Medicine and Health Books

In American Shamans Jack takes us on a very personal journey through years of first hand experience in a world of folk magic and medicine that few people even know exist. His story is at times whimsical, often touching, and overall inspiring as we follow his growth from a skeptical Youth to a wiser and older practitioner through 30 years of research and experience. This book is interesting and concise; whether you are a practitioner, skeptic, or simply just curious, you will enjoy this book.

Jack Montgomery has created a memoir backed by extensive research on a topic that is new to many and familiar to generations of healers. His work documents a thirty-year labor of love; authentic, careful experience; and well-informed exploration. Scholars, experienced practitioners, and the newly curious will all find something of spiritual value and knowledge in Montgomery's exploration of American shamanism. American Shamans is an important addition to the worlds of folklore, cultural anthropology, social history, spiritual studies, and personal memoir.

Jack Montgomery's book, American Shamans, is an exciting adventure of shamanistic healing. I appreciate his strong research which explores the meaning of Shamanism, and outlines the history of Shamans in the U.S. His research allows the reader to enter the world of American Shamans by learning what others have written about on this topic. Montgomery has done a wonderful job combining his own personal interest and experiences with shamanistic practices, together with existing literature in the field.

I am studying to be a creative arts therapist and I feel that Montgomery's book is a wonderful resource to understanding traditional healing approaches. He provides many useful references that back up his firm belief that shamanism is as valid today as it was in the distant past.

I feel that my training to be a clinician and as a human being who wishes to help others, is greatly enhanced by reading the captivating stories about root doctors and other traditional healers.

I am in the process of writing a thesis for my program and Montgomery's book is an exemplary model of a research because:

- Montgomery clearly states his research question (of why the study of American Shamanism is effective today) and effectively ties in each section back to his orginal idea.

- Montgomery skillfully articulates the historical influences from which root-doctoring, hoodoo, and other traditional healing approaches are derived (again with backed up references).

- He is clear about his own assumptions and limitations, and makes no claims that his notion of healing is the ultimate. He expresses why he has been drawn to the field and this is important because his writing is accessible (not preachy).

- Montgomery provides a wonderful review of previous literature that deals with his research topic.

- Montgomery's actual research method is based on interviews with American Shamans - which I find very engaging.

All in all, Montgomery's book, which is based on 30 years of research, is artfully written, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in traditional healing. It's no easy task to write a thesis (I'm still in the research phase), and I appreciate that Montgomery took his time to organize and synthesize a huge amount of information!

This is my first book on Shamanism since reading Carlos Castaneda's books as a teenager around 35 years ago and I have to say, I can hardly put this book down and the impression created by the writing stays with me like a powerful dream. I did once meet a "healer" in Boston who "took on" or "absorbed" a persons illness, like cancer and such, and then he would have to purify himself of the illness thru spiritual practices. He also worked with herbs and herbal drinks he prepared. I was quite fortunate that he allowed me to spend time in his living quarters observing. This looks to be very similar to the hoodoo or witch doctor procedures described so far in this book. The book has a very personal, conversational character, and even has a Grimoire at the end. I highly recommend it!!

Anyone who grew up in the rural parts of the eastern US has probably heard of hoodoo, root doctoring, powwow, and other such folk magical practices. However, the families and individuals who continue these traditions are usually quite private. Jack Montgomery has opened the door to this hidden world and invited us inside. He shares stories, interviews, and a deep understanding of these home-grown American shamanic traditions, based on over thirty years of study and personal participation. American Shamans is part anthropological study and part memoir. Montgomery writes in an engaging fashion, drawing the reader into the wonder and mystery of the worldview he describes. Highly recommended.

This is a good book for those who are starting a Yoga practice, or for Yogi or Yogini, wanting to assist new students.

This book is appreciated for the over 50 crowd, who are looking for the sdafe and gentle way to move into and continue with yoga. The facts, as well as the insights, are stated right to the point!!

The book is easy to follow and offers different variations of poses for gentle yoga and for those who have limitations due to health issues and who may need to do yoga seated in a chair.

