University of Health Sciences Books

This book is perfect for anyone wanting to understand this controversial subject. It provides a very scientific look into many long-standing myths associated with the plant and drops humorous comments along the way.

Dr. Earlywine's book "Understanding Marijuana" explains the uses of marijuana on a level that can be understood by all readers. Remaining unbiased, he combines the political aspect to the benefits of decriminalization the substance as well as the harmful effects and beneficial uses. The long term research becomes clear as the author takes you into a world not clearly understood by most in everyday society. This book comes highly recommended to those who can benefit from Dr. Earleywine's years of dedicated research into the variations of the legalization of marijuana and in my opinion, the end of the tireless "war on drugs".

I first experienced pot at age 16 and soon learned that what little I was told was NOT TRUE. This book lays it out in all its splendor. It is not a harmless drug- but it is the next best thing. The pharmacology section was very useful as it explained the way THC is produced and broken down by the plant. On the way up to THC Cannabidiol is produced. Cannabinol is produced as the plant starts to break down. The medical section is fabulous. I was not aware of its medical applications fully until I became a Medical Assisting Student and was placed as an intern in a Multiple Sclerosis practice. This drug does wonders for them! Few knew about it. More need to learn about it. That and I just love the look of those leaves! They are Serrated!!

With all of the misinformation circulating about cannabis over the last 70 years its nice to have a refreshing, scholarly, intelligent review of the subject. I wish everybody in the country who had anything to do with the War on Drugs - from both sides of the debate, would stop bantering about unsupported nonsense and old cliches about that vegetation and look at the evidence, the history, and see the nonsense that is currently floating unabashedly about on that subject. Thanks Dr. Earlywine for your significant effort to try to get out the facts. Del

Yep. Another book that's packed full of research to support this incredible little herb. SIGH! We really need to get "with it" and make this available for health and well being for our people and our planet.

Very informative book. Definitely not a light read but will leave you with a good understanding of the Amish. Without doubt, it is the first book to read when starting your study of these fascinating people.

After reading Brad Igou's "The Amish: In Their Own Words" I then came to this book by Hostettler - and am glad I did. This book "fills in" the portrait of the Amish by providing a very clear, readable, though factual history of the Amish "progression", if you will. With the Amish existence being much more fragmented than many people think as they lump them all under the term "Amish", this book really brings about an enlightened understanding of the range of the sects and their relation to each other and "the outside World" over the course of their development. It also offers the reader a very gracious, very real portrayal of the Amish that, thankfully, dispels many of the traditional misconceptions about these kind and earnest people.

I purchased this book to educate myself for an upcoming vacation to Pennsylvania Dutch country. I had a basic understanding of Amish beliefs and cultures, but was totally astounded at the differences between the sects. Mr. Hostetler provides first-hand knowledge that no one else has in any other book I've read pertaining to the Amish & Mennonites.

I have studied Amish culture and mores for some time out of both interest, admiration, and other motivations. And nowhere have I found a better resource than this book. That the author was himself raised Amish only lends to the credible nature of this book. But more importantly is the concise and thorough manner in which this book presents its truths and dispells rumors and myths. It served to take many of many of the half truths that I had known of the amish and complete them as no other resource has yet done. I heartily recommend this book. And it was a rather easy read, not bogged down by language. I finished it in a few days.

This was the most informative book on the Amish lifestyle that I have found. The author opens up the life of the amish to his readers. It is easy to understand. He takes you through the history, culture and beliefs. I have a deeper respect for the amish and understanding of their customs since purchasing this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a look into a different way of life. This book opened my eyes and my heart to respecting the amish lifestyle and their privacy.

This is an easy, fun, and interesting read. The book rekindled my sensitivity and respect for humanity.

It's a very good book, because it's one of the very best books I've ever read on trans issues. It's good if you need it for a positive outlook on transitioning. It's a book that has helped me as a person and I know that this book can help other guys out there see that they're not alone and there is a good way to transition.

Green, explores his own experiences and tells them in great detail. He's very educational and has helped me get through some tough times. It's a book I couldn't help not buying. It's in my library when I need to go back and see that I don't need to apoligize for who I am.

