Which phys book?

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hawkwing

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My school is recommending "Berne and Levy" and "Boron & Boulpaep". I already have Costanzo. Do I need those other books?
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I didn't like Costanzo too much, a number of concepts were over simplified for our needs (at my medical school, YMMV) in physio. We were told to go with Berne and Levy so I purchased that, but the book was awful. I replaced it with Boron. I liked Boron much better, very clear and well written. I don't think the detail that's in Boron is necessary for the boards, but it serves as an excellent reference.

Just depends on how you want to study. If you plan to read all the way through you might appreciate how concise Costanzo is, and it covers the detail you need for the boards. If you study mostly from class notes and need a reference for specific topics Boron is a much stronger book. Berne and Levy tries to split the difference and fails miserably.
 
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this is simply a question of "do you like costanzo". Trying to learn from more than class syllabus + 1 book is crazy, unless the other thing is an occasional reference
 
The costanzo book and the boulpeep book are both pretty good references... the costanzo book is a little less detailed oriented than the other, but the boulpaep book offers good background info/detail for subjects (at least I used it for some of the cell physio concepts). A lot of the detail you probably won't be tested on, but for some reason when some things "didn't make sense to me" for face value, the detail in either book helped explain things (and I think deep down I need to know the reason behind things/enjoy minute details :oops:). I noticed sometimes just saying the same thing in a different way, or with a different diagram helps you understand a concept that you might have had trouble with before.
 
An absolute must for cardiac phys is "Rapid Interpretation of EKGs" by Dale Dubin. I swear this book has changed my life over the past two weeks!
 
Like others have said, it really depends on the specific physio area/topic.

At the beginning of my phys course, I was completely drinking the Costanzo kool aid--mainly because I started the year off well. That was in neuromuscular & autonomics. I thought she had done a good job, and it was nice and concise. Good combination, plus it left adequate time to give the class notes a thorough run-through.

CV, Resp, & GI were much shakier for me. Her content was pretty hit or miss, and our lectures did not line up with the material terribly well. The profs have preferred B&L over the years, and are only recently making the student-forced (essentially) transition to Costanzo. But a lot of their lectures--as well as the pool questions--come from a more standard approach to physio, so I was hurt by that (mainly b/c after getting a great score on the first test, i thought i'd be money just going thoroughly through costanzo and not feeling bad about missing classes. BAD IDEA.).

For second semester (neurophysiology), we essentially weren't given a choice. Costanzo is just completely inadequate for this, and they weren't going to buckle to the students like the first-semester material. So for neurophys I'm using Purves. We also have Haines for neuroanatomy. They are both GREAT books, and I'm also using that Sidman's programmed text. Things are starting off much more smoothly than they finished.
 
+1 for (big) costanza

ALL you should need to look at are just the figures and tables after you've read over the text. I typically just make some notes on the figures/tables + add in some stuff from class notes. Don't waste time re-writing stuff.

Before the test just review figures/tables in text and look over the class slides and do past test q's. That's it. Rinse lather and repeat.
 
Just to add: since everyone in class was using costanza anyways, it has now become the official text for our class as the profs have come around to it as well. :thumbup:
 
I used my course syllabus, class lecture notes and skimmed the copy of Guyton in my school's library for my physio course. I didn't spend loads of time looking for review books to concentrate the info from physio. Berne and Levy was difficult to read and thus I didn't look at that book too much.

Physio is well represented on USMLE Step I and knowing my coursework thoroughly coupled with being able to read and understand the tables and diagrams from Guyton (especially Cardio, Resp, endocrine and Renal) was far more than I needed for Step I. I have seen the "Stars" book but again, my school's syllabus was better.

I just caution strongly against trying too many outside sources that you don't have the time to really hone in on what you need to ace the class.
 
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Guyton & Hall. The chapters are short and easy to understand.
 
I thought Costanzo was not detailed enough.

Guyton
Boron
Ganong

Each book is better in some chapters than others. Of the top of my head (physio was 2 years ago...) Guyton for Renal and GI, Boron For Respiratory, Ganong for Cardio.
 
Our school uses Guyton. It seems decent, but most lecturers note a few places per subject that are wrong (usually since he used dogs for experiments that differ in humans). The EKG portion sucks though, and I personally found cardio a bit confusing.
 
Guyton, with Lilly's Pathophysiology of Heart Disease for cardio physiology.
 
I used Guyton when our class notes weren't sufficient. You really shouldn't be trying to use more than one textbook.
 
Hayden2102 said:
Why?
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You'll probably run out of time. Besides, some topics are explained from different perspectives, so it can be hard to realize that they're talking about the same thing. Sure, it would be ideal to understand everything from every facet, but you don't have that much time.
 
I'm surprised by the anti-costanzo sentiment. It is immensely popular in other "what phys book" -type threads.
 
I think Costanzo is a great undergrad text and I'm surprised that it is published as a med school text....it is extremely similar to the undergrad phys books I have....perhaps more path, but often less detail on normal phys.

I agree with everyone who recommends Guyton & Hall.
 
SomeDoc said:
For reasons of consistency and time restraints. Stick with the best resource, and learn its contents well.

Multiple resources are good for board review/prep.
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I'd go with the exact opposite. When you are studying for the class, you have time to look at multiple texts. Reading multiple texts will give you a good idea of what concepts are uber important. And for me, having the same thing explained three different ways helps me understand. Because Im dumb.

