Thursday, December 25, 2008

Mediterranean Heart Diet or Living Sober

Mediterranean Heart Diet: Why It Works and How to Reap the Health Benefits, with Recipes to Get You Started

Author: Helen V Fisher

Most people know that a Mediterranean-style diet is "good for them," but many lack the information that determines the diet's success. The Mediterranean Heart Diet does what most doctors who recommend the diet don't: spells out which foods are "out" and which are "in," and why.Doctors recommend a Mediterranean eating style to thousands who are diagnosed each year with heart disease because it is "heart-healthy"-it promotes lower saturated-fat consumption, and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels. It is an all-purpose style of eating that also benefits those at risk of developing certain cancers and those with a diabetic condition, because it is high in antioxidant-rich foods and whole grains. The Mediterranean Heart Diet not only provides a full range of satisfying recipes but also covers the science behind the diet's health benefits. Readers learn to create their own healthful eating plans and establish new habits.More than 140 delicious recipes are included, from satisfying Lentil and Broccoli Soup to tangy Halibut in Citrus Sauce. All recipes feature nutritional analysis by serving, including food exchanges.

Publishers Weekly

Mediterranean food is delicious, easy, relatively inexpensive and surprise! healthy. For 50 years, doctors have observed that Mediterranean people are much less likely than those in more industrialized countries to suffer heart disease or strokes. The Mediterranean Heart Diet: Why It Works, with Recipes to Get You Started, by Helen V. Fisher (Posh Pancakes and Fancy Fritters) with Cynthia Thomson, Ph.D., R.D., attributes the region's health to lower saturated-fat consumption and plenty of whole grains, and offer easy recipes like Polenta with Tomato and Fontina. Fisher and Thomson also advocate the Mediterranean lifestyle: eating at least one meal a day with companions and more physical activity. Sadly, they neglect to recommend lolling on the beach ogling attractive Mediterraneans. (July) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The Mediterranean diet is certainly one of the better nutritional gimmicks embraced by the American public. Fisher explains the medical rationale behind this popular diet and provides details on the diet and exercise combination, which has been proven to be healthier than the American way of life. Mediterranean fare is highlighted through the use of a modified food pyramid that emphasizes breads, pasta, rice, and whole-grain foods. Phytochemicals, the foods in which they are contained, and their potential benefits are discussed. Over 140 recipes, including appetizers, soups, salads, grains, seafood, meats, vegetable, breads, and desserts, are simple and appealing. A good, basic book for those collections needing information on the subject. Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans' Hosp. Lib., Tampa, FL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.



Interesting textbook: The Sugar Fix or Healthy Digestion the Natural Way

Living Sober

Author: Alcoholics Anonymous World Servic

An extremely informative book which does not offer a plan for getting sober but does offer us sound advice about how to stay sober. Basic, essential information from Alcoholics Anonymous.

As the book states, "Anyone can get sober. . . the trick is to live sober. "

SUGGESTED LIST PRICE: $8. 00



Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The UltraMind Solution or Never Be Sick Again

The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First

Author: Mark Hyman

A hidden epidemic races around the globe — we can't see it or touch it, which makes it so dangerous.

The invisible epidemic has led to the suffering of millions who spend billions on drugs, only to find they don't work.

This is an epidemic of broken brains.

"Broken brains" go by many names — depression, anxiety, memory loss, brain fog, attention deficit disorder, autism, and dementia, to name a few — and show up in radically different ways from person to person, making each seem like a separate problem.

But the truth is that these "diagnoses" are all the result of a few basic problems with our biology. Pinpoint these biological problems, fix them, and let your body's natural healing intelligence take over to repair your brain. Now you can experience an UltraMind — one that is highly focused and able to pay attention at will, with a strong, reliable memory and a mood that is calm, confident, in control, and in good spirits.

We have all heard of the mind-body connection or how our thoughts affect the health of our body. But the reverse is far more powerful: what you do to your body, your basic biology, has a profound effect on your brain.

