The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder

The Cure for Women
by Lydia Reeder

ISBN-13: 9781250284457
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Released: December 3, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
After Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school, more women demanded a chance to study medicine. Barred entrance to universities like Harvard, women built their own first-rate medical schools and hospitals. Their success spurred a chilling backlash from elite, white male physicians who were obsessed with eugenics and the propagation of the white race. Distorting Darwin’s evolution theory, these haughty physicians proclaimed in bestselling books that women should never be allowed to attend college or enter a profession because their menstrual cycles made them perpetually sick. Motherhood was their constitution and duty.

Into the midst of this turmoil marched tiny, dynamic Mary Putnam Jacobi, daughter of New York publisher George Palmer Putnam and the first woman to be accepted into the world-renowned Sorbonne medical school in Paris. As one of the best-educated doctors in the world, she returned to New York for the fight to prove the opposition wrong. Aided by other prominent women physicians and suffragists, Jacobi conducted the first-ever data-backed, scientific research on women's reproductive biology. The results of her studies shook the foundations of medical science and higher education. Full of larger than life characters and cinematically written, The Cure for Women documents the birth of a sexist science still haunting us today as the fight for control of women’s bodies and lives continues.


My Review:
The Cure for Women is about the first women doctors in America, the men who opposed them, and the fight for women to be accepted at male medical schools. It's more about what the author felt about the various people and events than quotes of what the women themselves said. The information about Mary Putnam Jacobi only took up about a third of the book. The book started by telling about the Blackwell sisters and a couple of other prominent women doctors, then we got into Mary's life. But the author tended to digress and give biographies and backstories for anyone new introduced into the story. For example, there's a chapter detailing a male doctor's 'rest cure' for women which also told details about several woman who took his cure, one dying afterward and the others finally breaking free of all male restraints to live healthy lives.

I hadn't expected so many biographies beyond Mary's and felt like they slowed the pacing and sometimes didn't even have to do with Mary's interesting story. Also, the author portrayed men as controlling, manipulative, childishly hateful, and basically willing to torture and subjugate women to achieve their own goals. She's convinced me that some of the main male opponents were pretty horrible people, but the supportive men were barely mentioned.

As Mary apparently published a lot of her research, and a number of the women doctors were the first to do things that other schools and hospitals later picked up, I'd expected more of a focus on what they accomplished. I was fascinated by Mary's innovative research showing that the menstrual cycle did not indicate that a woman was 'in heat' nor was it a sign of reoccurring weakness. Instead, this book was written as an epic battle between clever, independent women and white supremist males determined to force women back into a role of baby-making machines.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

What the Nurses Saw by Ken McCarthy

What the Nurses Saw
by Ken McCarthy

ISBN-13: 9798870191508
Paperback: 513 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: December 8, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
No human activity can ever be free from error, but calling the failed COVID protocols “errors” is not accurate. These protocols were explicitly ordered by those who took dictatorial control of the medical system early in the Panic (spring of 2020). Further, when they were shown to be demonstrably failing and harming many thousands of people, experienced healthcare professionals who raised informed concerns were silenced through demotion, firing, and organized campaigns of harassment promoted by the news media and enabled by companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, in some cases in collaboration with the White House and the Department of Justice’s FBI.

Featuring in-depth interviews with Erin Marie Olszewski, Kevin Corbett Ph.D., Kimberly Overton, Ashley Grogg, Kristen Nagle, Sarah Choujounian, AJ DePriest, Mark Bishofsky, and Katie Spence. What the Nurses Saw is documentation of what happens in the real world when bureaucrats, in this case bureaucrats in Washington DC, take literal dictatorial control over the practice of medicine.


My Review:
What the Nurses Saw is a collection of interview transcripts of people who worked in the hospitals during the COVID Crisis or who has important information about the medical protocols used to treat COVID. The author, Ken McCarthy, apparently does video interviews, and when he saw nurses speaking out about harmful procedures being used to treat COVID patients, he interviewed them. Several of the interviews where with highly qualified nurses who traveled to New York at the beginning of COVID when the governor of that state appealed for nursing help. They described what it was like to work under those conditions and how the protocols being handled down from above where harming people who might otherwise have survived. Anyone who spoke out against the harm being done was moved to another area of the hospital or were fired. He also interviewed nurses who worked in other areas of the USA as well as nurses in the UK and Canada.