As a Yoga teacher I frequently review yoga books for ideas and new information. I am very excited about Easy Does It Yoga! Could it be that finally Yoga has come of age? This book might just persuade the Yoga doubters to view Yoga as an acceptable exercise that truly will benefit the mind, body and spirit in the present and on into aging. The author, Alice Christensen, has written a comprehensive and compassionate book on Yoga and its tremendous health benefits for the older person, and indeed, anyone physically challenged by bad health, addictions and inertia. The various disciplines of yoga are discussed and benefits illustrated by case examples. The exercises are well detailed in words and pictures. Nutrition is covered in a reader friendly style that lists detailed menus of wholesome foods. Easy Does It Yoga should be required reading for any business involved in the health care needs of today's older population.

I am a yoga instructor but am used of teaching moderate/vigourous vinyasa flow. I wanted some further input into designing yoga classes - very gentle yoga classes as I have a mother with a stiff neck and a mother in law with a compression fracture of her spine...both of which require PT. In any case, I found this book very helpful, it provides chair modifications for many postures and brings awareness to simple asanas/stretches that can be extremely beneficial. It is not a flashy book and the pictures are dated - think old people in 70s sweat suits - but if you can get over that the information is, for the most part, very helpful.

After having been in a desk job for too many years, I became overweight and lost all my flexibility. So I decided I needed to do something about it.
I didn't want to injure myself from taking things too fast, so I decided to try doing some stretching first. But I didn't know where to start. So I bought this book to find out more.

I was really impressed, there is so much detail and lots of illustrations in this book. Most importantly it has a list of sports that the stretches can be used for, which was a real bonus for me.
Best of all, they work.
Bottom Line get this book!!

This is an incredible book. It has simple pictures that show all the muscles that are being stretched. This is a great book for teaching anatomy and a great resourse for massage therapists.

There are over one hundred key stretches that the human body can do that directly enable better physical health regardless of age or gender. "The Anatomy of Stretching" outlines these with fundamental facts and explanations to help the reader do the stretch and understand why they are doing it, divided by each and every area of the body. With over 200 full color illustrations, glossaries, appendixes and more, "The Anatomy of Stretching" is highly recommended to health & fitness community library shelves and for anyone who would seek better health through stretching exercises.

Anatomy of Stretching

This is a wonderful, illustrated book for those interested in stretching the muscles. It shows each of the muscles targeted in each of the stretches. Based on the anatomy diagrams, you will be able to tell if you are performing each stretch correctly.

If you wish to be a martial artist, there are other stretching books that teach maximum flexibility: e.g. Stretching Scientifically by Thomas Kurz. or yoga books such as YOga: The Iyengar Way by Mira Silva & Schyam Mehta. But if you've hurt your back or other body parts (e.g. legs, shoulders, etc.), then this single volume is a gold mine. I've written several cover stories in Inside Kung Fu and Kung Fu Wushu magazines, and have practiced martial arts since a very early age. I have had perfect splits in life, but became less flexible via neglect. Trying to get back in shape, I hurt my back three years ago and sometimes had trouble bending down (on very bad days) or would rehurt my back when trying to resume running and shaolin kung fu. Fortunately, I taught at a college that had a Ph.D. program in physical therapy so I got free physical therapy for a year. All of the therapy exercises I learned for free are included in Brad Walker's Anatomy of Stretching. In addition, Walker's book contains dozens of wonderful exercises to provide therapy for hurt body parts, and to obtain general flexibility. I visited bookstores to compare the texts, and Walker's book provides wonderful schematic drawings on how the muscles are involved at the very moment of each specific stretch. Unlike other stretching anatomy books, Walker's provides a specific itemization of how to do the exercise, what body part is affected, what injury it treats, what sport it's good for, and when to avoid the stretch if you have a particular injury. It's the best diagrammed text around. I would recommend buying this book with a couple of other texts that are equal to Walker's in many respects (and sometimes better, sometimes worse):

Two books by Kit Laughlin:

1. Stretching & Flexibility, and
2. Overcome Neck & Back Pain.

You can order DVDs from Australia from Laughlin's website. Kit even emailed me to answer my stretching queries.

