Symptoms and Diagnosis: A Storytelling Medical Book that May Save Your Life

This book was very interesting and informative as a medical self-help book, making me feel that I'd just become a doctor for the past twelve months. There are twenty symptoms in all, varying greatly in range and severity, from a heart attack to urinary tract infection to rupture in the aorta. The personalities and lifestyles of all twenty patients were also fascinating, showing that your health depends to large extent upon who you are and what you believe in. If you believe in a healthy and active lifestyle, you are less likely to suffer from a chronic disease that develops slowly over time but can possibly be struck with a catastrophic condition--like that marathon runner who developed lung inflammation. Whereas, if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle, it's more possible you can develop degenerative diseases such as jaundice or hypertension.Some choices of patient profiles were interesting, such as the hypochondriac or the guy who faked a coma just so that he could escape the law.There's one important point repeated over and over in this book, and that is: getting your symptoms correct is essential, and communicating that well between the doctor and the patient. Good advice!The only patient profile I had difficult understanding was the very first chapter... the distinction between seizure and ruptured aorta. The doctor was obviously trying to discern the patient's symptoms, but the distinction between the two different sets of symptoms wasn't too clear to me.Also, I thought the book could be more professionally formatted. I received the paperback proof, as if I were reading the actual book in my hands. It could be designed to look more medical, or perhaps otherwise more user-friendly like a self-help book. Despite all the possibilities of design in this format, there were no shapes or separator lines or shaded blocks for the chapter headings, and the formatting font and size was the same all throughout. It would have been great to add one medical drawing of the symptoms "under the skin" per chapter, as commonly shown in medical textbooks.Definitely an user-friendly collection of patient profiles, almost all of whom sound like people you'd know or meet in your lifetime.

I have learned a lot from this book. The most important lessons, beyond the fascinating information I acquired from it, are the following:- The human body is a very intelligent, self-correcting and regulating machine- An awful lot of things can go wrong with it- We can neglect and abuse it at our own risk- Clear communication with the doctor is extremely important- It is in our own interest to seek help when our body tells us toThese are the major lessons, extremely well explained and illustrated with case studies, and then reinforced with “Teaching Points” and “Organ System” descriptions. This organizational method is very useful, giving the reader every aspect of the subject and providing an invaluable educational tool. I learned a lot from it and will keep it for reference to be consulted again from time to time. Very highly recommended.