The author also covered topics like how online censorship and harassment was coordinated against those who spoke up, and he talked to a respiratory therapist to uncover why venting people so quickly was a bad idea and to someone who documented the money trail showing how hospitals were paid a lot of money to test for COVID and follow only the new protocols being pushed by those not on the front lines. I knew there had been payments to encourage using certain drugs or procedures, but the details of the 'money trail' are rather horrifying because it's obvious certain people wanted the hospitals to prioritize making money over what's best for the individual patient. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Lies My Gov't Told Me by Robert W. Malone

Lies My Gov't Told Me
by Robert W. Malone

ISBN-13: 978-1510773240
ebook: 645 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse
Released: November 15, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
With contributions from eminent doctors, scientists, and experts in their fields, Lies My Gov't Told Me offers a comprehensive look at the coronavirus pandemic–where we are today, how we got here, and what's on the horizon. Challenging the mainstream government-pharma-media narrative, the chapters in this book will not only outrage readers but will also inform and give readers hope.


My Review:
Lies My Gov't Told Me was about things that happened during the 2020-2022 period (like censorship about various COVID treatments or when speaking out about concerns about the shots), and the book is still relevant today. Some of the content was written by others with an expertise in certain areas, but much of the book was written by Malone with his unique expertise. The writers explained their knowledge and experiences on topics like how governments were acting. They provided correct information about treatments, mRNA technology, and vaccines. Overall, I'd recommend this important book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

"Cause Unknown" by Ed Dowd

"Cause Unknown": The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 & 2022
by Ed Dowd

ISBN-13: 9780593197882
Kindle ebook: 381 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse
Released: November 9, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
2020 saw a spike in deaths in America, smaller than you might imagine during a pandemic, some of which could be attributed to COVID and to initial treatment strategies that were not effective. But then, in 2021, the stats people expected went off the rails. The CEO of the OneAmerica insurance company publicly disclosed that during the third and fourth quarters of 2021, death in people of working age (18–64) was 40 percent higher than it was before the pandemic. Significantly, the majority of the deaths were not attributed to COVID.

A 40 percent increase in deaths is literally earth-shaking. Even a 10 percent increase in excess deaths would have been a 1-in-200-year event. But this was 40 percent.

It isn’t COVID, of course, because we know that COVID is not a significant cause of death in young people. Various stakeholders opine about what could be causing this epidemic of unexpected sudden deaths, but “CAUSE UNKNOWN” doesn’t opine or speculate but just presents the facts and let's you decide.

The book begins with a close look at the actual human reality behind the statistics, and when you see the people who are represented by the dry term Excess Mortality, it’s difficult to accept so many unexpected sudden deaths of young athletes, known to be the healthiest among us. Similarly, when lots of healthy teenagers and young adults die in their sleep without obvious reason, collapse and die on a family outing, or fall down dead while playing sports, that all by itself raises an immediate public health concern. Or at least it used to.

Do you recall seeing these kinds of things occurring during your own life—in junior high? In high school? In college? How many times in your life did you hear of a performer dropping dead on stage in mid-performance? Your own life experience and intuition will tell you that what you’re about to see is not normal. Or at least it wasn’t normal before 2021.


My Review:
"Cause Unknown" focused on the sudden increase in non-COVID deaths that are creating a large rise in Excess Mortality. The author included many pages showing newspaper headlines about healthy young people dying suddenly. These included a web link and QR code so you can go read these articles yourself. Every time something is cited, there's a link so you can read the paper or article or look at the government statistics to make sure the information wasn't taken out of context.

The author mainly looked at young athletes (how often did they used to die versus in 2021 and 2022), young people dying in their sleep, younger medical professionals and famous people dying suddenly. He also looked at when the COVID shots were mandated compared to when the sudden deaths increased, the USA government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting Systems for the COVID shots compared to previous vaccines, how other countries have stopped giving the shots to young people, and how disability claims have gone up. The data is convincing that we need to do something about this rather than just pretending it's not happening. I'd recommend this book to everyone.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Fifty Shades of Gray Matter by Teresella Gondolo, MD

Fifty Shades of Gray Matter
by Teresella Gondolo, MD

ISBN-13: 9781639887798
Paperback: 382 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Released: May 2, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Neurology is more than treating headaches and strokes. The brain, which has produced all of mankind's art and literature and inventions, can also conjure monsters and nightmares and sexual predators. It can upend lives with a myriad of chemical neurotransmitters coursing through millions of synapses. Each brain is its own unique world, its own reality. The brain can be a confining prison, or a dizzying and limitless cosmos.


My Review:
Fifty Shades of Gray Matter describes a series of cases showing the type of people that visit a neurologist. It's not really a scientific look at the brain but more philosophical musing about how brain disorders affect people. The book had short chapters, each featuring a different patient and their family, as the disorder affected others. She gave some background on the people and why they came to her then briefly gave her diagnosis of what was wrong and what medicine she prescribed. Some of the problems were caused by medication. The more scientific information of the brain was relegated to a few pages in the back, briefly describing a few of the mentioned diseases in terms of what's gone wrong in the brain. While interesting in it's way, I'd expected more of a focus on the brain than on the people.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Brain and Pain by Richard Ambron

The Brain and Pain
by Richard Ambron

ISBN-13: 9780231204873
Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Released: March 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Pain is an inevitable part of existence, but severe debilitating or chronic pain is a pathological condition that diminishes the quality of life. The Brain and Pain explores the present and future of pain management, providing a comprehensive understanding based on the latest discoveries from many branches of neuroscience.