3. Back Care Basics by Mary Pullig Schatz, M.D. Dr. Schatz combines knowledge in injury science with expertise in Iyengar yoga. It's a wonderful text for injured practitioners.

4. The Stark Reality of Stretching, by Dr. Steven D. Stark. Dr. Stark presents a wonderful theory of stretching that argues convincingly that the best way to stretch is to avoid any stretches that load the specific muscle groups you are trying to stretch. He also demonstrates how we injure ourselves unwittingly: e.g. by running with a stride that is either too short, or too long. His research is a bit dated, but logical and convincing.

5. Yoga: The Iyengar Way (authors mentioned above).

Remember NEVER TO BOUNCE HARD WHEN STRETCHING, ESPECIALLY IF YOUR BACK IS INJURED. As long as you stretch everyday, you should gently heal your back.

Stretching one's back using a "half therapy roll" available at medical supply stores is useful if you have lower lumbar injury, but get diagnosed by a top notch physical therapist. Unlike general medical practitioners, they know the body much better and know the excercises to heal the back. The function of a regular medical doctor is simply to authorize x-rays to ensure you don't have unusual injuries: e.g. spinal/skeletal, herniated disks, torn muscles, dislocated ligaments and torn tendons, etc. Once you've excluded extreme abnormalities, a good stretching book can do wonders for your back and other body parts.

Back pain is due to muscle imbalance and slight injuries. Scarred muscle tissue gets tight and one needs to stretch those tissues to prevent spasms. These books, written often by medical doctors, are a great adjunct to qualified medical care.

For general back care, buy:

6. the Second edition of Mike Hage's THE BACK PAIN BOOK, REVISED 2ND EDITION.

Hage covers everything from how to bend properly when picking up objects to sitting correctly on a toliet to prevent reinjuring or weakining one's back. We cause injury to ourselves gradually until that single extra straw one day breaks our camel's back.

Without question, Walker's ANATOMY OF STRETCHING, is one of the best in the market. There is no single perfect book, but the relatively short list I've constructed is all you need. They might save you thousands of dollars on professional physical therapy and provide you with healthy restful flexibility and relief from unnecessary pain.

It has been a long time since I had classes on athletic taping. This is a good book to remind you of the different wraps.

Great pictures and illustrations not only of techniques but of anatomy as well. Overall a really good book.

With photographs of actual tapings, this book is very easy follow the step needed to tape almost any body part. Also included in the book where recommendations on strengthing tips for injured joints/muscles.

I am an Athletic Training Student and this book is amazing. It was not required for the class that I bought it for, but It helped me so much. The pictures are very good and the step by step instructions make taping a breeze!

With so many books on How TO it's really great to find one that shows you just how without making you feel like you'll never understand the basics. If you are seriously thinking about doing a lot of sports related taping and handling of those injuries this is the book you want to add to your library.After doing sports med for 2 years now with college teams and marines i feel a lot safer knowing this book is out there for others to go by.

This book was required for an online college course I was taking. The book is layed out in a nice format and is easy to follow. The CD that comes with the book is quite helpful when preparing for exams and quizzes.

I am an instructor for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Professional Medical Coding Curriculum (PMCC) and often recommend this book as a way for a student to be fully prepared to take our course.

I love the CD ROM with the excercises (that's the instructor in me :) as well as the fact that there are pronunciations. This is truly a "self study" course and I highly recommend it.

Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P A+ Medical Management & Education...

I read this book cover-to-cover during a Medical Transcription certificate program and was really impressed with the format. The order in which the terms are presented and the fill-in-the-blank sections are excellent for testing and retesting yourself. The answers to the tests are in the back of the book so that you can be sure you answered the questions correctly. I have seen other medical terminology books on the market, but none compare to this one for ease of learning!

