Health Recent Picks
June and July 2009
The underlined title links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
The end of overeating : taking control of the insatiable American appetite, by David A. Kessler. (c2009)
"With engineers working around the clock to figure out how to add irresistibility and whoosh to food, and the ever-expanding choices (and portions) available to us, it's no wonder we've become a culture on caloric overload. But with obesity rising at alarming rates, were in desperate need of dietary intervention. InThe End of Overeating, Dr. David A. Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, takes an in-depth look at the ways in which we have been conditioned to overeat. Dr. Kessler presents a combination of fascinating anecdotes and newsworthy research including interviews with physicians, psychologists, and neurologists to understand how we became a culture addicted to the over-consumption of unhealthy foods. He also provides a controversial view inside the food industry, from popular processed food manufacturers to advertisers, chain restaurants, and fast food franchises. Kessler deconstructs the endless cycle of craving and consumption that the industry has created, and breaks down how our minds and bodies join in the conspiracy to make it all work. He concludes by offering us a common sense prescription for change, both in our selves and in our culture. (Global Books in Print)."
Healthier without wheat : a new understanding of wheat allergies, Celiac Disease, and non-celiac gluten intolerance, by Stephen Wangen. (c2009)
"...In Healthier Without Wheat you learn the difference between celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, and wheat allergies. You will discover how hundreds of health problems are connected to wheat and gluten reactions and why sorting this out on your own can be more difficult than you might think. You will also discover how you can be gluten intolerant even if you don t have celiac disease, and why non-celiac gluten intolerance can be just as severe as or more severe than celiac disease. You will also learn how to determine if your infant or child reacts to wheat or gluten. Healthier Without Wheat also covers nutritional deficiencies commonly seen in gluten intolerance, and equally important, what to do if you are avoiding gluten but not getting better..." (Amazon)
Intersex (for lack of a better word), by Thea Hillman. (2009)
"Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word) chronicles one person's search for self in a world obsessed with normal. What is "intersex"? According to the Intersex Society of North America, the word describes someone born with sex chromosomes, genitalia, or an internal reproductive system that are neither clearly male nor clearly female. In first-person prose as intimate as a diary, Thea Hillman redefines memoir in a series of compelling stories that take a no-holds-barred look at sex, gender, family, and community. Whether she's pondering quirky family tendencies ("Drag"), reflecting on "queerness"("Another"), or recounting scintillating adventures in San Francisco's sex clubs, Hillman's brave and fierce vision for cultural and societal change shines through." (Amazon)
Life in rewind : the story of a young courageous man who persevered over OCD and the Harvard doctor who broke all the rules to help him, by Terry Weible Murphy. (c2009)
" In her first book, veteran television producer Murphy, mother of an OCD patient, recounts the extraordinary, triumphant tale of Ed Zine, a man so mired in obsessive-compulsive behavior that he was trapped for six years in his squalid basement, compelled to perform an endless series of rituals meant to stop time and the inevitability of death. Jenike, a dedicated psychiatrist with extensive experience, found Zine "as ill as any patient I had ever met." Murphy traces Zine's illness from its roots in childhood trauma (his mother's death from cancer) through its full flower, shortly after high school graduation, when it began to take over his life. Unable to get Zine out of his house, leading OCD expert Jenike made the three-hour trip from his Boston office to Zine's Cape Cod home once a week. The bond between them developed slowly and with difficulty, but ultimately proved deeper than either suspected; after three years, Jenike mistakenly concluded that Zine's case was hopeless and stopped visiting. Zine, of course, would end up surprising them both with a dramatic recovery. A passionate, faithful narrative from a reporter who understands the stakes and the people behind them, this is a fascinating, hopeful read." (Amazon)
How God changes your brain : breakthrough findings from a leading neuroscientist, by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman. (c2009)
"... In this stimulating and provocative book, two academics at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Spirituality and the Mind contend that contemplating God actually reduces stress, which in turn prevents the deterioration of the brain's dendrites and increases neuroplasticity. The authors conclude that meditation and other spiritual practices permanently strengthen neural functioning in specific parts of the brain that aid in lowering anxiety and depression, enhancing social awareness and empathy, and improving cognitive functioning. The book's middle section draws on the authors' research on how people experience God and where in the brain that experience might be located. Finally, the authors offer exercises for enhancing physical, mental and spiritual health. Their suggestions are commonsensical and common to other kinds of health regimens: smile, stay intellectually active, consciously relax, yawn, meditate, exercise aerobically, dialogue with others and trust in your beliefs. Although the book's title is a bit misleading, since it is not God but spiritual practice that changes the brain, this forceful study could stir controversy among scientists and philosophers." (Amazon)
Medication madness : a psychiatrist exposes the dangers of mood-altering medications , by Peter R. Breggin. (2008)
"Following his landmark book Talking Back to Prozac, psychiatrist Breggin follows up by arguing against what he calls the 'spellbinding' effects of psychiatric medications, and he doesn't mean 'spellbinding' as praise. His point is that all psychiatric drugs are dangerous; he describes how these medications can compromise brain function, resulting in bizarre, even violent behavior. Breggin, a former staffer at the National Institute of Mental Health who has testified in liability suits against pharmaceutical companies, cautions that consumers should thoroughly examine the drug labels for side effects as a precaution for such drugs as stimulants, antidepressants, tranquilizers, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. The tragic cases of beleaguered patients detailed here are troubling. Breggin joins the growing group of experts who argue that the FDA is 'more dedicated to serving the drug companies than consumers, 'relying on doctored or incomplete evidence and botched tests. Breggin's assertion that psychotropic drugs induce rather than treat brain imbalances is controversial, but this book is a reasoned look at these drugs, which have come under increasing scrutiny in the media as well as medical world." (Publishers Weekly)
A child against all odds, by Robert Winston. (2007)
"In a world where in vitro has become big business, this is a hard-hitting look at modern reproductive technology. It is written by a leading fertility specialist who draws on personal and professional experience in this motive area of science." (Amazon)
Halfway to Venus : a one-armed journey, by Sarah Anderson. (2008)
Doctors of deception : what they don't want you to know about shock treatment, by Linda Andre.c2009.
Sacred path of Reiki : healing as a spiritual discipline , by Katalin Koda. (c2008)
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