Hearts Books

I am slowly forming a collection of Susan Branch books. The time and artistic beauty that are shown throughout are worthy of keeping out every season. This one is in my kitchen next to a little tree , her recipes are also wonderful.

I've had this book for years and I have purchased this book many times over for the perfect gift at Christmas for the person who has everything. I leave it out all during the holidays and people will pick it up and then want it. It's just a great book to read through with lots of great ideas to make your holidays enjoyable. Beautiful illustrations too. You simply can't go wrong wih this book. The perfect gift!

I bought this book when I first discovered Susan Branch books. I loved it so much I gave it to all my sisters and sisters-in-law. They have all used it as a reference during the holidays and even through out the year.I have given this book to so many others as well and they all love the book. I can only state that this book stands up with all the Susan Branch products and is wonderful and so useful.

As with Susan Branch's other seasonal books, I use this Christmas treasure to kick off the season! Serioualy, I've dog-earred some of the recipes that have become family traditions since I first got this book. I've learned how special it is to replace all sheets with fun holiday flannel sheets. I do much more than simply put up a tree these days. In short, I must attribute my refreshed zest for holiday living to re-reading this book every year before do anything else. (It's also a nice gift!)

This book is so charming! I received it as a gift from a dear friend many years ago and I re-read it every Christmas! Recipes, ideas, and holiday thoughts pulled together with Susan Branch's truly unique artistry make this a favorite.

I loved this book. It helped me to find a sense of peace within. I never knew what that meant until I started practicing some of the techniques in this book. One of my favorite quotes from the book, and there are many is, "Every woman needs two things": her own money and her own room. This book is filled with little gems like that. This is a must read. You'll love it!

This book really helps me on my journaling journey. I appreciate all of Jan's anecdotes that I could relate too. It sounded like she was writing about me, which I will think anyone who reads this book may also find. Jan has a real sense of how we can go inward and "come home to ourselves" through journaling. I love the stories as well as the blank pages with the wonderful quotes that gets the creative process flowing. I appreciate the "tools" this book provides for my journey through life as well as my journaling process. A great gift for anyone going down a similar path.

I feel "Coming Home to Ourselves" is an important tool for the novice as well as the more seasoned wife, mother, daughter, worker, etc. Jan gives very helpful suggestions for assessing just where we are in our self-nurturing, which is an area we neglect in our increasingly hectic lives. She then unfolds how we may begin to better care for ourselves, that in so doing, we can offer better care, not to mention empowerment, to all around us. We don't need to be over-achievers; we must take time for us. Jan, and her book, is a blessing for us all to enjoy.

This wonderful book has been a perfect tool for my group of women friends who enjoy getting into in-depth conversations on personal growth. The author touches on topics and situations that seem to be pertinent to every one of us. Her manner of communicating through print seems to open up long-locked doors, helping us look inside and discover who we really are...and how very "worth it" we are to know. On a personal level I really enjoy the journaling section. I can look at a situation in a totally different light when I reread my entries. Through my written words I finally "say things out loud" that have been rattling around in my brain, undefined and without direction. It's a great book for group or individual exploration.

For thousands of years, woman has been the primary caregiver, not only to her children but to everyone in her world as wife, daughter, sister, neighbor and friend. We were taught to suppress our own needs in order to have more to give to others. In Coming Home to Ourselves, we discover that in fact the opposite is true. When we give from a place of emptiness we just become more empty. We must first create and maintain a reservoir of love and life energy from which to draw. Then we can give to others with joy and love, from a place of abundance. Jan Forrest shows us that by making small changes in our daily lives we can find the time to reawaken the spirit of joy within by giving ourselves the gift of ourselves.

This was a good conclusion to Courting Trouble. Although, I did find myself 1/2 way through the book feeling it hit a lull...Part of me wanted Adam to come back in this book a changed man and fight for Essie...but I'm not disappointed by the new love that enters Essie's life. While I still think Bride Most Begrudging is her best...DITHOT is still a very entertaining read.