When you are reviewing for the boards, picking one text is better (as per Kaplan) because you dont have time to jump between different texts, and assimilate the different info, especially when there are discrepancies. Just reading any one good text (once, cover to cover) will hit everything you need to know.
 
hawkwing said:
My school is recommending "Berne and Levy" and "Boron & Boulpaep". I already have Costanzo. Do I need those other books?
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BRS Physiology is one of the finest text books I've ever owned. Definitely the best review book I've read in my 20+ years of schooling.
 
rgarrig said:
BRS Physiology is one of the finest text books I've ever owned. Definitely the best review book I've read in my 20+ years of schooling.
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BRS Physio is a great resource during preclinical years. Use it during your physio course, and later during systems in 2nd year for high yield.
 
alphaholic06 said:
Anyone have any thoughts on Kaplan Physiology?
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I have it and it is gathering dust. There is a ratings guide for how kaplan lecture notes compare to the other resources - thought it's more wrt to step prep.

http://www.gotmedbooks.com/insidepages_guide.php

It used to be a free PDF download, but now they want you to do a (still free) registration step to get to it. Why I don't know.
 
For me, the Kaplan reviews were only helpful along with the lectures...some moreso than others. By itself though, the physio was good, especially the endocrinology section. In contrast, the Anatomy was terrible by itself, but along with the lectures, it was incredible.
 
Lecture notes/syllabus, BRS phys, Guyton & Hall. In that order.
 
Costanzo for basics
Boron & Boulpaep for details

Both books are fantastically well written, but with different purposes. With Costanzo I find that not all of my questions are answered, and with B&B I am sometimes annoyed with the excessive description of past experiments. Yet the combination of the two works miracles.
 
I've tried to be a costanzo person, but really I just think it's overrated.
 
What is the difference between the BRS and the regular constanza? I mean would one be better for the class? Would I want both per se?
 
axlaxl1 said:
What is the difference between the BRS and the regular constanza? I mean would one be better for the class? Would I want both per se?
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It's Costanzo.

The regular book is a textbook, so it's written in prose form. It's a great source for learning the material initially (though, as some have pointed out above, you may occasionally need other sources for more detail).

The BRS book is written in outline form and includes ~500 multiple choice questions. It's good for review and if you like doing questions.

I would also recommend her BRS Physiology Cases and Problems book, which is a bunch of problems you work through (not multiple choice though). It's a nice way to go through the material again and help you think about it.
 
oh, and I dunno if it was mentioned above..... I actually may have mentioned it myself... IMO, the NMS Physiology is the best single review book.... There are extensive notes (unlike BRS), and a ton of questions.
 
Funny thing is that most people in my class don't seem have time to read textbooks much at all, let alone several books. I am a reader though, which really cramps my schedule most of the time but it is more efficient for me than going through hundreds of powerpoint slides that are sometimes of less than ideal quality and trying to figure out exactly what the prof was trying to get at. I love Guyton. I started with Costanzo, which is a great book, but was left wanting on some of the detail. So I made the switch. Now I pretty much focus on the text and than skim through the syllabus and notes to see where different emphases or extra points are. Might not be the best stratgey to ace every class, but I feel like I am at least getting a good understanding of everything. I did end up getting an extra book for the EKG stuff though, which proved unexpectedly difficult to get my mind around.
 
Dakota said:
I didn't like Costanzo too much, a number of concepts were over simplified for our needs (at my medical school, YMMV) in physio. We were told to go with Berne and Levy so I purchased that, but the book was awful. I replaced it with Boron. I liked Boron much better, very clear and well written. I don't think the detail that's in Boron is necessary for the boards, but it serves as an excellent reference.

Just depends on how you want to study. If you plan to read all the way through you might appreciate how concise Costanzo is, and it covers the detail you need for the boards. If you study mostly from class notes and need a reference for specific topics Boron is a much stronger book. Berne and Levy tries to split the difference and fails miserably.
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I think that this is an important point. Boron is for people who like details. Many of these details are not important for Step 1, but often your Physio classes are going to require you to know details that will never be on Step1, so Boron is quite useful during those times. That being said, I only use Costanzo, and then I fill in the gaps with their notes. Honestly, Costanzo is more than enough, but depending on your personality and study style, Boron might be appropriate. Anything other book is pretty useless to me.
 
good friggin lord u guys are gunners. i got along fine with just class notes and BRS physio.

BRS physio is highly recommended for good questions and explanations, critical thinking, AND board review.

class notes+BRS physio = easy honors. oh i guess if really needed i threw in a few wikipedia and google searches, but these were rare.

again, BRS physio is key
 
I started with Boron but it took way too long to get through a chapter. I switched to Costanzo's text and couldn't be happier. Even though I hardly every go to class I still wouldn't be able to read all the Boron chapters.
 
Just opened my Costanzo Physio textbook for the first time today. It is a must have - honestly, it is by far the best smelling textbook I have ever owned... almost addicting. :laugh:
 
angry energy said:
good friggin lord u guys are gunners. i got along fine with just class notes and BRS physio.

BRS physio is highly recommended for good questions and explanations, critical thinking, AND board review.

class notes+BRS physio = easy honors. oh i guess if really needed i threw in a few wikipedia and google searches, but these were rare.

again, BRS physio is key
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Wow, "easy honors" in Phys? You are a better man than me. I spend a ton of time on phys but I doubt I will be squeeking out the honors in this one. Kudos. :thumbup:
 
CigarTragic said:
Just opened my Costanzo Physio textbook for the first time today. It is a must have - honestly, it is by far the best smelling textbook I have ever owned... almost addicting. :laugh:
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Oh my God. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. My roommate walked in while I literally had my nose in the book. I think she was severely creeped out. But for real, the book smells awesome. Totally work the 57 bucks on its own.

But also, the Constanzo book does a great job tying concepts together in a logical flow, especially if you happen to have very scattered, fragmented lectures.
 
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