Health Books

I am a perpetual beginner but I have enjoyed the benefits of yoga for years. Most of my yoga books and manuals show postures and sequences but they don't give me enough context to quickly or easily understand which asanas or sequences I should focus on. Since I am have little time...I don't like to work to hard figuring out what to do. This is the first guide that makes it quick and easy to decide what I want to do. It is smartly organized with its anatomical/chakra color-coding, anatomy reference and super easy fan format for scanning postures and stuffing into a briefcase or pocket.

I am keeping my other books for reading, but this is the guide I always take with me for my active practice...

I absolutely love my yoga fan. As a teacher and student, this book is an excellent guide for sequencing and for referencing any pose. I love how the fan is grouped and broken down into seven sections, which offers an easy and flexible sequence to follow. The sections are even color coded to match the postures with the chakras! I never leave home without this book. At any time, I can flip it open for a quick reference. It's also a great companion when traveling - it's small and easy to pack as a guide for my personal practice!

This is a great little tool for teachers as well as students (like me!).
It's well put together and covers a wide range of poses for all levels
in a very handy format!
Love it!

I've found the Yoga Fan to be a great tool for my individual practice. Developing my home practice is an integral part of my yoga practice, however left to my own devices it's easy enough for me to reinvent poses and confuse or lose sequences; having the Yogi Fan is like having a Yogi in my pocket to guide me.
It's organized in a usable way -- pose for pose; and it's wonderful for creating flow sequences. I'm particularly fond of the Yogi's tips -- I always find something useful there.
Great design, excellent construction, perfect packing size for when I'm out of town. Definitely recommend it.

Convenient, concise and informative. The pictures are great and the format makes it easy to follow and learn at one's own pace. For anyone looking for a good introduction to yoga, I highly recommend this portable and invigorating book.

This is a life changing book. It shows how our thoughts create our perception of life. Our perception of life is our experience of life. It doesn't go overboard and claim their is no objective reality outside our thoughts, as some new age teachings do. However, it does say that it's not the circumstances of our lives, but our reactions to them. It does repeat it's central ideas several times, but sometimes it takes a while for something to sink in. I really liked the chapter on wisdom. My only problem with this book is the subtitle, because I read this book when I wasn't depressed and still got tons out of it. It could be read by anyone who wants to think optimally and discover happiness in life. I am only writing this review, because I have the hope that someone might read it and get solid info about living a better life. Carlson is influenced in his writing by a school of psychology called Psychology of Mind. Psychology of Mind is based on the concepts originally presented by Sydney Banks. I think this is the most clearly written of the Psychology of Mind books. However, if you read this book and like it I would reccomend any of the books from the Psychology of Mind authors (e.g Wisdom Within by Roger Mills, Divorce Is Not The Answer by George Pransky). Also check out Sydney Banks website and books.

Dr Carlson has written many self-help books aimed at helping us to find the stable state of happiness that naturally exists within us all. He has now written this book specifically for those of us who suffer from depression. The book contains practical truths that are so obvious that most of us miss them or at least bypass them in the rush of our everyday lives. If you are suffering from depression this book will help immensely. Richard Carlson will show you how your state of depression is as much perpetuated by your own thinking as it is by any chemical imbalance that may or may not exist. I have read this book at the same time as receiving treatment with an SSRI anti-depressant (Cipralex). While I am unsure if the SSRI has benefited me at all after 6 weeks, I am certain that this book has changed my outlook completely after two weeks and that it continues to do so more and more with each re-reading. If I allow myself to slip back into my old ways of thinking, the severity of my depression rapidly returns. The good news is that it just as rapidly alleviates when I get back on track with my thinking. The book is simple to read and may seem repetitious. However, if you are one of Dr Carlson's target audience of sufferers from depression you should read this book and keep on re-reading it. You will find that on each re-reading something will leap out at you with greater meaning than it did before. I have highlighted many sentences so that I can rapidly re-read them, and have noted down the keywords on the title page. This way I can pull myself back on track quickly. The approach takes some work to put into practice but there is nothing as hard work as being in a depressed state. The hard work, by the way, is only in terms of changing your habitual modes of thinking, it does not involve making lists and analysing things as do many cognitive (i.e. thinking) approaches such as that found in Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. I have found Dr Burns's book to be of some use also, mainly because it has helped me to identify particular types of cognitive distortion that help perpetuate depressive illness. This enables me to more accurately recognise when I should dismiss my thoughts, as Dr Carlson recommends in his approach. If you are depressed, low, angry, resentful, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, stressed, hurried, fearful or just not happy most of the time then read this book and keep re-reading it. I only wish this book had been available when I was aged twenty rather than forty.

