Medicine and Health Books

It was good, but not the best i have read. I did learn a lot so I need to give credit for that.

Weil writes a very comprehensive book that asks the essential question, "What is health if not th absence of sickness?". Very informative and thought provoking!!!

This book is required reading for all students at the Clayton College of Natural Health. It should, in fact, be required reading for anyone entering the field of health, as it convincingly drives home an important point: just because allopathy ("conventional" or "western" medicine) has the most powerful medical lobby in the US, its history is far from flawless, and is often downright embarrassing when compared with that of time-honored systems such as homeopathy or tribal approaches to healing. In an entertaining and lucid manner, Dr Weil introduces the reader to many of the alternative approaches still being practiced the world over, and their advantages and shortcomings. He also points to the need for ALL kinds of medicines, and provides guidelines on which types of dis-eases are best handled by the various specialties. All in all, a thoroughly readable and informative book which will hopefully abolish forever the popular regard of M.D.s as "demigods in white," and the idea that allopathic medicine is the only credible and worthwhile approach to healing our sick.

Pinned on my office wall is an uplifting reminder titled, "Seven Rules Of A Winner". I found it interesting that the author listed health as the first rule. He wrote, "Be proactive and preventative about your health. Your body is your one and only vehicle for your journey to success, so start taking care of your health through exercise and diet." (The Psychology of Winning, by Denis Waitley). I didn't take that statement seriously until after a medical problem sent me to the hospital. Since happiness seems to go hand-in-hand with having a healthy body, I highly recommend this book. If nothing else, it provided me with a positive perspective on illness, and that alone made it worth reading. It also opened my eyes to the down-side of high-tech medicine, or rather, it put American medical practices into perspective and introduced me to alternatives. Herbal remidies are investigated as well as many others. The bottom line: read this book to learn how the body can heal itself and just how much is not known about the process of healing. A must read for anyone wishing to take control of their own health.

Andrew Weil's book was assigned as supplmental reading in a sociology of health and healing systems course at Park College in Southern California. With phrases like, "nothing works all the time and everything works some of the time," Andrew explored health systems worldwide from accupuncture in China to witchdoctors in Latin America. The idea that Western doctors actually gain much of their credibility not because of their own skills, but because they take credit for what the body already does is interesting. Health and medicine previously seemed like a highly scientific study, but viewed from Andrew's perspective, it is, in many ways, philosophically and culturally specific. Andrew brings a whole new world to medicine. Fascinting perspective.

Jeremy's novel is a powerful account of Carolyn's sudden illness and the road to recovery. His description turn the account into a page turner and the terrific outcome with Carolyn full recovery. I found the emotional elements very provoking and reminded me on how much we take for granted good health in life and the fragility of life itself. For someone looking to understand the human element of SCA this is provides a lot of background.

In "A Heart Too Good To Die" by Jeremy Whitehead, one is taken into a first person account of the shock and disbelief experienced by the Australian narrator as he learns of his American bride's potentially fatal sudden cardiac arrest. You feel the pain and fright in this very personal, very poignant true story. Although one knows that Carolyn survives [see Foreword], the opening chapters had my heart racing as the story unfolds, the characters are introduced and the horror and shock of the initial incident resounds throughout her IBM staffers and attendees at the conference and to her new husband on the other side of the world from his home and on the other side of the country from his wife. The author's love and adoration of his wife are evident on every page and on every page you are there with them, hoping and praying for a happy ending. I highly recommend this book for all to read. It is one of the finest demonstrations on how to use the computer as a personal research tool I have ever read and it will educate you and your loved ones to the hidden killer among us.

What a compelling read! This book offers story and learning all in the same package. The story will touch your heart - the vibrant young woman who survives an unthinkable tragedy. She is supported by an adoring husband who, shaken to his core by the near-death events, emerges as her champion and mainstay. The learning comes as insight into the fragility of life, the uncertainty of science and the labyrinth of American healthcare as seen through the eyes of an Aussie. But even more than being just a story or insight into science, this is a book of hope, great love and awareness. It is a call to know more about sudden cardiac arrest because we never know when we might be called to be heros.

