Showing results by publisher "W. F. Howes Ltd" in Health & Wellness

Robert McCrum was 42 when he suffered a massive stroke which left one side of his body paralysed, his speech drastically impaired and his sense of himself radically altered. My Year Off traces McCrum's gruelling recovery as he regains sensation and begins to come to terms, with the help of his family, with what can and cannot be recovered after a grave injury. It is a moving remonstrance against human frailty and a vital and insightful exploration of hope, despair, determination and, ultimately, love.

In What Do Animals Think and Feel?, the biologist Karsten Brensing has something astonishing to tell us about the animal kingdom: namely that animals, by any reasonable assessment, have developed the sophisticated systems of social organisation and behaviour that human beings call 'culture'. Dolphins call one another by name and orcas inhabit a culture that is over 700,000 years old. Chimpanzees wage strategic warfare while bonobos delight in dirty talk. Ravens enjoy snowboarding on snow-covered roofs, and snails like to spin on hamster exercise wheels.

Instantly acquire all the knowledge you need to pass as an expert in the world of sex, seduction, and the sensual arts. Never again confuse a Flying Wallenda with an inverted wheelbarrow, food sex with vanilla sex, or a banjo string with a cupid stunt. Bask in the admiration of your fellow enthusiasts as you pronounce confidently on the comparative pleasures of identifying and arousing ‘P-spots’, ‘E-spots’ and ‘G-spots’, and effortlessly learn how to hold your own (figuratively speaking) against keen devotees of ‘frottage’.

Challenging the view that autism is something that needs to be ‘cured', Virginia Bovell testifies to the extraordinary care Danny has received for over 30 years and the everyday kindness and decency of the people – ‘the band of angels' – that surround him. She asks us to consider what makes a thriving individual versus an inadequate one; what it means to be ill versus what it means to not to conform; what roles society values and rewards; and how humans might flourish outside of failing political and economic systems.

In this revelatory study, neuroscientist Helen Pilcher explores the hidden impact of the "nocebo effect"—the placebo's evil twin. Medical studies have proven the nocebo effect to cause pain, nausea, paralysis, seizures, and even blindness. The nocebo effect impacts how we grow sick and grow old, explains why people who don't have food allergies have dietary intolerances, and why adults and teenagers are equally susceptible to catching tics through social media.

As we grapple with the world's worst pandemic for a century, our minds are on our health more than ever. But what should we rightfully expect of doctors? In this original and thought-provoking book, Sir David Haslam explores what good healthcare should achieve and asks how we pay for it. Informed by patient stories and data from across the world—from US big pharma to Britain's NHS—this is an urgent and often moving examination of our most important asset: our health.

When Helen Ledwick discovered she had a prolapse after the birth of her second child, she was devastated, not just by the constant discomfort but also by the pervasive shame she felt and the lack of available information and support. When she learned that one in three women have pelvic floor disorders, she was horrified...and determined to do something about it. In this warm, factual and anecdote-rich look at a taboo subject, Helen shares her story along with those of many other women.

Voices From the Hills is a history of female participation in mountain running, a development that was fiercely resisted in its early years. Steve Chilton has researched his subject deeply, interviewing many female athletes whom he rightly describes as pioneers. Thanks to them, female participation has become accepted and followed avidly in all its aspects including the long distance, high ascent runs over ranges such as the Mamores and recognized challenges such as the Bob Graham Round.

The need for improved mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, and the ability to inspire a resilient mindset has never been greater. We were never designed to run in stress mode, and in a seemingly constant state of fight or flight. So, in those situations where we have little control over the sources of pressure, our only option is to influence the way in which we respond. Unashamedly Superhuman is a neuroscience-based peak performance training for anyone interested in reversing the impact of distraction and uncertainty.

Whether you're fit and flexible or haven't sat cross-legged since childhood, Yoga for Real Life is an easy-to-use guide, packed full of yoga advice and insights designed to give the listener the confidence to deal with life's everyday challenges—and really make a positive change.

1 in 8 UK males will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, more than 130 new cases are discovered each day and, on average, one man dies from the disease every 45 minutes. Despite these statistics, and the fact that there are getting on for half a million men living with, or in remission from, prostate cancer in the UK, the condition is rarely discussed publicly and most men ignore the warning signs.

Julia Kelly met charismatic and successful artist Charlie Whisker while she was working on her first novel. He was 20 years older than her. Their relationship was passionate and extraordinary; each of them inspired the other. Their friends were writers, artists and rock stars; they lived a glamorous life of exhibitions, parties and concerts. They became parents to a daughter they adored. But Charlie suddenly changed, becoming hopelessly forgetful, angry and confused.

After a near fatal stroke in 1995, Robert McCrum has gained an intimate understanding of his own mortality. Twenty-two years on, his friends have joined him in experiencing Prospero's 'every third thought' of death as a dominating theme of life. McCrum asks: can we make peace with what Freud calls 'the necessity of dying'? Searching for answers leads him to brain surgeons, psychologists, cancer patients and writers for advice and wisdom.

This lively and informative exploration of the heart offers a perfect mix of medical fact and amusing anecdote. A prospective cardiologist and former paramedic - as well as one of Germany's most successful science-slammers - von Borstel relates his own experiences to provide a personal insight into the human side of heart medicine while clearly explaining the science behind cardiac disease and healthcare for the heart.

Aim High reveals what has motivated Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, the UK's leading wheelchair athlete, through the highs and lows of her outstanding career. Her triumphs, which include winning 16 medals, 11 of which are gold, countless European titles, six London Marathons and over 30 world records, have catapulted this Welsh wheelchair athlete firmly into the public consciousness.

Under the new rules of social media, we are not what we eat, but rather what others believe we eat. The 21st century has marked the emergence of social media networking sites. They have become a major part of our lives: we can't imagine our lives without them, and it's unrealistic to assume that's even possible. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook haven't been around long, but they are already having far-reaching impacts on our health and wellbeing.

From birth to death and through the exploration of topics such as disease, sex, mind, eating and drinking, Burch tracks the future of medicine by looking at what is already possible today. Weaving in insights from literature, art and history, The Shape of Things to Come considers the cultural complexity surrounding medicine as well as its impact on the humanities. As a specialist in geriatric medicine Burch writes with a keen understanding of the medical profession.

Actively working with rituals and your senses to create daily practices that you can draw on to relieve stress is an easy, everyday way to work with your body. This book will enable you to create simple rituals that will allow you to work with your five main senses to ensure you have a first aid kit of emotional associations that will calm you down when you are beset with a racing mind, insomnia or general worry.

Our ability to make choices is fundamental to our sense of ourselves as human beings and essential to the political values of freedom-protecting nations. Whom we love; where we work; how we spend our time; what we buy: such choices define us in the eyes of ourselves and others, and much blood and ink has been spilt to establish and protect our rights to make them freely. Choice can also be a burden. Our cognitive capacity to research and make the best decisions is limited, so every active choice comes at a cost.

Elizabeth Gowing is not a likely yogini. She is too fond of cake and to-do lists, and sometimes falls over on her mat. But yoga has taken her on journeys both inside and out, and now she follows yoga around Britain - from the village hall where a quivering triangle pose was interrupted by the council recycling collection to a sound gong bath in the country's noisiest city, from Cornwall to Scotland.