effects. Yet it's also a disease that you can get control of, improve, and manage, as Dr. Carolyn Bernstein has discovered in her seventeen years as a Harvard Medical School faculty member and practicing neurologist. A migraine sufferer herself, Dr. Bernstein has helped hundreds of her patients get better. Now, you will be able to do the same—reduce the frequency and intensity of your migraines, learn how to prevent and curtail them and how to recover from them more quickly, and mitigate migraine's effects on every aspect of your life.

Understanding Your Migraines, by Morris Levin. Twelve percent of the world's population is affected by migraines, tallying up to more than 35 million people in the US alone. The World Health Organization lists it among the top ten most disabling conditions. But even with those numbers, why are we still plagued with this disorder and what can we do, in our daily lives, to manage this devastating and demoralizing brain illness? Understanding Your Migraine: A Guide for Patients and Families brings together the expertise of two eminent headache neurologists, Dr. Morris Levin and Dr. Thomas Ward, who have each been caring for headache patients for more than 35 years. Peppered with patient cases to show how to successfully deal with a variety of headache issues, the authors address common concerns in an easy-to-read and comprehensive manner, making this a must-have on every bedside table.

The Autoimmune Solution, by Amy Meyers. Over 90 percent of the population suffers from inflammation or an autoimmune disorder. Until now, conventional medicine has said there is no cure. Minor irritations like rashes and runny noses are ignored, while chronic and debilitating diseases like Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis are handled with a cocktail of toxic treatments that fail to address their root cause. But it doesn't have to be this way. In The Autoimmune Solution, Dr. Amy Myers, a renowned leader in functional medicine, offers her medically proven approach to prevent a wide range of inflammatory-related symptoms and diseases, including allergies, obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, IBS, chronic headaches, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.