What Nurses Know and Doctors Don't Have Time to Tell You

This comprehensive, accessible home reference guide addresses a wide range of health concerns-as only a nurse who knows the inside story on healthcare can. From headaches to ankle sprains, asthma to zinc remedies, this authoritative resource reveals what everyone needs to know in order to get healthy-and stay that way. The book features hundreds of tips on easing symptoms, promoting healing, following a treatment plan, and solving both the big and small problems that arise when someone is sick, hurt, or in pain.

Readers will discover how to:

€ Treat everyday health complaints and minor injuries
€ Heal faster after an injury
€ Get the best results from medicines while reducing side effects
€ Recover more comfortably at home after outpatient surgeryWhat Nurses KnowAcknowledgments
Dedication
Introduction

1. Treating Symptoms

Head Cases

Headaches
Earaches and Hearing Loss
Eye Irritation and Vision Changes
Toothaches and Mouth Pain

Body Aches And Pains
Back and Neck Pain
Bone, Muscle, and Joint Pain
Chest Pain
Weakness and Dizziness
Rashes and Itches

Cold And Fever
Cough
Stuffy or Runny Nose
Sore Throat
Fever

Stomach Aches
Heartburn
Diarrhea and Constipation
Abdominal Pain

2. Treating and Preventing Injuries

Bites and Stings
Cuts and Scrapes
Sprains and Strains
Poison Control
Home Safety
Travel Health and Safety

3. Choosing and Using Medicines Wisely

What You Must Know About Every Prescription
OTC (Nonprescription) Medications
Is It a Medication Allergy or a Side Effect?
Antibiotic Alert
Herbal Remedies and Nutritional Supplements

4. You and the Health Care System

Choosing Your Primary Care Provider
Getting the Most from Your Relationship with Your Health Care Providers
Insurance Scrabble: Making Sense of the Letters
Tips for ER Visits
Tips for Hospital Stays

5. Medical Tests and Same-Day Surgery

Medical Tests
Blood Tests
Medical Imaging
Bowel Prep
Endoscopy
Same-Day Surgery
Postoperative Pain

Appendix: Web Resources
Research References
Index

Pat Carroll began her career as a respiratory therapist, a graduate of Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. She returned to school to become a registered nurse, and is a proud alumna of Excelsior College School of Nursing based in Albany, NY, the largest nursing school in the United States. She has additional degrees in education and nursing.

Most recently, Pat has maintained a clinical practice as the volunteer health coordinator for the homeless shelter in her community, and is now working with her former Congressman to bring a community health center to the largest city in Connecticut without one. She has extensive experience in ER nursing, critical care, home care and traditional in-patient hospital care of adults and children. She's board certified in general nursing, emergency nursing and nursing professional development.

Known for her entertaining style, Pat is a sought-after speaker for professional and community education programs and has been making regular television appearances around the US since 2001. She's also been on CNN Headline News and Fox News Channel. Her goal is to present health segments from a nurse's perspective and to help establish nurses as credible health experts in the media. She won a Golden Lamp Award from the Center for Nursing Advocacy in 2003 for providing one of the best media portrayals of nursing. Pat's special for PBS, Hints for Health: A Nurse's Notebook® debuts in Connecticut in June 2004, and nationwide in August.

Pat published her first article in a professional journal twenty-five years ago. Little did she know that would lead her to a career publishing nearly 200 professional articles along with two award-winning textbooks. What Nurses Know and Doctors Don't Have Time to Tell You is the culmination of a dream -- Pat sees it as the ultimate patient education opportunit