Personal experiences mixed with arguments about transgender issues provide the reader with insight about what it really means to be a transsexual.

Definately an excellent read, and one to keep in the library of any FTM.

Jamison Green's book Becoming a Visible Man is easily among my current top choices of trans-related texts. Not only does Green give readers pieces of his own personal experiences (following the trend of many other trans texts), but he also offers accessible, educational, and nuanced arguments around trans issues. In this way, Becoming a Visible Man is not only the story of Green's own personal becoming, but also, and perhaps more importantly, the story of the structures, institutions, and other forces that circumscribe, shape, and color all our becomings. In this vein, I'm confident that this book would appeal to transpeople and non-transpeople alike, both those with none or very little knowledge of trans issues, as well as those with much experience in this area.

While I haven't had the fortune (yet) to be familiar with Green's writings in the FTM Newsletter, I have no doubt that he provided much help and wisdom to its breadth of readers. His writing is balanced and aware of its biases, always mindful of questioning the existing structures of power, and responsible to those with whom he seems himself in community and alliance. By no means does this mean that Green attempts to speak for or about all transpeople or all transmen, or that he understands all transpeople or their experiences to be the same. Rather, Green is quite adamant about the differences between and among transpeople, at the same time that he is clear that we must come together in all our differences to effect true social change. And to his credit, through this all, his author's voice is calm and poetic; a great combination indeed of form and context!

I really could go on at length about the merits of this text...there isn't one thing I didn't like or find useful in its 231 pages. But, I'll settle for highlighting some of my most favorite passages:

(68) "I realized that if I could live in a way that declared my own self-acceptance--that is, not to broadcast my history every minute of the day, but to speak up honestly when it was appropriate, not necessarily with anger or even impatience, but with the compassion that I was finding within myself, to dispel myths and stereotypes that people cling to about us--that it would show others they could do it, too. Together we could change the conditions that generated our fears."

(78) "Politics is the art of negotiation among divergent goals, and cooperation is difficult when people are unaware of their motives or goals, or unable or unwilling to reveal them."

(89) "Being a transsexual is not something we do in the privacy of our own bedrooms; it affects every aspect of our lives, from our driver's licenses to our work histories, from our birth certificates to our school transcripts to our parents' wills, and every relationship represented by those paper trails."

(127) "For some people, the consequences of a transperson's assertion of his or her identity are simply too frightening because it threatens their own position within a particular community of ideology or faith."

(128) "My brother was not exactly disapproving of my sexual orientation, nor was he resentful of my ability to pitch in with his friends on construction projects or to manage home electrical problems, but he was much more comfortable when he didn't have to explain me anymore. This is not a reason to transition, as far as I'm concerned, but is a fact that an appearance of conformity with normative gender behavior does cause less social friction, a fact that every child has had drummed into her or him from earliest consciousness.

(177) "The extent to which we convey the truth of our experience is the extent to which any audience will receive us, yet so long as other people control the forum, or so long as the analyzing or commenting voices are not informed by direct experience of us, we are still vulnerable to being treated with nothing more enlightened than prejudice."

(180) "Social conventions and institutions support individual prejudice against the rights of transsexual people, adding to the burden of secrecy. These conventions persist because no one has tried, until very recently, to correct them."

(191) "Gender is a private matter that we share with others; and when we share it, it becomes a social construction, thus it requires, like language, a `speaker' and a `listener.' It is between the two of these actors that gender is defined, negotiated, corroborated, or challenged...But if we don't speak a language that others understand, then it can be a source of difficulty, even conflict, if we find ourselves in an intolerant environment."