The first time I read this book, I read it straight through and it seemed to say the same thing over and over again: I began to wonder why on earth I bought it. I am now on my third reading, and I'm reading just a few sentences each and every day. However, although the basic message is still the same on each page, "Live in the Present", Mr Carlson constantly gives new aspects to the message so that it drip feeds sanity into my brain. I wish I'd had this book 50 years ago, and maybe it wouldn't have taken so long to do its work.

Never has something I've read had such an impact on my life as this book has. In fact, I would never have imagined that a book could have this much impact on my life!

Never has something I've read had such an impact on my life as this book has. In fact, I would never have imagined that a book could have this much impact on my life!

"The Art of Effortless Living" by Ingrid Bacci is a quest for personal empowerment and transformation through meditation and yoga.

Ingrid Bacci provides well developed practical approaches to creating an 'effortless' lifestyle.

Connection to the Higher Self is important along with various practices to develop physical and emotional awareness.

Also read:

Nexus: A Neo Novel

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao

a must read for dealing with your own health and finding your true pleasure in life.

Ingrid's book is about learning to live your life from an inner place. A place that allows you to access your inner wisdom and get in touch with feelings and feeling your body. She talks about how we have gotten to a place of stress in our lives and informs us on how to let go of that. She mentions the fact that not only are our minds, thought and actions so stiff and so frozen, but it also effects our health.

I highly recommend this book it is a jewel and will guide you on a new path of effortless living that brings joy and well being into each moment. I hope that she writes another book, her input and the way she writes is like listening to a dear friend who has your best interest in mind. Awesome book, I have highlighted it and will treasure it and go back to it for inspiration many times.

This book was suggested by a friend and it was exactly what I needed at this time. It is a great resource for making work and life transitions with ease. I have always been looking for a book like this one, and I finally found it. It is a truly wonderful book.

This is a book that everyone should read. It teaches you to realize how we spend a great deal of effort on many areas in our lives. It makes you understand how to simplify your life by easy steps to take daily. Through this book, I learned how to breath properly and how not to let little things in life stress me out. That is all wasteful and useless. Think "effortlessly" and your life will flow gracefully as you start to realize the wonderful things in your life that you were too filled with effort to notice before. This is one of the best books I've read this year and recommend it to everyone. It's easy to read and understand and it will teach you to live effortlessly and allow you more time to enjoy yourself. Buy it!!!

Usually, the authors don't stick in my memory, and especially not exercise book authors, but Joyce did. I really loved this book. Got it a few years ago and I want to keep it, and infact am looking to collect and follow more of Joyce's books. I kind of let go and did not weight train for a good while, and now I want to get back to doing it, and am reaching out for her book again, and not some other book. Somehow, I connected with her (or rather she connects with us) and her exercises. They were so convenient. No gym required. A chair, and the 3lb weights is all I needed. I loved the simplicity. 1 or 2 of them were a bit challenging to do for me though and I had some questions on the correct technique but I bet with more practice & patience I can do them just right. Challenge is a good sign. It helps us reach higher. Overall, they were veyr much do-able, I enjoyed them and I certainly felt a difference in my posture, in my strength, and in my entire mind-set after doing these for a time period. I would rate her super. If you are patient in doing the exercises, and consistent (very important), you will 100% reap the benefits. All the best and enjoy!

Though this book was published in 1989, its substance was recycled in other forms, spreading the same confusing message.

The author is unsettled on the duration of daily workout from 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and then 20 minutes. In this book, the author proposes 7 days a week of weight training. In others, she proposes working out twice a week. She talks about "total body building", "supercuts", and "fat burning" without having the slightest clue on the basic physical facts about their scientific origin.