Richard Ambron--the former director of a neuroscience lab that conducted leading research in this field--explains the science of how and why we feel pain. He describes how the nervous system and brain process information that leads to the experience of pain, detailing the cellular and molecular functions that are responsible for the initial perceptions of an injury. He discusses how pharmacological agents such as opiates affect the duration and intensity of pain. Ambron examines new evidence showing that discrete circuits in the brain modulate the experience of pain in response to a placebo, fear, anxiety, belief, or other circumstances, as well as how pain can be relieved by activating these circuits using mindfulness training and other nonpharmacological treatments. The book also evaluates the prospects of procedures such as deep brain stimulation and optogenetics.

Current and thorough, The Brain and Pain will be invaluable for a range of people seeking to understand their options for treatment as well as students in neuroscience and medicine.


My Review:
The Brain and Pain explains how the human body senses pain and the parts of the brain involved with suppressing, increasing, or even caring about the pain. The author used scientific language and expected you to remember what each technical term meant so you could understand what he explained later. The target audience seemed to mainly be people who are developing drug interventions (as he explained potential pathways to target), but he did talk about how meditation, placebo, and hypnosis can change how we experience pain. He described in detail how the body senses an injury on your skin, then he talked about visceral pain. He talked about how current drugs work to suppress pain, what we know about chronic pain, and the challenges faced when developing a pain drug. Overall, the book was very informative. I learned some interesting things that anyone can do to help with pain.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases by Alexis Chesney

Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases by Alexis Chesney ISBN-13: 9781635862096 Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: Storey Publishing Released: February 22, 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from NetGalley:
Disease-carrying ticks are found in all 50 states in the U.S. and, as their numbers rise and their ranges increase, so, too, do cases of tick-borne illnesses. Alexis Chesney, a naturopathic physician specializing in the treatment of diseases transmitted through tick bites, offers a comprehensive strategy for reducing exposure to disease-causing organisms and boosting the effectiveness of standard treatment protocols. With an overview of the tick species present in the U.S. and profiles of Lyme and other top diagnosed tick-borne diseases, including anaplasmosis and babesiosis, this guide gives concerned readers and medical professionals alike a deeper understanding of how tick populations — and associated illnesses — spread, and how to combat them naturally. In addition to covering landscape-management methods for dramatically reducing tick populations around the home, Chesney outlines prophylactic herbal tinctures that provide an additional layer of protection against tick-borne illnesses — an important strategy for those living in high-risk regions, especially in the event of an undetected bite. Chesney also provides options for treating acute tick-borne diseases, if symptoms develop, as well as herbs that can be used in combination with antibiotics to augment their efficacy.


My Review:
Preventing Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases is written by a naturopathic physician about how to prevent and treat Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. He started by identifying disease-carrying ticks, including pictures and how to identify them, and explaining their lifecycle. He also described various tick-borne diseases in North America: what the symptoms look like, what ticks carry them, and the states where they have been diagnosed. He provided tick prevention and reduction strategies, like modifying your landscaping, putting out tick tubes, and dressing safely. He also explained where to look to find ticks on your body, how to safely remove ticks, how to get the ticks or yourself tested for disease, and herbal tinctures that can be used to prevent or treat tick-borne diseases. While some of this information will probably not be new to the reader, there was a lot of information about the latest products and methods available. This book was mainly about preventing tick-borne diseases or treating acute cases, not about treating chronic cases. Overall, I'd recommend this book to people who work in places that are at high risk of picking up ticks.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

How Psychology Works by DK Publishing

How Psychology Works by DK Publishing ISBN-13: 9781465468611 Hardback: 255 pages Publisher: DK Publishing Released: June 5, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Using straightforward definitions and clear, striking visuals, this book makes the workings of the brain easy to understand and shows what happens when things go wrong, with information on disorders such as anxiety and paranoia, as well as explanations of the different therapies that are used to treat them, from CBT to psychoanalysis, group therapy to art therapy.

How Psychology Works explains hundreds of psychological terms clearly and simply, such as neurosis, psychosis, psychopathy, self-efficacy, flow, human factors, and false memory syndrome. It also includes an introduction to the different approaches psychologists use to understand how we behave and think and a detailed look at how the brain influences behavior and psychological health.