As I sat down to read this book, I thought I would spend 15 minutes on it, but instead it captured me and I couldn't put it down! For anyone who knows of someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, OR anyone who has almost lost a loved one to ANY sudden, unexplained medical occurence or accident. I laughed and I cried...sometimes on the same page!!! A must read.

This book brought tears to my eyes, as I went thru the same things as Carolyn did with her arrest. It gives me a sense of relief and comfort to know someone else out there that had the same experience as myself.
I thank Jeremy for putting it into a story and sharing it with the world. I only wish I would have found this book sooner, as it is helping with my healing process from my arrest 10 years ago.
Jeremy's book has given me comfort to know that I am not alone.

If you are thinking about exploring Homeopathy this is the book to read first. For those that have experienced the wonderful effects of homeopathy and want a refresher course, or a question answered....you'll find it here.

This is one of the most concise and yet thorough and easy to understand explanations of what homeopathic medicine is on the market. I highly recommend anyone considering homeopathic care to read this book before they start. If you are at all curious about this unique form of healthcare called homeopathy, read the book!

My homeopathist recommended reading this book before my first visit. My experience was so successful that I ordered several more books to lend to family, friends, and acquaintances who show an interest in homeopathy. This book really prepares you to get the most out of the homeopathic interview and cooperate with the healing process.

I was never seriously ill during most of my life, but a stubborn case of no-external-trigger urticaria (hives) has been plaguing me for nearly a year. I've visited one regular doctor, one osteopath, two emergency room docs, three allergists, and three acupuncturists. They were all unable to cure the hives, but the allergists finally brought my symptoms under control with a powerful hellbroth of prescription drugs:

1 Prednisone (steroid, immunosuppressant) 20mg pill in the morning
1 Tagamet (Cimetidine, H2 antihistamine) 300mg pill in the morning
1 Allegra (Fexofenadine, H1 antihistamine) 180mg pill in the morning
1 Zyrtec (Cetirizine HCl, H1 antihistamine) 10mg pill in the afternoon
1 Atarax (Hydroxyzine HCl, H1 antihistamine) 25mg pill at bedtime
3 Doxepin (antidepressant, sedative) 10mg pills at bedtime
1 Tagamet 300mg pill at bedtime
1 Prednisone 20mg pill at bedtime

Plus, I had to carry an emergency epinephrine (adrenaline) syringe everywhere, just in case my precariously-balanced immune system tipped into anaphylactic shock.

One of the allergists provided me with a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel newsflash: "These cases usually burn themselves out in three to five years."

But if you take Prednisone for a long time, you tend to gain a lot of weight, and your immune response is slowly crippled. The allergists tried to cut down the Prednisone gradually, but my hives always returned with a vengeance. [A minor bout with urticaria is much like being flayed alive... and after experiencing several full-blown major attacks, I wouldn't wish one on my worst enemy.] I was clinically depressed, and marginally suicidal.

My doctors thought I was doing great, considering.

Since the AMA and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioners couldn't really help, I turned to homeopaths as a last resort. Even though I had always viewed homeopathy as a marginal--if not totally quack--science, I was at the end of my rope and desperate enough to try anything.

After a few homeopathic treatments, my drug regimen is now down to:

1 Prednisone 2.5mg pill (1/16 of my previous daily intake) in the afternoon
1 Benadryl 25mg pill (over-the-counter antihistamine) at bedtime

These doctors are determined to wean me off drugs completely, God bless 'em. Needless to say, I now highly recommend homeopaths. And they recommended that I read Homeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine, for an overview.

I wish I'd read it a year ago.

The author describes what homeopathy is and how it works in a very clear style. This book will help the newcomer understand homeopathy and I highly recommend it.

