Ah-Choo! (Book Review - Giveaway Closed)

How annoying is it to wake up with that scratchy throat--you know, the one that tells you that a common cold is in your near future? And, when you have that stuffy head, to stand in front of shelves containing 800 different over-the-counter cold remedies as you wonder which one will help relieve the symptoms? In my family, we take vitamin C and echinacea, but I don't know if either really helps.

I learned more than I ever knew there was to know about colds when I read Ah-Choo! by Jennifer Ackerman:

Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery. In AH-CHOO!, Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off." Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits. They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments-what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues.

This book is packed with information!  Some of it is familiar (e.g., frequent hand-washing reduces the chance of catching a cold), but much was new and sometimes surprising.  Note that it contains a few references to evolution, but that's a very minor element of the book.  Ah-Choo! is worth a read.  I'd like to share one bit that surprised me:

Microbes make up the majority of cells in our own bodies (we don't look more germlike because our human cells are bigger than than their microbial ones).

Learn more about Ah-Choo! and find out where to purchase a copy from the Hachette Book Group product page.

Win it: Thanks to Hachette Book Group, three readers will each win a copy of Ah-Choo!

This giveaway is closed.
Here's how to enter: Just leave a comment. Super-easy!  Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. Limit 1 entry by this method. This must be done in order to qualify for extra entries.

Here's how you can earn additional entries (please leave one comment per entry):

• Subscribe to at least one e-newsletter from Hachette Book Group. (1 entry)
• Comment on a non-giveaway post on my blog. (2 entries per post, limit 6 entries total)
• 'Like' my brand-new Frugal Creativity page on Facebook. (2 entries)
• Follow me on Twitter. Tweet about this giveaway ( RT @FC_Melissa Enter to win Ah-Choo! - 3 winners! http://bit.ly/a8j94a #health #giveaway #book ). (1 entry per day)
• Subscribe to my blog in a feed reader or by email, or follow on Google Friend Connect. If you already do, leave a comment to let me know. Email subscriptions must be verified to qualify. (2 entries each way)

More details: Open to residents of USA and Canada, age 18 or older. Giveaway ends 9/8/10 at noon (Eastern time). Winners will be chosen by the random number generator at Random.org. Each winner will be contacted by email and must claim the prize within 48 hours, or another winner will be chosen. No P.O. Box addresses. Void where prohibited.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.  I have received no compensation in any form for hosting this giveaway.  Prize is offered by and will be fulfilled by Hachette Book Group.