health Books

Following the McDougall plan now for 2.5 years I have never felt or looked healthier. Not to mention loosing over 100 lbs. If you are serious about improving your health, loosing weight, or just want some sound advice about going VEGAN then this book is a MUST! Dr. McDougall makes total sense and is easy to follow. Finnaly someone who understands the real road to long term health and weight loss does NOT start with eating eggs and bacon every day!

I found Dr. McDougall's website while surfing for vegetarian recipes with Vegetarian Times website as a starting point. It definitely sounded interesting, if not completely do-able for the average person.

A couple days ago I spotted the book in a local second-hand store, and snapped it up, to get a better idea of Dr. McDougall's research and background info. You see, I am a lifelong vegetarian (lacto-ovo, not vegan), and I am married to a doctor who is not vegetarian, and scoffs at veganism (but loves my vegetarian cooking).

I don't think I've ever come across a health book that was this hard to put down. Every chapter has a plethora of numbered references citing an amazing array of highly-respected medical journals (some of which, my husband subscribes to) to back up the sweeping and often surprising claims McDougall makes. It also offers case studies of individuals who have wrecked and/or healed their bodies through food. I, being a visual type, found the numerous lists, charts and diagrams helpful as well.

It almost inspires me to go vegan. Almost. The evidence against cage-free vegetarian eggs and organic range-fed milk is not strong. But then, in the early eighties, most people didn't have access to these. Also, the only thing he has against yogurt is that it is made of milk and has no fiber (although he gives medical evidence that it may not be as helpful in digestion as it is touted to be). Also he says pasteurized cheese is not especially harmful, except in that it's fattening. So, I'm not eliminating yogurt or cheese from my diet, or the occasional fresh egg from my friends' chicken coop.

But, it is an extremely engaging book. Reads more like a popular college nutrition lecture than a sermon, definitely. It is unprejudiced and helpful, patient, and offers a variety of options for different types of people. Recommended.

At last an honest view of diet and health. If you wish to avoid the common diseases of the western junk-food culture get this book and follow it.

I have never met a doctor more concerned with the public health than Doctor McDougall. His book is honest and backed up with decades of factual knowledge.

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

Written in the early 1980s, this book was one of the first to establish the nutritional superiority of a diet free of animal products. Dr. McDougall documents his assertions with extensive references to scientific studies and medical journals.

However, the diet as set forth in the book is not accessible to many people, due to its extremely low fat content. Dr. McDougall maintains that one "won't feel hungry" on his "health-supporting diet"; in fact, its lack of fat makes one ravenous. I myself tried for years to make it work, without success.

An instructive anecdote: the day I bought this book I was so inspired by it, I cooked myself up a batch of its Vegetable Stew, ate heartily, and--an hour later consumed half a gallon of ice cream. If you want to avoid such binges and make a vegan diet work for you, you need to adjust it to your needs. (McDougall Porridge-- oatmeal without salt and milk, with only a few raisins or currants added, equals mutiny.)

So, while I recommend this book for its scientific and nutritional information, I also suggest buying some other vegan cookbooks that contain better recipes. I also share my own adjustments to the McDougall program:

I disregard the book's cautions about high-fat plant foods, and eat them in moderation and as needed for satiety. I eat more protein-rich plant foods than are recommended by the book. I add some extra-virgin olive oil to the recipes. I add a little salt.
The diet should serve the person, not vice-versa. Good luck.

This is the first book of Dr. McDougall's that I read. I consider this book the "owners manual" to the human body. This book really helped me to understand things that I was experiancing and the relationship to the food I was eating. All the doctors I had seen, would say "we don't know what causes it, but here is a medication to help with the symtoms,"to the questions I would ask. After reading this book and begining to change to a plant based diet, symptoms started to disapear. I no longer have digestive issues. Although I have tested the system, by reverting to some of my prior diet habits from time to time, I find it doesn't take long for the symptoms to return. I think this is refered to as McDougall's revenge. The work that Dr. McDougall has done in this book, & others has helped me to be much healthier than I would otherwise have been. So far I have avoided developing the diseases that are in my family, and I have reversed all the intestinal issues that I was diagnosed with. If you really follow what he says all the way, it does work, and health is worth the effort!

If suspension of disbelief is required for most movies and books of fiction in order to entertain us, prepare to be both hugely entertained and greatly surprised by unbelievable incidents from real life.