With its combination of bold infographics and clear, easy-to-understand text, this book explores and explains the various approaches that psychologists use to study how people think and behave, such as behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and humanism, and shows how these approaches can be applied to real-world situations. With examples from the workplace to the sports field, the courtroom to the classroom, How Psychology Works shows how psychology plays a huge role in all of our lives.


My Review:
How Psychology Works provides an overview of psychology. As with most DK books, this one is full of helpful diagrams along with the text. The book started by providing a timeline for the history of psychology and describing how the brain, memory, and emotions work. It then gave brief descriptions for 48 psychological disorders and 29 therapies used to heal these disorders. It finished by describing how psychology is used in the real world, like in education, sports, the workplace, forensics, politics, and so forth. I found the book informative and interesting.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Complete Wellness by Neal's Yard Remedies

Complete Wellness by Neal's Yard Remedies ISBN-13: Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: DK Publishing Released: Sept. 18, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Enjoy long-lasting holistic health and prepare natural health remedies for common ailments with essential oils, herbal remedies, and pure foods.

Complete Wellness delivers a head-to-toe guide to healing for every part of your body. Targeted instructions allow you to tap into the restorative powers of herbs and plants and their therapeutic essential oils and use tried-and-true, centuries-old herbal remedies to treat a host of common ailments.

In addition to healing remedies, the book explores the key building blocks for optimizing health and well-being in each part of the body, pointing you to the top herbs, nutrients, and essential oils each area needs not only to stay well, but to reach the very peak of wellness--whether to boost circulation, enjoy glowing skin, balance gut flora, or maximize energy levels. Guidance is given on incorporating ingredients into everyday regimens, helping you to stay in optimal health.

Follow step-by-step demonstrations on how to blend your own teas and tinctures; concoct all-natural-ingredient creams; create therapeutic aromatherapy oil blends; discover delicious recipes for wellness; and master a variety of other practical techniques and tips for lifelong well-being. Make the most of nature's resources with Complete Wellness.


My Review:
Complete Wellness provides information on natural remedies for different health problems. They take the different problems--like stress or toothache or carpal tunnel syndrome--and suggest possible remedies under several subsections: herbs, essential oils, food, supplements, and other therapies. Under each section, they briefly named the remedy and explained what it does, when to avoid using it, and how to use it. For example, under essential oils, "Basil strengthens resistance to stress. Avoid during pregnancy. Add three drops to a diffuser." There is not a lot of information for each remedy. I would've liked information on how long one can take the remedy as I know that some should not be taken long-term.

They covered problems with moods, different parts of your body, immunity and intolerances, women's health, men's health, and children's health. They also explained step-by-step how to make a herbal infusion, extract, macerated oil, decoction, syrup, herbal capsule, poultice, essential oil blend, balm, cream, and essential oil compress. Again, there wasn't a lot of depth to the information provided, but they do provide the basic information on how to do these things. They also included a few recipes for things like smoothies, soups, and salads.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Atlas of Disease by Sandra Hempel

The Atlas of Disease by Sandra Hempel ISBN-13: 9781781317907 Hardback: 224 pages Publisher: White Lion Publishing Released: Oct. 30, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Behind every disease is a story, a complex narrative woven of multiple threads, from the natural history of the disease, to the tale of its discovery and its place in history.


My Review:
The Atlas of Disease explores major diseases and epidemics. The author looked at diphtheria, influenza, leprosy, measles, scarlet fever, SARS, smallpox, tuberculosis, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, malaria, plague, typhus, yellow fever, Zika, polio, Ebola, AIDS, and syphilis. She talked about the history of the disease, including quotes from historical people talking about what the disease was like during normal, local appearances or during epidemics or in perhaps the first recorded mentions of a disease. She talked about what may have caused a disease to turn into an epidemic (like war, trade, etc.) and also where the disease is currently still a problem.

While adequate, I had expected more maps and more detailed maps in an atlas. There was usually one or two maps per disease, showing things like the spread of the disease during a certain outbreak. They were usually either color-coded chunks on a map or color-coded arrows indicating the general spread of the disease. While the author did talk about how maps were used to identify the source of the cholera during an epidemic, maps were not the focus of the text but illustrations of what was stated in the text. I found the information about how the diseases were treated and viewed in the past and the present to be interesting.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Royal Art of Poison by Eleanor Herman

The Royal Art of Poison by Eleanor Herman ISBN-13: 9781250140869 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: St. Martin's Press Released: June 12, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Hugely entertaining, a work of pop history that traces the use of poison in the royal courts of Western Europe from the Middle Ages to the Kremlin today. For centuries, royal families have feared the gut-roiling, vomit-inducing agony of a little something added to their food or wine by an enemy. To avoid poison, they depended on tasters, unicorn horns, and antidotes tested on condemned prisoners. Servants licked the royal family’s spoons, tried on their underpants and tested their chamber pots.

