Anatomy & Physiology for Dummies Paperback – January 1, 2011

I purchased this book with the intention of learning some basic concepts of anatomy and physiology. I seem to have developed an interest in this subject area just on hearing other friends talk about nursing, working in hospitals etc...so I figured this was a great way to start learning, and I was right!As I read through this book (I have not completed it as of this review; only up to chapter 8), the material is presented in the simplest terms possible. Appropriate medical terminology is used when discussing certain subjects, but this book is very easy to understand. It takes more than just reading this book to comprehend what you are reading, the reader must take initiative to learn more. At times, it can be overwhelming because there are complex chemistry / microbiology parts when you get to the part about glycolosis and subjects like it, but taking your time; and re-reading over it enables you to grasp the basic concepts of the more complex parts of this book. What i found to be very helpful, is in conjunction with this book, making use of video lectures for a more interactive learning experience. I use youtube a lot, because reading this book is GREAT, but reading alone is not good enough. Doing searches on youtube for videos on things like the circulatory system, DNA and cell structures will help the reader of this book better understand what they are reading. Because not only are you reading, you can actually see how things work inside the body in terms of our anatomy and physiology.There is a channel on youtube which I found most helpful, it is called: khanacademy. There are videos on "DNA" and "Parts of a cell" that are very helpful and compliment the reading of this book nicely! It took me a while to find this youtube channel. Be very careful as any joe shmoe can put anything up on youtube. But the khanacademy is the absolute best I have found. However, always take what you find on youtube with a little caution. I have read many reviews about the khanacademy and he has even been featured on CNN, interviewed on KPBS etc...so...just something to think about as you ready this book.I return to college in a few months so I figured learning as much as I can beforehand will make my experience in school more enjoyable and make the learning progress smoothly. With the help of this book, hearing the terminology and topics in a classroom will not be as foreign to me as I have never studied this area before.Overall a GREAT book; and the ONLY thing I could say needed to be improved is, not with the written material, but I feel that an interactive DVD encyclopedia made specifically to anatomy and physiology should be included with this book. This minor detail was not enough for me to lower the rating from a Five-star to anything lower. This is truly a great book at a fair price.

I had borrowed this book from the local library before I purchased my own copy. It's a great reference and provides detailed information in a format that doesn't leave me glazed over. The written material is presented with tables, figures, graphs, pictures; Tips, Things to Remember and Technical Stuff are noted as such. I'm quite sure this won't help a medical student very much compared to the other Anatomy & Physiology books at the library OR a college student to get a top grade but there's enough information and detail to be knowledgeable. I still may not know exactly what they're talking about in detail on Grey's Anatomy but I have a better clue :)This book arms me with information about human body structures and functions. AFTER my doctor's associate gave me samples and a prescription for PHARMACEUTICAL Cod Liver Oil, I started paying closer attention to what and why certain medications are prescribed. My checkup was to monitor if exercise and diet changes were managing my high blood pressure and cholesterol as prescription side effects were severe enough to stop them. That coupled with old injuries/arthritis requiring prescription meds made me leery of adding more prescriptions to the mix. If he had suggested I take plain old Cod Liver Oil rather than handing over a prescription for a pharmaceutical version I probably would've have just gone along.Now healthcare companies provide price-tiered prescription formularies with increased co-pays. We pay a mint for the latest prescriptions that may be "fast-tracked" and haven't been well tested. Paying not just for the meds but the side effects which may be permanent and/or life threatening. Commercials advertising pharmaceutical drugs and less quality time with the family doctor to discuss side effects makes it essential to have a better understanding of what's going on with our normal body and when it's ill. Too frequently the "easy button" is a prescription for the newest advertised drug when an older well tested more reliable med will work well.Researching health conditions, standards of care and READING the inserts that come with prescriptions with better understanding allow me to discuss health issues and medications with my doctor intelligently. No I didn't get the prescription Cod Liver Oil, but have added daily fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements to my regimen, just like my grandparents gave us every winter in the "old days" :)

Informative and insightful, verbose but cogent. And I learned a great deal about what the title suggests and then some. There could be more humor as teaching involving humor is better memorized/understood. However, the authors seem to have a disdain, or an in your face disgust, for anyone who believes in a creator of any sort. This was of no concern to me until I got to the last chapter, page 323, where the authors say humans are apes. 'Compared with other apes, the human buccal apparatus (mouth) is puny.' Looked as I was able in any other book or dictionary and apes are never defined as another type of human or vise versa, except for the ape like behavior of sports fans. This was very disappointing to find at the end of an otherwise well written book. Pitiful that the authors are so closed minded to others beliefs on the creation/evolution of the human body. They could have easily dropped all the references to this and the result would have been even more sales. Never let ego get in the way of profit! I will, however, continue to shop for the dummies books. My classical education should have been this much fun.