Ganong + Guyton - Overkill?

[socrates89]

Ok So I have Guyton textbook and that is my primary source of reading to supplement with that I think that I will be using Ganong and Constanzo's Physiology (Purple book). Now I know that Physiology is an important subject for the boards and the steps so I wanted to know

1. I've noticed thas Ganong is very different from Guyton in its content like it includes information that I can't find in Guyton and vice - versa for Guyton. So should I confer both books to get a firm grasp on Physiology

2. If lets say that I could read from all three texts should I or is that like overkill?

3. Can someone give me a site or book which contains MCQ that medical physiology where I can practice from??

4. How should I go about studying all three of the texts? Should I just read them all like 1 time? How will physiology get stuck in my mind so I don't forget it??

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[socrates89]

bumps no response yet !!!!!!!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Never heards of em. I used BRS and Kaplan.

 

[braluk]

You must be out of your mind if you are going to read Guyton to study for boards, that textbook is massive! The book was even beyond the scope of my Masters thesis and for even some of my friends who are receiving a PhD in physio. I think for the boards, it would seem that everyone does just fine with your standard BRS, Kaplan or other test prep materials geared for Step I material.

 

[AZhopeful]

Hmmm

Ganong plus Guyton minus Overkill.... that's a tough one, I've never heard of overkill. Maybe's he's Canadian?

Is the answer 47?

 

[drblueshades]

Costanzo's Physiology (the purple book) is EXCELLENT for the USMLE Step 1 and received an "A" grade in First Aid's review of resources. I highly recommend it for in-class and USMLE-related learning. Costanzo is very clear, concise, and readable and has many excellent diagrams. It was one of my primary sources of learning first year in physiology, along with class lectures.

Guyton is definitely overkill for the USMLE, and I wouldn't recommend it unless your professors follow it slavishly.

 

[socrates89]

sorry typo about the guyton thing but i'm not only talking about studying about the steps I mean just as a reference when learning the topic during taking the subject??

 

[drblueshades]

As I suggested in my previous post, Costanzo is also excellent for learning the material for class and I highly recommend it. Costanzo + attending lecture + lecture notes should be sufficient for most med students taking a physiology class. If your med school really emphasizes and makes up test questions from another textbook, then follow your school's advice.

 

[ladynice]

Look up William F Boron Medical Physiology A molecular approach! Perfection!

 

[HarryRosenMD]

Hi...

Reading 2 texts is definitely super overkill. You need to remember that you will be taking several significantly important classes during each semester. Time management is key. I personally found The Textbook of Medical Physiology by Guyton/ Hall to be phenomenal. Review of Medical Physiology by Ganong is also a great book in its own ways. Guyton is more explanatory, with a huge emphasis on pathophysiology... whereas Ganong actually comes off as more of a concise PhD type text. Just pick one. After reading certain chapters... supplement it with BRS Physiology by Costanzo. Now... overall, I do not recommend textbooks - due to their time requirement - and lack of focus. However... for physiology, I would definitely take the time to really cement the concepts that are the foundation of everything you do in medicine.
Oh... as far as the boards go... BRS physiology is the way to go. It's during the preclinical years that you will figure out which review books are going to be in your armamentarium for Step 1. In terms of the BRS series... Physiology and Pathology are great.

 

[abooodMD]

First of all, thank you very much Mr. socrates89 for your discussion thread, and I'm a medical student in 2nd year, I'm syudying Physiology from Guyton textbook.
I studied Physiology from it last year as well, and I think his manner is really great, when studying Guyton I feel as professor "Arthur" is teaching me by himself .
It's really massive but it is interesting as well, and if you studied board questions by side , it would be great.
later.

 

[Slide]

Guyton and Hall were physiology professors at our school, and Dr. Hall is still around teaching his renal lectures. Our physiology department worships Dr. Guyton as if he were a god (if they could've married Dr. Guyton they probably would've).

Anyway, G&H was actually written from a bunch of class notes Dr. Guyton made before he decided to publish a book. The book isn't that hard to read, but it's lengthy because it feels like you're reading a mix between research abstracts and a standard textbook. It's pretty good to learn the material initially, especially if you want more detail about a certain principle or how something was derived/researched. It also has a decent amount of pathophys relating to each organ.

If you're gonna study for Step I/boards though, BRS Phys is a much better read after you finish through G&H. That textbook has too much crap you won't ever need unless you're doing research.

 

[Haemulon]

I am a big Guyton fan. This book probably has more than you need to know, and it is definitely a hefty tome, but you will understand the material when you get through it. If you can make the time, I recommend it. If a shorter text is needed, definitely try Costanza. Lighter on the details, but sums up topics nicely.

 

[rs_med_student]

this will be a long one but i hope it will be vey helpfull
depends on your reason for reading. such as for boards..course..or self learning and improvement.

-guyton is a big book and i have read a fair amount from it during my physio course (about 100 pages, but relied on lectures for the rest of the material), i think u know that its the bible of physio..even though its a BIBLE i think that its easy to read and understand
-ganong is a review book, my professor said "its better than a hundred guytons" but he added "its a review book so u need to have a strong concept of physio before going into it"
-costanzo is a very popular book as u might have noticed in the replies and the recommendations in the med student community and that's because its short (relatively), comprehensive ,simple and good at explaining difficult concepts

so if you are studying for boards or school tests it would definitely be an overkill and a HUGE waste of time to use all these books altogether..
even 1 book of these is too much to study during the pressure of medschool right before the tests.
so my recommended strategy is:
-focus during lectures..take notes
-go home...read the chapter from the textbook (either guyton or costanzo)..highlight keywords and add notes to ur lecture notes/annotations
-before the test/midterms/shelf its very hard to read the material again and u probably wont have time so just go though the figures or the stuff u easily could forget..and rely only on the lectures and slides

how to keep the information in ur head and never forget?
lol its the dilemma of med students..the life wish of many.
ofc u will always forget but u can change a few things..how fast u forget and how much u retain of the essential concepts
tips to achieve this:
1-teach what u learn to others (but dont waste ur time to teach lazy slackers who only rely on u to skip hard work)
2-if u dont want to do the above then u can make audio lectures yourself after learning a chapter well so ull keep it as a lifetime quick and high yield source that u can access anytime u want such as while exercising or whatever..i am doing this with pharma and its great
3-reading from textbooks helps keep info better in ur head..while lectures and ppt slides diffuse out of ur brain very quickly (my personal opinion from experience)
4-obviously...revision..graduation from med school /passing a test doesnt mean ur learning is over...read the texts over and over ..make a schedule to revise 1 textbook per year for example and test urself in what u learn after each chapter or unit through review books such as guyton and hall review which is great.

good luck