Making A House Call

By Andrea Sachs

Medical science keeps finding new ways to extend our lives and to nip and tuck us so that we look better as we age. And publishers are rushing to share the fruits of those discoveries. A cascade of new medical books offers consumers the tools to take more control of their health. Here are four of the best:

POTENCY. VASECTOMY. PROSTATE CANCER. In the past few years, prompted by the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the introduction of Viagra and Bob Dole's ED (erectile dysfunction) campaign, America has learned to speak more frankly about male sexuality. Now Dr. Richard Spark, a professor at Harvard Medical School, takes the case for openness a step further in Sexual Health for Men: The Complete Guide (Perseus). Spark tackles such sensitive issues as premature ejaculation, enlarged breasts and hot flashes in men, penile implants and male menopause.

Not surprisingly, sexual performance is central to the book. Not all the news is good. Says Spark: "Paradoxically, in an age smug with a sense of heightened sexual enlightenment, the only ones left 'in the closet' are men--impotent men." There are 30 million of them, and there is much they can do to help themselves, he says. "Some modifications in behavior can help minimize risks of sexual dysfunction," he counsels. "Smoking, heavy drinking, obesity, high levels of serum cholesterol and elevated blood-sugar levels, as well as the use of narcotic or other mood-altering drugs, can all contribute to impotence." Spark's smart book takes the reader from topics such as fertility to Viagra, with entertaining case studies that read like a good novel. A great resource for men and the women who love them.

QUICK READS Nothing is more 21st century than being in a hurry. For the health-conscious reader in a rush, the prestigious American College of Physicians has put out a series of 14 Home Medical Guides (DK Publishing), handsome paperback books covering a number of medical topics, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, coronary-artery disease and migraines. The books, each fewer than 100 pages, have the twin virtues of being short and crisply written. Their empowering tone will be comforting to the reader. The guides cut right to the chase, giving you just the information you need. Illustrated with colorful charts and photos, they are just what the doctor ordered.

CHRONOMEDICINE Timing is everything, say Michael Smolensky and Lynne Lamberg, authors of The Body Clock Guide to Better Health: How to Use Your Body's Natural Clock to Fight Illness and Achieve Maximum Health (Henry Holt). This provocative book explores chronobiology, the science of body time. It is a brand-new discipline that asserts that you must adjust the care of your body to coincide with your natural clock. In that way, say the authors, you can determine the best time to take your medicine, exercise, have sex if you want to conceive, prevent jet lag and the like.

"If you are female, chronomedicine may hold special appeal...because your biology constantly reminds you of the body's natural cycles," the authors note. "If you are male, you may be surprised to learn how much a creature of rhythms you are, too, with every function of your life--sleeping, waking, working, and working out--governed by your body clock." Even skeptical readers may be won over by this persuasive book.

OSTEOPOROSIS Make no bones about it, this is a serious disease. Some 28 million Americans, mainly women, suffer from dangerous thinning of the bones. Women have a 1-in-3 chance of suffering from this illness, and 2 million men are afflicted as well. Most people who have the disease aren't aware of it, but each year 430,000 people in the U.S. wind up in the hospital with osteoporosis-related fractures. Hip fractures are particularly devastating; 1 victim in 5 dies within a year.

But as Miriam Nelson, writing with Sarah Wernick, explains in Strong Women, Strong Bones: Everything You Need to Know to Prevent, Treat, and Beat Osteoporosis (Putnam), the disease is preventable. "Thanks to new findings about nutrition and exercise, as well as new medications, you can protect yourself--provided you know how." She explores the dos and don'ts of calcium supplementation, strength training, hormone replacement and bone-density testing. Nelson's powerful, upbeat message will get even couch potatoes on their feet and pumping iron. "Whether we're trying to prevent the disease, or dealing with bone loss or fractures, there's so much we can do," she tells both men and women. "It's never too early--or too late--to begin."