TO YOUR HEALTH : BOOKS.

``The Betty Ford Center Book of Answers,'' by Dr. James W. West (Pocket Books paperback; $12). There's no chatter about the renowned clientele, little information on the treatment regime and absolutely no joking in this taut little drug and alcohol handbook. West adopts a terse Q-and-A style to cover the nature of alcoholism and addiction, their effects on the body and basics of prevention, treatment and dealing with relapse. The author is a former medical director and still a staffer and board member of the California center. A proponent of Alcoholics Anonymous, he pretty much limits his answers and his list of resources to the tenets of that philosophy.

``Shaving the Inside of Your Skull,'' by Mel Ash (Tarcher Putnam paperback; $15.95). Ash's essays and exercises amount to a ``What Color Is Your Parachute?'' for getting in touch with your pop-spirituality. The title refers to a Zen student's observation that shaving your head may make you look like an enlightened monk but hardly matters if you haven't done the inner, mental work of seeking the light. To start shaving, consider the book's ``two commandments of belief: 1. Thou shalt believe the second commandment. 2. Thou shalt not believe the first commandment.''

Freebies

It's becoming an increasingly frequent problem - latex allergies. The reasons for this apparently relatively new problem are not clear, but may include increased use of latex gloves over the past decade. To educate the public about latex allergies, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Milwaukee has developed ``Latex Allergy,'' a brochure explaining which latex products are likely to cause allergic reactions, cross reactions between latex and foods, and evaluation and treatment of the allergy. For a free copy, call the academy's Physician Referral and Information line: [phone].