The Health Compass by Dr Beth de Sousa

The first thing you notice about The Health Compass - apart from the fact that it is ringbound - is its very personal and confident tone. Here is a GP who has faced her own demons (being overweight and  yo-yo dieting in her teens and twenties) and isn't afraid to say so. She uses her medical knowledge  and life coaching type skills to provide the means for anyone to improve their lifestyle and thus their health.

As a GP Beth de Sousa has been concerned with the ever increasing number of patients suffering from poor health due to obesity, heavy drinking and smoking-related diseases. When she looked for a book that would pull together all the current knowledge in these three areas she found a gap in the market which The Health Compass sets out to fill. The style is conversational and inspirational.

The book is divided into three parts:

• Part 0ne - everything you need to know about weight loss, healthy eating, exercise, alsohol and smoking.
• Part Two - how to put what you have learned into action using a range of techniques to help you including visualisation and relaxation.
• Part Three - a Personal Health Plan designed to so you can plot where you are now, plan ideas and chart your progress.

Beth de Sousa sounds like the type of GP everyone should have/wishes they had, the next best thing is to buy her book and make sure you use it!

The Health Compass is available from selected branches of Waterstones and from www.healthcompass.co.uk