Medicine and Health Books

I found the description of what to expect in a treatment session especially helpful. I just started chiropractic treatments recently and, even though I did not go to one of the practitioners listed in the guide, I still knew exactly what to expect and felt more comfortable starting treatment. Thanks you for relieving some anxiety!

As a bodywork practitioner presented with the dilemma of offering help and services to clients confronted with the trial of their lives, I had high expectations of this book. I wasn't disappointed. This book is solid, well researched, and substantive. I will recommend it without reservation to my clients. Not just clients facing cancer, but any client troubled by a chronic or acute physical condition or discomfort who seeks resources to improve their health and well-being. This takes effort, education, information, and resources. What this book offers is a structure and framework to evaluate "what's out there", and help a person to decide "Is this for me?" "Is this for me now, or later?"

What I especially appreciate is the author's emphasis on trusting your own intuition---and backing that up with succinct, well-organized information to facilitate rational decision-making in support of one's intuition. This book isn't just another nice book about a cancer experience; it's a well thought out resource to think through and make decisions on developing your complementary health care. Thank you, Carole O'Toole!

This book describes many complementary alternatives to conventional breast cancer treatments. Having been through conventional treatment myself, these alternatives are NEVER presented by mainstream practitioners and it is a pity that many people never hear about these potentially effective options. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in saving their life.

This book is such a gift, written with authority, clarity, and empathy. For anyone who wonders what to expect from different complementary therapies, this book is invaluable. For those facing decisions about maintaining health while fighting cancer, this book is a blessing. The author transforms her struggle to stay alive and maintain well-being into a resource for the rest of us.

This book offers the reader a factual, non-biased compilation of available complementary therapies. As a cancer survivor, she teaches us that when facing a cancer diagnosis and standard allopathic therapies, we can, no we must, be an active participant in assessing all the possible treatment paths as we make our decisions and choices in our path to healing. Not only do we hope to understand what is happening to us, we must take an active role in regaining our good health.

Ms. O'Toole teaches us that we must trust our selves and our abilities in this process. For when we do, we make the best possible decisions for our lives. This book is a wonderful guide for those facing treatment as well as their loved ones.

This is an excellent reference book. It's very informative without being difficult to read. It covers 8 different therapies: Ayurveda, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Traditional Home & Folk Medicine, Herbalism, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, Flower Remedies, Vitamines & Minerals. It is well organized, even color codes different sections, and has great pictures / illustrations. If I had to elliminate all but one book in my library on health remedies and treatment, this would be the one I would keep.

This book is so easy to use and understand. It presents each item individually and also has a section that covers most problems that people face from upset stomachs to headaches to Cancer. Obviosly some remedies seem far fetched but the vitamin section makes good sense and gives you much more information then the vitamin bottles at the store!

This book incorporates everything from homeopathy, vitamins & minerals, food, acupuncture, dosage, everything. There is really no need for any other book. I refer to it regularly. The index makes it very easy to locate exactly what you're looking for quickly. Highly recommend if you are interested in natural remedies.

Not only does this book cover a vast array of ailments and treatments, it also does this with chronology, great structure and an inviting style.
The photography is clear and the people don't all look like super models or over actors!
All the major alternate diciplines are here and the sections are inviting and easy to follow.
This would be a valuable student tool, a great book for the interested and should (in an ideal world) be in every Doctor's Surgery.

An excellent natural healing reference book. Tons of cross references. So easy to follow. Beautiful clear layout. Covers just about everything. Tells how to do it yourself in many cases. Includes Ayurveda, chinese medicine, flower remedies, herbs, home remedies, aromatherapy, vitamin therapy and homeopathy.

would highly recommend this book for all familie

This is an nice book for those who want to know more about alternative health care. I give the book to patients who are interested in reading about the various subjects covered.

This book has been the backbone of inspiration for me and my family. I keep it by my bedside and read it constantly. I have numerous pages folded down of remedies and healthy living suggestions--suggestions that cater to both my physical well-being and my mental health.

The authors have done an incredible job detailing and researching all the alternatives to the typical drug-store remedies and present it in a very readable and consise manner.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a family who wants to explore alternative options to a healthy physical and spiritual life.

