Mayo Clinic heart book The ultimate guide to heart health

The top two cardiac units in the country duke it out on the bookshelves with these consumer health titles. The Mayo Clinic has revised its 1993 guide to heart disease, including updated statistics and some new information, particularly on nutrition (butter vs. margarine, phen-fen, the need to eat more soy), but most of the information is essentially the same as in the first edition. There's nothing in here that you haven't seen in countless other health books, but it is presented well, and the explanations of different types of heart surgery are top-rate. The Cleveland Clinic Heart Book is also a compilation effort by various staff members. Quite similar to the Mayo book, it, too, includes chapters on how the heart works, different types of heart disease, and heart-healthy living. It contains a nice section on medications, including generic and brand names, their uses, and side effects--but then, so does the Mayo book. Both books also have sections on emergencies and CPR, but don't look for alternative therapies. It's hard to imagine two books that are more similar. Basically, they cover exactly the same subject and do it well. Normally, you would only need one or the other, and if you have to choose one, take the Mayo book for its nicer layout and prettier pictures. But most libraries will want both to meet patron requests. As reputable sources of information on standard medical treatment, these two books can't be beat.--Elizabeth A. Williams, Houston Acad. of Medicine-Texas Medical Ctr. Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.