Title: All You Need to Know About Joint Surgery: Preparing for Surgery, Recovery, and an Active New Lifestyle
Author: John H. Klippel, MD
Illustrator: Kathryn Born
Publisher and/or Distributor: Arthritis Foundation
Pages: 236
ISBN: 0-912423-33-1
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
As an arthritis sufferer for many years and one in need of two knee replacements, this was a welcome book for review. It did a thorough job of answering all my questions about what to do to get ready, what to expect, and what to do and not do afterwards. It covers the most common joint replacements or their alternatives. An extremely informative and reassuring work, this book is a must for all of us who have been told we should have something done about our arthritic joints. We rated this excellent resource a very high four hearts.
Title: Making the Right Move: Housing Options for Seniors
Author: Gillian Eades Telford, RN, BSN, LTCAC, MES
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Self-Counsel Press
Pages: 190
ISBN: 1-55180-451-4
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
The baby boomers are beginning to age. Soon many of us will be faced with the hard decisions of long-term care. Making the Right Move is an essential guide for both those of us in our twilight years and our children who will soon become responsible for our care. The author takes the reader through all the considerations and options so that her life choices will be better informed. The matter of fact information is laced with excellent case study examples to better explain the ramifications of every choice. The info is applicable for both US and Canadian systems, which gives the book continental appeal. It’s important to use this book now as a basis for one’s future plans. We rated it a very high four hearts.
Title: The Arthritis Foundation’s Tips for Good Living with Arthritis
Author: Unknown
Editor: Susan I. Bernstein
Illustrator: Jeffrey Pelo
Publisher and/or Distributor: The Arthritis Foundation
Pages: 212
ISBN: 0-912423-27-7
Price: $9.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Tips for Good Living is crammed full with practical ideas which will allow arthritis sufferers to live an easier, less painful lifestyle. Organized by typical daily activities, each tip is a succinct 1-3 sentences built around an idea to make things easier. Whether it’s how to organize your closet to insure ease in finding and reaching your clothes to using a round pizza cutter to cut sandwiches or lasagna, each tip is easy, cheap, and doable.
This book is all about giving arthritis sufferers a better life. This disease takes some adjusting to better manage its handicaps. This book tells you how to do that. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Fat and Furious: Overcome your body’s resistance to weight loss now!
Author: Loree Taylor Jordan, C.C.H., I.D.
Illustrator: Steve Ferchaud
Publisher and/or Distributor: Madison Publishing
Pages: 397
ISBN: 0-9679878-9-X
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This extraordinarily humorous book may be full of laughs, but it’s also full of good information and advice. When it comes to dealing with weight gain and loss, the author has been there and done that. She knows from experience all of the many emotional and psychological reasons people gain weight and keep it on. She teaches what is needed to understand metabolic problems. An important area is body detoxification, as well as exercise, diet, and nutrition. Finally she puts all this information together holistically to help the readers feel fully informed and better about themselves. This is a seminal work, a must have for your reference shelf. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Over 40 & Getting Stronger: An easy-to-learn strength training workout for adults
Author: Phyllis Rogers
Illustrator: Rebekah Hall and Kitty Ragin
Publisher and/or Distributor: Fitness Press
Pages: 144
ISBN: 0-9749252-0-9
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This is a very reasonable strength and flexibility training program for older Americans. It requires only a bare minimum of equipment, such as small dumb bells, a chair, and an exercise mat. The program focuses on health and safety. The book’s models vary in age, with representation from the handicapped set as well. The pictures are clear and the instructions are easy to follow. The type and the pages are large enough for seniors to easily see. This is the most practical and safe workout program for seniors I have seen. I rated it five hearts.
Title: The Obesity Myth: Why America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health
Author: Paul Campos
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Gotham Books, Penguin Group
Pages: 304
ISBN: 1-592-40066-3
Price: $25
Publishing Date: 2004
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Obesity will kill you soon, right? That’s what we’re told all the time. Obese people are lazy and have no will power, right? The extreme prejudice against overweight people leads us to believe that. None of this is true, and the author makes a good case of it and more. His research of reliable studies demonstrates that an overly thin person has as much danger of dying early, if not more so, than a morbidly fat person.