Have you ever experienced instant clarity after exercise? Alertness after drinking coffee? A mental crash after popping candy? Does your brain inexplicably slow down during stress, while multitasking, or when meeting a deadline? Each is an example of how what we do to our bodies — whether through nutrition, sleep, exercise, or stress — has a dramatic effect on our brains.

Conventional treatments don't help, or provide only slight benefit, because they just manage symptoms rather than deal with —and heal — the underlying problem. And just as brain problems all stem from the same root causes, they all have the same solution — The UltraMind Solution.

Our ancient genes interact with our environment to create systemic imbalances that affect our brains. Correct those imbalances — most caused by nutritional deficiencies, allergens, infections, toxins, and stress — and you can achieve optimum mental health without drugs or psychotherapy.

The UltraMind Solution is the future of medicine, the culmination of the last twenty years of research on what makes the brain happy, focused, and calm; research that has uncovered a few simple factors that explain why things go wrong and how to fix them.

Don't wait for this revolution in medicine to trickle into your doctor's office: it usually takes research twenty years to move from the lab to the patient. The answers are here, right now, in The UltraMind Solution.

Publishers Weekly

From his own account, stress and mercury poisoning transformed Lenox, Mass., physician Hyman (UltraMetabolism) from a physical and mental titan to a depressed, anxious chronic fatigue sufferer. His journey to health included visits to a TCM practitioner and a Hawaiian naturopath. Here he cites the main culprits of his and other serious, now epidemic, conditions (mood disorders, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD, autism, etc.): 21st-century lifestyles, dangerous environmental toxins and genetic liabilities. Hyman contends that psychiatrists and neurologists prescribe cognitive therapy and medication, but do not address the physical damage causing brain dysfunction. His program to balance seven key body systems consists of a gluten- and dairy-free diet; 30 minutes of daily walking and morning and evening self-care rituals. Quizzes help readers determine their weaknesses and whether to follow the basic plan, optimize it or seek medical intervention. Hyman thoroughly explains each body system; the impact of poor diet, stress and environment; the best foods and supplements; and ways to detoxify and activate the body's own healing mechanisms. An online companion guide offers additional advice (for example, a more vigorous physical training regime, brain exercises and ways to ease detoxification side effects and constipation), as well as allergy-free recipes. (Jan.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

James Swanton - Library Journal

These books make the provocative suggestion that modern medicine can assist readers in improving their minds with strategies and advice to "treat anxiety, depression, memory problems, ADD, and insomnia." Amen (Change Your Brain, Change Your Life) administers the Amen Clinics, where mental health diagnoses are largely based on a comprehensive database of single-photon emission computerized tomograhy (SPECT) and treatment plans are based on targeted, follow-up psychotherapies under psychiatric supervision. In addition to those methods, Amen emphasizes many all-natural ways-diet, exercise, supplements-to treat mental health problems.

Like Amen, best-selling author Hyman (UltraPrevention; UltraMetabolism) promotes a holistic approach to mental health and wellness based on "functional medicine" (FM). FM purports to be the medicine of the future, "a science-based health-care approach that assesses and treats underlying causes of illness through individually tailored therapies to restore health and improve function." Hyman has built his medical philosophy on the seven keys of "UltraWellness," which, in turn, are the keys to the "UltraMind," both of which emphasize the concept that the name of the disease (i.e., the diagnosis) bears little relationship to the cause of the disease. Hyman believes that traditional medical education is too rooted in finding symptoms, making a diagnosis, and then identifying a drug to match that diagnosis. Hyman seeks a "balanced" brain by seeking the proper relationships among detoxification, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Both books are nontraditional and appear to serve mainly as promotion for a proprietary approach to mentaldisorders, namely, Amen Clinics, Functional Medicine, and trademark UltraSolutions. Discretionary purchases for larger consumer health collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ9/1/08 for Hyman.]