Taylor and Nelson's approach to health, well being and happiness is no nonsense. Clear and direct, it is exactly the book to reach for. It is easy to use and, inspirational. Don't get bogged down by medical terms and chemical solutions, buy this book.

I keep this book by my bed for handy reference. The information is presented in a very accessible format for those who are new to natural remedies and healing practices. I find the combination of different healing practices helpful and easy to use with each member of my family.

I am currently re-reading this interesting book after a recent discussion involving studies -- among other things this book debunks 'medical terrorism' in which studies are used to frighten people unnecessarily. (The authors strongly encourage us to look more closely at the size and scope of studies before applying them to ourselves)

However, the book covers many more topics in emphasizing the importance of pleasure, including a focus on Work that makes and keeps us slaves to industry while cutting us off from significant others in our lives.

The authors aren't proponents of hedonism, but suggest that if we buy into conventional wisdom, we miss out on the joy life has to offer without any real improvement in our health or longevity.

Pleasure as the root of all evil (too often equated with sex) has been converted from its true purpose as the only motivation and incentive that spurs people to action. The power of pleasure has quite simply been highjacked and converted into the exact opposite of its intended purpose to elevate mankind into achieving the impossible - whatever that impossible happens to be. Long recognized by founders of America by including the possible of impossibilities into the preamble of America's Declaration of Independence to properly document their perspective, and their newfound knowledge emerging from the tyranny of Kings and Queens, they set in motion the philosophy upon which American capitalism and entrepreneurship seeks to preserve that delicate relationship between man and the enjoyment of his life - spiritual, mental and physical - and at least, in theory, the same for women. Practice turns out to be much more elusive than planned despite the Constitutional protections because of our lack of consideration for each other of the fine boundaries that separate one from another in that sometimes elusive pursuit that is by definition individually selective, and guarantees that his life will be meaningful, important and happy secure in the natural rights defined as his privilege to define for himself what gives him pleasure - the expression of his free will nurtured within that promise of a free nation, America.

The authors make an airtight case for a pleasurable life being healthy. This book will make you feel good, emotionally AND physically.

Healthy Pleasures written by Robert Ornstein and David Sobel is a book about the medical benefits of pleasure, that is longer, healthier life.

The book is divided up into three parts and each of those has chapters relative to the topic. Healthy Pleasures proposes a new approach to the way women and men manage their health. This book is a readers guide through the maze of myths and misconceptions that stand in the way of health.

In the book the reader will find scores of practical suggestions, based on recent scientific discoveries, on how to live in a way that enriches, rather than just maintains, health: ways to mobilize positive beliefs, expectations, and emotions... from cognitive therapy, relaxation training, and successful behavior modification practices.

Because people are naturally drawn by the pleasure principle to many of the things which promote health, this makes the book easy to follow. The emphasis of this book is the importance of pleasing rather than punishing ourselves... food, drink, rest, work, sunrises and sunsets, too... in a refreshing affectionate light found in the brain's pleasure centers.

This might be my favorite mind/body book. Through scientific research, it proves that pleasure is good for you, purpose, meaning, fun and laughter are good for you. In other words, the better your life, the better your health is likely to be. And the harder your life, the more health problems you are likely to have.

This is a profoundly healing message. It tells us not to be hard on ourselves, or on others. Not to blame ourselves or set up hundreds of hoops to jump through. That's not the way to be healthy or happy. Make your life easier and better, and good health is likely (though not guaranteed) to follow.

I have used this approach in my life with multiple sclerosis, my health coaching practice and my wellness workshops for years now with wonderful results. My book, The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness, puts Sobel and Ornstein's research into practice. I remain a big fan of Healthy Pleasures

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I had a sudden cardiac arrest in March of this year. It took the EMTs 21min and 6 shocks to get my heart beat back. Miraculously, I made a full physical and cognitive recovery. Another part of the healing process was of course with my family. They endured something which was very difficult for me to understand. I was unconscious, on breathing machines and sedated. Reading this book completed the picture for me. It allowed me to experience the event from their perspective. Everyone in my family has read this book. As a result we have had a lot of open discussion about what happened and how it has effected all of us. This has been very important for us all to heal and move forward with the blessing we received with my recovery.

