Marianne J. Legato

For decades, medicine saw men and women as essentially the same physically except in the area of reproduction. However, a new and groundbreaking science of gender-specific medicine has discovered astonishing distinctions between male and female bodies. From the thickness of our skin to the signs of a heart attack to ways we metabolize drugs, the sexes have significant physiological differences. But, what do these differences mean to you and your doctor? In this groundbreaking book, internationally respected academic physician and lecturer, Dr. Marianne Legato pulls together more than a decade of research into sex-specific health. The result is a powerful tool for anyone interested in the critical nuances in the ways men and women might present symptoms or be treated for disease. It’s a book that will not only change the way you think about women’s health, it just might save your life.

After traveling the country and listening to women’s most common health problems, Dr. Marianne Legato, one of the nation’s leading advocates for women’s health, answers these common questions and more in What Women Need to Know. This revolutionary book teaches women how to ask their doctors the right questions and leave the office satisfied. Dr. Legato is also the author of The Female Heart, a book that dispels myths that heart disease is only a male problem. Her coauthor on both books is Carol Colman Gerber, one of the country’s leading medical writers.

It is a universal fact that men die before women. But the causes of this have long remained unexplored. In this trailblazing book, Dr. Marianne Legato - an expert in gender specific health - examines the reasons behind men's fragility and explains what they need to do to live longer. A bestselling author and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, Dr. Legato shows how the forces of culture and biology conspire against male mortality. Drawing on the latest research and narrated through the lives of her patients, she delves into problems that both men and women care about - from why the male fetus is at greater risk, to why boys have a hard time adjusting to school, to how elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol make men more prone to aggression and why they are more likely to die from cardiac arrest or cancer and even depression. Why Men Die First offers specific advice on what men can do to live better, including * how on-one time with young boys reduces anxiety and attention deficit problems * lifestyle changes that can prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis * why young men take on high risk endeavors and how to decrease the stress * how to cope with mid life depression and feelings of emasculation and uselessness * how testosterone shots can mitigate the unpleasant symptoms of aging Dr. Legato brings the possibility of both mental and physical wellbeing to men in this compelling and inspiring book. A superstar physician, celebrated annually in New York Magazine's Best Doctors Issue, Dr. Legato is well poised to take on this urgent topic with her unimpeachable authority and natural warmth.