The Hypochondriac S Guide To Life And Death

A brilliantly original, laugh-out-loud funny, and ultimately poignant exploration of hypochondria is offered by someone who inadvertently discovered the cure for all imaginary illnesses that plague the hypochondriac mind.

When every hiccup sounds like the call of doom, each stomach pang hints at incipient cancer, and a headache means it's time to firm up your last will and testament, The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death. provides just the relief you need. Gene Weingarten has spent his whole life immersed in the eclectic details of bizarre symptoms, self-diagnosing every minor ache as a potentially deadly disease. Weingarten examines: The mind of a hypochondriac How your doctor can kill you Ulcers and other visceral fears The snaps, crackles, and pops of your body that spell disaster Things that can take an eye out Interpreting DocSpeak Blending the neurotic anxieties of Woody Allen, the folksiness of Garrison Keillor, and the absurdist vision of Dave Barry, Gene Weingarten conjures up a hilarious prescription for the hypochondriac that lurks inside all of us.

Hypochondriacs can now fret appropriately with this humorous pocket guide to more than 40 disgusting, horrible diseases. All entries include symptoms, a diagnosis guide, treatment suggestions, a prognosis, and—if you are not yet infected—prevention tips. Do you suffer from insomnia? Not good…soon your whole body might attack your brain. Are you bothered by a persistent fever and swelling? Beware…maggots are likely crawling beneath your skin. Have you noticed skin tenderness and discoloration? Yikes…a small horn is probably going to sprout from your head. Because it's ultra-portable, you can (and probably should) have The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have with you at all times so at the slightest onset of an unmistakably fatal-feeling itchy rash, you can simply whip out your trusty guide, conveniently diagnose yourself, and then let the worrying begin.

Hypochondriacs have long had to satisfy their needs for self-diagnosis with medical reference materials written for the masses, but this revolutionary book is dedicated entirely to the hypochondriac's unique perspective on health. The world's worst maladies, conveniently organized by symptom (real or imagined), will ignite even the mildest hypochondriac's fantasy life. We're all going to die of something—why not choose an ailment that's rare and hard to pronounce?

Profiling fifty of the most disgusting, painful, life-threatening and otherwise icky diseases, this remarkable book is the perfect treat for the closet temperature-taker, speed-dialing doctor stalker, or tissue-wielding virus-phobe in all of us. Each disease is fully documented, including a checklist of symptoms, an overview, treatment, prognosis, and-for the rare cases in which the reader is not yet infected-notes on prevention. With fascinating, sickeningly accurate text written by a member of the editorial staff in the Infectious Disease Department of Elsevier, The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have is capable of startling even the most health-confident into fanatical hand washing. Dennis DiClaudio is on the editorial staff of a renowned medical publisher, and a humor writer. His short pieces have been published in a number of journals, including Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He has also produced three of his plays for the New York International Fringe Festival and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. He lives in Philadelphia.

Why are chickens funnier than ducks? Can humor help us cope with tragedy? And what makes funny, well, funny? To answer such questions we look back at some of the most humorous moments from The Infinite Mind, with guests including stand-up comedians, humor columnists, and a surprise visit from Jonathan Katz, the voice of Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist and Dr. Harold Stein on the new IFC TV series ?Hopeless Pictures.' We listen to past interviews with star comedians Robert Klein, Lewis Black, and Margaret Cho as they relate their experiences in the comedy industry, and the knowledge they've gleaned. We hear a clinical explanation of how humor can help assuage fear and pain from Stanford University's Dr. David Spiegel, and humorist Al Franken relates a very sobering example of this and its relevance during the aftermath of September 11th. Other guests include author, columnist, and professional hypochondriac, Gene Weingarten, BrainBanker and singer, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, and two of the original members of the Firesign Theater, Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman. With commentary by John Hockenberry.

Nerves make us bomb job interviews, first dates, and SATs. With a presentation looming at work, fear robs us of sleep for days. It paralyzes seasoned concert musicians and freezes rookie cops in tight situations. And yet not everyone cracks. Soldiers keep their heads in combat; firemen rush into burning buildings; unflappable trauma doctors juggle patient after patient. It's not that these people feel no fear; often, in fact, they're riddled with it. In Nerve, Taylor Clark draws upon cutting-edge science and painstaking reporting to explore the very heart of panic and poise. Using a wide range of case studies, Clark overturns the popular myths about anxiety and fear to explain why some people thrive under pressure, while others falter-and how we can go forward with steadier nerves and increased confidence.