Ironically, royals terrified of poison were unknowingly poisoning themselves daily with their cosmetics, medications, and filthy living conditions. Women wore makeup made with mercury and lead. Men rubbed turds on their bald spots. Physicians prescribed mercury enemas, arsenic skin cream, drinks of lead filings, and potions of human fat and skull, fresh from the executioner. The most gorgeous palaces were little better than filthy latrines. Gazing at gorgeous portraits of centuries past, we don’t see what lies beneath the royal robes and the stench of unwashed bodies; the lice feasting on private parts; and worms nesting in the intestines.

In The Royal Art of Poison, Eleanor Herman combines her unique access to royal archives with cutting-edge forensic discoveries to tell the true story of Europe’s glittering palaces: one of medical bafflement, poisonous cosmetics, ever-present excrement, festering natural illness, and, sometimes, murder


My Review:
The Royal Art of Poison is about how royals and famous people died in the Middle Ages to the present day from many different causes but blamed an enemy using poison. Sometimes they were correct. The author looked at how people died from poorly cooked food, diseases and filthy living conditions, medications and cosmetics containing poisons, or doctors using excessive bleeding, purging, and other treatments. The author also talked about the various antidotes and preventive methods used by royals to avoid being poisoned.

Then she looked at more than 17 specific, famous people who died under suspicion of poisoning--from Henry VII of Luxembourg, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1313 to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1821 plus a list of poisonings in Russia and elsewhere in more recent times. She provided a brief biography of the person, a detailed and gory description of their death as recorded at the time, what the people at the time concluded was the cause of death, and a modern forensic analysis of cause of death. When the conclusion was poisoning, she didn't attempt to guess who did it unless someone confessed to it. Overall, the writing style and information kept my interest, but the details of the deaths were a bit gory for me (though necessary for the forensic analysis).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Healing Power of Essential Oils by Eric Zielinski D.C.

The Healing Power of Essential Oils by Eric Zielinski D.C. ISBN-13: 9781524761363 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Harmony Released: March 13, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Blogging for Books.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Eric Zielinski, D.C., host of the Essential Oils Revolution summits, offers a guide to mastering essential oils for vibrant health and well-being, featuring dozens of recipes and formulations for restful sleep, reduced inflammation, balanced hormones, and more. For beginners, Dr. Z teaches everything you need to know to get started, including the top seven oils you should stock from Day 1 and the commonly used techniques and tools. He illustrates daily practices you can follow to enjoy the properties of essential oils, including a five-minute devotional using frankincense and neroli to set you up for a productive and stress-free day, and a simple bedtime routine harnessing the soporific effects of lavender.

Backed by extensive research, Dr. Z also supplies essential oil blends that promote hormone balance, reduced inflammation, improved digestion, increased immunity, and so much more. You'll be armed with over 150 recipes for every health need, and a special section on women's health includes dozens of formulations for PMS, fertility, pregnancy, candida, and menopause. Even those well-versed in essential oils will benefit from this thorough approach.


My Review:
The Healing Power of Essential Oils is targeted at people interested in or just beginning to use essential oils for health. I have been using essential oils for years and have read many essential oil books. I appreciated that the author approached essential oils from both a Christian perspective and a scientific one--that they are medicines and have complex chemical profiles. He explained the basics of essential oils without getting too scientific for a beginner. His recipes were not highly complicated and tended to use the same 15 or so oils that he recommended earlier. However, many of the recipes also had an oil or two that weren't on that list because the recipes replicated the exact oil combinations used in a study he cited.

The author based his information on scientific studies and information from experts. However, some of the scientific studies that he cited were based on animal studies, chemical components of the oil rather than the whole oil, or were done in a petri dish, so (as the author notes) we don't know for certain if the results accurately show how that oil will act in humans.

Most of the oils he recommended are not expensive, but a few are. Beginners often look at the price of a small bottle and balk at it without realizing how little you use at a time. Overall, I thought he did a good job of covering safety, suggesting useful essential oils have around, and providing instructions on how to use them. He included recipes for health, cleaning house, personal care products, and even pets.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Education of a Coroner by John Bateson

The Education of a Coroner by John Bateson ISBN-13: 9781501168222 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Scribner Released: Aug. 15, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Marin County, California is a study in contradictions. Its natural beauty attracts thousands of visitors every year, yet the county also is home to San Quentin Prison, one of the oldest and largest penitentiaries in the country. Marin ranks in the top one percent of counties nationwide in terms of affluence and overall health, yet it is far above the norm in drug overdoses and alcoholism, and comprises a large percentage of suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ken Holmes worked in the Marin County Coroner’s Office for thirty-six years, starting as a death investigator and ending as the three-term, elected coroner. As he grew into the job—which is different from what is depicted on television—Holmes learned a variety of skills, from finding hidden clues at death scenes, interviewing witnesses effectively, managing bystanders and reporters, preparing testimony for court to notifying families of a death with sensitivity and compassion. He also learned about different kinds of firearms, all types of drugs—prescription and illegal—and about certain unexpected and potentially fatal phenomena such as autoeroticism.