Wow! I wish I had found this before I blew two weeks salary on a medical transcription course. This book covered more ground than the manuals that I received, and for a fraction of the cost. Without this book I don't think I would ever have picked up the terminology - and I would have missed out on such a great career! (2 years and going strong!)

As a provider of Medical Transcriptionist training, I wouldn't suggest people try to replace a comprehensive course with this book. But anyone would profit by adding it to their course materials. It is particularly strong in supporting retention, which is a rare quality in textbooks.

With a title like, "The Baby Boomers' Guide To Living Forever," it would be easy to pass over this book with the assumption that it is a journey into some sort of medical never-never land. But as I quickly discovered, this is far from the case. "The Baby Boomers' Guide" shapes as an absolutely fascinating, at times scholarly, tour of what middle age America can do to improve both the quality and quantity of life. Dr. Grossman covers a remarkable spectrum of topics and, with support from co-authors who are experts in each of dozens of medical/health areas, provides an astonishing treasure of useful information. This is one of those rare books that can literally change the course of the reader's life. "Baby Boomers' Guide" is must reading for anyone who is serious about extending their years, perhaps beyond anything that they ever imagined was possible.

Dr. Grossman and the co-authors have put together one of the best longevity / anti-aging books around. They don't just banter on about generalities as other authors do on the subject, but provide practical and real information. This book is a good guide for one interested in the anti-aging movement, not only the patient but for doctors discovering this field of medicine.

I couldn't put it down. Dr. Grossman presents a straightforward strategy for remaining healthy and extending life. The book's information is extremely interesting and his recommendations are easy to adopt. WOW! I loved it!

At first blush most of the information if acted on in the book will probably result in adding years, if not decades to some peoples lives. My own recommendation is to do your own independent research [separate from this book], first, if you make any life changing adjustments, particularly if it involves consuming vitamins suggested in the book. Some of the recommendations only strengthened what I already knew, such as taking Co-Q10 on a daily basis. Co-Q10 is expensive, but a very good nutrient that can help protect your body from free radical damage, resulting in reduced risks of succumbing to various cancers and heart diseases. Other recommendations in the book did raise some concerns for me such as consuming L-Carnosine on a daily basis. Research i've found dating back to 1984 expressed that L-Carnosine built up in the body can potentially have dangerous neurotoxic side effects. Taking too much of it could induce what is medically referred to as "Carnosinemia", which also can be inherited. Most of the oral vitamin supplements in the market offer L-Carnosine at 500MG doses, recommending you take it once or twice daily. The book recommends 200MG per day in single or "divided doses" and stressed "its low level of toxicity"...... but I don't know how much is too much frankly, so I will avoid this particular molecule until more research data is known.

Over the years I have read several health oriented books promoting ideas for healthier and longer lives for us, this one is by far the best, containing down-to-earth advice of a practical and far reaching nature. Many areas are covered, including supplements from arginine to zinc, social issues, and lots of other topics.

This book supports the method of using biostasis (cryonics) at the time of death as a means of reaching the future era of advanced nanomedicine, much anticipated by many scientists who work in this nascent field. About fifteen pages are devoted to cryonics, a very good introduction to this subject, an idea and practice that is slowly becoming 'mainstream'. In fact, Terry Grossman, himself an M.D., is signed up for cryonics.

Overall, this volume contains much useful advice and should be read by everyone.

Dr. Miller has written an easy to understand and tantalizing solution to America's health care mess. It answers all questions with the exception of how to change our current damaged health insurance system. The author makes a convicing case,however, that there is a clear necessity to replace the flawed insurance system.

I have worked for years now with Ivan Miller,Ph.D., an exceptionally insightful psychologist, on the need for having a healthcare system in this country, instead of the hodge podge of holes and gaps we currently use. Most people see a single payer healthcare system as socialized medicine, and, indeed, some of them are. However, Ivan has carefully worked out a design for a system that interfaces single payer with the marketplace, so that it isn't simply a "one size fits all" system that so many people don't want. Balanced Choice optimizes having a safety net system in place to take care of all of our citizens while still rewarding excellence and allowing for higher care systems. It truly is the common sense approach to solving the health care crisis in this county! You won't be sorry that you've read it and will recommend it to others! Everyone needs to read this and make sure that their elected officials do as well.

