Improving the quality of one's life. . - Book Corners - Natural Detoxification, The Complete Guide to Clearing Your Body of Toxins - book review

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2002  by Beatrice Trum Hunter

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Natural Detoxification, The Complete Guide to Clearing Your Body of Toxins

by Jacqueline Krohn, MD and Frances Taylor, MA

Hartley & Marks, P.O. Box 147, Pt. Roberts, Washington 98281

Quality paperback, 590 pp., $24.95/US; $32.95/Can

According to Dr. Jacqueline Krohn, "Cleansing toxins from the body can dramatically increase the quality of life." In Natural Detoxification, a range of techniques described can help improve digestion, clear the sinuses, normalize blood pressure, improve mental clarity and memory; and stabilize emotional and hormonal fluctuations -- all achieved through detoxification. In addition, the authors suggest that detoxification can improve the effectiveness of many healing treatments.

Natural Detoxification is a practical encyclopedia of techniques. Methods include sauna, bathing and hydrotherapy; nutrient use; diet, fasting and juicing; exercise and bodywork; breathing exercises and oxygen; chelation; homeopathy and the Bach Flower Remedies; herbs and aromatherapy; energy balancing; and organ cleansing. Some techniques can be practiced by oneself; others require medical help. This second edition of the book is revised and expanded. It contains much newly added material, and the methods of detoxification are expanded. For anyone with health problems, this book will be a helpful adjunct to medical treatment.

Dr. Krohn specializes in environmental and occupational medicine and pediatrics in her New Mexico clinic. Co-author Frances Taylor is the head allergy technician in the clinic. She holds a master's degree in medical microbiology. Both Krohn and Taylor are certified in homeopathy, and have studied many different alternative treatments.

Complementary Cancer Therapies

by Dan Labriola, ND

Prima Publishing

3000 Lava Ridge Court, Roseville, California 95661

Quality paperback, 337 pp, $18.95/US; $28/Can

"To combine both alternative therapies and conventional medicine is an idea whose time has come," says Dr. Labriola in Complementary Cancer Therapies. In a chapter "The ABCs of Alternative Therapies" he describes how alternative cancer therapies are intended to support and stimulate the immune system, attack cancerous cells, reduce the total burden on the overstressed immune system, minimize the side effects of conventional cancer therapies, and cope with health problems apart from the cancer or cancer treatment. The alternative treatments include botanical medicines, clinical nutrition, diet, lifestyle changes, physical therapies, and psychological strategies. The book, in its totality, is written clearly, and is well organized. It should serve as a practical guide for anyone who wishes to use a well-coordinated combination of conventional medicine and natural therapies.

The Lupus Book, A Guide for Patients and Their Families

by Daniel J. Wallace, MD

Oxford University Press

198 Madison Ave., New York, New York 10157

Hardcover, 271 pp, tables, figures, glossary, resource materials, index, revised and expanded edition, $25

The Lupus Book is considered to be the definitive book on lupus for patients and their families, and is approved by the Lupus Foundation of America. It explains what lupus is, why it is a disease difficult to diagnose, and what patients can do to ease their suffering. The first edition of this book, published in 1995, was heralded as the first book written in readily understood language for patients and their families about the medical findings and available treatments. The new updated version includes numerous new developments in the field since 1995. The book serves as a guide that explains virtually every aspect of the disease: symptoms, difficulty in diagnosis, new innovative tests, and background information on the cause of lupus.

Dr. Wallace shows how lupus may affect different organ systems in the body, including the brain, heart, and lungs. He offers well-informed advice on how the patient, in cooperation with a doctor, can take an active role in applying exercise, diet, and medication. The author answers frequently asked questions about sun exposure, pregnancy, and other concerns of the lupus patient. Is there a diet for lupus? Current recommendations are for a ratio of 50 to 55% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and less than 30% fat in the diet. Fish oil and fish oil supplements are mentioned for their anti-inflammatory quality. Lupus patients are advised to avoid alfalfa sprouts, because L-canavanine in sprouts is known to increase inflammation in patients with autoimmune diseases. Regarding nutritional supplements, vitamin B12 and folic acid treat some of the anemias found in lupus patients, vitamin B6 has a mild diuretic effect, and vitamin D derivatives help manage specific types of osteoporosis observed in lupus. The book includes an herb chart. Some herbs may be helpful; others, harmful; and still others, have no effects.

For the nearly one million people in the United States who suffer from lupus, The Lupus Book serves as a useful guide that answers questions, and will help to manage day-to-day functioning with this debilitating disease.