Books for Keeping Healthy

If your family is embarking on a journey to improve overall wellness, first aid is a fantastic place to start. If you read Is Your Family’s First Aid Kit Ready?, you know how empowering it is to learn first aid and to be prepared.

Learning about first aid and preparing a kit is such a hands-on process that it also sends a clear message: We’re doing something new here. We’re getting serious about taking care of ourselves and each other.

My Favorite Medical Handbooks

It’s always best to call your doctor’s office or nurse advice line when you have medical questions, but it can also be super helpful to have a trustworthy medical handbook on hand. Here is my pick* for each age group of readers.

*Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase where you find Bookshop links below.

Adult

The Merck Manual Go-To Home Guide for Symptoms is my favorite, and has been my trusted guide for years. It’s organized alphabetically by symptom, which I appreciate when I don’t yet have a name for what I’m looking at.

Each section has a description of the symptoms, possible causes, a description of the evaluation procedure, and the treatment. A “Warning Signs” section within the evaluation gives clear guidelines for when to call a doctor and how quickly.

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Young Adult

Having a reliable medical handbook and knowing how to use it is an essential (in my opinion) life skill for young adults, who are often newly independent during times of rising medical costs.

The Mayo Clinic Guide to Home Remedies: Self-Care Solutions for Everyday Health Concerns by Cindy A. Kermott, MD, M.P.H., and Gail M. Border, M.B.B.S, M.P.H, isn’t necessarily written for the YA audience, but with topics arranged alphabetically and a focus on self-care, I think it’s a great fit.

Evidence-based and practical, there is information about acne, back pain, and even supplements, along with lists of items to have on-hand at home. For all of these reasons, this book is also helpful for adults of any age, and while the focus is on home remedies for non-emergent medical conditions, it does have a section that covers medical emergencies, such as stroke, anaphylaxis, fracture, heart attack, and more.

Middle Grade

I love The Superhero’s First Aid Manual by Dr. Punam Krishan, written for kids ages 7-11. Formatted as a graphic novel, this book speaks the language of middle grade readers and gives step-by-step instructions for all types of medical situations, from scrapes to 911-emergencies.

Picture Book

While picture book readers (usually aged about 4 to 8) aren’t typically first responders in a medical situation, The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really!) by Barry Wittenstein will get them thinking about what they would do in a medical situation and how they might make a difference.

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World tells the story of Earl Dickson, his accident-prone wife, and the invention of the Band-Aid.

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