Book Reviews

Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally
Dr. Earl Mindell, Ph.D.
Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Laguna Beach, CA, 2005    

Acceptance of this painful disease can be difficult for those diagnosed with arthritis. The Canadian Arthritis Society urges those facing the challenge of arthritis to not let it beat them. They advise arthritis sufferers to get armed with as much information as possible. Reading Earl Mindell’s Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally is a good place to start, especially if you’re concerned about the dangers of medications currently prescribed by conventional medical practitioners.

There are over 80 million people worldwide who suffer some form of arthritis, a condition which results in chronic pain and inflammation of the joints. To date, there is no real cure for arthritis; however, the attempts to find one have created a whole new set of concerns. According to Mindell, a registered pharmacist and master herbalist, as well as an internationally recognized expert on nutrition, drugs, vitamins, and herbal remedies, “each year an estimated 100,000 are hospitalized, and 10,000 patients die from side effects caused by commonly prescribed arthritis medication.” In Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally, Mindell offers a vast array of safe and viable alternatives.

It is crucial for those with the disease to understand what arthritis is, how the process develops, what causes the pain and inflammation, and what treatment options are available. Mindell provides pertinent information on all these points in a clear, concise, and easy to follow manner.

In the first few chapters the reader learns there are three main types of arthritis (osteo, rheumatoid, and infectious); that it’s a disease of the connective tissues; how inflammation works, and how it affects the body; as well as the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) which will most likely be prescribed by your doctor. Mindell also informs the reader of the various other conventional methods for treating arthritis.

The latter portion of Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally is devoted to the alternatives to conventional medicine for dealing with the symptoms of arthritis. Nutrition, herbals, supplements, exercise, and a variety of other holistic therapies are discussed. According to Mindell, any, or a combination of these, can play a key role in reducing, even eliminating, the pain of arthritis.

Interestingly enough, Mindell devotes a whole chapter to the wonders of ginger, claiming it to be “nature’s anti-inflammatory,” and as such a “sensible, safe alternative to NSAIDS.” To be sure, ginger has long been used as a healing agent by different cultures; and I can’t disagree with Mindell’s assessment of its curative powers. What I do take issue with is  Mindell’s self-serving discussion about a standardized ginger extract that is seemingly only available through his website.

The ginger story aside, I was especially pleased that Mindell made an excellent argument for exercise and movement therapies as crucial to aid in battling the pain of arthritis, stating that “regular exercise is one of the most important steps you can take to slow the progression of arthritis.” An exercise program for arthritis, like any other, should include: flexibility, strength and cardiovascular elements; and the go ahead from your doctor. The maxim ‘use it or lose it’ is particularly applicable to range of motion, joint stability and strength in those with arthritis.

A 2002 feature article in Time magazine suggested that if you were in shouting distance of middle age you likely have osteoarthritis. The article went on to suggest that “the situation with arthritis is about to get worse – a lot worse – and very soon. By 2020, the number of Americans with osteoarthritis is expected to reach 40 million.” Amidst all the aches and pains it is a relief to know that there are natural, safe and effective remedies available. Earl Mindell’s Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally provides some very useful, fascinating, even startling information that can help arthritis sufferers not only ease, but perhaps even end their pain.

Reviewed by Susannah Kent

 
The Book of Life Questions and Answers
by Dr. M. Erceg
Authorhouse, Indiana; 2007

The Book of Life Questions and Answers is about emotions, giving our power away, accumulating deep layers of resentment, and trying to solve problems by resorting to violence and war. It is also about compassion, standing up for ourselves, and learning about forgiveness, empowerment, and healing. The book is important on many levels – family conflicts, school violence, and armed aggression against foreign countries. Dr. M. Erceg, who has a PhD in psychology and lectures internationally, brings a wealth of experience and research to his subject.

Part One, Reorientation, establishes Erceg’s framework. He revisits and updates traditional metaphysical and religious teachings, asking Who is God? Who are We? and Why Are We Here? (His perspective on spirituality may not dovetail with teachings with which we grew up.) This introduction releases us from old patterns of religion which no longer serve. The remaining chapters help us identify where we have allowed situations to damage us so we can begin to resolve conflicts, grief, and powerlessness.

We are reminded that we are light beings wearing human forms, made up of one energy the author calls the God energy. Where we differ from one another is in having a signature energy made up of our individual experiences amassed over lifetimes.

Erceg begins by probing parent-child relationships within the frame of our purpose in life. At the heart of the matter lies the way we interact – how we treat others and how we treat ourselves. Causing long term resentment and repression creates a formula for discipline problems, school violence, terrorism, and war. Erceg maintains that our ultimate destination is meant to be unconditional love.

In relationships with others, what we resist persists. Conflicts keep cropping up in subsequent situations until we resolve them by learning acceptance, letting go, and developing compassion. Acceptance is a vital part of our evolutionary process. This means acceptance that others are where they are on their life journey towards wholeness. It also requires acceptance of ourselves and our shortcomings which can be transformed. Acceptance does not mean agreeing, but realizing we are all at different levels, and have a right to proceed at our own rate of growth.

Education is presented as a template for self worth, communication, and conflict resolution. This chapter dismantles the old model as it looks at programming, drugging, intolerance, and perfectionism. As well, Erceg sees parallels between parent-child, teacher-student, and colonel-soldier relationships founded upon unresolved father issues.
The chapter on Prejudice and Racism deals with our inner wars. Too often, in striving to kill off the hated part of ourselves, we turn to acting out against others.

