Everyone Has An Everest is a story of inspiration! If you are looking to be revitalized and renewed, you must read this book. In it the author tells of her 12 year battle with Parkinson's disease. She explains how the disease took her health, her job, her car, her life's savings and her insurance. Ms. Andrews is also an educator with 31 years of experience. The book graphically describes her experiences as an inner city elementary school principal and how she changed a school who had five principals in five years. How she dealt with the debilitating disease and never missed a day of school. It will be useful to Parkinson patients and care givers because it gives specific information on how to obtain social security disability status, how to obtain food stamps, how to get Medicaid, how to deal with depression, Parkinson's Advocates and lobbying legislators. And most importantly, it describes the operation that gave her a second chance at life.

In today's world where Alzheimer's disease is affecting one in six families, Memory Keeper for Two (Journal of a Caregiver) shows how life encompassing this disease can disrupt the family routines, family traditions and family emotions. The author shows the comparison between wishes and hopes for "the golden years" and how the reality of living with Alzheimer's disease dashes those hopes.

This book will help the reader understand the momentous decisions facing family members when one of their own is diagnosed with this disease and give ideas for encouragement and relief for caregivers of these patients. This is the journal of one caregiver facing challenges and reshaping her life while she cares for her husband who is enduring this unpredictable disease.

If you've been told you are going to need an ostomy, you are about to make some dramatic changes in your life. And while there is no doubt that getting an ostomy is a life-changing experience, it doesn't have to define your life. In Living Well with an Ostomy, Elizabeth Rayson explains that, ultimately, your ostomy is only a small part of the essential person that is you. And that essential person hasn't changed or become less active, adventurous, stylish or romantic just because she or he now has an ostomy. On the contrary, many people who've had ostomy surgery will tell you that their surgery marked the start of a new, more expansive phase in their lives.

This comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide covers the practical aspects of ostomy care. You will also learn how to cope with the significant changes to your body that affect everything from traveling, dressing, playing sports, eating favorite foods and enjoying romantic and sexual relationships. And you will also easily relate to the personal narratives throughout that illuminate many of the challenges people with ostomies face.

Living Well with an Ostomy covers basic information about the various types of ostomies, what to expect from ostomy surgery, as well as psycho/social issues that may surface as a result of ostomy surgery, including those unique to certain groups, such as children, young adults and seniors. The book also includes new information on homeopathic and natural remedies for dealing with the ongoing care of an ostomy, and a substantial Resources section that contains a host of references to additional sources.

A concise and encyclopaedic handbook of scientific research, clinical Naturopathic practice and experience in the care of people with cancer.

Inspired by the courageous spirit of Terry Fox and personal healings. Informed by eighteen years of practice and teaching Naturopathic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can reduce your risk of cancer with the help of your Naturopathic Physician.

Learn how you can:

• understand the Nature of cancer
• reduce harm from surgery, radiation & chemotherapy
• improve the effectiveness of medical treatments
• treat cancer with nutrition, plant medicines, Traditional Chinese Medicine & homeopathic medicine
• heal cancer with alternative & mind-body approaches
• improve the quality of life in all cancers
• improve the hope of survival with immune strengthening leading edge Naturopathic oncology.

WHAT REALLY CAUSES AIDS:
AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The AIDS pandemic is likely to become the greatest catastrophe in human history. Unless a safe, effective vaccine is quickly developed, or the preventive strategies outlined in this book are widely applied, by 2015 one sixth of the world's population will be infected by HIV-1 and some 250 million people will have died from AIDS. Its associated losses by then will be more than those of the Black Death and World War II combined, the equivalent of eight World War Is.¹

