Health zines explore a wide range of medical and well-being subjects, which often include women's reproductive issues, specific diseases, and mental illness. They often present personal narratives, DIY and alternative treatments, associated social and political concerns, and additional resource recommendations.

The idea that zines, which can be published by anyone with access to a photocopier, address subjects usually left to professionals may be disturbing to some. Nevertheless, zinesters think there is room in the literature for different perspectives, including those of lay practitioners and others whose sole credential is firsthand experience with the health concern in question.

Offering thoughtful writing on a more obviously male health topic, Biel, the founder of Microcosm Publishing, devotes an issue of his personal zine to his vasectomy. He explains how he chose sterilization after seeing a number of his friends from his Ohio town (many of whom grew up in abusive homes) accidentally conceive children. He decided he never wanted to be in that position and could live without having biological children. He had the surgery when he was 25 and married. Biel also reports on the procedure and his recovery.

This seminal health zine covers a wide array of female reproductive issues, including menstrual problems and sexually transmitted infections, suggesting herbal remedies for each as well as abortifacients and a number of preventative aids. Each remedy is clearly explained with the precision of a medical text, and information is provided for each of the herbs mentioned. Librarians will appreciate the thoroughness with which the authors explain the motivation for the zine, the precautions involved, and reasons for choosing to use the information, all of which indicate a responsible approach to self-medication. Originally published in Canada. Appropriate for teens and adults.

Just as mainstream authors do, zinesters expose their personal health experiences. Like Dave Roche's About My Disappearance (LJ 3/1/08), Hayden's zine features an unvarnished near-daily account of the onset of Crohn's disease. She created this handwritten and illustrated zine to chronicle her travails during the two years it took to diagnose her condition. Readers will empathize with Hayden's frustration at doctors' visits and not knowing what is going on in her own body. Recommended for teens and adults.

In addition to discussing physical illness, zine authors write about their mental problems. Laura-Marie's series reveals her experiences with bipolar disorder, explaining in precise detail what the voices in her head sound like. The first issue follows her pursuit of professional help and the question of whether to take medication and what kind. In issue No. 2, she describes going to her initial exam, her doctors, and her decisions about drugs. Issue No. 3 serves as an update, with added information about the types of therapy (e.g., dialectical behavioral therapy and somatherapy) that she tries.

With its split youth and adult focus, Prepubescent could easily be shelved in the teen section. Written as a series of conversations between a mother and son and including comics and collages, it addresses embarrassing questions like, "Why do guys like boobs so much?" Most of the information is about boys, but the zine also touches on some of the mystifying questions of female adolescence. Excerpts from outside sources sometimes disrupt the flow, but overall the dialog remains comprehensible. The cover and inner pages contain nudity (drawings and photographs). Recommended.

Stern and contributors take on the social and political aspects of reproduction in this series. Women share their pre- and post-Roe v. Wade stories of unwanted pregnancies and discuss how race and privilege affect one's decisions. There are also essays on pregnancy that results from rape, the use of RU-486, and the history of abortion. Not a cautionary zine but one meant for people who have been through similar experiences, although it can be emotionally triggering. It would be a huge help for teens and adults who have had or are contemplating an abortion; be warned that there is frequent profanity.

This column was contributed by Sonya Green, a librarian at LibraryThing.com. Green is the LibraryThing champion for zines and also a volunteer librarian at the Papercut Zine Library