The 26 short stories form a true page-turner of a collection: some I loved, most I liked - and the few I did not care about were over quickly. The stories are amusing, the writing is witty and the overall result is guaranteed to improve a bad mood. After all, we all have had one of those days: if they do not make us wiser, at least they can make us laugh.

RECOMMENDED!

William Douglas Little is a columnist for Motorcycle Product News. This book of short stories is based on that column. The stories are humorous and based on true events. Some of the subjects covered in the book include how not to use Super Glue; car problems; the art of shopping; growing up; animals; phishing; and waiting for the satellite TV guy. All of the stories are funny and several have little life lessons summarized at the end.

"Mexican Bowl Fishing and Other Tales of Life" is author William Douglas Little's very funny, somewhat exaggerated look at his life. Some of the stories are about things he's done as an adult, others about what he did when he was young and all are equally funny. The very first story, "Eddie's Bad Day" is a very funny story that sets the tone for the rest of the book. Other funny stories include "The Snowball Effect", "Shopping Abroad", "About Ten Minute", "Confessions of a Reformed Delinquent", "Possum in the Cathouse" and "Bury the Cat Slowly". While some of the stories are obviously fiction based on fact, readers will certainly identify with stories about trying to get as much mileage out of your tires as you can, a spouse complaining about your driving habits, pranks you pulled as a teenager, and the unpredictable behavior of pets. A few of the stories are more serious than others - "Life Lessons of Childhood" is a thoughtful essay on trying to recapture the joy of childhood and not letting stress overtake our lives; "Grabbing Branches" is about the tendency to rush through life without paying attention; and "Saying What We Mean" is about disclaimers companies put on things we buy. The serious stories were a nice break from the humor, although "Saying What We Mean" didn't quite fit in with the overall tone of the book.

"Mexican Bowl Fishing and Other Tales of Life" is a delightful short story collection.

William Douglas Little
Author House, 2008
ISBN: 9781434382580
5 Stars
Humorous...
William Douglas Little has enjoyed writing since he was a child. When he saw his first article in print, he was hooked. He continued writing and landed a monthly column with MPN. Mexican bowl Fishing and Other Tales of Life is a collection of his short stories. Each of the 26 stories are filled with humor and written in a conversational style.
From Superglue to little old ladies driving a Cadillac to parking tickets, what seems improbable really can happen. While these stories may seem over-the-top, "truth is better than fiction." The best story in this book has to be the one about Superglue. The second best one is the little old lady and the Cadillac. I was laughing out loud at both. Mexican bowl Fishing and Other Tales of Life is a great read.

I sat down to read this and could hardly put it down. As I laughed at the things that happened to WL; I remembered many things that happened to me while growing up.

These stories are hilarious! Be sure you have lots of time when you sit down to read the book. Good light reading. Just one funny story after another.

I have no doubt you will love it like the rest of us did. I cannot wait for book 2. I would highly recommend it to anyone. :)

I was a big fan of The Darwin Awards in an earlier, more misanthropic phase of my life. Nothing was funnier than some of the idiotic escapades of people who "do a service to humanity by removing themselves from the gene pool." Now, older and wiser, I'm more likely to wince in sympathy and look for a lesson to be learned.

Author William Douglas Little's hugely entertaining MEXICAN BOWL FISHING: And Other Tales of Life bridges the gap between these two mindsets. Billed as "a collection of short stories," the book reads more like a set of essays in which we find people -- often the author -- behaving mindlessly with disastrous results. Test your dog's shock collar on yourself? Buy a series of ever-more-expensive self-immolating cars? Play chicken on the highway with your wife and mother-in-law in your vehicle? Super-glue yourself into four-point restraint while naked in your bathroom? These stories and more are told with wry humor, but the payoff is the life lesson woven into each disaster.

My favorite tale is "A Dog's World," in which Little matches wills with his Malamute, the incongruously named Joy, and loses badly (refer to the shock collar incident). I laughed out loud at "Panic Situations," in which Little and his family were involved in an "EVAC situation" at Disney World's Splash Mountain. "Lessons of Childhood" is a primer on "approaching your work witih the enthusiasm and new-world interest that you had as a child." The title story, "Mexican Bowl Fishing," describes a church mission trip to build houses in Juarez, but Little manages to infuse that heart-warming tale with hilarious self-revelation; you'll have to read it for yourself to find out what kind of fishing he did in Mexico!