Here are some absurd errors you will find in this book:

1) The book claims the "you can shape up in no time if you do not have time to shape up" which is a lie.
2) Page 32, "the trapezius muscle is labeled as the latissimus dorsi. Then on Page 112-113, she describes "shoulder press with dumbbells" as "lateral pulldown" and claims to workout the latissimus dorsii. Thus, she confuses pulling for pushing. Though the book is introduced by a medical doctor (Jude T. Barbea) and written by an author with Ph.D. in English literature, the book completely misrepresents basic weight training teaching.
3) Page 139, "Eggs help raise beneficial HDL, break up cholesterol deposits and carry them away from blood vessels". So, how many eggs do you need to completely get rid of atherosclerosis?????
4) Page 139, "fibers help eliminate 10% of fat intake since they (fibers) pass through unregistered". She does not know how the fat is digested in the intestine and assumes that fat elimination is simply "sliding through" with fibers.

Here is her list of books that demonstrate the mad zeal of recycling simplistic and misleading information:

1. 12-Minute Total-Body Workout
2. Bone-Building/Body-Shaping Workout: Strength, Health, Beauty, in Just 16 Minutes a Day
3. Bottoms Up!
4. College Dorm Workout
5. Definition: Shape Without Bulk in 15 Minutes a Day
6. Gut Busters: The 15-Minute-A-Day, 12-Week Plan
7. Hard Bodies Express Workout: The Twice-A-Week Fitness Program That Really Work

8. Now or Never: Keep Your Body Young, Fit and Firm with the Weight Training Program That Works Even as You
9. Supercut
10. The Bathing Suit Workout
11. The Fat-Burning Workout: From Fat to Firm in 24 Days
12. Toning for Teens: The 20-Minute Workout that Makes You Look Good and Feel Great!
13. Top Shape: 12 Weeks to Your Ideal Physique
14. Weight Training Made Easy: Transform Your Body in Four Simple Steps

When I browsed through similar books that claim to achieve magic fitness results in about 15 minutes or so, I stumbled on a general trend. Whether the author is a man or a woman, those books clearly show narcissistic authors, with simplistic views who claim to lead the world to perfection. All share fond of their bodily outlook, neurotic, and impatient in acquiring knowledge, or adapting to new trends in modern exercise teaching.

The simplest rule of staying fit is "simple counting of Calories". One Calorie per minute worth of work will amount to 60 calories per hour and 1440 Calories per day. If you try to condense that in 15 or 20 minutes, you will need to expend energy at a rate of 72 Calories per minute, which is impossible even by swimming in cold water or cycling at top speed.

This book has a very do-able routine for anyone with limited space and limited budget. All you need are two 3-lb. dumbbells and a chair.

She does have a written cheat sheet at the back of the book, but the only quibble I have is that there should be a photo cheat sheet as well--the names of the exercises don't immediately bring them to mind.

There is good variety in the exercises, and you can use them to supplement any of the exercises in Slow Burn and Power of 10. Her explanations of Isometric Exercise and Dynamic Tension fit perfectly in with the super slow weightlifting concept.

Great workout for body toning. I loved it but I believe that in addition to her 12 minute workout, some cardiovascular exercise is necessary to be truly fit. Also, it is necessary to watch what you eat of course. I have personally seen and felt great results in a short period of time. I still struggle with some of the ab exercises and I did feel sore in my abs, legs and glutes for a while.

At age 20, I had already been through 3 surgeries due to bowel obstructions and Crohn's Disease (chronic inflammation of the intestinal lining). Suffering with the disease kept me fairly slim through out my 20's, but completely inactive. My well known "coke bottle shape" has always looked fine in clothes but, over the years I have lost A LOT of muscle tone and definition.

At 30 I had my son, and thankfully, my Crohn's Disease took a dive...but as a result my weight shot up. I only gained 12 lbs. during my pregnancy with my son, but after having him, I found it difficult to control the amount of food I was eating. 4 years later, I found myself at an all time high of 206 lbs. I went on a reduced carb-calorie counting diet and lost 27 lbs, but was still unhappy with the way my body looked ...and I was at a plateau. Even with my 1300-1400 calorie a day diet (I'm 5'7"), and briskly walking 3-4 times a day for 15 min, I couldn't get anymore weight off. I searched the web for a solution. I came to the realization that I needed to rebuild my muscles to boost my metabolism and reclaim my body shape... without the fat and cellulite.