This is an outstandingly readable book despite its sometimes dark and gruesome accounts of things gone badly awry. Dr. Blanc is capable of causing delight even with material that might not be very promising in someone else's hands. He seems to have taken into account Samuel Johnson's adage that "what is read with delight is commonly retained, because pleasure always secures attention."

This might have been an angry and difficult book to read with the horrors it recounts, but the approach reminded me of Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" since the focus is widened from medicine and includes medical and chemical history, biography, along with references to arts and literature. Dr. Blanc's knowledge is clearly wide-ranging.

Dr. Blanc frames economic and political problems in a long historical view that makes it obvious that the problems are not new and our society is not much more wise than it has been in the past. The same problems keep happening over and over (literally, the same problems with some of the same substances that have been known to be poisonous since antiquity). Adding to that, new, untested items, some very likely to cause harm, come on the market with little consideration. We should be asking ourselves how it feels to be human guinea pigs.

Any thoughtful reader of the book will be lead to the question: When do we demand something better from the incompetent leaders who say, "Trust us, we know what's best for you" while they give in to economic pressures? When do we tell the people more interested in the bottom line than the value of human life to shove it?

Dr. Blanc presents a detailed and complex story that is well researched and fascinating. He appreciates the details, the personalities, and the discoveries even when telling a story that is a train wreck in slow motion.

Despite the implications from the jacket blurb, this is NOT a book that catalogs all the dangers around the average person. Dr. Blanc mostly limits the number of specific toxins he presents and gives fairly in-depth and interesting discussion of them.

Kudos on a book that is well written, fun to read (!), and insightful.

I admit that I bought this book for its title while in the midst of a book buying frenzy, thinking that it would be a run-of-the-mill, toxins in the home primer of sorts. I spent the first 20 or 30 pages thinking, "This book is not at all what I thought it would be. Why does it have this misleading title? Why did it have that misleading product description?" Even the reviewer's quote on the book cover is misleading: "A superb tool for making our homes, finally, a safe place to raise children." As another Amazon reviewer pointed out, this is just colossally crappy marketing.

When I got past the slight disappointment of owning a very different book than I thought I had purchased, I realized, as other reviewers have, that this book is an incredibly well-researched and well-written history of modern chemical development and its consequences. I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is not only interested in how chemicals in our environment can make us sick, but also in how some of those chemicals came about and how they ended up in our households despite the fact that they are well-known toxins. Read this book along with Not Just A Pretty Face, In Defense of Food, Exposed, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, The Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, etc., to usher in full-blown outrage at the fact that our government doesn't do more to regulate the poisons that corporations are happy to pump into us on a daily basis.

Excellent history of how products are made and their affect on the workers that made them. Provides insight into what motivates the production of a product and illustrates how we arrived at a world surrounded by an unhealthy enviroment. Definitely worth reading.

If you are looking for how everyday products make people sick (toxins at home and in the workplace) try a book like What's Toxic, What's Not by Ginsberg & Toal, which does a fine job of covering this topic in a style that makes it easy to find just the toxins or areas of exposure that concern you.

If you are interested in the fascinating history of toxins in the workplace, this is your book. In engaging and clever narrative, Blanc tells the stories of toxins that sicken people, the often slow process of uncovering the source of illness, the eventual phasing out of the product (often because another product rendered it obsolete, not due to health concern), and the frequent return of the underlying toxin in a new product.

Blanc brings history alive with stories of individuals exposed to invisible threats. His narrative is supported by scientific analysis, providing a reassuring direction and momentum to a disturbing, sometimes frustrating, topic.


I am the Director of Education for the Foresight Nanotech Institute and the author of Technology Challenged: Understanding Our Creations & Choosing Our Future.

I bought and read this book together with Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power and I recommend both of them. This one is written from an occupational health perspective, and provides superb history on "the industrial disease" while "Exposed" is more from a public policy perspective.

The author mentions, and I plan to sign up for if I can, the Center for Disease Control (CDC)"Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report."

The author who started out focusing on workplace toxicity, also covers household toxicity, most alarming of which was paint emitting toxic vapors.

