Popping antibiotics to quiet every ear infection has been likened to dropping nuclear bombs to quiet every enemy. Simply put, it's overkill. Risk assessment expert Kimberly M. Thompson, Sc.D., beseeches individuals to become germ savvy in order to prevent new, more resistant bacteria from reaching epidemic proportions. Busting myths and highlighting facts about food safety, cleaning products, medicines, and immune systems, Thompson plows through 31 common illnesses "that are treated--and mistreated--with antibiotics." Each segment briefly describes the ailment and its causes, signs, and symptoms. Thompson also provides specific preventive measures and treatment options for each illness, based on the reader's "RQ," or Risk Quotient (determined via an initial survey that assesses one's personal health risk profile). Those who score a low RQ for bacterial infection receive gentle prescriptions: avoid, hydrate, wash, supplement, immunize. Folks in the medium- to high-risk categories will find information about herbal remedies, helpful foods, or salves; they might also find direct orders to stop smoking, spend more time exercising, or "work with your doctor." A useful primer on food-borne and household pathogens, recipes for natural cleaners, and special attention to high-risk populations (including children and immune-compromised people) round out this vital home resource. --Liane Thomas