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.

I was pleasantly surprised about the content in this book and how well it was organized. One of my favorite chapters was the one with the cross-reference to a dog's body for massage and acupressure therapy points. The graphic was very detailed; the description of how to do massages for specific areas and what it would accomplish was very good. This was something I've never seen covered with such detail in other books about dog care.

Ms. Flaim gives you all the information that you would need to make an informed decision about holistic care for your dog. Holistic care does not replace Veterinary medicine, but can be a very valuable source of help, according to Ms. Flaim. Everyone who owns an animal should read "The Holistic Dog Book".

I would consider this a very strong complimenting book to go with Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.

This truly is a "Holistic" book, encompassing all areas of sharing your life with a dog. Denise Flaim delves into topics like nutrition, training, communication, vaccinations, allergies, Traditional Chinese Medicine, cancer and "finding the perfect vet" (to name a few). This book is also crammed pack full of herbal remedies and essential oil healing therapies. And at the same time, I find her writing style to be friendly and encouraging--not judgemental of the reader for picking one thing over another. And at the same time, encouraging the reader to find the "right balance" for you and your canine companion.

I do not plan to practice healing through herbal and essential oil therapies on my own, but I do plan to seek out a holistic vet who will offer me these options for treating conditions and ailments of our canine friend.

After a long and courageous fight, our Chihuahua finally went to eternal rest one week ago today. During his 13 years, he was consistently put on drugs like cortisone, prednisone and antibiotics to relieve him of symptoms like skin allergies, anal gland problems, nasal congestion, etc. All of which finally manifested into Inflammatory Brain Disease. I am finally realizing that I probably could have prevented most if not all this by providing a more nutritious diet. I believe in the philosophy that symptoms are just what we see on the surface of a more fundamental problem and by using drugs like these to provide temporary comfort does not always address the root cause.

I borrowed this book from my library, but now after reading it cover-to-cover, I will purchase a copy to go along with Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Between these two books, and a partner relationship with a good holistic vet, I am better prepared to make decisions about our companion's health and happiness.

Brilliantly done! Not since Dr. Pitcarin's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats has there been a more concise and comprehensive book on holistic health care for our companion animals. Page after page is written with enthusiasm and true understanding of what holistic health care is all about. Ms. Flaim's book is very well researched and packed with valuable information from the nation's leading experts. If you have never used holistic care or you have done so for years there is information in this book for you. The Holistic Dog Book: Canine Care for the 21st Century is a "must have" for your reference library.

this is a great book for someone who is interested in alternative medicine, but knows little about it (like me). before I purchased this book I had purchased another book about cat & dog homeopathy that while very comprehensive, was not very easy to understand. this book however, very clearly and concisely explains the "who, what, when, where, and how" of not only homeopathy, but also alternatives including (but not limited to): herbology, aromatherapy, chinese medicine, accupuncture, etc. The book takes the approach of trying to convince someone slightly skeptical (again, like myself) of the merit and value of these therapies, and it does a very good job! in addtion to those topics it also covers nutrition and general health (lightly), and tackles everything with a good dose of common sense. very informative, and well written. highly recommended!

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.

Many books have been written over the years attempting to tell people how to improve their lives. They usually involve living on a certain amount of money per week or month. This book was first published in 1908, and was a major bestseller. It could be considered the first self-help book, and it takes a different approach, looking at time instead of money.

Time is a very funny thing; everyone gets the same amount per day. Rich people do not get more than poor people. It's not possible to go the store and buy time. Out of that 24 hours per day, everyone must carve out a life (marriage, family, work, hobbies, religion, etc).

This book was written in a time and place (England of the early 1900s) where everyone took the train to work. One of the author's suggestions is to use that time concentrating on one thing; it doesn't matter what it is. If your mind starts wandering, hook a leash to it and bring it back. I'm not sure how well this would work today, when everyone drives to work. You say you can't concentrate for very long? Having to give a big presentation at work, or final exams in school, does a wonderful job of focusing the mind.