Deeanne Gist has done it again in "Deep in the Heart of Trouble." Please read "Courting Trouble" first to get a handle on the main character Essie, who is also the main character in this story. You'll be taken in from the first page 'til the last! Colorful and full of imagery.

I won't go into the plot here because others before me did such a splendid job, but I will reiterate what a refreshing character Essie is. This is another feel-good book from the enormously talented Gist, who never ceases to amaze with her rich characters and well-researched --- but (almost) always different --- settings. Readers will be rewarded (toward the end of the book) with one of the most powerful, emotionally compelling scenes ever. Gist had me turned into knots, then crying sweet tears of relief.

Essie Spreckelmeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to see with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she's known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man's eye.

And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer's oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune --- not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contradicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn't know if she's driving him toward the aisle or the end of his rope.

That's how life is... DEEP IN THE HEART OF TROUBLE.

Essie Spreckelmeyer, the town's spinster, has a reputation as a forward thinking woman; she's president of the Velocipede Club, has appeared in the newspaper, runs her father's oil company and has the audacity to wear bloomers. When Tony Morgan comes to town, he's not overjoyed about having a woman boss, yet she intrigues him on a personal level. Essie refuses to have a relationship with one of her employees, but Tony eventually wins her over. Each has a secret that could destroy their relationship. When a murder and a lynch mop are interjected, anything can happen in the small town of Corsicana, Texas.

I am a mental health professional and have used this book, excerpts from this book and the analogy "empty well" since the first time I read it in 2004. Mark writes with a sincerity that is moving and with such clarity that anyone can grasp the "empty well" concept and make it their own. I recommend this book to anyone who has had less than perfect relationships with their parents, family members, significant others or anyone else from whom you may have felt rejected or let down.

If you need healing, this is your book! Honestly, this book will be in my office and will be given to clients as long as I am in practice. Take my word for it...I have seen at least 50 clients who have sought fulfillment in drugs, alcohol, sex and various other self-destructive behaviors read this book and walk away with a better understanding of what their Empty Wells have been and what they're trying so desperately to find.

Mark Leonard's book is the type of book that you can't just read one chapter....you are going to be led to read the entire book in one day. It's that good! I think that this book will explain a lot of people in your life that have "issues" - it is especially good if you have teens. You can share this book with them and they will get their self-esteem and confidence back. A great ministry tool. I loved it! I walked away understanding so much - it was inspiring and anointed.

Pam Perry, Chocoalte Pages reviewer
www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com

When I read this book, I was moved into a place of journeying through my past life to find moments or seasons where I looked for people to acknowledge who I was as a person. The book awakened my spirit to abort all those negative memories where I looked for man's approval; replacing them with the stedfast trust in the Lord. I consider a book excellent when it is able to bring eternal healing to a wounded spirit because no money in the world can do that.

Reading Empty Well Thirsty Heart has been pivotal for me in reaching some very personal goals in my life. If you find yourself in similar cycles in relationships and in other areas of your life, I strongly suggest you take a moment and gain some incredible insight from this book. It will cause you to put a name to some of the broken areas and relationships in your life.
It will also, I believe by the the Spirit of God direct you to where the changes need to be made to bring about healing and to take you out of a barren place not just with yourself but with those you love.
Reading this book is a blessing not just because of what you will see in yourself, but you will be able to walk in wholeness and it will be a gift to everyone you come in contact with.

I have never read a book that so changed my life. "Empty well, thirsty heart." Takes you on a journey trough life's rejections and struggles, to a true place of wholeness and stability. Pastor Mark truly hits the heart of every human's struggle. We all have a God-shaped hole in our heart and we all need Him (God) to fill it. If you have not read this book I strongly recommend it for you and anyone you know regardless of their religion or faith.

This book is excellent guidance on how to communcate effectively with your son, yet also applicable to other family members. John's brillantly grounded approach works. He provides tools to break the cycle of frustrating circular arguments and reoccuring confrontations, which quite frankly, works with anyone. I've circulated the book amongst friends here in England, France and the States and the feedback has been the same, "can I keep this copy for future reference?".

