The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death.

When every hiccup sounds like the call of doom, each stomach pang hints at incipient cancer, and a headache means it's time to firm up your last will and testament,The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death.provides just the relief you need. Gene Weingarten has spent his whole life immersed in the eclectic details of bizarre symptoms, self-diagnosing every minor ache as a potentially deadly disease. Weingarten examines:The mind of a hypochondriacHow your doctor can kill youUlcers and other visceral fearsThe snaps, crackles, and pops of your body that spell disasterThings that can take an eye outInterpreting DocSpeakBlending the neurotic anxieties of Woody Allen, the folksiness of Garrison Keillor, and the absurdist vision of Dave Barry, Gene Weingarten conjures up a hilarious prescription for the hypochondriac that lurks inside all of us.

Gene Weingarten is a columnist at The Washington Post and previously worked at the Detroit Free Press, the National Law Journal, and as editor of The Miami Herald's Tropic Magazine. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.