Then comes the evening, after the reader has gotten home from work. If this book had been written today, the author might say that occasionally vegging out in front of the TV is not a bad thing, but don't be like the average American, who does it for several hours a day, every day. Take, say, two hours a night, three nights a week, for a total of six hours. Use that time to learn a subject about which the reader is passionate, a hobby or interest. The subject can be literally anything, from A to Z. If a big subject like history is chosen, it's allowable to narrow it down to, for instance, the French Revolution or the Vietnam War. If a subject like classical music is chosen, go to an occasional concert or try your hand at playing an instrument. Again, if this book was written today, the author might say to use the internet to research your topic, but stay away from the chat rooms. During your learning time (for lack of a better term), lay off the popular novels. The author has nothing against them, but the idea is to give your brain a workout; novels don't do that. Most of all, take your time. The worst thing a person can do is burnout.

This book is small, but mighty. It says a lot, and it's the sort of book that can be used by everyone, from one end of society to the other. Not enough time in the day? Not after reading this gem.

This amazing little book talks about some of the most important aspects of a full existence: the awareness of the passing time and methods of utilizing it to one's unique advantage. It lays out a structure to a possible way of filling one's time, and points to the obstacles and dangers lying in this execution.

The author's style is extremely honest and clear. Although it is an old book and some examples may not apply to you, the core of the approach definitely applies to every individual living in the present day.

So take this book, read it, reflect on what it says, try out its suggestions, then I guarantee you that you will have a fuller/happier life. What more can one expect from any book, let alone a small one such as this?

P.S.: I also suggest "The human machine" by A. Bennett, if you like this one.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution first in England and then quickly following in America, more and more of the workforce transitioned into what we call white-collar jobs, where the workplace was outside and often far from the home. Because these new jobs more reflected our modern 21st-century jobs, in which the work was tedious, repetitive and the ambiguous results not always readily apparent (as compared to building carriages, homes, and other work in which the fruits of our labor are real and immediately visible), it was harder for workers to take the kind of craftsman pride and ownership in their work as their fathers and grandfathers might have in older trades that were phased out or in the process. Mr. Bennett writes to this new class of salarymen, who are alive and well today and joined by their sisters, mothers and wives. He assumes that MOST employees cannot take much joy in work that is allotted to them during their eight hours of work per day (as opposed to owners who take joy in their work not necessarily because the work engages them, but because they know the profits flow directly into their bank accounts; good motivating force).

I agree with him that most people cannot become truly (internally as opposed to portraying enthusiasm for promotion) enthusiastic when it comes to mundane, repetitive tasks that are characteristic of clerical and accounting-type jobs. Humans were not meant to be computers, and it shows in their passive resistance to such tasks, regardless of the what economy demands. Where I disagree is that one cannot approach ones job like a craftsman to some degree. You may not like the job you do or look forward to going to the office everyday, but you can try to take pride in doing a good job in whatever you do, as even banal tasks are the foundation for forming character that will come to bear in later more monumental tasks that you DO care about (I will mention William George Jordan later). I also disagree in that, one can FIND a job that has meaning, even if it doesn't pay much. My wife is a social worker, and she approaches menial clerical tasks knowing that they are essential to the welfare of her clients, and that little mistakes can sometimes cause a lot of harm. A person CAN find meaningful work, if they are willing to take a big pay cut and restructure their lives. Those aside, all of his advice and opinions rest on sound, tested wisdom.

The book argues that, while you may have no control over the eight of so hours you are chained to the office desk, you DO have control over the other 16. He argues for a program of self-improvement as a means of achieving happiness, and then goes about the details of how you can squeeze 90 minutes at least three times a week for active self-improvement activities to wake you up to the splendor and vibrancy of life, rather than living like a zombie before and after work time, which is the state at which most TV-addicted Americans are at today. Being a salaryman in Tokyo, where almost everyone rides the trains to and from work and where my own commute takes the roughly 50 minutes he projected, I found the parallels with my own life to be frighteningly close. His main point here is not that everyone should ride trains to use their time more efficiently, even though riding trains DOES free up time for the reading and philosophic reflection he recommends. It is that you should be much more aware of the little time wasters in your life and try to use your spare, limited minutes for activities that will improve your spiritual station in life.