The author laments the manner in which the government, think tanks, and corporations are all doing a slow roll on toxicity, ignoring it, covering it up, or delaying action on it. The The Precautionary Principle in the 20th Century: Late Lessons from Early Warnings is nowhere to be found, in part because of The Republican War on Science.

Among the threats covered:

· Acids
· Arsenic
· Asbestor
· Chlorine
· Dyes
· Fibers (Asthma)
· Fumes from Metal (Lung collapse)
· Glue
· Lead
· Manganese
· Oil
· Plastics (Liver Cancer)
· Solvents (Benzine)
· Toxic Gases

The author is authoritative and not at all over-bearing in laying out the case against an ignorances of toxicity that is assuredly not in the public interest. He addresses neurological impacts as the most subtle and most frightening and most cummulative in nature.

His bottom line is that the pharmaceutical, industrial materials, and household goods industries are not doing enough testing and not getting enogh oversight. From this book one can easily see the varied government agencies nominally responsible for public health being phased out as was the Office of Technology Assessment.

The author notes that emerging toxins are of real concern, but that dollars and attention are being consumed by SARS, West Nile, and other biological threats (diseases are coming together and mutating in animal hosts, then jumping to human hosts, and becoming drug resistant more quickly).

Microwave popcorn lung caught my attention. As convenient as it is to use, the microwave evidently enhances toxicity of some substances, and we literally have no menu to follow in avoiding this.

My one disappointment is the lack of a table of toxic products, a lack of dollar figures, mortality and disability figures. I believe that a second edition of this book could be much improved, and as one reviewer notes, the rich history in the book given a higher profile.

The notes and index are superb and the book overall is of sufficient value to the public to warrant five stars. This is an important work.

See also:
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health
Manufacture of Evil: Ethics, Evolution, and the Industrial System
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
An Enormous Crime: The Definitive Account of American POWs Abandoned in Southeast Asia
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

The federal government, at the political level in both Congress and the Executive, cannot be trusted to act in the public interest. Wall Street is beginning to realize that that the "true cost" of corrupting the government has been the hollowing out of America's population, and in my view, it will be the fund managers at Wall Street who must recognize the value of public health, just as the rich in NYC realized in the 1920's that disease is indiscriminate.

Excellent book.

The author has done extensive research into the effects of immunizations and presents much data that would be lead a person to believe that vaccinations do much harm and provide no benefit.

In the forward by George R. Schwartz, MD, he states that "a voice is seeking dialogue and requiring counterpoint" (page 8). Dr. Schwartz does not provide this counterpoint but only states that he "advocates the standard vaccinations" (page 7). But this is critical for the average reader to make an informed decision. Both sides of the issue should be presented in this book in order to help the reader make the best decision possible. Perhaps a format where the author presents his findings with an opposing view of from the medical establishment and rebuttals would serve the reader best.

The book presents some very convincing statistics, however I was very disappointed in the misleading manner some of the numbers were reported.

Many times the author points out that infection rates were falling before the vaccine was introduced and implies that the continued rate of decline was not due to the vaccine. Although the prior decline is relevant it doesn't prove that the vaccine is not effective. The infection rate might have stabilized at a higher rate without the vaccine. Even if the vaccine were effective this argument could be used to show that it wasn't. The data that needs to be compared to resolve this are infection rates for comparable populations of those vaccinated versus those not vaccinated.

Another example is on page 29 where it states that "In 1989, 89% of all school-aged children in the U.S. who contracted measles were adequately vaccinated". This is a misleading way to present the numbers. It makes it impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine. To demonstrate this, suppose that million children were vaccinated and 22 were not. Also suppose that there were 89 cases of measles from the vaccinated group and 11 cases from those not vaccinated. In this scenario 89% of cases are from vaccinated persons. However what needs to be compared is the percent of cases in the vaccinated group versus the percent of cases in the non-vaccinated group. In this example 0.0089% of the vaccinated group became ill versus 50% of the non-vaccinated group. These numbers are fabricated and are only used to demonstrate that some of the statistics reported in this book can be misleading and are not the best data to using in determining the efficacy of the vaccination.