Little is a motorcycle dealer and a monthly columnist for an industry publication. This is his first book -- a lifelong dream turned into reality -- and you can't help cheering him on. He's a terrifically engaging writer and we all want more! He finishes his book with these wonderful words: "Reading is a passion, a pastime, and a sport that exercises the mind and the imagination. I'm honored that you've included my book in your most sacred of activities..." Believe me, the honor is ours; and by the way, do you need to ride a motorcycle to subscribe to Motorcycle Product News?

Linda Bulger, 2008

I found this book to be most helpful for me as a co-caregiver, but would be reticent to have given the book to my dad (the patient) to read as there was a lot of grim discussion that I'm not sure would have been useful to him at this point in his treatment. He was recently diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma and was scheduled for a radical nephrectomy when I got this book. His immediate focus was on the surgery and recovery. At this stage he has very good survival odds and this book on the whole seems to be geared for the seriously ill cancer patient. If his disease was one that was terminal or if it becomes terminal, I might think differently about it and recommend the book to him as well.

As a family member/caregiver I found two sections particularly helpful. The first was how to be a supportive family member (i.e. recognizing the stages of grief the patient and family experience) rather than isolating or shutting off the patient (which seems obvious, but when you are dealing with an angry/cranky person you're natural instinct is to leave them alone). The second was the information regarding pain and pain management. There is so much stigma regarding pain medication and fear of addiction that people suffer in pain unnecessarily.

For those reading this book as part of continuing education for psychceu, it's a straight forward question/answer test and the answers are easy to find. You'll also learn something along the way.

This is a MUST READ for anyone who is going through a cancer ordeal. Whether it is for yourself or for someone else, you will find it to be an invaluable resource of practical and inspirational material. It is one of the most comprehensive, inspirational and hopeful books I've read on the subject. It has practical medical information, philosophy and stories of miracles and hope. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs advice and comfort.

Nancy Hassett Dahm has been a God-Send for myself and my family from the initial shock of the diagnosis, through any illness, treatment, etc...all the way to the end. She is knowledgeable, but sensitive. She's a wonderful contact to have. She can answer all your questions and validate all your emotions. She's very honest, but in a very caring way. I am sending her book to my best friend, whose Mother was just diagnosed with cancer. I can't imagine going through this disease or seeing a loved one go through it without the help of this wonderful book. It is informative, comforting and so helpful in every way. Thank you, Nancy.

Mind, Body, And Soul: A Guide To Living With Cancer by Nancy Hassett Dahm is a book that will better the lives of cancer patients, their family and friends. Nancy Dahm reaches out to those who need reaching out. Mind, Body, And Soul presents the answers to the questions that cancer patients need to know for higher quality of life during difficult circumstances. From pain management techniques to spiritual strength, Mind, Body, And Soul is an incredible and solid resource and guide.

John Weaver

My dad was diagnosed with lung, lymphnotic and liver cancer on August 22. My mom and I both have read the book. It has help us to cope, with what to expect, with what he is feeling, what we are feeling and just to learn more. I couldn't have asked for a better book or a more helpful book than Mind, Body and Soul! This has been a God Sent!

This is a great book that every woman should read. Reassuring information about menopause and hormone treatments and nutrition.

As a medical professional, RN, I feel qualified to tell everyone that this book saved my life. After 12 years of Premarin, I had developed every side effect listed in this book. I thought I had a terrible disease process happening to my body. Then I asked myself " If a patient came to you with these symptoms, what would be the first thing you asked that patient." The answer was simple, "What medications are you taking?" The culprit was Premarin!!! And I now have a new lease on life. I take the Tri Est/ Progesterone discussed in this book and I feel 20 years younger, some say I look it too!

This is a MUST read book for every woman who is concerned about menopause and the decision to take hormones or not. We CAN have the best of both worlds: relief without the risk of cancer.

It should also be read by every doctor who writes HRT prescriptions for their patients.

I loved the book and found it to be very easy, exciting, informative reading, I was glued to every page.

Buy it, read it, and pass it on to all of your friends and doctors! I just ordered a second copy for my doctor as a gift.

I've read six books on menopause and "the Naturals" and I think it is the best. This book has the most information presented in the most concise format. There is much useful "hands on" information about diet, exercise and the use of natural progesterone. If I could buy only 1 book on the subject, this would be it.