Complete with poignant anecdotes, The Education of a Coroner provides a firsthand and fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a public servant whose work is dark and mysterious yet necessary for society to function.


My Review:
The Education of a Coroner is both a biography and a collection of crime stories. We're given details about how Ken Holmes got into a career as a death investigator (then coroner's assistant and later coroner), the training he received, and how he went about doing his job. We learn about the things Ken Holmes checked when he first came to a death scene, the importance of death certificates, and the difference between cause and manner of death. The author also explained how death notifications were done by the coroner's office, how they dealt with the media, how they interviewed people about the death, and many other aspects of Holmes' job.

We're also told about some of the cases he was involved in, from suicides and accidents to homicides. He talked about some big name cases, unusual or shocking cases, and about the many suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge. The accidents and murders were described with minimal gory detail and were more about the clues found while working the case. He gave more gory details about the suicides, though. I found the book very interesting and would recommend it to people interested in what a death investigator and coroner do and to fans of true crime stories.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Truth About Vaccines Docu-series

Maybe you've heard some about parents who are delaying or refusing to vaccinate their children. When in the news, they're generally portrayed as anti-science, anti-reason, and endangering not only their children's health but everyone else as well. It's a "don't listen to them; only stupid people would" tactic that I'm seeing more and more often, which now makes me want to listen to the people dismissed that way. I mean, we all want what's best for our children; they must have reasons that seem very compelling to them. It makes sense to really listen to those concerns and see if they're good ones.

So I've been watching this well-made docu-series, The Truth about Vaccines. It's for people wanting to understand the concerns about vaccines. The host did a good job of arranging the material and clarifying the concerns so the viewer can follow and understand them. And, frankly, I'm finding it heart-breaking to watch.

Parents should be told about these things before their children are vaccinated, but we're simply told that vaccines are safe and have saved the world from deadly diseases. Well, they're clearly not safe. The question is if they're worth doing anyway. Some of the doctors interviewed believe that some of the vaccines are worth doing, but not on the CDC schedule. Even they question vaccines like the HPV, which sound good but end up doing more harm than good.

I really should have told people about this series sooner. I suspect they'll still have a day where you can access missed episodes, and the first two episodes give a great overview of the arguments. But I'd highly recommend watching what you can, even if you only can access the later episodes. Here's the link to sign up for a free, limited-time viewing: https://go.thetruthaboutvaccines.com/?a_aid=1619624&a_bid=988aa9d6

The Oxygen Cure by William S. Maxfield

The Oxygen Cure by Dr. William S. Maxfield ISBN-13: 9781630060510 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Humanix Books Released: Jan. 3, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley & Amazon:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment which enhances the body's natural healing process by inhalation of 100% oxygen in a total body chamber, where atmospheric pressure is increased and controlled. In the United States, the FDA currently recognizes hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for 14 conditions, including decompression sickness, embolism, crush injury, bone infection, burns, wound healing, severe anemia, and several others.

Now, in The Oxygen Cure, hyperbaric expert William S. Max eld, M.D., will convince you that HBOT is a vastly underused modality that deserves to take its place among frontline medical treatments. As a holistic treatment, HBOT targets the underlying disease or condition, not just the symptoms. The Oxygen Cure reveals how hundreds of studies on HBOT conducted around the world prove it works at the cellular level to help or heal many more conditions.

Full of hope-inspiring case histories and expert findings, The Oxygen Cure shows how HBOT not only benefits the sick and injured (including our wounded veterans), but may also reduce our country’s staggeringly high medical costs. HBOT often provides a safe alternative to drug therapy and dangerous invasive procedures.

Dr. Maxwell provides his recommendations for how HBOT can help treat conditions as varied as burn care, emphysema, arthritis, fibromyalgia, wound healing, stroke, congestive heart failure, autism, cancer, diabetes, and more. He offers strategies about exactly how HBOT should be administered and recommendations on where to seek the best treatments.


My Review:
The Oxygen Cure describes how hyperbaric oxygen therapy works, what it's used to treat in the USA, and additional conditions that it can be used for based on studies from around the world. The author looked at each type of injury or disease (like traumatic brain injury or burns) and described how HBOT has been successfully used. He included case studies describing the person's condition, their treatment, and the improvement seen when using HBOT.