Overweight people unite! The truth will make you free, or maybe just a little more comfortable with yourselves. This is a superbly research and reported commentary on the dangers and unfairness of various obesity myths. Everyone obsessed about their weight, whether they are overweight or not, should read this book. We rated it a high four hearts.
Title: Living with Stuttering: Stories, Basics, Resources, and Hope
Editor: Kenneth O. St. Louis, Ph. D.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Populore Publishing Company
Pages: 256
ISBN: 0-9652699-4-9
Price: $19.95
Publishing Date: 2001
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
Stuttering is frustrating for both those afflicted and those who communicate with them. This is a compilation of over twenty stories, essays, and information pieces about stuttering. The editor, a recovered stutterer and speech-language pathologist, Dr. St. Louis, provides the most up-to-date information on the problem and the latest advances in its therapy. The contributors all have learn to accommodate their affliction and provide tips and hope for others, as well as sharing their feelings and emotions. If you know a stutterer or are one, you should read this book. We rated it five hearts.
Title: In This Together: The Journey of a Mother and a Child
Author: Dawn M. Atkinson
Publisher/Distributor: 1st Books Library
Pages: 296
ISBN (Paperback) 1-4107-5137-6
ISBN (e-book) 1-4107-5138-4
Price (on 1st Books website) $13.25
Price (elsewhere) $15.95
Publishing Date: August 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
In This Together should be read by all expectant mothers, anyone doing battle with the medical community, and anyone with a severely disabled child. The author chronicles an incredible medical nightmare of incompetence, unfeeling, and lack of commonsense I have ever heard. Her son's brain was damaged at birth by numerous poor techniques and medical decisions by the attending physicians. Dealing with the medical community and State disability agencies after the birth has been one long road of overwhelming bad decisions and bureaucratic nonsupport. Her struggles are well documented and there is much to learn from them, as well as the legal recourses she had to go through. We rated this book four hearts.
Title: A Portrait for Healing: How I Cured Myself of Cancer Using a Holistic Approach
Author: Richard J. Manley
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: iUniverse
Pages: 316
ISBN: 0-595-26067-5
Price: $23.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating:
This book is a must read for all who are afraid of getting cancer, who have cancer, or who have had cancer. The author refused to undergo radical surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation treatment.. Instead he tried as many natural cures that seemed promising. His important discovery was using them in combination, rather than relying on one at a time. Eventually his tumor shrank enough to allow non-radical surgery.
The author focused on using the body's own defense system by eliminating anything which degraded or overtaxed the immune system. This led to some rather startling discoveries. The story is not just about his physical cure journey, but his spiritual awakening and past-self discovery. It is the best resource guide for natural cancer remedies I have seen. We rated this a solid four hearts.
Title: Boomers Really Can Put Old On Hold
Author: Barbara Morris, R.Ph.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Image F/X Publications
Publisher Email: ifxpub@aol.com
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0-9667842-1-9
Price: $16.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
This 72-year-old author demonstrates the possibility one can live longer and better with the right effort in the right areas. It addresses the importance of maintaining one's fitness, readjusting one's attitudes about ageing, and keeping on working at useful projectsnever really retiring. This book should be re-read periodically to regain focus and encouragement. We rated this book four hearts.
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Title: Smoking Cigarettes: The Unfiltered Truth, Second Edition
Author: Janet Benner, Ph.D.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Joelle Publishing
Publisher Website: www.joellepublishing.com
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0-942723-16-3
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
This book makes a good case for why smoking and smokeless tobacco are bad for you. It provides workable solutions and tools for kicking the habit and where to get help. It provides many true-life examples of others who have traveled this road. Having quit a 10-cigar-a-day habit myself back in 1976 cold turkey, I would have welcomed an aid such as this to help me through the transition. I would also recommend this read to those who do not smoke but live with someone who does. This is a thoughtful, well-substantiated guide that should be read by all who are affected by the tobacco habit in one way or another. We rated it five hearts.