I am a 53 year old woman who underwent menopause at 43, and since I still have my uterus, I struggled with Premarin and it's ugly sidekick Provera for almost 8 years. I even tried Dr. John Lee's Progesterone alternative, but to no avail. Then finally, a female friend suggested that I go see her naturopathic MD here in Scottsdale. She put me on the "naturals" and within a few months I was feeling better than I had in years. With just a couple more "tweaks" I was feeling great, and mentally I knew I was now free from all the looming fears of HRT induced breast or uterine cancer.

I have (and would) recommend this book to any woman who will listen to it's message. It is a thorough, direct and comprehensive alternative to horse pee and PMS (as we "natural women" refer to our previous regimen) and it is my belief that these are the hormone replacements of the future. And, thanks to Laux and Conrad, some of us have it now!

I am a voracious reader, and read everything from trashy novels to serious non-fiction. This is one of the best books I have ever read, because it is clearly written from the heart about a little girl who should be an inspiration to all of us.

Despite incredible pain and suffering, she thought of others before herself, and made it her business to leave notes of love behind for her family to find for weeks after her death.

It is extremely sad, of course, but also very uplifting. Read it!

Like many others I followed the Desserich family journal, and was thrilled to see the journal published. An absolutely heartbreaking story, interjected with bits of humor and lots of spirit. This book will make you laugh, cry, and hug your own children a little harder each night.

This book reminds all parents that the most important thing in life is family. The fact that Keith and Brooke could share their private sorrow with the world is an inspiration to me.

Before this book came out, I had followed Elena's story on her webpage. This family shares their most personal and intimate pain with the world in this journal. I found, even after knowing the outcome before reading this story, that I kept pulling for Elena to defy the odds. Families facing any sort of terminal illness will find hope and comfort in the eloquent words of Keith and Brooke Desserich. They are able to express themselves in a supremely clear and heartbreaking way. The actions this family has put into place to not only ensure their daughter's legacy lives on, but to try to help other children facing the same battle, is simply remarkable. Reading this will inspire action and to appreciate more, the preciousness and fragility that life is to us. I highly recommend this book, not only for such a profound read, but for a much needed and worthy cause as well.

notes left behind; 135 days with Elena I bought 3 copies, 2 were for gifts and 1 for me to cherish forever in copy. I accidentally came upon Elena's website after she had passed. I was forever changed. The love this family conveys to each other and Elena is so beautifully written. The life lessons so simple yet profound. I was so excited to learn that a book was being made for all to read and experience. The transformation that will without a doubt take place in your heart and life after reading Elena's story is nothing less than a gift from spirit.

This is by far my favorite book of all time!

Thank you, Hillary Johnson, for taking on the monumental task of documenting the egregious crimes against us CFIDS sufferers by Stephen Strauss and others at NIH and CDC. I was on the edge of my seat even on my fourth reading of this true crime thriller! Your heart will be pumping with adrenaline and outrage as you race through yet another "Oh My God!" moment where another damning piece of evidence is laid bare. As a trial lawyer myself, I've never seen such a riveting and clear case made out of such complicated facts.

Alot of progress has been made since the book came out- basically CDC and others finally admitting much of what Johnson said in the book. I still wonder about some of the things for which Johnson made a great case, but have essentially been forgotten. For example, it seems clear to me that the human retrovirus discovered by Dr. Elaine Defritas is a cause of CFIDS, but it hasn't been discussed in the literature in more than a decade. Ampligen is finally nearing approval; I wonder if it is the wonder drug portrayed in the book. And I continue to see reports in the media of more CFIDS patients dying of previously extraordinarily rare cancers such as Burkitt's Lymphoma, but this continues to be ignored by the scientific journals.

All people with CFIDS and their families would benefit enormously from reading Osler's Web. Osler's Web made me feel the catharsis that a disbelieved rape victim must feel when a skilled prosecuter, in open court, makes it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that the defendant did in fact rape her; that she is not a liar, but instead a victim of a terrible crime.

Hillary Johnson's fascinating book, first touched upon in her article in Rolling Stone is a compelling read. The poor response by the CDC and the NIH to an epidemic that has now affected more lives than both AIDS and Lung Cancer is tragic. Ms. Johnson's beautifully woven story (though at times technical) would make for a very moving film in the tradition of And the Band Played On.