I was hooked right away reading John's descriptions of boys who were so similar to our son. I was so encouraged that someone could see our problems and provide a reasonable plan to help us reconnect.

John identifies 6 ways that we parents repel our sons - Reacting, Micromanaging, Lecturing, Moralizing, Reiterating and Threatening - and then outlines what to do instead.

He provides a couple of invaluable tools: 1. Speaking to your son in a 90 second window, and 2. Using shoulder-to-shoulder communication. Both of these tools maintain connection and avoid your son's withdrawal.

John says at the end of every chapter, "And then the chase is on." It's chokes me up each time I read it and realize that all of the time, effort and resources spent are all worth it for the sake of my son.

Miraculously John Davis came into our lives during our son's and our family's power struggles in high school.
We learned and grew because of John's strength, wisdom and love. We are forever grateful and recommend ANYONE who knows a teenage boy to read this book and follow it.
There you will find your heart and your son can be the man he strives to be...noble, tender, worthy.
Mandy Vogel
Baltimore, MD.

As a single mother of a teenage boy, I was deeply moved by the empowerment of this incredible book. Author John Davis reveals the struggles and adversity his young clients have faced and the victory each of them have worked so hard to achieve! His vision and dedication to working with young men is inspiring. This book provides essential tools for every parent dedicated to developing the character of their sons (even daughters!) as well as guiding you through the process of overcoming the "very real" challenges our sons face in today's society (drugs, alcohol, sex, anger, peer pressure). John Davis is an authentic writer ~ his book is poignant, emotional, uplifting, raw, and very direct in teaching parents what to look for when there is a breakdown, either physically, emotionally or in communicating with your son. After reading this book, I have a clearer understanding in knowing how to "reach" the heart of my son and the best way to respond when challenges arise! John Davis has given all of us an incredible resource!! I have no doubt "Extreme Pursuit: Winning the Race for the Heart of Your Son" will be the marker in which all other parenting / relational books will be compared!

I'm a 23 year old student at Seattle Pacific University, I'm healthy, active, emotionally intelligent, and I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. I'm not bragging, I promise, it's just that I didn't always have these skills. This is a sincere thanks to John Davis for being a key player in my life when I was at vulnerable ages and places. You see, I'm a graduate of John's 2Xtreme counseling program. What this means is that much of who I am and many of the skills I've acquired, came directly from my relationship with John Davis. When I was struggling with finding healthy ways to connect with my family as a teenager, John and I were hammering out concrete ways for me to talk with my mom and dad. When I started making bad decisions in high school, John and I went to work on those issues. I was blessed with a friend who walked through the pain with me, and mentored me back to a place where I could start making positive changes in my life. This is the most concise testimony I can make about John's work. There's so much more that is needed to do the man justice, so here's my email address: aldrin@spu.edu I feel so strongly about furthering the message of John's work that I will gladly return questions from parents.
While reading Extreme Pursuit I was taken back to the office where we used to do our sessions. I was taken back to the literal cliffs that we rappelled from together. I was taken back to the Andes that John and I actually climbed together in the summer of 2003. I was taken back to the times when John and I had nothing else to say, so we just cried instead. And I'm not ashamed to say it. I'm also not ashamed to say that when I saw my name in John's book, I was giddy like a school girl. I'm seriously passionate about this message because it's a manual full of tools and advice that literally changed my life, and in no small measure. Know that this book is not a quick fix for you and your son. It never is with kids like us. This is an opportunity for you parents to crawl down into the adventurous and sometimes painful adolescent years that are so poignant in a boy's life. Trust me, your son wants to be your friend. He wants to make you proud of the young man he's becoming. The wealth of knowledge I find in Extreme Pursuit can help foster the relationships that are most important to you, and to your son.

Max Lucado is an artist! He paints pictures with his words. All his books are like that, but this one is superb!