What I find more troublesome is that author "is a medical research journalist", has a degree with "an emphasis on statistical analysis", and is a member of Mensa (a society for those with a genius level I.Q.). With this background the author, Neil Miller, must realize that the data mentioned above is misleading and is not the relevant statistic to compare to judge the harm or benefit of the vaccination in question. What is needed is the rate of infection, death, or other complications, such as autism, in similar groups of vaccinated versus non-vaccinated populations. After seeing data presented in a purposely misleading fashion I came to question the author's sincerity when he states that "I merely try to present the facts in a clear and straightforward manner".

In conclusion I would like to point out that the author has done society a great service to gather a tremendous amount of information and raise very important issues regarding vaccinations. His conclusions might very well be correct! However the reader would greatly benefit if the author expanded the book and co-authored it with those of the medical establishment propounding alternate views and then include a series of rebuttals. With the tremendous amount of medical information available and contradicting positions the reader is generally left with doubts and concerns. Having an open dialog, as proposed in the forward of the book by Dr. George Schwartz, might help resolve and clarify many issues in the reader's mind.

You owe it to the health of your child to do the reasearch before allowing him/her to be immunized. I have done alot of reading and talked to several Dr.'s and have decided against any immunizations. The information is out there. Why take a risk? I started seeking info. after I became pregnant because I worked with a man who has a 5 yr. old that is severly damaged by the DPT vaccine. He was a thriving baby, doing everything on time until his 6 month vaccines. That night he started having severe seizures, up to 100 per day. Now he is unable to walk, talk, or function at all. It's sad. I will not take that chance and I have made an informed decision. You can double check Mr. Miller's information. He's not making any of this up. It's based on fact, not opinion.

I just read a report today (February 23, 2006) stating that a panel of pediatricians are recommending that all children, from 6 months to 5 years of age, be REQUIRED an annual vaccination against the flu virus! Whoa, whoa, whoa their boy. Not so fast. Enter Neil Miller's brigade of truth-seekers. Miller's book should be a must-read for any cognizant parent who wants to keep their children out of harms way of Big-Pharma controlled CDC, FDA, HHS, etc. Well documented and brilliantly researched, it answers the questions as to why the Germ Theory and Isopathic theory are flawed, the consequences of the blind "facts" of vaccination success, and how we can empower ourselves against the Pharmaceutical Beast. Compulsory vaccination programs need to be halted at once, and Neil Miller's expose will pave the way for the re-education of a once-enlightened, responsible society.

'Immunizations', a euphemism for forced vaccinations, have outwardly cost 500 million dollars and an impending estimated 1.5 billion dollars from current lawsuits from caused deaths and disabilities. Neil Z. Miller's expose on the likely insanity and dangers of this 'treatment' seems very well documented. Studies show the inefficacy of vaccination but its practice goes on.

Miller points to obvious data showing that the amount of vaccination in a culture is in direct proportion to its disease incidence. Miller ties in the facts of our rampant and zealous childhood vaccination programs with our extremely high infant mortality rate (for a developed country). These vaccinations typically contain mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde. An adverse reaction from a vaccine on a child is not attributed to the vaccine if the reactin occurs more than a few hours later. This and other unsound data collecting techniques protect this possibly lethal practice.

U.S. soldiers from the Gulf War had a high incidence of complications. The British and French troops did not. The difference? The American soldiers received extensive 'immunizations' (including anthrax) before their deployment.

Miller also brings up the quite alarming possibility that the AIDS epidemic was a purposeful event on the peoples of Central Africa. The countries that received our 'help' with extensive immunizations (known live viruses along with plenty unknown viruses found in monkeys) had the highest incidence of this disease.

Hopefully Neil Miller's work will get the attention it deserves from the World Health Organization and others so that if there is healing to be done from this travesty, it can be done now... and a lesson can be learned.

