BOOK LIST FOR BETTER HEALTH

Note to parents: With the exception of the home reference guides, I have read these books cover to cover and highly recommend them to all parents. Please see my web site: www.DietarySupport.com for other dietary information. You may contact me via e-mail at Carolyn@DietarySupport.com.

Some of the following books are now available for loan to all Montana residents from the Parents Let’s Unite For Kids (PLUK) library. I have noted which books are at PLUK after the title listings below. Contact Janice Sands at PLUK for availability at (406) 255-0540. PLUK is located at 516 N. 32^nd Street in downtown Billings.

HOME REFERENCE GUIDES:

Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet & Nutritional Medicine by Elson M. Haas, M.D. (1992)

Note: This is an excellent book for gaining understanding about nutrition. Each vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acid, etc. is explained in detail. Dr. Haas also explains signs of deficiency and toxicity of nutrients. Healthy recipes are also included in this book.

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2^nd Edition by Michael Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. (1998)

Note: This is another great reference book that brings a wealth of knowledge to parents and offers many natural remedies for common health problems.

Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide by Burton Goldberg. (2002 Edition just released!)

Note: This is an excellent resource for any parent! Many alternative treatments are discussed in addition to complete descriptions of nutrients needed for optimal health.

GENERAL HEALTH:

Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

Note: I met Dr. Cousens after he spoke at the American Holistic Medical Association meeting in Denver, Colorado in 2002. Although he has limited clinical experience working with autistic patients, he has a wealth of information that could help those with autism. His book is one of the best books I have read about nutrition. He has included questionnaires in his book to assist each individual to find the right foods for their own constitutional type.

Total Wellness: Improve Your Health by Understanding the Body’s Healing Sstems by Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. (1996)

Note: This is a well-written book than explains how each system in the body works and how to recognize if one or more systems are not working properly. Dr. Pizzorno uses many real-life examples of how to use lifestyle and natural medicines to reestablish optimal function.

Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski, M.S., C.C.N. (1996)

Note: This is my favorite book for understanding the digestive system and the problems in the digestive tract that can lead to systemic disease. Liz covers Leaky Gut Syndrome, Candida-related disorders, probiotics, food sensitivity, and much more. Questionnaires are included that can be completed to identify specific areas of concern in the digestive tract.

Leaky Gut Syndrome: What to do about a health threat that can cause arthritis, allergies and a host of other illnesses by Elizabeth Lipski, M.S., C.C.N. (1998)

Note: This is a small book that explains Leaky Gut Syndrome very well at a cost of $4.00. Give a copy of this book to skeptical loved ones, day care providers, and anyone else caring for your child who may not believe dietary changes are necessary. It is easy to understand and is a quick read.

Supperimmunity for Kids: What to Feed Your Children to Keep Them Healthy Now – and Prevent Disease in Their Future by Leo Galland, M.D. with Dian Dincin Buchman, Ph.D. (1998) – at PLUK

Note: This is a good book to guide parents towards healthier choices in nutrition and nutritional supplements for healthier children.

The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children by Carol Simontacchi (2000) – at PLUK

Note: This is a must read for all parents! This book explains the many problems with the standard American diet and gives helpful advice how to reverse the damaging effects of our nutrient deficient food supply.

Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. (1997)

Note: This book is an eye opener about the damaging effects of MSG, aspartame, hydrolyzed protein, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein. These additives have been linked to many diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. These additives are often “hidden” ingredients in our food. It has been found that 80% of the damage done to the body from these diseases happens before the first symptoms appear!

The Yeast Connection Handbook: How Yeasts Can make You Feel “Sick All Over” and the Steps You Need to Take to Regain Your Health by William G. Crook, M.D. (1999) – at PLUK

Note: This is a good beginning book to understand the havoc yeast can cause on the human body, there are many books to go to from here!

The Missing Diagnosis by C. Orian Truss, M.D. (1985)

Note: An excellent book for understanding the many harmful effects of yeast and harmful bacteria in the human body. This book connects depression, fatigue, migraine headaches, anxiety, and a number of other physical manifestations of the real underlying problems for many physical illnesses.

Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall (2002)

Note: This is a must read for those experiencing chronic diarrhea even with dietary intervention. This book explains the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is a low carbohydrate diet specifically targeting healing of the gut!

The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering your Health and Rebuilding your Immunity by Donna Gates (1996)

Note: I met Donna at the fall 2002 Defeat Autism Now conference. She didn’t speak at that particular conference, but a friend of hers introduced me to her, and I was glad to get her point of view on nutrition and autism. Although her book doesn’t mention autism, her treatment recommendations for treating the gut and her diet recommendations have been helpful for many autistic children.

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives by Ruth Winter, M.S. (1999)

Note: This book is especially useful for understanding the possible dangers of food additives. It is amazing how frequently the word “toxicity” is used beside food products that are on the FDA’s “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) list. It is especially interesting to read of the many “safe” ingredients that have been connected to cancer and adverse reactions. There is mention of one study that did not make a connection between cancer and the additive, but all of the test animals died shortly after the study.

The Omega-3 Connection by Andrew Stoll, M.D. (2001)

Note: This is a must read for all parents as most children and adults are deficient in essential fatty acids based on the standard American diet.

Toxic Metal Syndrome: How Metal Poisoning Can Affect Your Brain by Dr. H. Richard Casdorph and Dr. Morton Walker (1995).

Note: This is an incredible book for understanding the problems associated with metal poisoning and brain dysfunction. This is a must read for those with a family history of Alzheimer’s and other dementia problems. There are also many recommended lifestyle changes that can reduce the toxic load of metals.

COOKBOOKS FOR BETTER HEALTH:

The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N. (2001) – at PLUK

Note: This is the best cookbook I’ve found for children and adults with multiple food allergies and food intolerances.

Food Allergy Field Guide: A Lifestyle Manual for Families by Theresa Willingham (2001) – at PLUK

Note: A great resource for families new to the treatment of food allergies and food intolerances.

Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. (1998) – at PLUK

Note: This book is a great starting point for the gluten-free and casein-free diet.

Special Diets for Special Kids Two by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. (2001)

Note: Another great book for children on restricted diets.

The Complete Food Allergy Cookbook by Marilyn Gioannini (1997) – at PLUK

Note: A must have if your child has food intolerances.

FOOD ALLERGIES:

Food Allergies: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Relieving Your Food Allergies by William E. Walsh, M.D. (2000)

Note: Dr. Walsh (an allergists) breaks down allergies into two types: allergies to chemicals in the food and allergies to the protein in food. He also covers in detail the negative effects of the food additives MSG and aspartame.

Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults by Doris Rapp, M.D. (1991) – at PLUK

Note: This is a good starting point for understanding allergies in children.

Allergies and Holistic Healing: A Comprehensive Reference for Everything on Allergies – from Nutritional Causes to Natural Treatments by Skye Weintraub, N.D. (1997)

Note: This is a very informative book on food allergies and their possible triggers, as well as effective treatments. There is a great chapter on Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) that is one of the best descriptions I’ve read about the chemical and its harmful effects.

Food Allergy Field Guide: A Lifestyle Manual for Families by Theresa Willingham (2000) – at PLUK

Note: This is a great book to break families into the lifestyle change as they adjust to food avoidance due to allergies. There are some great recipes in this book too!

For Montana residents: Montana Harvest natural foods store now stocks many of the above-mentioned books at a 10% discount!

This update: 5/7/03 by Carolyn Lewis at DietarySupport.com