If you're looking to curl up with a good book in the New Year, check out this eye-opening list of my must-reads in natural health and nutrition!
Reading and learning more about holistic health are always top priorities for me. With all the travel I'm doing to promote my new Radical Metabolism book, I take full advantage of the down time in transit and pick up a good book.
As search engines and social media become more and more geared toward mainstream medicine, it becomes critically important to find reputable sources for quality natural health information. This year, I turned to one of my favorite publishers of all time, who published the first edition of my Guess What Came to Dinner? book, Square One Publishing, and I can't wait to dig into what they've come up with for me for the new year!
Dr. Ann Louise's 2019 Book List
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Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras (2nd Edition)
by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer
It's been more than 20 years since the first edition of this book made waves by shedding light on research that women who wear bras 24 hours a day are 125 timesmore likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who don't wear bras. When this book initially came out, not only were the authors attacked by medical authorities and fashion industry leaders, but even the publishers were threatened and told not to publish the book!
In this second edition, they've included the additional research done over the 20+ years since the first edition, and updated their analysis, but the results are still the same - the more women wear bras, the higher their risk for breast cancer increases.
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Unsafe At Any Meal: What the FDA Does Not Want You to Know About the Foods You Eat
by Dr. Renee Joy Dufault
Dr. Dufault, a former Food and Drug Administration Investigator, reveals the ugly truth behind the hundreds of food products that are contaminated with dangerous compounds - with the FDA's blessing. When she found mercury from the plumbing systems of many food manufacturing plants was contaminating a number of processed foods commonly sold in supermarkets and revealed her findings to her supervisor, she was told to immediately stop her investigation. She didn't listen.
She continued to find heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful additives in our mainstream food supply, and was always met with dead ends in revealing her investigations. She chose to take an early retirement from the FDA and has devoted her life to making the public aware of these hidden food dangers, and how they contribute to chronic conditions like ADHD and autism. Through this book she also teaches us how to read food labels and recognize misleading marketing tactics.
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Healing with Medical Marijuana: Getting Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors
by Dr. Mark Sircus
Medical marijuana is one of the hot topics I'm researching for 2019. I want to understand its application in everything from cancer and chronic pain, to headaches and anxiety. As more and more states are now legalizing it, it's even more important to understand how it works as a medicine and how to get the best results when using it.
What I like about this book is that it presents the scientific research, explains how it works, and gives a comprehensive protocol with an A to Z guide for 50 conditions that can be helped by its use, in both adults and children. He takes a holistic approach and incorporates minerals like magnesium and iodine with medical marijuana use for the best outcomes.
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Healing with Hemp CBD Oil: A Simple Guide to Using Powerful and Proven Health Benefits of CBD
by Earl Mindell, RPH, MH, PhD
Because of the cultural stigma around marijuana, it isn't universally embraced as a medicine. Hemp, however, is rich in CBD with very little of the psychoactive THC that produces the "high," and is legal to use in all 50 states.
Anti-inflammatory hemp CBD oil has been shown to be helpful for everything from blood clots and fibromyalgia, to high blood pressure and autoimmune diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Multiple Sclerosis. In this book. Earl Mindell explains the science behind CBD oil, how to source good quality products, and how to use it for healing in more than 50 medical conditions.
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Aromatherapy for Everyone (2nd Edition)
by Mary Shipley
I love entertaining guests in my home and am always looking for air fresheners and anti-bacterial sprays that don't contain chemical additives to keep my home welcoming and inviting and as germ-free as possible. This is why essential oils intrigue me, and I'd like to learn more.
Many of my dear friends are passionate representatives of MLM essential oil companies, and while their enthusiasm is contagious, I've often found myself wanting a concise, quick and easy reference guide at my fingertips to understand how these oils work and what their best applications are. There are essential oil products available for everything from cleaning your house to fighting the flu, and I honestly get overwhelmed with all the information that's out there.
That's why I'm looking forward to reading Mary Shipley's book, which comes out later this week. She covers more than 50 essential oils and their individual uses, plus teaches how to combine them for synergistic blends. She also matches problems or needs with aromatherapy solutions in an easy-to-understand format, almost like an encyclopedia of essential oils.