Title: Water Exercises for Parkinson's
Author: Ann A Rosenstein
Illustrator: Leroy Cech
Publisher and/or Distributor: Idyll Arbor, Inc.
Publisher Website: www.idyllarbor.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/?E+scstore
Pages: 244
ISBN: 1-882883-49-7
Price: $18.00
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 Hearts
This may be the only book out there that provides safe advice for Parkinson's disease victims getting exercise in the water. The author is a highly experienced aquatics instructor. She has carefully outlines a complete training program and other connected areas of information. This book is ideal for patients, physical therapists, doctors, and special care nurses. The exercises are mild and focus on the use of a workout buddy as an added safety feature. We rated this book four hearts.
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Title: Fifty and Beyond
Author: Susanna Starr
Illustrator: Cowgirls Design, Taos, New Mexico
Publisher and/or Distributor: Paloma Blanca Press
Publisher Website: www.PalomaBlancaPress.com
Pages: 123
ISBN: 0-9720084-4-6
Price: $ ?
Publishing Date: 2003
Reader: Allan Lechner
Rating: 5 Hearts
Fifty and Beyond provides you a holisitic approach to improving the quality of your life. If you take heed to what the author writes you will definitely improve your physical, mental, and spiritual life. Some of the topics covered are foods, exercise, weight, personal and spiritual growth. The author does not attempt to provide you with an exercise program, diet program, or spiritual program. This is what makes MS Starr's book so appealing. She provides you with a rationale and the execution is up to you.
I particularly like the chapter of seizing and living in the moment and that she points out that it is never too late to work at improving your life. While this book is applicable to people 50 and over, the ideas discussed are equally important to those younger than fifty. We rated this book five hearts.
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Title: Childbearing Year; Healing Wise; Breast Health; New Menopausal Years
Author: Susun S. Weed
Illustrator: Various
Publisher and/or Distributor: Ash Tree Publishing
Publisher Website: www.ashtreepublishing.com
Pages:
ISBN: 0-9614620-0-0; 0-9614620-2-7; 0-9614620-7-8; 1-888123-03-6
Price: $9.95 / 12.95/ 14.95/ 12.95
Publishing Date: 1986; 1989; 1996; 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 Hearts
Every now and then we get a whole series of books from a publisher. Rather than write individual reviews on each one, we write a review on a seriesespecially if the books are closely related in subject matter and quality. The Wise Woman Way series is just one of these. Written by a woman for women, it focuses on women's health issues using time-tested herbal remedies. Each book addresses a specific area of female concern and provides common sense solutions based upon folk medicine ways kept alive for centuries by women who stepped forward to take responsibility for the knowledge base.
Childbearing Year focuses on the various medical conditions brought on by pregnancy and how to deal with them the natural way.
Healing Wise is a good general-purpose herbal healing book for women.
Breast Health! includes both preventive measures and supportive natural medicine techniques to lessen the side effects of cancer treatments.
New Menopausal Years provides natural solutions to hormonal imbalances and many other areas of concern for woman reaching the menopausal years.
All in all, this series provides a veritable pharmacopoeia of natural medicine and time-proven folk techniques to provide women with better health. We rated the series five hearts.
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Title: Zoey and the Zones storybook and parental workbook
Author: Shawn McCormick and Ginny Trevino
Illustrator: Nathan Schmidt
Publisher and/or Distributor: Health Springs
Publisher Website: www.zoeyzones.com
Pages: 38 and 108
ISBN: 0-9718120-0-4 / 0-9718120-1-2
Price: $8.95 storybook / 17.95 workbook
Publishing Date: 2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 Hearts
Zoey and the Zones is a children's storybook about a little car that gets asthma and has to learn how to deal with it. It is accompanied by a parents' workbook, which addresses the problem from the parents' perspective and teaches them how to work with their asthmatic child and the medical profession. This is an entertaining, non-threatening approach for working with a frightening condition. It teaches how to manage the disease and minimize its impacts. We rated this package four hearts.