I read this book when it first came out. I would highly recommend it to any health care professional, any sufferer, or any relative of any sufferer. Society has come a long way over the years. Around 1990 I took a copy of one Dr. Jay Goldstein's books on chronic fatigue to a lecture on another subject. One of the other attendees picked it up, read the title, and disdainfully tossed in back on the table declaring, "Chronic fatigue? There is no such thing. It's only depression." On the other hand, myths are still all too common.

Back to this book. It leaves me dumbfounded how many of the issues clearly dealt with in this book are still reported incorrectly. Example: Epstein-Barr virus. It has widely been reported that since EB virus does not appear in clusters/epidemics, and that antibodies are present in a very high percent of the population, attributing chronic-fatigue to and EBV outbreak is, well, wrong. And that the doctor(s) should have known that.

However, in the book is it made clear that the doctors at Incline Village where an outbreak occured did know that. So when one of the doctors started seeing many of his patient's showing up with positive blood tests for EBV, he sent some samples to a researcher. The researcher found an antibody pattern that was not indicative of new infections, but rather of a recurrence or reactivation of a prior infection. This was a pattern the researcher had never seen before, and implied another cause, possible a weakening of the immune system. But not an epidemic of new EBV cases. By the way, that also argues against the assertion some have made that EBV is a possible cause, although it should be ruled out clinically.

The book is replete with many stories and issues, that differ remarkably from what is commonly reported about this issue.

One final chilling note. In the book dozens sufferers are introduced, some in depth, some obliquely. In an annex at the end of the book, the is a short follow up on many of the sufferers. What is chilling is how many have died.

This is the most informative book I've read on Chronic Fatigue. The reading is dry at times, but very informative. This book is about the Center for Disease Control (CDC) involvement in investigating CFS up to the date when the CDC was found quilty of misappropriation of funding for CFS research. Anyone new to the illness should have this book in their library, even if it is just used for references.

This book really gives you an understanding of how and why ME has been stigmatized, ridiculed and ignored as much as it has. It makes it very clear that it was not a mistake or an oversight at all but that it was in fact utterly deliberate. The pure stupidity and lack of basic human compassion involved is astounding. It's important to know how we've ended up in this mess so we can see how we might get ourselves out I think. It's also important that we not underestimate how low these people will go - its lower than you could even imagine.

A must read if you are well enough to tackle such a long non-fiction book, it'll just blow your mind and really fire you up about how badly we have all been treated historically and the...well you'd have to call them evil, people behind it all. A fantastic book to fire up your activism urges.

I love self-discovery books with the Asian influence.
Who better to refine our focus.
Tao Cycle Therapy: Natural Happiness via Self Directed Cure for Chronic Anxiety & Depression [Updated 2008 3nd Edition]

This is definitely a 5 star book. If you've been looking for a bit of sanity, feeling overwhelmed, read too many self-help books, then try this one. Although it is short and very readable, I don't think it should be read quickly. That is the author's entire point. Life is a process. Reaching a goal is about the journey, not the destination. Read a chapter, digest it, read the next chapter, digest it. I found great calmness in reading this book. I loved his analogy to sailing towards the horizon. Sometimes we become so focused on the goal that we forget that we have made progress, even though we keep moving our horizons. A small book with a great message to be read repeatedly.

Fantastic application of Zen meditation to everyday life. I am so much calmer after reading it.

Start with the best intention and commitment to accomplish a worthwhile goal only to see both wane in a short period of time. What causes this to occur and how to overcome it are the messages in Mr. Sterner's book.
In my opinion he is spot on in his assessment and advice. Accomplish much more with a marked improvement in peace of mind. If these results interest you, buy his book or his CD. Highly recommended.