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The A.G.E. Food Guide
by Helen Vlassara, MD and Sandra Woodruff, MS, RD
All foods contain naturally occurring toxins, called Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGEs. Over time, these AGEs increase oxidation and free radical production, harden tissues, and create chronic inflammation, which all leads to chronic disease. A buildup of AGEs also accelerates your body's aging process.
While I have been aware of these compounds in foods for quite some time, and designed my Fat Flush and Radical Metabolism plans with these AGEs in mind, this is the first guide I've seen that goes into detail about how AGEs lead to chronic diseases, how cooking and processing and other inflammatory foods affect AGE levels in foods, and gives an A to Z listing of foods and their AGE amounts. I expect this will be a handy reference guide to have on hand.
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Your Blood Never Lies: How to Read a Blood Test for a Longer, Healthier Life
by James B. LaValle, RPh, CCN, ND
One of the most common questions I'm asked in both my Inner Circle and by my private clients is how to read their blood tests. I'm always on the lookout for an easy-to-understand guide that anyone can use to not only understand the conventional medical meaning of their blood tests, but to go beyond and learn what the optimal ranges are, and how to use these tests not only as diagnostic markers, but to prevent disease as well.
James LaValle is known as "America's Pharmacist" because he breaks down complicated medical concepts into basic terms we all can understand. As the title of his book says, your blood never lies, and the keys to your health can be found in the results of standard blood tests, if you know how to decipher them. He explains over 40 blood tests in this book, and how to use them as indicators of your overall health.
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What You Must Know About The Hidden Dangers of Antibiotics: How the Side Effects of Six Popular Antibiotics Can Destroy Your Health
by Jay S. Cohen, MD
Dr. Cohen was a tireless advocate and educator, widely recognized as an expert on prescription drugs and their natural alternatives for more than 4 decades. He debated top FDA officials on drug safety at several conferences, was featured on more than 100 radio programs including NPR, and triggered a national debate on the safety of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which led to changes in major medical protocols by the US Centers for Disease Control. He will be greatly missed.
The topic he was most passionate about before his death was antibiotic toxicity. Because so many doctors simply follow standard antibiotic protocols and don't educate themselves on the serious side effects the FDA issues warnings for, most patients are blind-sighted when they face serious reactions to them. This book aims to educate us all on the serious side effects of 6 common antibiotics, alternatives to their use, and natural remedies we can use to heal.
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The Alzheimer's Prevention & Treatment Diet
by Richard Isaacson, MD and Christopher N. Ochner, PhD
You may be wondering why the "First Lady of Nutrition" included a diet plan in my reading list. I'm always intrigued when a well-known doctor (and Harvard Medical School graduate) changes the course of his career to do an in-depth study on the effectiveness of nutrition in the treatment of his patients.
He and his colleagues have found that diet, specific nutritional supplements, physical exercise, stimulating intellectual and social activities, and stress reduction techniques combined are the best, research-proven way to prevent and treat Alzheimer's dementia. His diet looks to enhance brain function, and considers the needs of advanced Alzheimer's patients who have difficulty with their nutrition needs and have medication interactions to consider. His advice comes from firsthand experience with his patients, and I look forward to gleaning some new pearls of wisdom from his comprehensive approach to better brain health.
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What You Must Know About Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Jeffrey Anshel, OD and Laura Stevens, MSci
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common eye disorder as we age, with over 2 million Americans affected. Advances in nutrition and medical research show that we can slow, stop, and even reverse this condition. As the president of the Ocular Nutrition Society, Jeffrey Anshel is a leading expert in the nutritional needs of the eye, and is well-versed in natural therapies for AMD.
In this book, he goes into detail about the research and science behind AMD, the risk factors - like Metabolic Syndrome - that we need to be aware of, and the foods and nutritional supplements that are must-haves to combat and prevent this disease. He goes beyond the basic nutrients needed for eye health and presents a comprehensive program we all need to be familiar with as we age.