I was not surprised that he recommended reading such Stoics as Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, for two reasons. First, any philosophy of self-improvement or self-help that rests on ageless, tested wisdom of the past will give central importance to willpower and reason. Aristotle and his descendants the Stoics were some of the first to write about overcoming obstacles in life using reason and the power of our own wills. Bennett even write in his book how others may promise you techniques that will make hard work easier, but he rightly and harshly reproaches the reader for their foolishness in thinking that any hard task can be anything but hard. Realizing that self-improvement is hard, and that there are no short-cuts, is the most important point a person can embrace who is on the verge of beginning such an endeavor. The Stoics also realized that self-perfection was nothing but a long, hard road of constant self-checking, self-doubt and brutal honesty about oneself. That is one reason why the mention of such Stoics is not surprising. The second reason I was not surprised was that the Stoics made something of a comeback around this time. The influence is evident in similar self-improvement works of the Industrial Revolution by Samuel Smiles (Self-help (1859), Character (1871), Thrift (1875), Duty (1880)) and William George Jordan (The Majesty of Calmness (1900), The Kingship of Self Control (?), etc.). None of these works sugar-coats self-improvement like authors do now. All state clearly that there are no easy routes to improving oneself, and that self-improvement and improvement of character is a lifelong process until our dying breathe. I have read many self-help books, but have abandoned modern ones for these older ones for many reasons, the above being just one.

Authors at this time realized that life was a struggle, any way you looked at it, with little rest stops up the mountain to pause briefly and enjoy some of the fruits of our hardships. In that sense, their philosophy and style of writing is far more reflective of real life than all of the wishy-washy New Agey self-help bores that stock the shelves today. None of them, including Covey and similar business authors have absolutely NOTHING new to say that hasn't been covered by these men or later men like Carnegie and Napoleon Hill (commissioned by Carnegie to research and write his books). And in fact, theirs is a watered down version of these past authors, with none of the grit to get you through hard times. These past authors integrated Stoic ideas into their work, because only a Stoic, resilient mindset could brace against the many dramatic changes in society at the times due to industrialization and all the wars magnified by the technical revolution and trials people experienced during those times. Is it no wonder that modern readers addicted to self-help books continue to read through the whole stack still unfulfilled and still no closer to where they want to be in life?

I therefore recommend this book, as well as those by the authors I mentioned above. Things could get a little bumpy for Americans in the 21st century. All of the pampered, upper-middle-class self-help philosophies will be trampled underneath when the $%%#$ hits the fan and the whole materially-abundant superstructure that sustains the disappearing middle-class lifestyle collapses. In hard times, only philosophies embraced by those who have seen dark, trying times can be relied on. The Stoics, and their 19th-century revisitors (the guys above) will be a strong pillar to brace against.

Rare is the book that stands the test of time. Rarer still is the book that can be read multiple times and still be engaging. This is decidedly one of those books. Each time I pull it off the shelf, I find once again how current it is, how useful, and also entertaining. Bennett is a pleasure to read and very insightful. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. You can find a short write-up on this and other related books of his online at Wikipedia.

The greatest thing about this publication is that you are aware of the author's opinion, but no bias exists within the material. The suggestions presented are done in such a fashion that any revolutions made will seem to be made by you, not the author. This allows for an objective analysis of your current lifestyle and some possible steps you may wish to take to improve it. I am not one who is usually enlightened or easily motivated, but I can honestly say I believe this book is an asset to all and considering the E-Book is only ($$$), you can't go wrong.

Enjoy! I hope I was of some help.

This book is great for anyone who is tired of trying to figuire out how to lose weight and get healthy. The cleanses are easy and workable for the very busiest person. I haven't finished the book yet but I went read forward to the weightloss fast and have started my husband on the cholestoral fast. I would recommend it to anyone wanting help at getting a healthier life.