Balanced Choice takes on our ailing healthcare institutions with a careful, organized
analysis and proposes a comprehensive, thoughtful solution. Dr. Ivan Miller accomplishes this complex task in a concise, readable 173 pages. Miller writes from a psychologist's perspective but beyond that and between the lines he is intent on slaying the dragon and fixing what's wrong.

After many lifelong frustrations of dealing with insurance companies/health professionals that seem to say "No, can't do that" too much, the book took me from skepticism on a journey of what works and what doesn't work in our country and others to a sensible, workable solution. Change is needed and it will definitely happen. If we could, today, switch out our present dysfunctional system and replace it with "Balanced Choice" we would, all of us, consumers and providers, be much better off.

A must-read for anyone who has even occasional need of healthcare.

The Balanced Choice Healthcare model is a real breath of fresh air after years of the dankness of our broken system of industrialized HMO's and other versions of managed care. This book is hopeful. It is creative. It is visionary. It places people ahead of corporate profits. Balanced Choice clearly discusses the assets and liabilities of the variety of available healthcare models. I found this part alone to be highly instructive. It then goes on to describe how this new national model uses both market forces and a national regulatory board (not unlike the Federal Reserve) to save massive administrative costs, promote improved services for patients, allow professionals the freedom to practice, and reduce costs to a stable, predictable level for employers. The public, healthcare professionals and employers should all be very interested in this book and the model it describes.

I recently read Ivan Miller's _Balanced Choice_ and was extremely impressed by its clarity, its thoroughness, and its practicality-despite the fact that it also represents a genuinely new and challenging idea. As I read through the book, most of my initial skepticism dissolved. Can we really have a medical system without insurance companies? Yes. And Dr. Miller tells us why it's both practical and economically sensible. Can we really cover everyone? Yes. And Dr. Miller explains how we can do it through our free market system. Balanced choice is also a *flexible* system so that it can change in response to changing circumstances and increasing information. It is easily the best book I've read on health care and the only one I have found encouraging.
Bruce Bassoff

This was a well written book which followed many personal stories of women through out history and their battle with cancer. It is a history book but was written dramatically and keeps the reader interested. It covers almost every topic concerning women and breast cancer. The only complaint is that the second half of the book is based more on the politics and legislation of breast cancer which becomes slightly repetitive and boring.

As a metastatic breast cancer patient, I found this book to be enormously enlightening. For the first time, I feel as though I really understand this disease and how we've gotten to this point in time in terms of prevailing attitudes, available treatments, doctor-patient relationships, and overall prognosis. Although it's a history lesson, this book has also served to give me a new perspective for evaluating my own personal options. I feel empowered by the information in these pages. It points out how deadly serious breast cancer is, even though some would have us believe otherwise. I recommend this book for everyone who is affected by breast cancer (which should be practically everyone).

James Olson is to be commended for writing this much needed history of breast cancer for the layman. My husband is a radiologist beginning a fellowship in breast imaging. He discovered this fascinating book and when he was finished I asked him to give it to me. Like the previous reviewer, I couldn't put it down. I don't have breast cancer, but I am of the age when many of my peers have developed this frightening disease. Olson is realistic, empathetic, and well informed. My favorite line came from former child star Shirley Temple Black who, rather than have a biopsy turn into a radical mastecomy, responded to the press by saying, "The surgeon will make the incision. I will make the decision." You can't read this book without having enormous respect for the women who did their own research, asked the right questions, and took on the conventional wisdom and arrogance of male physicians. At the same time, Olson is brutal on the hucksters and frauds who attempt to explain away cancer with psychobabble and unproveable theories. Bathseba's Breast is not an optimistic book, but it can be reassuring that slow, steady progress is being made in the battle against breast cancer.