We are using it as a women's group study. It lends itself wonderfully and quite easily to this venue. I have never seen the excitment and participation in a small group that this book has generated. But most exciting is the growth of the each women's understanding of Who God is to her (and who she is to HIM) presented in a unusual perspective. The result has been a steadily increasing sense of awe and trust and surrender ~ and a very obvious deepening of each woman's relationship with Him. I would highly recommend this book as a wonderful small group study.

Thanks, Max, you have blessed us ~ again!

With this book, I was lead through the Lord's Prayer and the House of God and understood more of what it means to live in "God's House." Max Lucado is a WONDERFUL author and such an inspiration! Thank you a lot. This book is a great devotional book, or a great book to just read for enjoyment.
~Kristen

Each Chapter has its very own message, and each really opened my heart with great understanding to God's love. I plan to purchase this book for my family members as a Christmas gift.

Lucado takes the Lord's Prayer (our Father, who is in heaven...) and breaks it down into many little parts - giving each part a "room" in the "great house" of God. It shed new light on the Lord's Prayer and I haven't looked at it the same.

Absolutely terrific writing. Classic Lucado - descriptive, prescriptive, and very emotionally connected to the reader. It is written in such a way that Max is the tour guide showing you all the rooms and how we can have a place there.

If you're looking to reconnect with God or for a breath of fresh air in looking at Scripture, this is a great book.

I have just finished this book and it was wonderful! Rev. Lucado has a delightful, conversational style that makes for easy reading. It's almost like having your own personal Bible teacher.
How often we take the Lord's Prayer for granted! We repeat the words mechanically with little thought to their meaning. Rev. Lucado puts these timeless words in a new perspective, bringing fresh meaning that will touch your heart. His description of Heaven brings both comfort and longing to the soul. A must read for all Christians whose view of God's Heavenly Kingdom is somewhat blurred!

This book was very coherently and beautifully written. It was focused and poetic, magical and real, all at once.
Ava really touches readers as she is so human-- she wants to be more of something, she wishes she were something, and she both loved and lost, and let go.
The author conveyed the essence of true love very effectively-- emphasizing that Ava loved her boyfriend not only because of what he was, but because of what she was when he was with her. The book also explores the question of letting go and when to do it and how to know when you are ready to do it. And anyone of any age is capable of love, for there are so many types of love.
I highly recommend this touching, tear-evoking novel!

Ava's boyfriend was perfect, he understood her. But when their game of dares goes to far and he is killed, Ava is guilty.
She misses him and stays home all the time, she won't talk to anyone, but then one night when she is finally starting to get better Jackson appears to her (in his own way).
He can't leave the house, so she stays home too.
He can't touch her or talk to her, but he's there and he still loves her.
But will Ava become a prisoner of her lost love or be set free by his presences?
I thought it was a great haunting read. The free verse really adds to it and it is the kind of book you can read over and over.
I really can't think of any negative feedback for the book. It is a beautiful, haunting book.
Warning: keep tissues near by.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

This is a touching story, written in free verse, about a teenage girl whose boyfriend dies, and we see her go through all the different phases of this loss. She's grieving and feels she is to blame for his death. But Jackson starts to appear to her in her home, as a ghost. This book is a wonderful read for teenagers who have lost someone close to them, and even those who have not. It's all about healing, and moving forward with your life after a tragedy.

It is recommended for grades 9 and up. There are mild references to sex, but I don't think it's something an 8th grader should be kept from reading. Its beautiful poetry, and a easy read.

My friends recommended that I read this book, and when I did, I was amazed by how incredibly touching it was. I cried a few times while I read it, which is unusual since I usually don't do that. The writing style that the author used really contributed to the emotions in the story.

Read it =]

A captivating read from page one that never slows down. I could tell right away that I was in for a sweet but sad love story. And the spine-tingling deeds of ghost Jackson had me pulling my bed cover a little closer.

this is an exceptional book. I could not put it down. It is a book that will capture your soul and heart from beginning to end. I also had the pleasure to be taught by the author, Dr. Good. He is a marvelous, enlightening, and kind man. His story is a real eye opener to other cultures that are very different from the U.S. incredible book that I will continue to read over and over again. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!