Look this: Top Secret Executive Resumes or The Emotionally Intelligent Nurse Leader

Never Be Sick Again: Health Is a Choice, Learn How to Choose It

Author: Raymond Francis

One day Raymond Francis, a chemist and a graduate of MIT, found himself in a hospital, battling for his life. The diagnosis: acute chemical hepatitis, chronic fatigue, multiple chemical sensitivities, and several autoimmune syndromes, causing him to suffer fatigue, dizziness, impaired memory, heart palpitations, diarrhea, numbness, seizures and numerous other ailments. Knowing death was imminent unless he took action, Francis decided to research solutions for his disease himself. His findings and eventual recovery led him to conclude that almost all disease can be both prevented and reversed.

In Never Be Sick Again, Francis presents a seminal work based on these findings - a revolutionary theory of health and disease: there is only one disease (malfunctioning cells), only two causes of disease (deficiency and toxicity), and six pathways to health and disease (nutrition, toxins, psychological, physical, genetic, and medical). This remarkable book answers the questions: What is health? What is disease? Why do people get sick? How can disease be prevented? How can it be reversed? It will teach readers, in one easy lesson, an entirely new way to look at health and disease - an approach that is easy to understand, yet so powerful that they may, indeed, never have to be sick again.

Providing a basic understanding of health and disease, this book takes the mystery out of disease. It provides readers, no matter what their present physical condition, a holistic approach to living that will empower them to get well - and stay well.



Table of Contents:
Forewordvii
Acknowledgmentsxi
Introductionxiii
1.I Almost Died1
2.Your Potential for Health15
3.The New Theory of Health and Disease37
4.Choosing Healthy Cells65
5.The Nutrition Pathway83
6.The Toxin Pathway139
7.The Psychological Pathway195
8.The Physical Pathway219
9.The Genetic Pathway253
10.The Medical Pathway271
11.A Shift in Perspective317
References345
Author's Note: Going Beyond Health353
Appendix AHealth Information357
Appendix BVitamin Supplements359
Appendix CFoods and Personal Products363
Appendix DAlternative Cancer Treatments371
Appendix EImproving Vision373
Appendix FHealth-E-American Foundation375
Index379

Inflammation Syndrome or Overcoming Depression 3rd Edition

Inflammation Syndrome: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies, and Asthma

Author: Jack Challem

"Challem’s new book hits a home run — with the latest research on what to eat and take to defeat our real number-one cause of health problems — inflammation. It’s a message of the utmost importance."
–Jean Carper New York Times bestselling author of Stop Aging Now! and Your Miracle Brain, columnist for USA Weekend magazine

What is the Inflammation Syndrome? It’s the cumulative effect of low-grade inflammation–including the aches and pains we all experience–that grows into chronic debilitating disease. This book, the first major book on the syndrome, reveals the powerful role that inflammation plays in a wide variety of common health conditions–from simple aches and pains to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, Syndrome X, arthritis, asthma, and athletic injuries. Drawing on cutting-edge research conducted around the world, Jack Challem provides a revolutionary approach to healing inflammation-related problems through an easy-to-follow nutrition and supplement program. He also shares the latest information on C-reactive protein, one of the marker s o f serio us inflammation. This book, quite simply, shows you how to feel better for life.

"Many of our most debilitating diseases can be traced to an inflammatory cause. The program Jack Challem outlines in The Inflammation Syndrome is a great first step in ridding your body of this deadly problem."
–Fred Pescatore, M.D., author of Thin for Good, The Allergy and Asthma Cure, and The Hamptons Diet

"In a scientifically accurate and easy-to-understand manner, Jack Challem lays out the basic nutrition plan for good health and weightloss."
–Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of The Paleo Diet



New interesting book:

Overcoming Depression, 3rd Edition

Author: Demitri Papolos

and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Craving Brain or Mindful Recovery

The Craving Brain: A bold new approach to breaking free from *drug addiction *overeating *alcoholism

Author: Ronald A Ruden

Where do the roots of addictive behavior lie -- in our genes or in our environment, in our chemistry or in our character? In the Craving Brain, Dr. Ronald Ruden asserts that the roots of addiction most defintetly do not lie in our character. Rather, they lie in a complex chain reaction that originates in an ancient survival mechanism in the brain. When this system is inappropriately activated, it drives the body to crave, sometimes with addictive behavior as the end result. In clear, straightforward language, Dr. Ruden outlines his remarkable successful treatment program which he believes can cure this problem.