Five Stars

This book was well worth a second read. I first read it in 1996. As a member of the generation that was allowed to get the measles and chicken pox, this book made sense to me. As the parent of a child brain-damaged from pertussis vaccine toxins, I welcomed this well researched work. I wish I had read it when I was pregnant with Bill. I read so much on nutrition and breast-feeding. I did not even know that infants were vaccinated before I took my son to his first well-baby visit at 6 weeks old. I thought it was just that, a well baby visit. The doctor's attempt to fix what was not broken resulted in a developmentally delayed baby and then later a moderately mentally retarded adolescent. Now with a mentally retarded adult child, I can say there is nothing moderate about post-vaccinal encephalopathy. The politics of immunology is well reported in this little book. It is very to the point. Mr. Miller proves his thesis over and over again and vindicates those professionals who have gone against the grain and refused to participate and those parents whose voices are too seldom given a hearing on this issue. I love a good expose' and this is the best of its genre. It's a great murder mystery, a whodunit that Mr. Miller unravels in great style. The truth is always good, sometimes it goes down a little hard. The price of the book is little to pay for a truth I learned the hard way. ie The truth that corporate profits are being served and not public health. I have bought several copies and given them away. The reality of the tragedy and the scale of this tragedy that he reports on has been suppressed. As a Holocaust Studies major, I cannot help but notice the similarities between attrition by vaccination and the systematic nature of the other war against civilians. One of those similarities has been the refusal to believe atrocity stories. As a parent who 22 years ago began telling of the terrible trauma inflicted on my innocent son, I feel vindicated but I don't feel better. Two of the chapters in this book are "Human sacrifices" and "Genocide". Find out what are federal government has been up to while we have been looking the other way. Margaret S. Scheuer

To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?(Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.), Roman orator, philosopher, statesman. Orator, 120.)

As humans we not only should look into the future, but into the past. Without considering our past history-how can make appropriate observations, conclusions and judgments? And this is why I find this book of value.

About the Book:
Crow, a student of spiritual healing, left his acupuncture practice in San Francisco to travel to Kathmandu to pursue the path of the healers in Buddhist and Hindu culture. He discusses his experiences with Nepalese traditional doctors and Tibetan healing practices. Crow believes Ayurveda is the medicine of the future and the antidote to disease caused by our increasingly toxic world.

David Crows book is a must read for anyone interested in herbal medicine, Eastern philosophy, and their relevance in todays hectic world--especially for those interested in the ancient yet highly topical teachings of Ayurveda.

This book is urging us to create a new renaissance in healing, but it is not another superficial New Age book. This book is written with care and depth of heart by someone who is not interested in simple answers to complicated questions. I was struck by the authors integrity and ability to make sense out of such diverse yet interrelated topics as herbs, healing, culture, sustainable economics, and ecology. The authors central theme is that we need to both revive and advance herbal medicine and our own sense of sacred environmentalism in order to live in harmony on this troubled earth.

In Search of the Medicine Buddha is not only a book about herbal medicine but also about the need to renew our ageold spiritual connection to plants. Moreover, the book is refreshingly honest, rich, and poetic in its descriptions of Nepali and Indian culture. Highly recommended for anyone interested in creating a richer, more fulfilling and balanced life for themselves and all other living beings!

David delves into the subject of miraculous medicinal plants around the world and explains why botanical medicine is so crucial for the long term health and care of our planet, our healthcare system and our economy. David writes about how you can get involved in creating a grassroots healthcare system in your community by growing your own living pharmacy among many other natural wonders.

The perspective and insight that this books contains is overwhelming. The content was great, but what struck me most was the nature of the author. He has such an incredible respect and love for the Earth, other cultures, and human beings. If the world was full of David Crows, we'd be in good shape. I recommend this book for the fascinating look at Tibetan medicine, but even more for the spiritual development that Mr. Crow inspires.