While doctors could use this to become educated about how HBOT can be used, the main audience seemed to be the average person who is looking for help with some of these conditions. He described some clinics where they're informed about and willing to treat FDA approved and non-FDA approved problems, about what it'd cost, and even some ideas on how to potentially get your insurance to help pay for the treatments.

The author is trying to increase awareness so that more people can benefit from HBOT and hopefully prompt the FDA to recognize that HBOT can be safely and effectively used to treat many more conditions. It's very sad that our wounded veterans aren't getting more access to HBOT. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning about HBOT and what it can do.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Breakthrough! by Jim Murphy

Breakthrough! by Jim Murphy ISBN-13: 978-0547821832 Hardcover: 144 pages Publisher: Clarion Books Released: Dec. 8, 2015

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description from Amazon:
In 1944 a groundbreaking operation repaired the congenital heart defect known as blue baby syndrome. The operation's success brought the surgeon Alfred Blalock international fame and paved the way for open-heart surgery. But the technique had been painstakingly developed by Vivien Thomas, Blalock's African American lab assistant, who stood behind Blalock in the operating room to give him step-by-step instructions.

The stories of this medical and social breakthrough and the lives of Thomas, Blalock, and their colleague Dr. Helen Taussig are intertwined in this compelling nonfiction narrative.


My Review:
Breakthrough! is a history/biography about how the "Blue Baby" surgery was developed in 1944. It's targeted at tweens (ages 9-14).

This is the type of historical biography I enjoyed as a kid and still enjoy as an adult. The author did a good job of explaining how life was different at this time, like how women and blacks were treated, how medical studies were done, operating conditions, and so on. He didn't gloss over more technical parts but explained them so younger readers could understand what the problems were and how they were overcome. He included quotes from the actual people involved so the reader could see what the situation looked like from their viewpoint.

There were some nice photographs of the people involved and other related photographs. The text flowed well and focused on interesting things. Overall, I'd recommend this book to tweens and teens who think the topic sounds interesting.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Back to Normal by Enrico Gnaulati

This is another review done as a member of Amazon Vine, so I'm posting a description of the book with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

Back to Normal by Enrico Gnaulati ISBN-13: 9780807073346 Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Beacon Press Released: September 17, 2013

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
A veteran clinical psychologist exposes why doctors, teachers, and parents incorrectly diagnose healthy American children with serious psychiatric conditions.

In recent years there has been an alarming rise in the number of American children and youth assigned a mental health diagnosis. Current data from the Centers for Disease Control reveal a 41 percent increase in rates of ADHD diagnoses over the past decade and a forty-fold spike in bipolar disorder diagnoses. Similarly, diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, once considered, has increased by 78 percent since 2002.

Dr. Enrico Gnaulati, a clinical psychologist specializing in childhood and adolescent therapy and assessment, has witnessed firsthand the push to diagnose these disorders in youngsters. Drawing both on his own clinical experience and on cutting-edge research, with Back to Normal he has written the definitive account of why our kids are being dramatically overdiagnosed—and how parents and professionals can distinguish between true psychiatric disorders and normal childhood reactions to stressful life situations.

My Review: Link to my review on Amazon.

"Marketplace of the Marvelous" and "Kill or Cure"

I realize I haven't been posting many nonfiction book reviews lately, but I have been reading them. I've been getting them as a member of Amazon Vine and, if I understand the terms correctly, I'm not allowed to post my review of the Vine books anywhere except on Amazon. I have read some interesting books, though, so I thought maybe I'd post a description of a book (or two) with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

Marketplace of the Marvelous: The Strange Origins of Modern Medicine by Erika Janik ISBN-13: 978-0807022085 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Beacon Press Released: January 7, 2014

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Despite rampant scientific innovation in nineteenth-century America, traditional medicine still subjected patients to bleeding, blistering, induced vomiting, and sweating. Many patients ran with open arms to burgeoning practices that promised new ways to cure their ills. Hydropaths offered cures using “healing waters” and tight wet-sheet wraps. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby experimented with magnets, while Daniel David Palmer reportedly restored a man’s hearing by knocking on his vertebrae. Lorenzo and Lydia Fowler used their fingers to “read” their clients’ heads. Samuel Thomson introduced a range of herbal remedies for a vast array of woes.

Bizarre as these methods may seem, many are the precursors of today’s notions of healthy living. We have the nineteenth-century practice of “medical gymnastics” to thank for today’s emphasis on regular exercise, and hydropathy’s various water cures for the notion of regular bathing and the mantra to drink “eight glasses of water a day.” Though many of these cures were discredited by advances in medical science, a surprising number of the theories and ideas behind the quackery are staples in today’s health industry. Janik tells the colorful stories of these "quacks."

My Review: Link to my review on Amazon.