(210) "If we are concerned that others will perceive our physical differences as laughable deficiencies, the answer is not to dehumanize and desensitize ourselves so we can manage rejection, but to sensitize others to appreciate us, and to learn to manage our own self-doubts so that others will be able to see worthy partners in us."

thanks for a book like this i have a therapy dog myself i trained for me and then i followed his lead when he showed he wanted and needed and was so good at helping others
i have only read excepts of the book but will buy it my dad is dying of parkinson disease 1000 miles away i am a daddy girl so this time is hard anyway since i have no way to see him
your book helps so much
turns out my dads dog-has saved my dad a few times himself by going to get mom everytime dad falls or needs things
i know if i could get up to dad i could train the dog to do more
the dog is a cocker spaniel raised from 2 weeks old by my mom,but seems to glue itself to dad as dad got sicker
as i always said dogs know more then we think they do and do so much for people
what a gift god gave with allowing us a small time with his critters
[...]

I am grateful to Lynne Hugo for her heartwarming and insightful book. She encouraged me to continue to visit nursing homes and Alzheimer patients with my toy poodle, Lucy, even though she is not trained to perfection. Lucy brings joy to residents and care providers. God has presented me with the opportunity to share my dog and I am proud to serve Him in this way.

I can see why this book won a national writing prize. What a sheer pleasure to read. It's thoughtful, deeply considered and the language sparkles as the author deals with terribly difficult issues but helps us through them by injecting literally hilarious episodes at just the right moments. Marley and Me has nothing funnier than sections of this book. My dog and I are Delta Society volunteers, and I, too, have aging parents. Much of this helped me think about my own life as well as my parents' situations, and I'm really grateful that a friend recommended this book. Now I'm passing the favor on and giving this my most enthusiastic endorsement.

An enjoyable book! I was moved emotionally by the connections of the dog therapy team, the residents they visited, and the nature around them. Nice symbolism showing how human life events parallel changes in nature.

I throughly enjoyed reading "Where the Trail Grows Faint: A Year in the Life of a Therapy Dog Team" by Lynne Hugo. Lynne Hugo is masterful at blending the story of Hannah, her beautiful chocolate lab therapy dog, with the lives of the people who are in the nursing home, along with the lives of her own aging parents. Ms. Hugo has a beautiful way with words; her prose creates atmosphere and feeling....so much so that at the conclusion of the book, I immediately went to visit my own aging mother-in-law, who is in an assisted living facility. This book was clearly written from the heart!

Dr. Attig's book is an important part of a paradigm shift in our thinking about grief. He has thrown open a door to new thinking about how we can continue to be in relationship to loved ones who are no longer alive. This book is eloguently written with the ring of truth from the lives of real people. An excellent addition to our knowlege and understanding of grief.

This is such an important book that it is required reading in my Introduction to Death and Dying course. It has valuable information, yet it is verty readable. It is presented as a very human book.

Dr. Thomas Attig's book, "The Heart of Grief: Death and the Search for Lasting Love," is an exceptional follow-up to his first book about grieving, "How We Grieve: Relearning the World." Each chapter of "Heart of Grief" begins with a real life situation involving the death of a person and the consequences of that death on those who are still living. His premise is that people who have passed away can still be an important and essential part of one's life. You don't have to get on with your life without them; you can get on with your life with them. Although there is an element of `advice' giving in "Heart of Grief," the book is much more story-telling. It's like a good novel-you can read it for the dramatization of some essential human truths. I recommend it highly.

I'm willing to bet that whoever wrote the editorial review for Publisher's Weekly (above) has never known the crushing agony of losing someone to death that s/he truly loved; or suffered the kind of pain that still drops you to your knees, years, even decades later, begging for mercy. The kind of anguish where you'd gladly give your own life just to make it stop. The kind you bear when you know they are never coming back and there is nothing you can do. I'm very happy for that reviewer. I hope he or she will never know it. But Heart of Grief must be read by those who understand all too well the overwhelming tidal wave of hopelessness that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Where Publisher's Weekly found this book simplistic, I found beauty in its quiet simplicity.

Being of a metaphysical sort, I've read just about all the reincarnation / life after death / love never dies / hypnotic regression / soul mates for eternity / communicating with the dead / type books. I've been spellbound by all of them and will probably continue to read them as they are published because it's a fascinating subject. Besides helping us to understand the process of dying and what comes after, these books pledge that we will someday be reunited. They all assure us that the deceased are still very much alive and well and with us daily, so there is no need to grieve. But they also often come with the stipulation that we must let go so that our loved ones can move forward, and because we want what is best for those we love, we attempt to suppress our grief, no matter how much it hurts us. While the theory seems reasonable, by trying to ignore our suffering, we compound it. We cannot stop the hurt just because we want to. It's not an electrical switch. It's not a water faucet. And it's just not that easy. Grief is complex, binding us with ropes so twisted we cannot seem to find the end that will untangle us.