How would you like to learn to let go of anxiety? To get twice as much done with half the stress? To find a way to handle intimidating, unpleasant, or even boring tasks without having them take a bite out of you?
What if I told you that this would involve your investing a little over $10 and reading a 98-page book?
I thought you'd be interested.
Here's the deal. Sterner, a musician, a piano technician, a golfer, and an all-around sage (who would probably be a really interesting person to get to know) mined what he he had learned about repetitive tasks, like practicing music and golf swings (and, I guess, piano tuning and adjusting) and put it into a little book. No frills, no fancy language, no huffing and puffing about how profound he is, his message is, or anything else. And, at least from my experience and that of the other contented reviewers here, he got it right.
Um, sorry, that really should have been Got It Right. What he presents here is not novel - it's been around in recorded human wisdom for thousands of years - but it is simple, direct, and easy to apply. His basic principles are: attach to process (which you can control) not to outcomes (which you can't); accept yourself as embodying perfectly whatever stage of development you happen to be at - don't postpone happiness until you reach/have/attain something - break big projects down into tiny tasks; open yourself to learning from those around you and to joy, which is everywhere. He lays them out in simple, functional prose that anyone can read and understand.
This little book is a giant weapon in The War Against Suffering. Read it. Do what it tells you to do. Read it again. Do more of what it tells you to do. Praise it so that others will read it. Give it to your friends.
I've bought books here based on the reviews of others and it was clear to me when I saw the sorry things that passed for books that someone had self-published and then gotten friends to game the process. I don't know Sterner (my loss) and have no interest in doing anything except sharing my pleasure in having discovered this book.

This book is awesome- it has tons of useful info and wonderful pictures! I wouldn't say it's the only book you'll need if you're as curious as I am, but it certainly covers the basics.

There are so many pregnancy books out there that it can be overwhelming, and many of them seem dominated by things to worry about or by political agendas on how you should birth/raise your child. I found this one by accident while on vacation, and have found that it gives you all the information you need to understand what's happening to your body and your baby's, distinguish what's normal from what needs medical attention, and feel prepared to bring your baby home. All with no fuss or lectures!

The book is divided into convenient sections, some of which you'll want to devour (nutrition advice, say, or descriptions of fetal development), others of which you'll want to read only as you get to the next set of changes and decisions (such as choices to be made about pain relief during delivery). The range of possibilities are discussed -- e.g., midwives and home birth versus full medical bells and whistles -- and lots of small remedies are suggested for common woes such as backache or nausea. There are also practical tips, like what clothes you'll want to bring to the hospital (for both mother and baby), which help with things you might forget.

All in all, a great book, that I would recommend to any expecting family.

I'm 13 weeks pregnant as I write this. When I found out I was pregnant, it was a complete surprise and I really didn't know much about pregnancy. After flipping through overwhelming books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting" I decided on this one.

This book had information on everything no matter how little or how much you know about pregnancy or birth. I'm not one to go for picture books, but when it comes to something as life changing as birth, I'll take a book that not only gives me all the info I could ever want, but SHOWS me the information as well. Every page is full color with diagrams and pictures, showing your body and baby as they develop, and various other pregnancy related things.

There's even a section on the first 6 weeks of infancy, so you don't have to say "Oh no! I read all about pregnancy and birth, but what do I do with this squiggly thing I brought home with me?!"

I read this every day and have something different and exciting to talk to my husband about every night. I also know what to look for at the hospital and what to talk to my doctor about at my visits. I also know what to watch out for at home and what I can and cannot do.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is planning to get pregnant, is pregnant, or wants to give the book as a gift.

I loved this book! Easy to read - comprehensive answers to almost all your questions you have about pregnancy. I wouldn't rely on this book alone, but it is a great source of information and gives you the idea of what you should discuss with your OB-GYN or what to request in the hospital. After reading most of it, I even decided to skip the birth classes my hospital offers because I felt I knew just enough and was ready to have my baby.

A teriffic book! I enjoyed how this book was written, organized and presented to the reader. It is truly a must have if you are expecting or expecting to be expecting! I was impressed by the pictures/graphics and the chronicalling of a pregnancy. The information grouped by weeks and trimester easy to read and understand. Many of the questions I had were presented with easy to understand answers. Even my husband enjoyed this book--he read more of this book than any of the other pregnancy references I have brought home. We will definatiely be grabbing this book off the shelf as my pregnancy progresses!

This is a great cookbook for people who would like to eat meals than are healthier than the typical Standard American Diet. It is also great for those who eat out frequently in restaurants or out of boxes or packages and want to learn to cook. Quickflip approaches healthy cooking and eating in a way that makes it simple to understand the basics of meal preparation. I have read that most people only eat about 15 different meals over and over. With Eileen's book, one can take those few meals and create much more variety and interest. This book has taught me that each culture has much in common in terms of cooking -- same themes but with different ingredients. I would have liked to have seen photos of each dish, but know how hard that can be to do in terms of publishing. There are many great cooking tips in this book, too!