The Medicine section explores what we are doing to our health by not resolving our negative responses to life. Emotional energy builds up behind blocks of anger we  have tried to suppress, only to erupt eventually in violence or disease. Our health is, therefore, a reflection of our thoughts and beliefs. Erceg wants us to understand that our ills do not arise from an external source but from our reactions to external events.

While the author refrains from graphic descriptions of inhumane behaviours, he leaves no issue unexamined in the long continuum of their causes, effects, and end results. He comments, “as we have the power to harm our health, we have the power to heal our health”.

Unresolved issues, inner aspects of ourselves, unfortunately escape into the world. Politics, the military, misplaced loyalty, and submission are now upheavals in a vast arena that has become global.

Erceg concludes with practical concepts on clearing. This enables us to confront the blocks that cut us off from love. We work through them to defuse and integrate our own personal material. We can then take back our power and access the living energy we need to achieve creativity and expansion.

Review by Gerry Shepherd

Sexy Hormones
by Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe MS
& Alvin Pettle MD
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008

Once in a while a book comes along that feels like the sun rising: everything is made bright and clear. To be sure, there are many excellent books on the market that deal with women’s health issues, but Vanderhaeghe and Pettle have that rare ability to put difficult information into clear language.

I always read the bibliography first in any medical book because it shows what information the author knows and the level of excellence one can then assume about the book itself. This bibliography reveals source material that is nothing less than gilt-edged, so it quite blew my socks off! The authors consulted the best in medical research. On a practical level for the reader, the resource section alone, which provides readers with access to the “recommended products and services”, is worth the price of the book.

To be sure, this book is for women – and for the men that love them. The authors refer in the introduction to an ancient Chinese saying that “A doctor would rather treat 10 men than one woman.” They continue: “At the heart of a woman’s complexity are her hormones, their ebb and flow influencing all aspects of physical, emotional and mental wellness…understanding the ebb and flow of female sex hormones means untangling a complex feedback loop between the brain, ovaries and adrenal glands.” This is the key to the book: it is absolutely vital that women understand that hormones – and the foods, environments, and behaviours that enhance and modify or interfere with them – are far more than merely a property of their female nature and their sexuality.

Hormones are the magical molecules that mediate perception and make the brain’s most sophisticated activities possible. They are messenger molecules that make consciousness possible, and consciousness is undoubtedly at its best when it causes a person to feel whole and good. Often these proteins move faster than the speed of light in order to keep the entire organism working in harmony.

In the first half of the 20th century, when immunologists discovered these messenger proteins they called them peptides; when neurologists found them, they called them neurotransmitters, and when endocrinologists found them they called them hormones. In the 1980’s these three research groups realized they were all talking about the same things. One of the leading scientists in this field, Candace Pert, then with the National Institutes of Health in the US, wrote a now famous book about these discoveries, Molecules of Emotion, which would be most profitably read alongside this super-practical application of that earlier research.

I was especially impressed with the careful analysis the authors provide of the very latest research in hormone replacement therapy, separating the pharmaceutical spin from the research facts, so you can really understand what happened and how to avoid becoming a death statistic of the HRT industry.

The questionnaires are well thought out and so enable the reader to learn to observe her own body’s behaviour and make sense out of the importance these observations have to the whole system. The information provided on how food and mood interact and are interdependent forms of energy is vital. A woman is what she eats, quite literally. A body fighting environmental toxins that mimic natural hormones ends up confused. The messages that hormones are supposed to deliver become garbled, and illness inevitably follows. This book provides the information women need to enter into a dialogue with their bodies and become their own best friends again. Sexy Hormones will be useful for many years to come and help restore many women’s health.

Review by Helke Ferrie

New Book and Film Releases

THE MOSES CODE
by James Twyman
Hay House; 2008   

Bestselling author, musician, and filmmaker James Twyman announces the release of The Moses Code, set for a unique synchronized worldwide opening on April 5, 2008, with a book releasing in March (Hay House) by the same title. The Moses Code is a powerful film bringing together some of the best-known spiritual leaders of our time to discuss the importance of service as a spiritual practice.  

Setting the stage for a new paradigm in filmmaking, this is the first time that a major spiritual film is being released in conjunction with a worldwide prayer vigil (April 6th) drawing millions of people together on one day to watch the film in over 2000 venues, then using the tools expressed in the film to extend prayers of peace to the Middle East.   

James Twyman states, “Millions of people are entranced by the idea that they can attract new cars and a bigger bank account that they forget how important their role is for changing the world.  In a way, it’s time to spiritualize the spiritual law of attraction. That’s the goal of this film.”           

The Moses Code features dynamic spiritual teachers and bestselling authors who share their wisdom and insights about the true meaning of abundance. Speakers include Cheryl Richardson (Stand Up for Your Life), Sonia Choquette (Your Heart’s Desire), Gregg Braden (The God Code), James Van Praagh (The Ghost Whisperer), and Debbie Ford (Dark Side of the Light Chasers).  Debbie Ford is also a co-producer of the film.

The film also showcases real life examples of modern day giving and service. Weaving through the film is the spiritual, uplifting music of Tina Melia and an appearance by Victor Wooten performing his new single “I Saw God the Other Day.”  The film is a compelling reminder that each of us has the power to change the world.

The first showing of The Moses Code film in Toronto will be on April 6th at 4 pm. This event is sponsored by Medea Chechik, M.Div, and will be synchronized with the worldwide opening of the film on the the weekend of April 5. For screening location in Toronto, visit: www.selftransformation.ca or call (416) 530-1956.