Heart of Grief shows us that we do not have to let go, and in fact, encourages us not to. With compassion and a comforting voice, Thomas Attig sets forth practical ways to keep and strengthen the bonds of love with those who have died. I found it to be a very spiritually healing and uplifting book that has made a dent in my grief and a difference in my life.

On September 11, 2001, many sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters died. I lost my own son 10 years ago and since that time I have wondered what can really be of help to parents, or other grievers in learning to live with such loss. Now, more than ever, life seems so fragile in this world and the need for understanding grief as important as ever. It is so hard when grief is so great. Our fears of our own mortality spring to the front stage of our emotins nakedly exposed to others. I recently found Tom Attig's The Heart of Grief and it met me right where I was. Using his personal experiences of grieving people, Attig describes a process of learning to love in a new way. He recounts the stories of people's losses and provides a myriad of ways that grievers have found to continue loving the ones they have lost.
Of course, we do not stop loving or forget our loved one. Death does not end our relationshipwith the deceased, but it is different. They are forever gone from this life. Attig suggests that sometimes people fear that when they accept the loss it means they have stopped loving the deceased person. Many people, who are unable to let themselves feel the full impact of their loss, find themselves stuck in wishing for the past and the return of a loved one. Consequently, there can be no real acceptance of the loss. Attig emphaasizes the need to BE SAD because what has happened IS SO SAD. Feeling intense sadness scares many people, so Attig encourages us to find someone to accompany us on this journey, a spouse, a friend, or a professional.
Most importantly, Attig writes that if we do not fully accept and greive our loss, we may have difficulty ever loving again. It is only through acceptance of our losses that we can continue to love those who have died in a new way and to love those who are still with us and love us. The use of real peoples' stories of loss are inspirational and give hope. Attig provides numerous examples and possiblities of ways to learn to love anew. Whether you are grieving a loss yourself or know someone who is, this book is very readable, relateable, informative and comforting. We all will be grievers some day. I highly recommend this book. I has a permenant place of importance on my bookshelf.

I love this book. It takes a difficult subject and humanizes it. One can now imagine and maybe understand a little what is happening inside an alzheimer patient's brain. This understanding has made difficult behavior easier to tolerate and in some cases prevent. Every care giver should read this book, and every family member.

This book gave me some small insight into what my grandmother, who has alzheimers, must be going through. From the description of why he's afraid of the dark to the small joys of daily life and unquestioning company of his dog, Smith-Henderson has given a treasure to those of us baffled by this disease. My aunt is now using the book for a project in medical school, and I am encouraging my family to read it, so they might also have an idea of what people with alzheimer's face daily.

As the spouse of a man with this horrendous disease, I was very moved by this excellent journal of text and photos which allows one to "see it from the other side" as much as possible. In some moments of clarity for him, I shared excerpts of the book with my husband. His reaction was "he sure knows". Having ordered a copy for everyone in our family, perhaps I helped create the current back order situation! Kudos and thank you to all involved in the process of this book.

I have worked in nursing homes with Alzheimer's patients and received excellent staff training in relating to these people. But nothing equals the insights into the feelings so powerfully shared by Mr. Henderson. I'm giving it to a friend whose spouse has just been diagnosed and will recommend it to professionals still in the caregiving field.

This book is extraordinary if I do say so myself! Cary Henderson is my grandfather. He was diagnosed with AD soon after I was born. I have no memory of him not having it. It has gotten so bad no that a I feel like he is living, but not really here all the way. He is holding on, though. The pictures taken by Nancy Andrews are artistic and creative-wonderfully displayed. My grandma and aunt have put so much work and time in this book and it has really paid off. I am proud of them and think it's great that people can put themselves in someone's shoes that has AD. This book is interesting and will keep your attention until it's over. I reccomend this book to anyone.