The text itself is medicinal. The story speaks often of the ancient and rare, but is something everyone struck by the unrelenting madness of the modern world should read. The author's sincerity comes through clearly, and I would be pleased to see more from him. It is difficult to do justice to this book in a short time; it is very rich, even poetic. Do yourself a favor: just trust me on this one.

It was the most wonderful book I ever read. About a girl who loves here dog and has such a strong realationship with him. When Cheddar was hit by the I coundn't stop reading! This book was filled with sadness,and happyness but yet still a little bit of mystery in it too. This book inspired me to write a story of my own and I hope if you read it will inspire you too!

I would recommend this book to other people because it is very detailed and it is also very curious too. Some parts of this book were exciting or scared or curious. I think a lot of people would like to read this wonderful book. If Cheddar did not get hit by a car I think none of the horrible things would have happened. I also think that some of Kat's reactions were not very good choices. I think that Kat should not have gone to the hospital because she could go to the hospital after school. When the bike was found, I was very curious about who stole the bikes. To me, this is a very well written book and I hope many people will read it!

This book was the best I have ever read! It is a wonderful book filled with sorrow, humor, and everyday situations.

If you love pets the way I do and you'll do anything in the world to take care of them and make sure they're all right, then you'll be right there with Kat and her dog, Cheddar in Pam Swallow's well-written story about them! This is a funny and sometimes serious look at a girl who does the wrong things for the right reasons - a girl I could sure identify with and I think you will, too. You'll want Kat for your friend.

It is wonderful to read a story about a character I can relate to. Kat is not a bad kid. She does something wrong, but she does it for the right reason. And then she pays for her mistake. A reader can see how one mistake can mushroom into something big, and that a person's reputation can be affected. But the reader can also learn, the way Kat does, that people can be so different than you imagined they are, once you get below the surface. Kat is a caring person, and that quality shines through. I was with her all the way!

This work advances the movement of patient empowerment with thoughtful ideas, advice and suggestions. The tone is respectful and practical in reference to patients, providers and healthcare systems. The book will support healthcare safety and improved patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes.

What an asset this book is to all of us. Health sees no race, religion, handicap. Health effects each one of us and all our friends and family. What a helpful book with so much information. I will be giving this book as a gift to all my loved ones this year instead of trying to figure out what they want or getting somthing they dont need. This book is a must have for all family members, all ages. I just love the information it provides. Thanks to the Authors for such an informative book and taking the time to research and write. We all taken our health for granted at one time or another. Now finally a book with pertinent information at our finger tips and at such a "small price dollar wise" as apposed to the price we pay for health issues ignored or not understood. No comparison. A must have book.

This is a must have book.....you can learn so much from reading this book and how we've all been left in the dark. It's a great gift for parents and in-laws that still think of doctors as GOD [wake up] ! Pick one up for yourself and others - they will be so grateful !

This book helped answer so many of my questions. This is a great item to have or to give to anyone who has any questions regarding their health. GREAT BOOK!!! Please look into it!

This book equips and enpowers the vast number of non-medical people to better navigate the medical community. It is written in a professional way, but so well done that non-professionals are also able to reference and appropriate the information. The expertise and knowledge provided in this book will benefit both the healthcare provider as well as the recipiant and promote better healthcare outcomes in our nation. Everyone needs to read this informative and educational book.

This book should be compulserary reading for caretakers. It can show how to deal with the stress and "burnout" of peole in all fields. I learned how better deal with my terminal illnes. Whereas, I do not agree with the later stages of the "bardo" ( the dying process of 40+ days) from the Tibetan / Buddhist point of view, all else was quite perffect. For one to impliment the suggestions in this book are , in my experience, guarenteed to ellivate an individuals ability to be compasionate toward life itself. Thank you, Tom J. Sawyer, Rochester, N.Y.

Medicine & Compassion is an important book. It should be required reading for physicians, medical students, nurses, caregivers, and hospice staff. Every family should have it on their bookshelf. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and even non-religious people will benefit from this book because the ideas are about the human condition which transcends all differences of faith. In a word, this book is a treasure.