The Craving Brain offers crucial insights into the world of addiction. This revolutionary book will bring hope to millions of people who suffer from a wide range of addictions, from gambling and alcohol to drugs and food.



Read also Active Birth or The Perricone Prescription

Mindful Recovery: A Spiritual Path to Healing from Addiction

Author: Beverly Bien

"This wise book provides practical exercises that will help us to develop conscious awareness and inner understanding, and the ways and means to free us from unsatisfying habits, addictions, and unconscious behavior patterns. I recommend it highly."

––Lama Surya Das, author of the bestselling Awakening the Buddha Within

"Anyone interested in finding a kind, spiritual guide to recovery that focuses on flexibility rather than the ‘one true way’ will benefit from this enjoyable and helpful book."

––Maia Szalavitz, coauthor with Joseph Volpicelli, M.D., of Recovery Options: The Complete Guide

In Mindful Recovery, you’ll discover a fresh and effective method for healing from addiction that can help you handle important challenges, from managing anxiety and resisting cravings to dealing with emotional and physical imbalance.

Drawing on both ancient spiritual wisdom and the authors’ extensive clinical psychological work with their patients over many years, Mindful Recovery shows you how to use the simple Buddhist practice of mindfulness to be aware of––and enjoy––life in the present moment without the need to enhance or avoid experience with addictive behaviors. Mindful Recovery guides you step by step through ten powerful "doorways" to mindful recovery, giving you specific strategies that can help you cultivate a sense of calm awareness and balance in your life.

Filled with personal stories of recovery, practical exercises, instructions for meditation, and more, Mindful Recovery accompanies you on a journey of exploration and healingthat will help you find the strength and the tools to change, leading you to a fresh new experience of everyday living.

Library Journal

These very different books share the premise that spirituality rather than pharmacology or will power underlies successful recovery from addiction. Both expand on the idea of spirituality beyond the doctrinal and ritualistic form to a wider range of thought. Mindful Recovery flows out of a Buddhist perspective that substitutes the authors' "ten doorways" for the more rigorous 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Based on research and professional experience, the book argues for "mindfulness," a quality of openness to life's experiences, as a lifestyle for the recovering addict. Presented here are both specific techniques and "practices" (e.g., journaling and meditation) for attaining mindfulness and composite life stories that illustrate various themes. Thomas Bien, a clinical psychologist and lecturer, and Beverly Bien, director of an agency that provides services to the disabled, have written a soothing and sensible self-help book that could be useful to open-minded individuals facing addiction issues. Based on interviews, research reviews, and visits to programs and conferences, The Soul of Recovery is rooted in the Alcoholics Anonymous philosophy, though Ringwald's perspective is more expansive. The author, a reporter for Newsday and director of the Faith and Society Project at the SAGE Colleges in Albany, NY, covers the theoretical relationship between addiction and spirituality; treatment programs (e.g., Hazelden) and specific modalities for women and minorities; the science of addiction and research on effective treatament; and policy implications for recent political initiatives advocating "faith-based" social programs. The result is an impressive, straightforward synthesis of diverse and controversial issues. Both books provide viable alternatives to the "broken brain" thesis of biological psychology/psychiatry. Ringwald's presentation is more analytical, comprehensive, and research based, making it better suited to public and professional libraries. The Biens' book would make a sound addition to specialized collections on alternative approaches to addiction. Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.



Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments.
PART ONE: MINDFUL RECOVERY.
Introduction: Getting to Here and Now.
The Process of Change.
PART TWO: THE TEN DOORWAYS TO MINDFUL RECOVERY.
Doorway one: Seeing the Magic of the Ordinary.
Doorway Two: Telling Life Stories.
Doorway Three: Journaling.
Doorway Four: Meditating.
Doorway Five: Recreating Nature.
Doorway Six: Loving.
Doorway Seven: Dreaming.
Doorway Eight: Working.
Doorway Nine: Transforming Negative Emotions.
Doorway Ten: Living Moment by Moment.
Recomended Reading.