Good's work is a participant observation study of a primitive group of Indians who live along the Orinoco river in the Amazon. These people live communally and have a different world view than most of us are familiar with. As a result, the Yanomama normative structure is based on their world and culture. As I tell my sociology students, certain patterns may be considered universal, but the content of culture varies. For example, the Yanomama have no concept of privacy. Everything they did according to Good was public, except for sex and defecation. This is similar to the south African !Kung (Bushmen) who have no word for stranger. (Lee, 1969, !Kung Bushmen Subsistence...) They lived in large circular houses called shapono. There were no walls in these structures, and people arranged themselves by kinship and lineage so that the social organization of the families in the village is reflected in the placement of hearths and hammocks. It is within this structure and the central plaza that nearly all domestic activity takes place: child rearing, food distribution and preparation, trading and feasting, curing and cremation, drug taking of the men, singing and dancing of the women. (p. 33)

Good referred to the Yanomama as the pain in the neck people instead of the fierce people as Napoleon Chagnon did in his original work of the same title. Good found the Yanomama's lack of concern for privacy somewhat difficult to deal with. In our culture, privacy and independence are the expected norm. We even have terms for behaviors that violate such norms such as invasion of privacy and, of course, trespassing. The Yanomama are not viewed as violent or aggressive but rather as highly emotional and acting without (social) constraints. We might call this behavior impulsive.

Good believed that "... the best way to study the Yanomama was to understand the entire cultural context, rather than concentrate solely on the quantitative measurements...wanted to understand them--and I wanted them to understand me...not simply to record what they were doing, but to comprehend what it meant in the context of their lives." (p. 47)

The Yanomama never use their names in public...they call each other by the appropriate kinship term (father, mother, son, daughter) (p. 52) With a numeric system that stops at two, the Yanomama do not reckon years or ages; instead they categorize people according to general age groups: infants, children, adolescents, adults, elders. (p. 66) Their sense of self (women) included lack of concern for the way they appeared to others. Judgments about another person were not based on how they looked/appeared. Although skills in hunting and shamanism were valued, still every person was on the same level as every other one. There was minimal concern with vanity. (p. 80).

Among the Indians, a visit is never just a visit...and trade is always involved. (p. 97) Normally, the Indians don't like to have their pictures taken since they believe that the image (soul-noreshi) is captured. They were especially irritated when the German scientist Eibel-Eibesfeldt set up a video camera in the middle of the village all day. (p. 137)

I certainly empathize with Kenneth Good's comments about Chagnon's work. Unfortunately, I have never been to the Amazon, or lived with the Yanomamo. I do envy his experiences. In addition, I give complete credibility to his comments and find them most interesting. In the past, I assigned his book as required reading for my Sociology classes. I also list Chagnon's work as supplementary reading as well.

I was lucky enough to have Dr. Good for a class one semester at NJCU where he teaches. This book is an insightful look into a world far removed from ours. If one had read this book without meeting Professor Good, one would wonder what type of man he is given the difficulties he faced in the Amazon. Ken is one of the most down to earth professors I've ever had and opened my eyes to a new culture while teaching me to put aside ethnocentrism. If you attend NJCU, I suggest taking him for an anthropology class. Be prepared to have your cultural horizons broadened.

Book review

I have found the book "Into The Heart" by Kenneth Good very appealing both from a woman's point of view and from a Scriptural aspect. When reading the Bible about how a husband ought to love his wife: Ephesians chapter 5 verses 25, 28, 29, 31, 33, is very clear on that. In Kenneth Good's book I could sense the genuine love this man had for his wife which he had demonstrated in so many ways.

In the jungle, he tried to protect her from harm. During an imminent miscarriage, he insisted on carrying her heavy basket, while they were trekking in the rainforest. Husbands in that culture did not carry women's baskets even if these women were at death's door. Later, when the miscarriage was in progress, he was at her side in the dark of night, trying to comfort her. To shield her from insect bites he sprayed her back with mosquito repellent. A woman is obviously not at her attractive best during a miscarriage or childbirth, but this author was not turned off by her appearance. He did what he could to minimize her suffering. These were acts of kindness out of love. All he wanted to do was to ease her suffering, discomfort and fear. How many men in our Western civilized society would do this? A few but not all!

