Friday, July 27, 2007

Positive Reviews Rolling In

The book reviews are starting to roll in and they're GREAT! Got one this morning from Dr. Eric Robins, co-author of Your Hands Can Heal You. Got one earlier this week from Cherie Fisher for Reader Views which said in part: "UnBreak Your Health is the most comprehensive and reader-friendly guide for alternative health solutions that I have ever read...I am amazed at the number of alternative therapies that are available to a person... UnBreak Your Health would complement any home-based or business library." You can read the full book review on my website at Reviews.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Podcast

My publisher has a new website where authors read from their books so I just posted a few chapters of UnBreak Your Health at AUTHOR AIRWAVES.
I won't tell you how long it took me to produce that 40-minute program but it certainly wasn't 40 minutes! It was fun though and I've discovered it's a useful editing technique. Reading words aloud gives them new meaning, helps to make a book easier to read if it sounds right in your head.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Drug Mania

Did you know that America spent $270 BILLION on prescription drugs in 2006? Sales of antidepressants alone were $13.5 BILLION. The frontpage of the WALL STREET JOURNAL (Friday, July 13th) features "Pill Push - Industry Fights Switch To Generics for Epilepsy" explaining how the drug companies want even more, or at least not to lose what they've got. It seems four major brands of antidepressants will probably lose their patent protection by the end of 2010 so the drug industry is spending to lobby every state legislature to get laws passed restricting the move to generics. They're delighted they can get bills passed in as little as 90 days at the state level when it can take years to accomplish anything at the federal level.

Fortunately in the same issue there is a great story about the trend away from prescription drugs called "The Unmedicated Mind." It seems people are choosing to go to naturopaths and use more traditional, holistic therapies instead of popping pills with very positive results.

THANK YOU WALL STREET JOURNAL for the best reporting in America, especially on the world of complementary and alternative therapies. It's great to see that drug industry money hasn't tainted all of the media today.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Difference Between Medicine and Alt Med

There's a great story that explains the difference between mainstream medicine in America today and the world of complementary and alternative medicine.

There are two fisherman on the bank of the river and they spot a man flailing his arms and drowning out in the middle of the river. The first fisherman swims out and brings him back to shore, saving his life. No sooner do they things under control than they spot a woman in trouble floating in the river so the second fisherman swims out to rescue her. Again they see another person drowning in the river so the first fisherman swims back out to save them. This goes on and on and eventually a crowd gathers to congratulate the fisherman on the outstanding job they're doing saving people. This is modern medicine today.

No one thinks about going upstream to stop the maniac on the bridge who's throwing folks off into the river. This is the attitude of complementary and alternative medicine - to stop problems at the source.

Which one do you think makes more sense?

First Review Notice

Just heard from Well Being Journal that they'll have a short write-up of my book in their Nov/Dec issue. Hopefully this is the first of many reviews!

Friday, July 6, 2007

Letter to the Editor - Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Morning News published my Letter To The Editor about the new Michael Moore movie but as usual they edited it down to support their viewpoint. By taking out the facts and figures in my original letter supporting the premise that America spends more on health care than any other nation on earth but with diminishing returns they made me sound like an opinionated jerk. OK, so at least they spelled my name right (this time) but it's still sad that our local media can't accept that complementary and alternative therapies have a lot to offer.

Belo covers every new drug and every hospital in the area like it was sacred ground. Strange that a group with roots in the Baptist Church doesn't open their eyes that prayer and spirituality are considered forms of complementary and alternative therapy. I guess they're just kissing up to their advertisers, not an uncommon situation today with declining newspaper readership.