Kill or Cure by Steve Parker ISBN-13: 978-1465408426 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: DK Adult Released: October 21, 2013

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Telling the compelling stories behind mankind's never-ending quest to cure every disease, Kill or Cure uses a text-rich narrative combined with DK's beautiful visual design to trace the extraordinary history of medicine. Using panels, timelines, and thematic spreads, Kill or Cure tells the dramatic tale of medical progress.

My Review: Link to my review on Amazon.

Gray Matter by David Levy, MD

Gray Matter: A Neurosurgeon Discovers the Power of Prayer... by David Levy with Joel Kilpatrick ISBN-13: 9781414339757 ebook: 304 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: February 21, 201

Source: Free ebook "bought" some time back through Sony's ebook store.

Book Description from Goodreads:
A blend of medical drama and spiritual insight, "Gray Matter" is a fascinating account of Dr. David Levy's decision to begin asking his patients if he could pray for them before surgery. Some are thrilled. Some are skeptical. Some are hostile, and some are quite literally transformed by the request. Each chapter focuses on specific cases, with a detailed description of the patient's diagnosis and the procedure that will need to be performed, followed by the prayer "request."

Readers get to look over Dr. Levy's shoulder as he performs the operation, and then we wait--right alongside Dr. Levy, the patients, and their families--to see the final results. Dr. Levy's musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about God, faith, and the power of prayer are honest and insightful. As we watch him come to his ultimate conclusion that no matter what the results of the procedure are, "God is good," we cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.


My Review:
Gray Matter is an autobiography about a neurosurgeon's journey of faith and how his willingness to follow God's leading to reach out in faith has transformed how he practices medicine. It's very suspenseful. We follow specific cases from the consultation and Levy's offer to pray (or talk about forgiveness), how they respond, him performing the procedure, and waiting to see how the patient came out of the surgery. The surgery scenes weren't gory unless talk about veins, arteries, coils, and glue get to you.

I found the book very touching and encouraging. I usually don't read books where the author is on the cover as the focus if often totally on them. However, this book was as much about each patient and on God working in their and the author's life as it was about Levy. Levy came across as humble and open as he told about his failures as well as his successes. He discussed how he came to add prayer to his medical practice and then later offer to help walk certain patients through forgiving others.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting. It's very much a Christian book, but the author came across as genuinely concerned for others, not condemning, so even non-Christians might enjoy it.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Healing at the Speed of Sound by Don Campbell, Alex Doman

Healing at the Speed of Sound by Don Campbell, Alex Doman ISBN-13: 9781594630828 Hardback: 288 pages Publisher: Hudson Street Press Released: September 29, 2011

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Based on over a decade of new research, Don Campbell, bestselling author of The Mozart Effect, and Alex Doman, an expert in the practical application of sound and listening, show how we can use music and silence to become more efficient, productive, relaxed, and healthy.

Each chapter focuses on a single aspect of everyday life, providing advice, exercises, wide-ranging playlists, and links so readers can use the music they love to create the perfect soundtrack for any goal or task.


My Review:
Healing at the Speed of Sound is a scientific look at how music and noise (and silence) effect our emotions, our health, and even our ability to learn. They talked about managing noise, protecting your hearing, and using the music you like to influence your day (on waking up, for exercise, traveling to and from work, at work, in the evening, and before bed). The advice was pretty basic, and the "soundtrack for your day" is very much based on what you like. So you notice what songs effect you in certain ways and use them to wake up your mind instead of coffee, help you to keep going when exercising, relax when stressed, etc.

They also talked about how listening to certain types of music, playing music, and making music as a group can help us to learn and remember things better as well as other positive health benefits. They also talked about how music can effect a baby's development before birth and brain development problems or a brain injury after birth.

There was a chapter on using music to tap into "spiritual experiences." They treated all religious music or chanting practices (from witch doctors to Buddhism to Christianity) as equal in positive effects. The way they phrased things made me think they believed spiritual experiences are completely brain-induced. All I'll say is be careful what you play with or you might end up getting more than you expect.

Throughout the text, there were links to free songs and further information on their website. Much of the "further information" was an expert saying the information given in the book, but some gave more in-depth information. One link was to a blog where a lady was blogging about how great one of their music therapy products was, but she made it sound like the music was a mind-altering drug--she's stressed, so she grabbed their relaxation music to calm down, etc.--rather than something that made a lasting change after the music was off. This left me a bit confused about which music has a lasting effect or for how long an effect lasts.

Overall, it was fun to see scientific evidence for things I'd already noticed about music and it did make me more aware of my sound environment, but I didn't really feel empowered by the book. Except in regards to exercise, the advice tended to be so unspecific and subjective ("go with what you like!") that I'm at a loss as to what to play from the large variety of choices that I have. Also, my day is not routine, so what I "need" to listen to and when would vary from day to day. So I haven't actually made any changes in my daily routine.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.