Improve your health knowledge over the remainder of this summer with some of the latest health books to hit the shelves.
From dealing with chronic illness through the writing of a journal to the way technology is affecting how we are monitoring and improving our health, here are some interesting new titles from New Zealand authors that will provide a great read and get you thinking.
Trackers – How technology is helping us monitor & improve our health
By Richard MacManus
RRP $29.99
Self-tracking is the practice of measuring and monitoring your health, activities or diet through technologies such as smartphones, apps, pedometers, and personal genomics, empowering you to take control of your day-to-day health.
Richard MacManus explains the benefits and risks of self-tracking and looks at:
– What exactly is being tracked
– The tools and techniques being used
– The best practices of early adopters
– How self-tracking is revolutionising the health and wellness industries
– How the medical establishment is adapting to these new trends.
Giving yourself to life
By Deborah Shepard
On shelves 12 February 2014, RRP $38.00
At the suggestion of a friend and fellow writer, Deborah Shepard kept a journal for 12 months to help her with a chronic pain condition. Soon she found herself contemplating all of life’s pains and losses, including devastating earthquakes that shattered her hometown of Christchurch.
Searching for a way through, she began observing the natural world on her doorstep and reflecting on family and friendship, flowers, beauty, literature and art. By ‘giving herself to life’ she discovered the power of writing to heal.
The healthy country?
By Alistair Woodward & Tony Blakely
RRP $49.99
Did Maori or Europeans live longer in 1769? How did Pakeha New Zealanders become the healthiest, longest lived people on the face of the globe – and why did Maori not enjoy the same life expectancy? Why was New Zealanders’ health and longevity surpassed by other nations in the late 20th century?
Through quantitative analysis, presented in accessible graphics and lively text, the authors answer these questions and more by analysing the impact of nutrition and disease, immigration and unemployment, alcohol and obesity, medicine and vaccination. The result is a powerful argument about how we live and why we die in this country – and what we might do about it.
Image / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Maypong