I love to cook and am always looking for cookbooks that offer tips and variety in how to prepare simple, delicious meals. This is a great cookbook that provides for the experienced and novice cook. I would recommend it for anyone who wants variety in their menus and quick preparation.

I made the Spanish Pasta and my husband loved it! I will be trying all the diffent versions, maybe even try tofu (never have before).

I no longer have any excuse to live on soup and bread alone. Keep in mind that I'm not much of a cook. That's why the protagonist in my murder mysteries cooks - guess what - soup and bread and nothing else. Any recipe with more than five ingredients in it baffles me. I'm not even sure why I chose to read QUICKFLIP TO DELICIOUS DINNERS. The catchy title? The colorful cover design?
What I found inside, though, was an astonishingly well-organized scheme for varying the Pasta, Pizza, Stir-Fry, Saute, Oven Baked, Soup, Grains, Veggies, Meat, and Desserts. There's the Table of Contents for you. Take pizza, for instance: you can make Asian, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean, or Mexican variations. The chart lists a suggested crust for each style, the spread to put on it, toppings, and a cheese to finish it off.
But here's the surprise part: at the beginning of QuickFlip, there's a list of standard items to stock your pantry with. In the recipe, all those ingredients are printed in purple. Any item printed in green needs to go on your shopping list. I don't know about you, but I've always been challenged where shopping lists are concerned. It's hard to make onion soup if I forget to buy the onions. Now, though, with Faughey's easy-to-follow system, I have, as I mentioned earlier, no excuse to bypass these fun, delicious recipes.
Quickflip has a permanent place now, standing on my kitchen counter.

My daughter and I have recently begun experimenting with healthy, fun dishes in the kitchen, so this cookbook, "Quickflip to Delicious Dinners" is perfect for us.

We enjoyed the clear instructions, helpful hints and great variety of recipes. There were so many options it was easy to find one that we liked.

The easel stand was a great idea. It was really convenient when cooking. This is an informative cookbook, excellent for both beginning and advanced cooks.

This is easily one of the handiest cookbooks I've ever come across. With one set of cooking instructions and five ingredient variations per page, you could work from one page alone for an entire work-week.

The book is filled with handy hints and tips for preparation. The common sense language approach makes this an easy guide for just about any person.

Extra bonuses include nutritional analysis for each of the meals (great for the calorie counters out there) and a free-standing design.

Only complaint is the light weight cover, but otherwise this is a great little book.

Gary Nelson brings new insight to overcoming teen depression in this caring book with sensible solutions that he has learned through his experience with his own son. Parents with a teen who is in the throes of clinical depression just feel that they have no place to turn for help. He advises to stop excusing behaviors and to learn to deal with the issues.

Depression and resulting suicide is the leading cause of teen deaths; that is a frightening premise, and gives us reason to fear for our children when we see behavior that could indicate depression instead of just the usual ups and downs of puberty. Nelson addresses the confusion about just what depression is, and how it manifests itself differently in various individuals. It is a clinical disease that often runs in families, but this book will help you to recognize real depression in your teen. Nelson gives you the knowledge to explore the many dimensions and levels of the disease.

That the whole family should have professional therapy is a must. Certainly you will all live with frustration, and frequently desperation. Nelson also addresses spiritual issues, and this book expounds Christian values. It considers other faiths, too, and addresses the importance of faith in the life of a depressed teen. Gary Nelson and his family show what worked for them, and the main point of the book shows that parents must just keep loving their child through his progress in overcoming depression and all of the discouraging backslides that he may experience.

This book is highly recommended for parents, teachers, and counselors dealing with teenagers, as well as the teens themselves.

This book does a great job capturing how depression really does feel and effect a family. I've gone through depression myself, and I've never been able to find the words to express how it feels or how it effects anyone, but the author seems to be able to do a good job of doing so. I don't think you can ever know how it feels or what it's like until you go through it yourself, but if you read this book, you can possibly start to see it through a sufferer's eyes.

Thank you so much for sending me the book you wrote about your family's journey through depression. It was a wonderful book, and one that I believe can help many. I think it gives parents a real tool for understanding and moving through a child's experience with depression.

I believe that your son Tom does give one of the best descriptions of depression I have ever heard - 'It is like being beaten from the inside'. Your additional description of that does it justice: `Take a moment and let that sink in. Recall a picture you've seen of a person who has been severely beaten. Sometimes the bruising and swelling are so bad that the victim's features are grotesquely contorted. The bruises, cuts, and scrapes on the outside scream the agony the beaten soul must suffer from deep within. Every bone in their body aches, every muscle throbs. Maybe it even hurts to be touched.'