This pandemic is only one of several ongoing catastrophes involving viruses that encode the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase.² Indeed, the world is experiencing simultaneous pandemics caused by Hepatitis B and C viruses, Coxsackie B virus and HIV-1 and HIV-2. As these viruses replicate, because their genetic codes include a gene that is virtually identical to that of the human enzyme glutathione peroxidase, they rob their hosts of selenium. Paradoxically, however, they diffuse most easily in populations that are very selenium deficient,³ possibly because their members have depressed immune systems. It is no coincidence that such viruses are causing havoc at the beginning of the 21st century. The last 50 years have seen enormous expansions in the use of fossil fuels and deforestation by fire. The resulting pollutants have greatly increased the acidity of global precipitation, reducing selenium's ability to enter the food chain. This situation is being made worse by the widespread use of commercial fertilizers since their sulphates, nitrogen, and phosphorus all depress the uptake of selenium by crops. Deficiencies in this essential trace element are being felt most acutely in areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where soil selenium levels are naturally very low. Acid rain is making a bad situation worse, so increasing vulnerability to those viruses that encode glutathione peroxidase. Many populations are also being exposed to a thinning ozone layer, heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium, pesticides, and drug, tobacco, and alcohol abuse, all of which depress the human immune system, increasing vulnerability to viruses, including HIV-1 and HIV-2.

In July 2000, physicians and scientists from around the world met in Durban, South Africa for the XIII International AIDS Conference. In a declaration, named after the city, 5,018 of them proclaimed that "HIV is the sole cause of AIDS."⁴ There are, however, at least seven anomalies that strongly suggest that this conventional wisdom is incorrect and that belief in it is blocking progress in the development of new treatments for AIDS and of novel ways of preventing its spread. To illustrate, despite widespread unprotected promiscuous sexual activity in Senegal, HIV- 1 is diffusing very slowly, if at all, amongst the Senegalese.⁵ It is very apparent that in Africa, differences in soil selenium levels are greatly influencing who becomes infected with HIV-1 and who does not. Indeed, the recently published Selenium World Atlas used the incidence of HIV-1 as a surrogate measure of soil selenium levels because actual levels are, as yet, poorly established in sub-Saharan Africa. A similar relationship has been documented in the United States⁶ where there has been an inverse relationship, especially in the Black population, between mortality from AIDS and local soil selenium levels.

It is well established that individuals who are HIV-positive gradually become more and more selenium deficient.⁷ This decline, which is known to undermine immune functions, is not unique to HIV-infection but is seen in almost all infectious pathogens.⁸ However, under normal circumstances, where death does not occur, selenium levels rebound soon after recovery. HIV-1, however, can effectively elude the defense mechanisms of the immune system, and can continue to replicate indefinitely, endlessly depressing serum selenium. As a result, the immune system is compromised, allowing infection by other pathogens that continue to deplete the host of selenium, allowing HIV-1 to replicate more easily, further undermining immunity. Therefore, this relationship between selenium and the immune system is one of positive feedback, in which a decline in either of these two variables causes further depression in the other. Termed the "selenium- CD4 T cell tailspin" by the author,⁹ it is the reason that serum selenium levels are a better predictor of AIDS mortality than CD4 T cell counts. Like other positive feedback systems, such as avalanches and forest fires, it is extremely difficult to control and gains momentum as it progresses.

HIV-1, however, encodes the entire selenoenzyme, glutathione peroxidase. As it replicates, therefore, it depletes its host not only of selenium but also of the other three components of this enzyme: namely, cysteine, glutamine, and tryptophan.¹⁰ AIDS, therefore, is a nutritional deficiency illness caused by a virus. Its victims suffer from extreme deficiencies of all four of these nutrients which are responsible for such symptoms as depressed CD4T lymphocyte count, vulnerability to cancers (including Kaposi's sarcoma), depression, psoriasis, diarrhea, muscle wasting, and dementia. Associated infections cause their own unique symptoms and increased risk of death.

HIV-1 alone, therefore, does not cause AIDS. It involves a multiplicity of co-factors, specifically anything that either depletes serum selenium levels or depresses the immune system enough to permit viral replication. Manipulating the "selenium-CD4T cell tailspin" by adding this trace element to fertilizers and food stuffs opens new avenues for both prevention and treatment. This strategy has been shown to work on other viruses that encode glutathione peroxidase, such as Hepatitis B and C and the Coxsackievirus. The logical treatment of AIDS patients involves supplementation with selenium, cysteine, glutamine, and tryptophan, at least to levels at which deficiency symptoms associated with a lack of these nutrients disappear. While this can be most easily achieved by supplements, certain foods contain elevated levels of those four nutrients. Strangely enough, one of the ideal meals for anyone who is HIV-seropositive would include a cheeseburger to which Brazilnut flour had been added to the bun.