He further demonstrated his love for his wife when he took her back to the United States. By marrying her, he had made a statement to the WORLD: This is the woman I love, she is the one I have chosen to be the mother of my children. He knew full well that by this interracial cross cultural marriage he would face some criticism. Racism after all is alive and well in our Western Societies. But this author stood by his wife, was never ashamed to be seen with her. Financial sacrifices were made to return for a visit to his wife's tribe and family. It was during such a trip that their second child was born in a jungle hut. It is obvious that every thought of the author was to please his wife, to make her happy, to make her isolation and separation from her family bearable. This is a poignant love story, a story of endurance, a story of sacrifice, a story of one man's unselfish love for his wife. Albeit he lost his wife, but I concur with the saying: " It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all".

A reader in Canada. macska@christiancanada.com

LIke many, I picked this book up from an interest in anthropology. Like most of those same people, when I finished it, it felt as if i'd ended a great novel. To be completely honest, there are a severely limited number of times I (a twenty-six year old male graduate student in politics) have read a book only to have tears roll down my cheeks. Seriously, this is a glorious story as well as a fascinating anthropological commentary.

Here's the context: Ken Good was a graduate student under Napoleon Chagnon who was one of the first to do work with the Yanomamo indians. Chagnon wanted Good to do some research (field work) that might help supplement Chagnon's thesis that that Yanomamo are violent more by nature than culture. No matter the reasons, Good ends up not only abandoning Chagnon and his research, but finds the Yanomamo significantly less violent (by nature or culture) than Chagnon did. This may, in part, have been due to the fact that where Chagnon always remained the detached observer (his book is full of graphs, charts, and statistics), Good's got very personal (no stats here, for better or worse).

...Which brings us to the next layer of the story. Beyond being an anthropological perspective on the Yanomama, it is a fantastic - FANTASTIC! - love story. After a few years of living in the Yanomama community, good was offered a wife according to tradition. It took him a while to warm to it (and her even longer, given that he had strange habits like writing in notebooks and wearing 'foot coverings' Who would do such things?!). Their love blossomed, though, and the second half of the book is much about a host of difficulties: his struggle to 'hold on to her' when obligation took him out of the village for months at a time, the struggle to get a legal marriage to a woman who has no birth records, and later, how to get her out of the village with him.

The only problem i had with the book has less to do with the book and more with its circumstances. Good comments that Chagnon, in painting the Yanomama to be 'fierce people' overexaggerated (rather than fabricated) their ferocity. My guess, after reading both books, is that Good did the same thing by possibly underexaggerating. Good, for instance, will speak of some of the heinous things that Yanomama do, speak of it as a ancillary side-note, and wrap it up in two sentences, only returning to the topic chapters down the road. Truth be told, I think the truth lies betwixt Chagnon's and Good's accounts and I can't fault either book, but when one reads the two together, one gets the impression that BOTH authors completely missed (or ignored) things that the other got. How else could such different accounts come to pass?

For all that I strongly recommend this read both for education in anthropology and as one of the best love stories around.

What a great book ! I have two daughters ,6 and 10, we took turns reading the limericks. They won't put the book down! My oldest daughter is memorizing the limericks and walking around repeating them to her friends . My youngest reads them (with a little help) and not only does she laugh and enjoy them, it has helped her develop her reading skills !!! Thanks Mr.Poffo for your kind heart and vision to create such a versatile book, that children and adults both can enjoy, in addition,the message behind it all is so very important, smoking causes health risks and death ! What is the value (price) of one soul that is saved?

Mr. Poffo takes a near cliche, often ribald form and employs it in a positive manner to his great advantage. He elevates a meter considered vulgar to the highest levels of art and education. This book is a gift, not only to the life expectancy of our youth, but to the postmodern poet disillusioned from the harbor of conventional structure and set adrift on a sea of muddled antischemes. Bravo, Mr. Poffo. They called you "The Genuis" with good reason.