That is how it is. The pain of depression hurts so bad, so much on the inside, you become numb and the person you are becomes distorted. And then you do whatever they can to actually feel something to get rid of it (including drinking, self-mutilation, drugs, eating disorders, sex, and more). It gives a temporary high to an endless despair.

I encourage parents to read this book, as not only do you provide insight and ideas on how to work with children that are dealing with depression, it gives validation.

I commend you on providing a very useful tool that can help so many.

In A Relentless Hope: Surviving the Storm of Teen Depression, Gary Nelson offers to teens and their parents what he has learned from walking closely with his son through prolonged depression, and from counseling many struggling teens and their families. His book testifies that God is at work in our world, offering hope and new possibilities that can transcend even life-threatening mental illness. One of this book's strengths is its warm and empathetic approach to suffering teens and their parents. Recognizing how much stress the illness of one of its members places on the whole family, he cautions parents against turning frustration with the illness into anger toward the teen. He encourages parents above all to "just keep loving them."

Nelson's accessible theological reflection is another of the book's strong contributions. He argues that teens need both "a theology that works in the midst of the suffering" and "the opportunity for God to be present through our patient presence."

I wish that as a teen with depression I had had someone like Gary Nelson to lean on and offer hope, to help me understand what was happening to me and encourage me to extend myself some grace. I especially commend A Relentless Hope to parents and other adults who love someone with depression. While some teens may find the hope Nelson writes about through reading his book themselves, most teens with depression will benefit from companions who embody the acceptance and encouragement that Nelson fosters.

A Relentless Hope: Surviving the
storm of teen depression
By Gary E. Nelson
A Review by Pat Sullivan, Editor Healing Magazine, www.kidspeace.org.

Gary Nelson chronicles his son's fight against depression and how they joined together as a family to bring Tom back. Gary is a minister turned pastoral counselor who provides interfaith counseling youth with problems very much like his son's, which makes he situation even more poignant as one reads about Tom's slide downward into a depression that nearly took the young man's life.

Gary wrote this wonderful little book for teens, parents, teachers, counselors and pastors in hopes of teaching them the signs and how to help them bring other youth from the brink of deep, deep depression.

Tom had been a normal kid who played baseball very well and had many friends. Around the time he entered high school, he started pulling away from the friends and activities he had previously loved and began feeling "sick" and unable to attend school. He spent more and more time in his room and literally days in bed, and he would have fits of rage during which he would throw things into his walls and ceiling, one day almost shattering his bedroom door. He left the baseball team in anger over criticism by the coach and withdrew from all of his friends. Eventually he came to realize that something was wrong, but he had no control over it. He described it to his parents as "feeling like he was being beaten
from the inside." His sleep patterns changed, he was irritable and angry a lot of the time and was unable to focus on schoolwork, sports or relationships with his friends and families. It was perhaps harder for Gary to watch considering that he was a counselor himself yet unable to reach his own son. Gary also became very concerned that Tom may turn to suicide to stop the pain he was experiencing.

He makes the point that parents need to work "with" their depressed children rather than trying to "fight it" with anger and recriminations. Gary strongly suggests asking your children if you can help them develop a plan for getting through it but not trying to pressure them into feeling better because they have no control over it and feel like greater failures if they cannot meet parent expectations. He also suggests trying to get them into counseling but make sure that you find someone to whom your child can relate and talk. In some cases, medication can help, but that is a big decision that must be made on an individual basis.

Gary and his wife were willing to try some creative and even risky ways of
helping Tom fight his depression and accompanying anxiety, allowing him
to start working at a young age and getting his GED rather than finishing a high school he just could not make himself attend. They bought him a car and encouraged his interest in music, even heavy metal if it made him feel that someone understood his pain.

There are so many strong and hopeful messages in this book to help families get through a child's depression in tact, still spending quality time with other children and not allowing this illness ruin a marriage. Tom is married and doing very well as an adult now, and Gary even describes the wedding that was moved at the last minute due to hurricanes. This wonderful little book speaks of faith and love and hope and a family's decisions to fight to help their child no matter what it took.
It is an inspiration and well worth reading if you have any contact youth who are debilitated by depression.
Copyright 2008 KidsPeace. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.