We all grow old, get sick, and die. Impermanence, uncertainty, and sorrow permeate our very existence. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and David R. Shlim, M.D., answer the important questions of why we get sick and to how to respond with compassion and mercy, when illness or impending death are at hand. One could say that it is a manual to understanding our own nature and mortality.

The narrative tone of the book is intelligent and merciful - never sugary or overdone. I could really feel the subtle, yet vibrant life energy of the book as it conjured forgotten images and feelings. It caused me to reflect on the end of life care that I administered for my parents and brother. I was able to see what was good and what was lacking in my care for them, without feeling a sense of regret. In fact, I gained a sense of optimism for the future.

As a writer on Buddhist healing, I found this to be a perfectly cut gem. Its words and inferences reflected the light of wisdom. I found it an invaluable tool for encouraging the sick and suffering. I was especially impressed with the author's end of life guidance in the chapter "Easing the Process of Dying." As a Buddhist for more than 30 years, I've read many works on death, dying, and the bardos. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and Dr. Shlim explain this subject in a way that can satisfy the average person or the spiritually advanced. Most of all, the reader will be inspired to improve their own life and mind.

I highly recommend this book. Just as an outdoorsman needs a compass, so too can this book guide one in challenging times.

Charles Atkins
Author of "Modern Buddhist Healing"

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche is a highly-respected Tibetan lama who heads a large monastery in Nepal and has active Dharma centers in a number of Western countries
(see gomdeusa.org). He is a pure-hearted and open-minded teacher who indeed embodies the Buddhist ideal of compassion and wisdom combined. The ongoing "meetings of the minds" (the Mind and Life seminars with H.H the Dalai Lama being probably the best-known example), focussing on Mind and Meditation, are attracting wide interest; the theme of Mind, Meditation and Medecine may resonate even more, given the number of books appearing in that general area, of which this one is surely among the best.

This book is quite brief, and offers the reader a compact and concise overview of Tibetan Buddhism's approach to medicine, caregiving, and death. It is not necessary to be a Buddhist to gain insight from this book, and I wish I had had access to it years ago when I was caring for an ill relative. Should be purchased by libraries.

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and David Shlim have articulated beautifully an invaluable lesson in learning how to encompass compassion into our encounters with patients. As nurses and physicians we work with great dedication and energy to help our patients move toward a healthier state of being. The process sometimes seems very easy and gratifying however, sometimes we are stuck and not sure why. This book offers practical advice to the reader of how to more effectively approach each patient with kindness, wisdom and care. Since reading the book, I have noticed subtle changes in my own approach to patients and have felt a new energy and insight.

Wonderful- who could have thought the breath could be so interesting and sooo relaxing.

This is an excellent support for breathing/mindfulness meditation practice. The option of led and unled practice sessions is really helpful - and Vidyamala's calming voice is a great bonus!

I've been using this CD for about two years, along with the Body Scan and Kindly Awareness, also by Vidyamala and Sona. Practising this meditation with the CD has helped me to live in the present moment, and this in turn has helped me to enjoy life much more. The ancient Greek Philosopher Epicurus thought that the main reason we suffer was to do with thoughts about that past and the future, and that if we could just stay with our present moment experience we would be happy. I agree with him and heartily recommend this CD as a way of doing just that.

This CD has really helped me develop more awareness in my life. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a stressful job, as it can help you bring more spaciousness and calmness into the way you relate to the demands of the job. I know this from experience having worked as nurse, and now as a psychologist for a number of years. At the same time I can recommend this CD to both those who are new to meditation as well as those who are more experienced. Highly recommended!

I have a long standing back injury and have tried many many treatments from all sorts of disciplines. This mindfulness approach is the most effective thing I have ever done for my back pain. It is somehow ironic that switching from trying to treat or fix the pain to just living with it and managing it is what has worked, but there you are.... I really enjoy the slowing down that this CD brings for me. I got the benefits by using the CD over time so this is not a quick fix. But it does work.