Thanks Lanny, purchased this book for the grand children and they love it. They share it with all their friends and the parents all thank me for purchasing this great book.

Reading to your children is one of the greatest things that you can do for their education...Reading Lannys book aloud to your kids teaches them good healthy habits and makes it fun! Bravo Lanny! You entertained us 30 somethings as kids in the wrestling ring, and now you're helping to keep our children healthy...Parents, for your childs health and education, BUY THIS BOOK!!!

This book is highly entertaining. It is virtually impossible to pick up the book, read a limerick or two and not feel good. Lanny is such a positive guy and it comes through very clearly. Lanny weaves in historical references, cultural icons and some silliness in driving home his anti-smoking stance. He accomplishes all of this without ever coming across as preachy.

This book will teach you about what everyone needs to know and have more off in the diet. Check out what others say and buy the book today. A book that urgently needs to be read.

I knew magnesium was important from other books I had read, and other classes I had taken, but I didn't realize how many things reduce the amount in the body such as, exercise, sweating, stress, prescription drugs, fluoride, and calcium supplementation. Magnesium is necessary to properly metabolize calcium, and it keeps calcium in solution in the body, so it prevents calcifications, which are quite common.

Magnesium is therapeutic in treating the following:
1. Anxiety and panic attacks- because it helps keep adrenal stress hormones under control
2. Asthma - both histamine production and bronchial spasms increase with magnesium deficiency
3. Blood clots - magnesium prevents blood clots and thins blood without side effects.
4. Bowel disease - magnesium deficiency is one of the main causes of constipation.
5. Cystitis - bladder spasms are worsened by a magnesium deficiency.
6. Depression - serotonin (mood elevator) is dependent on magnesium for its production and function.
7. Heavy metals - magnesium is essential for the removal of heavy metals such as aluminum and lead.
8. Diabetes - magnesium facilitates the production of insulin and the transfer of glucose into the cells.
9. Fatigue - magnesium deficiency affects hundreds of enzymes, and fatigue is one of the first signs of a magnesium deficiency.
10. Heart disease - The heart requires magnesium as does all muscles.
11. Hypertension, hypoglycemia, insomnia, kidney disease, migraines, nerve problems, PMS, osteoporosis, Raynaud's syndrome, and tooth decay are all aggravated, and sometimes caused by a magnesium deficiency.

Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium gives them the ability to relax. This is why it is so helpful in the treatment of heart disease, asthma, migraines, PMS and Raynaud's syndrome.

She told a very scary story where a Florida high school football coach gave his players a calcium supplement on a very hot day before a game. Eleven players became disoriented and had difficulty walking. Their speech was slurred, they complained of muscles spasms, and they were breathing very deeply. Within an hour eight of the boys collapsed into full-blown seizures. Thirteen of the players reported headaches, blurred vision, muscle twitching, nausea, and weakness. They all eventually recovered. The heat, exercise, and calcium supplementation had driven their magnesium levels dangerously low. Magnesium deficiency may play a role in sudden cardiac death syndrome as seen with athletes.

She generally recommends 600-1,000 mgs, and depending on your health condition will determine what type of magnesium to take. This is one of the better books I have read on natural health care. I'm currently working on a summary for myself, I'm about halfway through and already have four pages of notes. I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about natural healthcare.

If you're like me, you know to avoid "miracle" claims for any supplement. So, the title of this book may seem over the top.

But the fact is, magnesium is involved in hundreds of cellular reactions--to the point that if you don't have enough of it, you are breaking down all over. Sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes major ones. And magnesium can help such a wide variety of conditions that it does seem a bit too good to be true.

When I started researching magnesium a few years ago, I found the science so strong and the implications of mag deficiency so serious, I could not understand why more doctors didn't know about it.