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.

As the wife of a young man dying of cancer, this book was an incredible aid to getting through each day and learning what to expect. That was 15 years ago. My sister-in-law faced the same situation recently when her husband was diagnosed, and I bought the book for her. She said she couldn't put it down until she read every page. We need to have that helping hand when we're hurting. This book is it!

I found this book days after leaving the hospital with a two year prognosis for a misdiagnosed illness. My head was spinning. I was making lists of questions and to do lists for leaving my 2 young children. Finding this book was a wonderful gift. It answered my questions and provided a realistic outlook for what to expect of a terminal condition. The book provides sample statements for calling your relatives and helps you to prepare for your doctor appointments. I visited a doctor today and I led the session and all of my questions were addressed before the exam occurred. This book should be recommended to all diagnosed with a terminal illness. Highly recommended book!

I have owned this book for several years and decided to use it as an adjunct teaching tool for those training to become hospice volunteers. Every person in the group gave a high rating to this book. I will continue to use this book in future volunteer training classes. Eileen Urquhart, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, Visiting Nurse Association Hospice of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This is a must have resource for all of us. It is a practical book that helps you with End of Life concerns and how to plan for them. Far too many people wait until a crisis to make desperate choices that could be avoided. It is difficult to live with the choices that we make in crisis. Many times a crisis situation does not give you the opportunity to discuss critical issues with your family before the crisis occurs. This book will give you the necessary tools to discuss your wants and wishes for the living of your years.

I wish I had picked up this book earlier in my step-father's illness. Very useful for those who are facing illness or who love someone who is very ill, telling you the kinds of things to expect and ways of dealing them.

If you have serious mold allergies, and are motivated to create a relatively mold-free haven in your home, this is a great book. By using this book to track down some minor mold issues, I have been able to noticeably improve my health. Engaging and readable, but detailed enough to address specific situations.

I am a Certified Microbial Consultant (mold inspector) and a board member of the American Indoor Air Quality Council. I have this book in my library as a reference. It's quite comprehensive.

Jeffrey has done a god job. It's written for the lay person but also contains a lot of technical information (and technically correct information). The publisher is John Hopkins University. So it's a good read for the academics.

A good, comprehensive book for those who need to know about mold.

Despite the name "survival guide" I found this a calm and informative guide to environmental mold issues. It explained in an understandable way the scientific issues around mold such as what mold is, how it can be a health hazard, and more importantly how mold is not some sort of invisible killer, but something that requires certain conditions to become a problem.

Mold growth is a wide-ranging problem only recently receiving recognition in the process: turn to the The Mold Survival Guide For Your Home And For Your Health for significantly more depth and advice than any ordinary newspaper article could offer. Indoor air quality professional teams join a writing specialist to describe different types of molds and how to eradicate them while maintaining health. Tips on prevention are particularly well done.

This book written by long time professional home inspector Jeff May and his writer spouse Connie is a good introduction to mold problems in buildings, particularly homes. It combines an excellent narrative writing style, and unusual for a book that should appeal to many lay readers, a strong scientific understanding of mold, its growth requirements, its effects on human health, its detection in indoor spaces and ultimately its control. Jeff who I have known for over 20 years brings to this book many years (and of course many investigated buildings) of real-world experience with the scientific understanding to match. That is a rare combination. The book is a good read for the lay individual concerned about mold, the parent with a child with asthma, chronic sinusitis, or chronic non-seasonal allergy. It is also a good read for mold professionals of limited experience and those planning to enter the profession.
Thad Godish, Ph.D., C.I.H., Professor of Natural Resources/Environmental Management, Ball State University, Muncie, In. 47304 http://www.bsu.edu/IEN

What an impressive book - you get 400+ pages of ways to make life more comfortable for someone with Alzheimers. These also help the caregiver in a variety of situations.
The advice covers things like how to deal with wandering and gives four types of this behavior. It tells how to eliminate places to hide and rummage, coping with fears (of bathing, of strangers, of abandonment), and managing incontinence.
The book helps with mobility issues, addresses safety and how to manage daily living. It includes a valuable section (38 pages) lists where to find special products from stair lifts to bathing aids to ramps to bedwetting alarms.
I'm so glad to see a book this comprehensive to assist with Alzheimer's needs.