This book is the most comprehensive yet easy to follow program on the subject of inner cleansing. I like that he's not preaching or self serving, but very clear and to the point about cleaning out the "toxic sludge," that we all have, as result of eating bad food. And, it doesn't require any fancy or obscure potions or pills -- just good, wholesome foods like fresh fruit/vegetable juices. Its in this book that I learn about the healing power of fresh (raw) garlic and the importance of including it into your daily cleasing. A must have for all.

If you follow the instructions in this booklet you have a very excellent chance of cleansing your body and becoming pain free. It worked for me. But you have to be willing to follow through. It leads you to a healthy way of eating and juicing and better health....plus weight loss. It is fabulous. I have bought 5 to give away as Christmas gifts.

This book is written in a very user-friendly style. What's best is that health tips are easy to put into practice.

Don't miss this appealing yet practical book.

Carlson Wade is a medical nutrition reporter who has completed 26 books on natural healing. In his book, Inner Cleansing, you will learn about the why and how of cleaning out the "sludge" that accumulates in our bodies. How does it get there? We live in a toxic world. Between air pollution, additives to our water supply, additives to our foods, dyes, colorings, preparation methods, stress, etc. the modern person has no choice but to ingest, breathe or come into contact with various toxins and other problematic items. These in turn cause premature aging, aches and pains, fatigue, heart problems, high blood pressure and a variety of other symptoms.
The book offers techniques to cleanse yourself of these toxins. The techniques are simple and the things you need are readily available. Unlike other programs for detoxification, this one does not require months to complete. After only a couple of days you should feel the difference. If you are having a nagging problem or just not feeling like yourself these days, this book may have the answers for you. If it doesn't work for you then you have lost nothing, if it does work then you have regained a better life. I will say that I often feel better after a regular cleansing program and am much more active than most of my friends my age.

FOUND THE BOOK TO BE VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE. AUTHOR PRESENTS BOTH THE PROS AND CONS OF AN INSULIN PUMP AND SHARES HER PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. A MUST FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING, OR NOT SURE OF, GETTING AN INSULIN PUMP.

The insulin pump demystified,I really enjoyed reading this book as it gave so much information in a very simple way. The tips offered were easy to follow and such common sense. I been on the pump for four months the this book has been a wonderful friend passing on all that I need to know. I have perused other books on pumping but I found the to be to technical and to difficult to read.

I have been type 1 for 20 years and on a pump for 36 days now! This book was very informative. I could relate to much of the material since I have been diabetic for so long. Since going on a pump, I could relate easily to her pump related advice.
A excellant read for anyone new to a pump or considering it. Just because I have been diabetic for 20 years insures me of nothing. Pump therapy is very different compared to anything else. Informative books such as this one are essential to improving and educating each one of us.
I strongly recommend this book.

this is a brilliant book that really opened my eyes to the insulin pump and the benefits it can bring. Before reading this book i was terrified about the pump and now i am nearly a year pumping. Well worth a read for any one with type 1 diabetes

I've been a Type 1 (IDDM) diabetic for over 15 years. I was lucky in the sense that I didn't get it until college, so I didn't have to deal with it as a child. However, diabetes at any age is tough. The insulin dependent kind in particular is tough because no amount of exercise or weight loss is going to reverse it. However, there is one thing that can come close, insulin pump therapy.

I'm now in my late 30s and my diabetes was getting much more difficult to control. I decided to seriously consider pump therapy. I knew a bit about it but not much. This book has made me an insulin pumping pro and helped me put any fears I had into perspective.

I bought this book because I wanted to hear about pumping from another diabetic who was using an insulin pump. Gabrielle Kaplan-Meyer does a great job of making pumping easy to understand and gives someone considering pumping clear facts. There are many issues to consider and having a clear guide helps tremendously.

Kaplan-Mayer gives you the facts in stories. The stories come from her own life or from interviews with other insulin pumping diabetics. Those help you relate and gives you what you need to make a good decision. At the end of each chapter she has a checklist highlighting important things to remember. That makes it easy to take in and easy to refer back to, if needed.

I even took the book to the hospital with me when checked in to get my new pump. It came in handy during my first few days and when I had some worries, I could quickly refer back to it for information. I've even loaned to a friend so he can learn more about what I have to deal with.

I would highly recommend this book to any diabetic considering pumping.