Instead, our culture is getting pumped full of calcium, to the point that it is causing serious problems with sleeplessness, breast lumps, repetitive-use injuries, tendonitis, hypertension, anxiety, and even constipation.

A recent study showed that magnesium supplementation even at the point of infant delivery will reduce the risks of a child having cerebral palsy. And women who don't have enough magnesium have higher rates of hypertension during delivery.

I explain it to friends this way: Calcium gives rigidity to the cell, and magnesium gives flexibility. It's not exactly scientifically accurate, but it's close enough.

So, with any problem where you are lacking "flexibility," magnesium might help. Moreover, taken as the experts recommend, it won't hurt you--unlike the pharmaceutical alternatives your doctor might recommend instead.

As a nation, we are largely deficient in mag due to many factors, including high stress levels, consuming too many dairy products, and the quick-growing methods we've employed in our farming practices over the last 50 years. And the industry fixation on promoting calcium is CREATING many health problems.

Carolyn Dean explains everything you need to know about magnesium clearly, factually, and entertainingly. I recommend it to all who care about their health--and that of their loved ones.

"The Magnesium Miracle" is a well written, understandable look at this key mineral. The book details the studies done showing magnesium's role in the healing of so many disease conditions. As the author rightfully says, "We are not drug deficient, but rather nutrient deficient." Also, all the key minerals and vitamins are synergistic in their operation. This means that they work togehter to procuce the desired effect. For example, calcium is a muscle contractent, while magnessium is a muscle relaxant. For magnesium and calcium to do their jobs you also need vitamin D, copper, maganese, boron and zinc. Also these nutrients need to be in the proper ratio to each other. You might have heard that you need two parts calcium to one part magnesium. The author contends that you need one part calcium to one part magnesium. I agree with her.

The author stresses the importance of a healthful diet with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, cold water fish, organic meat, beans, nuts and seeds. She also gives you a supplement protocal for every disease condition talked about in the book. She isn't for mega doses of any one nutrient, but the right ratio of all the needed nutrients. I've known quite a few people, who while professing to be supplement takers, are slip-shod about the whole thing.This approach will not provide the necessary nutrients on a daily basis that are essential to regaining your health. You need to be responsible and discipline yourself to follow a supplement protocal and eat at regular times as well.

The author tells you about the various kinds of magnesium, how readily each one is absorbed by the body and whether they can cause loose stools in sensative people. Dr. Dean takes all the guess work out of chosing a magnesium supplement.

The one negative comment is where the author tells people with certain disease conditions to lay off meat. While some people need more protein and fat than others, we all need some in our diet. Because of the way most animals are raised, of all the foods to purchase organically meat is the most important. While organic meat is definitely more expensive, especially if you are already sick, you do not want to be eating growth hormones, antibiotics, etc. Some people are carbodydrate types, others are mixed types, while still others need a higher fat and protein diet. One simple way to determine your food type is to ask yourself what kind of chicken you most perfer. If like me you love dark meat, you are probably in the last catagory. If you perfer white meat the opposite is probably true. If both are equally appelaing you are probably a mixed diet person. For a more detailed test on this important subject go to Joseph Mercola's website.

I would also highly recommend you you read "Vitamin D Is It The Fountain of Youth?" by Paul Stitt. Vitamin D is another miracle nutrient. The more I study on nutrients the more convinced I become that only what our Creator designed us to function on will produce abundant health. We can't eat junk food, take a multi vitamin and be healthy. Also, lipitor will never replace magnesium. And while natural remedies such as herbs, chiropracitc, etc definitely have their place in a healthful lifestyle they don't replace proper eating, drinking enough water, getting adequate sleep, exercse, sunshine and fresh air. Also having a right relationship with God and close, healthy personal relationships is key to health. We need to learn to take responsiblility in every area of our lives.

This isn't your typical "you need Magnesium so here is where you buy it" and then bloated with a bunch of pages with a thousand sources that anyone can easily find on the internet. This is good reading and well done to open your eyes and make you aware, not only of the need, but the reasons. If you want hand-holding go to the health food store but if you want an education on the subject, this a good one.