I stumbled across Dr. Vedral's book while looking for a weight-training program that wouldn't impact the already limited time in my day and would cut out going to the gym (I hate the gym!). After two weeks of continuing my own diet, following her exercises and cutting my wallks down to 2 a day, I have lost 4.5 lbs! Her program is direct and well spelled out. I wake up a few minutes earlier in the morning to complete the exercises. It does take me a little more than 12 min a day, simply because I find that I need to do some stretching before and after, which she doesn't really require in this program. My only gripe would be that some of the pictured illustrations are more "cutesy" posed, than the true form that you need to start at, but the written word for the start position clarifies it for you. All and all, I couldn't be a happier. I can FEEL it working and feel confident that within a few weeks I will SEE results of more muscle tone and definition. All of my muscles have a "good" soreness they haven't felt in years and it feels great!!

Because of the light weights and basic movements I think 12 Minute Total Body Workout is a great book for those who are desiring to boost your personal fitness program, no matter were you're starting point is. Thanks, Dr. Vedral!! I love this book!!

I bought this book based on the positive feedback of other reviewers. I don't generally eat many sweets, but I was desperate for something to make for special occasions, since traditional, wheat-based cakes and cookies were definitely not an option.

I first made the "Orange Pecan Streusel Muffins". I had to order some of the specialty starches and flours from companies on-line before I could begin this recipe, as they are not available in my area. Once I had all the ingredients, the recipe was easy to follow, although fairly time-consuming. I substituted chestnut flour for the pecan flour. And the muffins were delicious! You would never know they were gluten-free. My husband, who is not gluten-intolerant, polished off two of them immediately. The recipe says to let the muffins cool before eating, but you can eat them a little warm if you like. yum.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the other recipes. This is a GOOD cookbook!

This cookbook is wonderful. It has made the transition to GF baking easier and tastier. There are some very good tips found within.

This is a wonderful book for people who cannot have gluten. The recipes are tasty, simple and oh-so delightful.

This book is full of great recipes, and cooking tips for gluten free cooking. The recipes use a mix of rice, tapioca, and potato flours(you can get these at a local health food store). I loved the white bread recipe, it keeps well for about a week in the fridge, and freezes well to.

Both grandchildren have Celiac's Disease, so gluten is out. Special diet recipes can often be anywhere from so-so to just terrible. I really did my homework and read through countless reviews. I am happy to report this book's recipes live up to their promises. The standard kitchen isn't set up for gluten-free cooking, but once you find everything you need at the local health food stores, follow these recipes for great results.

As a personal chef, Waldorf teacher and alternative medicine advocate, I want to tell you how fabulous the 28-Day Cleanse has been for me. In the 4 weeks that I was on the cleanse, I lowered my combined cholesterol by 91 points! And I needed to, because it was so high. Scott Ohlgren's books are user-friendly; there are no "shoulds." His writing is easy to understand and sensible. I am now in my 4th week. My friends have been commenting on how good I look -- I'm in my 50s and have gained 20 pounds that have not wanted to leave me -- until I started Scott's cleanse. It sounds overwhelming to do a 28-day cleanse, but I'm telling you, it is easy, you eat all the good food you want; you can go 100 percent no dairy or animal flesh, or you can do the cleanse with some animal flesh, as you wish. Your choice. Juicing every day does take some time; you have to prepare with a game plan -- that is in the book. I did it with a friend and we bought cases of beets, carrots, lemons and apples. The recipes are delicious and easy to make. So if you are contemplating making a positive change in your health, as I did, give Scott's plan a try. It may become a way of life for you and you will feel stronger, more alive and will be ever so much kinder to your precious body.

I have now bought 5 of these books because I keep giving them away. Some friends had recommended it to me saying they loved the recipes. The recipes are great, flavorful and simple plus the advice on cleaning up my diet has been invaluable to me. I do not see this as a 28 day plan but a life plan toward greater health.