My husband purchased this book for me after he heard the author on NPR. I could not put it down. The author's approach to looking at breast cancer over time, the changes in treatment options, and how accidental findings changed the course of medical treatment over time was illuminating. The book also raises the spectre as to how much of breast cancer treatment advances, or lack of, were the result of this being primarily but not exclusively a female disease. I do not have a formal medical background, so I was a little leary that it would be too technical. But instead, I found it to be highly readable and engaging. It also sends a strong message that from the beginning of time breast cancer held no one harmless. And in many ways, the key to the advances have come from patients taking their health destiny into their own hands and not simply accepting a physician's treatment recommendation. Certainly sheds light on the more recent discussions about the value of mammography as a diagnostic tool. Well worth reading!!

Bathsheba's Breast: Women, Cancer & History by James Olson is a far-reaching examination of the dreaded disease of breast cancer. Impressive for its scope of historical, medical, political and personal references, the book transcends its obvious historical imperative by including much about living with hope in the face of adversity as well as dying without surrendering to the evil disease.

A cancer diagnosis today is not necessarily a death sentence. Olson explains how breast cancer has threatened all women, regardless of demography, since at least the time of the pharaohs and probably since creation of the species. The fifth of Olson's 11 carefully referenced chapters inaugurates the book's evolution of Hope for breast cancer sufferers, signaling with its title, "New Beginnings: Assault on the Radical Mastectomy." Make no mistake, neither the chapter nor the book reveal the silver bullet that will conquer breast cancer. However, from this point forward, Bathsheba's Breast explains how medical science has made progress against the disease - sometimes despite itself - and how that progress appeared to be accelerating at the end of the 20th century, albeit in tortuously slow steps for those fighting the disease. Increasingly credible optimism emerges as Olson explains the evolution of medicine's knowledge and attitudes about breast cancer, the birth of breast cancer patient advocacy and the growing arsenal of weapons that medical researchers, physicians and patients are bringing to the fight.

Olson is comprehensive, well organized and even entertaining in an appropriate tone for such a serious topic as he gives us the history, evolution and status of the war against breast cancer. Bathsheba's Breast is suitable for all readers, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or health. Its appeal to such a broad audience lies mainly in the mature tone and integrated style with which Olson approaches all aspects of the subject. It's also because he's deciphered cancer's jargon of "omas" and "ectomies" so they're understandable, both in definition and in context. Readers will be pleased how smoothly he combines history, complicated medical research, political science and public opinion with the personal stories of patients to produce a compelling read.

Faithful to the historigraphical method, the book ventures 3,500 years back to an Egyptian surgeon who wrote about "bulging tumors" in the breast for which "There is no treatment." Olson tells how Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, studied the nature and cause of cancer, attributing its cause to "black bile," one of his four theoretical fluids of the body: blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile. The book develops a special character as it links these ancients to women of subsequent history who suffered from breast cancer. We learn about victims like Theodora, wife of Justinian, the emperor of Byzantium in the sixth century, Anne of Austria, the mother of Louis XIV in the 17th century, George Washington's mother in the 18th century, Abigail Adams, daughter of President John Adams in the 19th century and many sufferers in the 20th century. These personal experiences of breast cancer victims provide substantive information and welcomed inspiration for all readers, no doubt especially for those with the disease. Some stories are optimistic, others sad, some even humorous. Teddy Roosevelt's far-from-bashful, strong-willed daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, battled the disease throughout much of her life. She lost one breast to cancer in 1956 and in 1970, at age 86, underwent a second mastectomy on the other breast. Emerging from the second operation, she announced unashamedly she was "America's only topless octogenarian."

The 20th century's sexual revolution, catalyzed by nude photos of Marilyn Monroe and increasingly large monthly circulations of Hugh Hefner's "Playboy" magazine beginning in the 1950's, established the cult of the breast in America. Olson explains how big breasts became big business as society placed new value on them because of their erotic appeal. As America's fascination with the breast was exported around the world, women, men and physicians became more amenable to alternative treatments for breast cancer. Ironically, preoccupation with eroticism encouraged the pursuit of a cure.

