If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with colon cancer, you’ll want to read Dr. Mark Pochapin’s new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Colorectal Cancer. Pochapin is a colon cancer specialist who treated Jay Monahan, the husband of “Today” show anchor Katie Couric. After her husband’s death from the disease, Couric became a passionate advocate for colon cancer screening, even submitting to a televised colonoscopy. In her foreword, Couric writes, “This book provides the information I wish I had before Jay became ill.” Pochapin describes prevention methods, screening techniques, diagnosis and treatment. Straightforward but encouraging throughout, this book is a wonderful resource for patients and their families.

In the area of men’s health, one of the most talked-about topics is prostate cancer. Men want to know how to prevent prostate disease and what treatment to opt for if they get it. An interesting approach is outlined in The Prostate Health Program: A Guide to Preventing and Controlling Prostate Cancer. Dr. Daniel W. Nixon and Dr. Max Gomez put the emphasis on diet and nutrition, citing research that indicates 35 percent of all prostate cancers could be prevented through changes in diet. The authors offer a food pyramid, as well as specific menus and recipes, for putting their recommendations into action.

“Comprehensive” is definitely the first word that comes to mind to describe The New Harvard Guide to Women’s Health. This hefty volume, an updated version of the first guide, published in 1996, covers almost every imaginable women’s health concern, from face-lifts to fibromyalgia. Incorporating new findings from the Women’s Health Initiative, the authors (two Harvard doctors and a medical writer) delve into such hot topics as estrogen replacement therapy and perimenopause. The text is detailed, but presented in a way that’s understandable for the lay reader. Helpful charts and illustrations explain anatomical references. Appropriate for readers of any age, The New Harvard Guide to Women’s Health can help to ensure that women are informed partners in their own medical care.