Title: The Book of Life
Author: Dr. Mark Draper
Publisher and/or Distributor: AIM, Inc.
Email/Website: www.Natural-Life.com
Pages: 303
ISBN: ???
Price: ???
Publishing Date: September, 2002
Reader: Judy Schuler
Rating: 4
Why are Americans, many of whom follow health department recommendations of low-fat-high-carbohydrate diets, fatter than ever? Dr. Mark Draper knows the answer and shares his knowledge in The Book of Life. Although not the first to define carbohydrates as the culprit, Dr. Draper pinpoints specific carbohydrates. It's not just carbs, it's the kind of carbs that have caused us to balloon into the fattest nation on earth. He also shows how, with slight modifications in the foods we eat and with regular exercise, we can lose weight, keep it off, and not starve ourselves. The Book of Life is not a diet book. It is a guide to good eating and a healthy lifestyle, full of scientific and commonsense information, as well as some scrumptious-sounding recipes and an exercise program. I might give it a shot myself.
Although repetitive in places, The Book of Life is a well-organized and informative self-help book. It rates four hearts.
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Title: Total Fitness for Women
Author: Joe Luxbacher, Leslie Bonci, & Kim King
Illustrator: Phil Velikan & Arttoday.com
Publisher and/or Distributor: Wish Publishing
Publisher Website: www.wishpublishing.com
Pages: 180
ISBN: 1-930546-55-6
Price: $ 14.95
Publishing Date: 9/15/2002
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Total Fitness for Women is a comprehensive manual that addresses all aspects of fitness programs for women. Everything is therestrength, flexibility, and aerobic training; nutrition; women's issues; and even psychological hints.
This is a common sense based system, with differing levels so that different needs and lifestyles are addressed and accounted for. Women who follow the guidelines set forth in this book will be much the better for it. We rated it four hearts.
Title: Ready, Set, Go!: Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults
Author: Phil Campbell
Publisher and/or Distributor: Pristine Publishers
Publisher Website: www.readysetgofitness.com/a>
Publishing Date: 2002
Pages: 368
Price: $19.95
ISBN: 0-9716633-9-4
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 4
Ready, Set, Go!: Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults is the fitness book for us middle-aged baby boomers. It focuses on the natural re-energizing of our bodies¹ growth hormone production which is critical for anti-aging. The instructions take into account all levels of fitness and non-fitness. It is sensibly written and has an immense amount of research data to back up everything it advises. Where this book is different from many is in its focus on the intensity of exercise which is required to see results and in the importance of planning and timing. This guide takes a whole-body and a varied type-exercise approach to fitness. The author is a highly qualified expert who gives out trustworthy, knowledgeable guidance. This is like having your own personal trainer in your hands. We rate this book a solid four hearts.
Title: Unified Fitness
Author: John Alton
Publisher and/or Distributor: Hampton Roads Publishing
Publisher Website: www.hrpub.com
Publishing Date: 2002
Pages: 394
Price: $22.95
ISBN: 1-57174-224-7
Reviewer: Bob Spear
Rating: 5
Unified Fitness is one of the most important fitness books written this century. Some Westerners who have experience in the martial arts and meditation know that various Chinese approaches to health are effective; but few have been able to explain why. Traditional Chinese medicine uses allegorical terms which are meaningless to those of the Western world. Likewise, the Western approach to medicine focuses on biochemistry and mechanistic cause and effect. This author has studied both approaches extensively and is the first to explain how a combination of Western and Eastern exercises can help regain and retain health. He backs his explanations up with juried research by other health professionals and anecdotal cases from his own practice.
He uses a combination of stretches, aerobic routines, a modified Tai Chi-like movement system, and a breathing/visualization exercise system which is designed to energize the vagus nerve which, in turn, energizes the immune system. He also addresses emotion issues which have impact on brain chemical production.
The book is well organized and illustrated; however, not all people can look at a picture and truly understand a series of movements. We highly recommend interested readers also acquire the author¹s set of three video tapes for $59.99 at 1-866-834-8438. We rate this book a low five hearts.