I have used the guidelines in this book to help me engage in practices and behaviors that I know intuitively are the key to improving all aspects of health. It sounds like a miracle cure when I think of all of the benefits derived from following this simple plan... and I guess it really is a miracle cure! I was diagnosed with a myriad of "stuff" a number of years ago including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic myofascial pain syndrome, IBS and on and on.... I found great improvement within days of following the ideas in the book. Not only did all of the symptoms associated with my diagnoses decrease or go away completely, I found that I was thinking more clearly, my anxiety level had greatly diminished, my skin looked better, I slept better and on and on! Need I say more? Actually I will say more - don't be discouraged if the foods in the recipes are foreign to you. There are many ways that you can introduce whole foods into your lifestyle without going crazy or spedning all of your time in the kitchen. Check out [..] for more ideas. I am convinced that this can change your life!

just had to write to let you know that i truly am a believer after reading your book and following (i'd even say loosely) the program for the last month. i have been on diets my entire life but as of this past january i slowly started cutting out meat and then about a month ago, most dairy. During that time I lost about 20lbs - but i was also severly limiting my calories and was (as usual, obsessed) - oh - and i also was on diet pills (and had been on and off for the last 10 years) -- and felt awful in many ways -- mostly awful in my head...
but a friend gave me your book and seriously it has changed my life. i have been off of the diet pills and haven't gained an ounce. i have actually lost more, even though i eat a lot more, too... but the truly amazing aspects involve more how i feel. I feel well. I feel well!!! In body and mind and spirit. I can hardly believe it myself - but man, I can feel my body and I feel well, for maybe the first time, ever. After years of deprivation, i finally feel nourished. And you are right, it isn't hard. I don't feel like I'm on a diet - I feel like I don't want to eat things that are chemicals, that are bad for me, that will make me feel bad... And I truly enjoy eating what I've been eating and I enjoy feeling well and connected to the earth and frankly to myself... even as i sit here in a gated community w bustling atlanta just outside... I spent the last month in Humboldt County, CA - where many people already were on your page, so to speak, so perhaps it was easier to join in - but now, after about five weeks, man - I am different... and i think changed forever and only getting into it all deeper... spiritually, even...
I am a believer.
MUCHO GRACIAS. You have opened up whole worlds to me - in me - around me...
And you are right about something else - I feel a little angry... How did I not know the simplicity of it all - the common sense of "don't pollute the inside w chemicals" b/c I guess i trusted my parents and trusted the government and trusted the FDA...
anyway. i am changed.
thank you.

When I started this program I was looking for more energy and a healthier body. At the beginning, this kind of cooking looked so unfamiliar and difficult to follow, but like anything else in life, what it is needed is some effort and persistence. In just one week, I felt like the pollen allergies were not bothering me, in fact, I even didn't realize that the pollen level was so high! Besides that, I got some uterine fibroids and everytime my period came they were so painful, and guess what? This month came so smooth and painless!! Like this were nothing, I lost 11 pounds and my husband 10. The food is so delicious and we just want to keep on eating this healthy style most of the time. I wish that everybody could feel the difference between eating regular diet and a cleansing diet, it is like the day and night. Thanks Scott and Joan for writing this wonderful book that is helping millions!!
Rubi Figueroa
Manassas, VA

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books, Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc. - an award-winning independent publisher, President of PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book is an honored recipient of this distinguished award.

I bought this for my daughter and we both love it (me more than her)! She is almost two and doesn't quite get the message of the book; however, she loves the fun rhymes. I can't wait untill she is old enough to make lemonade stand and help the cause. This is a great book for any child!

very accessible story for telling little kids about fatal diseases like cancer.

This is one of my new ALL TIME favorite books! I first came to know Alex on the TODAY show with Matt Lauer. She inspired me so much that I bought lemonade from every stand I could find that summer! I was so sorry that her little life was cut so short, but so thrilled that her spunk and determination and vision live on! EVERY child should be exposed to and read this book! There is no excuse for every library to not have it, and for every parent to not read it! Open a lemonade stand, and continue Alex' dream!

This is the story of an extraordinary little girl. Alexandra Scott was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer, when she was one year old. When she was four, she decided to build a lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to the hospital where she was treated. News of Alex and her goals spread, so that others decided to help her raise money. Now there is a foundation (Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation) dedicated to continuing her work.
Told in a set of delightful rhymes and attractive illustrations, this is a tale that is inspiring and demonstrates how much one person can change the world if they simply try. If you buy this book, you will enjoy it and young children will be delighted to have it read to them. I also encourage you to make a donation to what is truly a worthy cause.