Mark Warner's book on Alzheimer's proofing your home is more than a how to book. Mr. Warner gives an in-depth description of the ways in which Alzheimer's disease affects a person's life, and the life of the extended family. By understanding the disease in depth and the changes that take place in a person physical and emotional need, there is a context to understanding why modifications and alterations are needed. He explains what to do and why to do it. His approach is that of a loving caregiver who not only wants to make the home safe and secure, but also wants to raise the quality of life. . Modifications are practical, but also designed to bring comfort. Even after over two decades of working professionally with people with memory loss, many of his suggestions caught me by surprise. I kept saying to myself, "why didn't I think of that?" He addresses all the behaviors associated with the disease, from wandering to agitation, and suggests environment solutions that could ease the situation. Not only will this bring a higher level of comfort to the person with the disease, but many of the suggestions are a benefit for anyone who wishes to have a safe and barrier free home. I recommend this book to anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's, anyone involved in home care, and anyone who is interested in altering environments to meet specific needs of unique individuals. Like any thoughtful book, his ideas about adapting environments to the needs of people with Alzheimer's disease also stretches one's thinking about changing environments for anyone with specific needs, or who wants to think about the highest level of safety for family members.

Since first reading this book over 14 months ago, I've found it a constant source for information and resources. It addresses the problems I encounter on a daily basis AND gives sources for products that I can use to provide better care for my loved one.

"...Alzheimer's Proofing Your Home" is the most complete, most helpful, and most insightful volume I have read on the subject of AD care. With incredible attention to detail, every issue one could encounter is addressed individually. It isn't enough to have a how-to-do-it manual with AD - Mark confronts matters like behavior, wandering, mobility, safety and comfort with deep sensitivity and compassion. A rich, in-depth source of information, Mark explains in detail how to transform any home into a safe haven in a manner that the patient will find warm and welcoming. Cognitive, spatial, and emotional deficits can be compensated for using Mark's well thought out guidelines, and I wish his book had been around when I began caregiving many years ago. There are many books on the subject, all filling a need; but Mark's is far and away superior to anything I've read, which is considerable. Hundreds of situations and their remedies are explored. Concerns encountered as AD progresses are addressed one by one, with a wealth of hints, tips, and shortcuts that are the lifesaver of harried caregivers. Easy to accomplish safety and comfort measures are provided - how needed! Emphasis is placed on concerns all CGs share - how to keep loved ones protected and content, AD being the antithesis of both. Mark has given us an instructional book, made warm and personal because it's about individuals and their needs. There is a comprehensive listing of product and service providers for caregivers, and most of the numbers are toll free. The title of this book does not begin to do it justice, it's so much more. Plus, it's very attractively bound - a beautiful volume of superior quality. Among my treasured books on the subject of dementia caregiving, this is my bible. ..........Sue B.

This book is a must for caregivers and professionals facing the challenges of Alzheimer's. It is the first book I've read devoted to Alzheimer's care that offers something more than reasons to institutionalize our people. Caregivers need information, options and where to access tools and resources before they can make informed decisions about their choices or their role as caregiver. As someone who spent 25 years designing rehabilitations plans for handicapped people and another 10 years facing the care of my husband, Tom, who died of this disease in our home, this is the first volume I've picked up that speaks of caregiving in positive, life-giving, do-able terms and not the drudgery that we are all led to believe consumes the process. While it offers pragmatic, workable, affordable solutions to caregivers, it never loses sight of the continued humanity and needs of our family members for love and regard in spite of their loss of cognitive skills. My experience as a caregiver was met with nothing but obsticles in my quest to keep my husband home, a journey I relate in my book, "He Used to be Somebody." I found Tom's care problems were 75% attitude and 25% tools, resources and help. This book offers both to families. I highly recommend it.