Bathsheba's Breast adds credibility and emotion to the history of breast cancer by sharing experiences of many 20th century women who've fought the disease with bravery and hope. The legacy of Rose Kushner's 16-year battle against breast cancer and the indifference it often suffered from arrogant physicians and disinterested politicians is unforgettable. Her emotions flared - as do those of readers today - as we read about a surgeon shouting at her, "No patient is going to tell me how to do my surgery."

No doubt Kushner told that surgeon what she wrote in her best-selling, 1975 book, Breast Cancer, "We women should be free, knowledgeable, and completely conscious when the time comes for decision, so that we can make it for ourselves. Our lives are at stake, not a surgeon's." Kushner is the founder of the American breast cancer advocacy movement who battled valiantly but ultimately lost her war with the disease in January, 1990.

The evolution of breast cancer advocacy in America inspired by Rose Kushner is a compelling part of the book. Olson visits labs and legislatures to explain breast cancer's clinical and political issues, ranging from the campaign for lumpectomies and radiation instead of radical mastectomies as initial treatment alternatives to the need for greater government support for cancer research. He tells how Shirley Temple Black, Betty Ford, Happy Rockefeller, Betty Rollin, Jill Ireland, Linda McCartney, Dr. Jerri Nielsen and many others had the courage to go public with their battles against breast cancer, generating publicity that kept the disease in clinical and political focus.

Although Olson mentions it only quietly in a brief preface at the beginning of the book, his personal battle against cancer has permitted him to fuse Bathsheba's Breast with an empathy that's probably the ultimate reason why the book is as good as it is. It wastes no time with irrelevance as it moves seamlessly from history, medical science and politics to the media, pop culture and patients. The story of the battle against breast cancer is multi-faceted and James Olson shines a bright light on all of them.

This book is an important addition to Better Eyesight Without Glasses and Relearning to See.

In his introduction the author refers to the contents of the Better Eyesight magazines as a treasure chest. Actually this compilation is priceless! It is chock-full of absorbing information ---articles by Dr. Bates, case studies and many testimonials from people of all ages and all walks of life --- covering supposedly irreversible conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma and many more. If you are not amazed by what you read in at least one case history, then you'd better have someone check you for a pulse. The book also confirms that Dr. Bates' teachings had nothing to do with eye aerobics and everything to do with relearning how to RELAX the mind and the eyes for better vision and improved overall health.

Even though I'm not a novice at natural vision improvement (see Relearning to See review), this book has greatly inspired me. The moment I began reading Better Eyesight, it was like stepping back in time to get personal advice from Dr. Bates in his clinic. It was also uncanny to read many unique observations so similar to my eye re-education experiences. I'm on the homeward stretch of my 20/20 goal (or keener!) and Better Eyesight has bolstered my motivation. It's helped remind me to quickly recognize and correct myself when I lapse into poor vision habits and my progress has surged.

Dr. Bates humbly stated that he had no external cure to improve eyesight. It was nature's way of healing and he cited cases where people improved their vision with no knowledge of his teachings. (I know of two adults who hated their prescribed glasses as kids, quit wearing them, and their sight returned to normal.) However Dr. Bates found that most people, especially those who'd worn lenses for any length of time, needed to relearn the relaxed use of their eyes to have any chance of reversing locked-in strain and blur.

Dr. Bates appeared to have high scientific principles, yet knew the limitations of science and the dangers of submissive adherence to authoritative dogma. He once believed the orthodox teachings and it took him many years to reconcile their errors to his satisfaction. His findings were well documented and published in the medical journals and scientific literature of the day and apparently went unchallenged. Instead Dr. Bates was ostracized and ridiculed in such a bigoted and arrogant manner. He seemed to take it all in stride with a sense of humor by interspersing his wit in many articles squarely aimed at the nay-sayers.