I have noticed that fine teachers dispel tensions and apprehensions in their students, while ineffectual teachers positively strain to load them on. Sifu Wong is totally at home with his art; humorous, warm, and supporting. He never communicates a whisper of doubt about the prospect of teaching essential Chi Kung through the medium of a modest seeming book. I was immediately hooked on the practice. Sifu Wong's own attitude is undiminished childlike astonishment and wonder at the power of Chi Play. One does not want to stop! It is this infectiously joyous, self-aware, but un-self-conscious spirit which truly welcomes and encourages the student.

Excellent writen and easy to understand. And Best book for the seekers of healing and mediumship.

this book was very useful. Actually got this book as a present for my mother, but i found it very useful and interesting. so i too got one. thanks to amazon!!

A complete guide to everyone about the art of Chi Kung. The auther Master Wong Kiew Kit explains how to use the art to promote energy for physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The techniques are so simple yet extremely powerful. It's a great book I recommend it to everyone, beginner or advanced level.

This book gives an overview of Chi Kung ( or Qi Gong , depending on the spelling,etc.). It explains what chi is, what chi can do, and what exercises can help. There are several drawings of various chi kung exercises, chapters on various ailments and what can be done to cure them, as well as several real cases. Wong Sifu is truly an expert. As a student of Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan I can say this book supplements training ( especially helpful is the body chart with the various meridians).
The only negative things are that there are no photos ( although the drawings are reasonably good) and more important there's no information on diet. If you have no problems or just a simple strain/sprain diet probably won't matter, but if your problem is more serious, such as constantly feeling cold, sleep apnea, low sex drive, etc. diet will play a major part in the cure. That brings up one other problem; this is a book and not a real, living Sifu( master). As such it should be used only as an introduction to Chi Kung and not as a guide to get better. I'd strongly recommend you find a real Tai Chi/Chi Kung master and practice with him/her. Only if you're hundreds of miles away from the nearest school, or you're broke , should you try to "learn" from this book. Use it as aguide.
That said, this is one of the better books on Chi Kung.

In my health care practice, I look for the toxins that throw our bodies out of balance as Donna so aptly describes in her book. We live in a sea of chemicals and if a health practitioner chooses to go looking for them, they will find them in a patient's body. Just look around at the average American today. It is obvious the medications that simply treat symptoms are not enough.

It seems so basic to clean up our bodies, our environment. Thank you, Donna, for writing such a comprehensive, truthful book about our state of affairs in health and industry today and its impact on all of us.

In the forward to The Autoimmune Epidemic, Dr. Douglas Kerr, Director of the Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center, states reading this book is "a necessary first step," but rereading it "is a life-altering event." Be prepared, though, even a first pass through these well-written, meticulously researched pages will force you to look at the world around you in a totally different light.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa has managed to synthesize a complex subject, the explosion of diagnosed autoimmune diseases throughout the Western world, with a writing style that's both informative and riveting, producing what will be looked at as THE clarion call for our entire society to make sweeping changes before it's too late.

Every likely contributor to this epidemic is exposed -- from what industry casually pumps into the environment to what we voluntarily put into our own bodies. Ms. Nakazawa not only explores the possible causes and effects of these influences, she successfully bridges the often arcane medical jargon in an intelligent and effective manner.

Ms. Nakazawa introduces a new term to the lexicon - "autogen" - which will become the watchword for all of us as it refers to those triggers we come in contact with that can send our immune systems into self-destruct mode. Becoming alert to potential external autogens is just one important step in preventing the panoply of autoimmune diseases, though. What we eat, drink, do, even how we think and feel, have possible consequences on our future health.

Curious to know what "the barrel" is and how close your personal one is to overflowing? By the time you finish The Autoimmune Epidemic, you may become sufficiently self-aware to address those factors filling your barrel before your own immune system turns against you. Your health and the health of our future generations depends on direct action by all of us to change the course of the coming (or already arrived) autogen storm. Donna Jackson Nakazawa will remembered as the one who sounded the alarm and hopefully, not too late.

The jacket of the book is red; it symbolizes the red flag that autoimmune diseases are waving at us. You know what happens when you ignore a red flag - this is a must read book. Readers who have an autoimmune disease, or suspect that they do, will get a whole new insight into the process of the body attacking itself. Case histories bring the reality of these diseases into focus. She explains why if you have one autoimmune disease, you are at increased risk for more.