Better Eyesight also gives glimpses of Dr. Bates beyond the eye clinic. His ethics, values and philosophy towards industrialization, mass-education and modern medicine closely parallel views of more contemporary social critics such as author Ivan Illich. In Limits to Medicine --- Medical Nemesis, Illich provides a definition from a medical dictionary of iatrogenic conditions or disorders. In essence, they are those caused by medical intervention. Progressive myopia has to be the granddaddy of all iatrogenic disorders, mainly due to the prescribing of full-power compensating lenses, and not the genetic disorder falsely invented.

Another interesting facet of Dr. Bates was his discovery of adrenaline, now a household word when we hear overpaid professional athletes on TV talk about their adrenaline rush. Yet sadly the benevolent work of improving vision naturally for which Dr. Bates dedicated his life is so little known and has been so grossly maligned. Thankfully his teaching methods and writings were preserved and have been edited and annotated by the author in this legacy. Hopefully it will help set the record straight and give Dr. Bates more widespread recognition that's long overdue.

Maybe some future day when these teachings become mainstream principles a museum will house a chamber of horrors displaying artifacts of the iatrogenic era. Animated lifelike figures in a "Blind Faith" section could depict people straining to see through Coke-bottle glasses, poking bloodshot eyes to insert contact lenses and having corneas burned by lasers. Aghast parents will be at a loss to explain to their children how so many people willingly paid to be maltreated in the name of progress.

I am amazed by how much this book has helped me. Bates' principles really do work! I have only been reading the book for about a month, yet my eyesight is improving. I can't wait until my next eye appointment so I can surprise my ophthamologist (who gave me stronger glasses at my last eye exam -- they are now too strong for me to wear!).

This books is more easier to understand then the other book by Thomas Quackenbush. This book is more practical in that it explains the principles of better eyesight and how to improve on it. The Relearning to See book is great but it's more of a scientific academic fact kind of book. This book is more motivating as it gives case studies and proof that the method works. You can't get this priceless information anywhere else. It is my opinion that this book is the best book out there on natural improvements of eyesight. If you have only one book to choose for eyesight. Get this one. It's a legend in it's own right.

William Bates was a scientist, researcher, visionary, and a rebel. In his magazines are presented a multitude of case histories about his patients. We get to hear the stories of a wide variety of individuals, their temperaments, and what techniques worked for them. The style is dated, but the essence of his teachings are timeless.
An invaluable resource in your 'vision' library. It's large, but can be digested in bite size articles. A wonderful collection.

Better Health is not only informative, it is written with wit and clarity. It covers a broad spectrum of topics in a concise manner.

A little jewel of a book chock full of useful information. I couldn't put it down. Loaded with information about good practices, good products, and good sources for further information. I'm going to send a copy to everyone I know.

This book is like a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich - Tasty and not overly filling - A Classic! It provides basic advice on health matters from a good old fashioned positive perspective. Moderation and prevention are stressed. It offers no miracle cures and it is not an encyclopedia of technical information. Rather it is a well balanced approach to healthier living written with insight and a refreshing light hearted wit. Just what the doctor ordered!

Better Health not only makes a lot of sense, it is an enjoyable read. The author has treated subjects that often are tedious to read with common sense and humor. The format of specificsubjects done in short chapters is conducive to being picked up when you have a few spare minutes. Keep it on your nightstand. I've already picked up a few good ideas and have given a copy to a friend. Try it, you'll like it and benefit.

This is just my type of book. Well-written, concise, intelligent and informative. I've been looking for quite some time for someone to navigate me through the confusing maze of health information that is thrown at us every day. This author is able to distill the medical complexities into practical and timely advice. It is clear that he has done a great deal of research and has talked to many of the leaders in the fields that are discussed. But he has taken all of the detail and simplified it. He talks to the reader in the way you would like a good general practitioner to give advice -- to the point, constructive and non-judgmental. The book stresses moderation, not extremism. Best of all, the author has a great sense of humor that helps to make these serious subjects easier to digest. I recommend the book highly.