Readers who do not have an autoimmune disease will get the same kind of heads-up coal miners get when they send a canary into a mine shaft... and it doesn't come out. Donna Nakazawa has provided enough scientific information in an area of public health that is sketchy at best and mysterious at least to give the reader many "aha" moments. Nakazawa's writing style is perfect for this topic. She has taken a highly complex medical condition and made it easy for people without a medical or science background to understand.

Why is diagnosing autoimmune diseases so difficult?
Why is finding cause and effect so challenging?
Why is treatment so elusive?
How could we not have seen this coming: OR why did we see it and ignore it?

There is a chapter on cutting edge research being done for treatment of some of the most debilitating autoimmune conditions. This is a chapter of hope. In my opinion, the prospect of patching up serious body malfunctions doesn't compensate for the damage already done by negligence of our society. But Nakazawa does give us that hope and additional suggestions for lifestyle adaptations in diet, stress management and environmental awareness. That is probably the best we can do with what we have before us.

I am, admittedly, a fan of the book because it tells a powerful story of a neighborhood activism in Buffalo, NY, and I was involved in that story in a small way. But the story of folks with undiagnosed autoimmune disease, how this poor, minority community had the strength of will to ask difficult questions, identify scientific collaborators in the local University, and lead a groundbreaking study of lupus incidence is a lesson that bears repeating all across the US. Along with that chapter, Donna Jackson Nakazawa weaves together impressive scientific review, stories of her personal challenges and why it is relevant for patients all across the US, and clearly states key issues for those wanting to know what they suffer from.

On top of that, she identifies recommendations on health and diet.

A powerful book, because it captures a citizen and journalist describing research, citizen action and health recommendations for this rising tide of unknown diseases, that affect everyone around us.

Why so many MS patients? Why is lupus so hard to diagnose? Why do we only measure asthma and cancer, and not other disease rates? Why do we insist on such a burden of proof of problematic diseases in communities? Jackson Nakazawa identifies and tackles tough science and policy questions in a book that cannot be put down.

Scientists, medical professionals, doctors, researchers, community leaders and members, citizen activists, concerned neighbors. You all should read this book.

I am a 35 yr old woman who has multiple sclerosis. My father and my mother's sister have lupus. My father's brother also has ms... and the story goes on. I know in my heart that the environment we have created definitely affects us. This book was suggested to me by a librarian who has rheumatoid arthritis and we got talking. I feel as if this book backs up everything I have been thinking, but goes on in depth explaining why.

I have learned so much from this book. The book thoroughly explains different factors that all add up to why autoimmune disease seems to be so rampant. There is a great explanation of a barrel filling and overflowing, which really makes sense. It seems that things we eat, use, clean with etc., stuff we take for granted everyday combined with the general environment and possibly genetics all add up to autoimmune disease.

I would suggest this to anyone who is interested in learning more about possible causation of autoimmune disease including physicians and family members of the diseased.

I feel empowered after reading this book as there are things that I can change. I hope that with several small changes (and maybe a few big ones) I can make a difference in the course of my disease or at least try to prevent it in my children.

I gave this to my son who is the father of a preemie. He said it was so good that he was going to loan it to me to read also. My son is a Ph.D. candidate and has a lot of reading to do, so any additional book has to be really good.

This is a wonderful book. The author not only delves into the lives of twelve families affected, but also about the history of neonatology itself. You find yourself pulling for each of these tiny infants as well as their caretakers.

this book is great! it follows the real life happenings of a nicu in california. it follows the cases of several families, through their ups adn downs, and everything in between. there are babies that recover fine, some that recover with problems, adn some do die. it also talks about things from the doctors and nurses perspectives, and gives some history of neonatology. a great book for preemie parents, non preemie parents (i am not, and just loved this book), doctors, nurses, etc. very good read.

I found this book after seeing it mentioned on Oprah. Wow. What an amazingly touching and fascinating look at the brave new world of having babies. She just has a way of finding the books that are full of heart.

This book was the most impressive book I have ever read! It inspired me to go into Neonatology! I adore this book and recommend it to any one interested in medicine!