REFERENCES
1. Foster, H.D. (1976). Assessing disaster magnitude: A social science approach. The Professional Geographer, xxviii(3), 241-247.
2. Taylor, E.W. (1997). Selenium and viral diseases: Facts and hypotheses. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, 12 (4), 227-239.
3. Ibid.
4. The Durban Declaration (2000). Nature, 406, 15-16.
5. UNAIDS/WHO Epidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections: Senegal. 2000 update (revised).
6. Cowgill, U.M. (1997). The distribution of selenium and mortality owing to acquired immune deficiency syndrome in the continental United States. Biological Trace Element Research, 56, 43-61.
7. Baum, M.K., Shor-Posner, G., Lai, S., Zhang, G., Lai, H., Fletcher, M.A., Sauberlich, H., and Page, J.B. (1997). High risk of HIV-related mortality is associated with selenium deficiency. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, 15(5), 370- 374.
8. Sammalkorpi, K., Valtonen, V., Alfthan, G., Aro, A., and Huttunen, J. (1988). Serum selenium in acute infections. Infection, 16(4), 222- 224.
9. Foster, H.D. (2000). Aids and the "selenium-CD4T cell tailspin": The geography of a pandemic. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, 209, 94-99.
10. Mariorino, M., Aumann, K.D., Brigelius-Flohe;, R., and Doria, D., van den Heuvel, J., McCarthy, J.E.G., Roveri, A., Ursini,

Not Just a Patient is a handbook for people coping with the challenges of a life-threatening illness. Born out of the author's first-hand experiences, this is a fresh take on how you can get medical care and still have a life as a real person, not just a diagnosis. Individuals with a life-threatening illness, as well as those who care about and for them, will find plenty of practical suggestions in this easy to read guide:

• Getting, using, organizing, and understanding medical information

• Coping with life in the hospital and at home

• Finding the support you need

• Tackling health insurance

• Getting food you can eat (and enjoy) in the hospital

• Thinking about different paths to healing

• Finding free transportation services

• Filling in the gaps that are not addressed by the medical system

• Remembering and reminding others that you are a whole person

• Working effectively with all your providers, whether they are conventional, complementary, or alternative

• MAKING DECISIONS THAT ARE RIGHT FOR YOU!

As author Claudine Crangle explains in her book, Living Well with Celiac Disease: Abundance Beyond Wheat and Gluten, Second Edition, avoiding gluten (the protein in wheat) is like walking in a minefield because it lurks in the most unsuspected foods, from soy sauce and bouillon cubes to salami and instant coffee.

Now completely revised to include the latest news on medical research, new original recipes, a meal planning section, updated gluten-free resource and a user-friendly index. Living Well with Celiac Disease opens up a whole new world of culinary delights and will change old notions of what it means to be on a "restricted" diet. The book also includes a Foreword by Cynthia Rudert, M.D., Medical Advisor for the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Gluten Intolerance Group of America. Dr. Rudert has one of the largest practices in North America dedicated to celiac disease and treats patients from all over the world.

Living Well with Celiac Disease provides essential strategies for anyone who cannot tolerate wheat or gluten due to celiac disease. This book is also for those looking for relief from symptoms of numerous other conditions such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, ADD, autism, schizophrenia, eczema and psoriasis, candida, diverticulitis, migraines, and chronic sinusitis.

Crangle covers practical issues, such as how to organize your kitchen cupboards, ordering in restaurants, grocery shopping and traveling, as well as the personal territory of explaining diet guidelines to party hosts and first dates. She guides you through the host of multi-ethnic cuisine readily available in urban centers, and suggests many new and delicious foods and recipes from countries where wheat is not a diet staple. The book also includes a chapter on where to find support groups, other books and magazines devoted to gluten-free living, and a comprehensive listing of Internet sites for celiacs worldwide.

Healing Environmental Illness from Within is a true story of one woman's journey of healing from chemical and electromagnetic sensitivity, chronic fatigue and allergies. In the book, Marcia describes the development of her illness and the baffling, seemingly unrelated symptoms she experienced for nine years before diagnosis. She shares her experience with physiological treatments which brought temporary relief of symptoms and explains why none were sufficient to bring true healing.

In the second half of the book, Marcia shares how she found her way back to wellness by going within her heart to examine the disempowered way she was living her life. She describes her life experiences from childhood to the present day which created disharmony in her mind and spirit, eventually taking the form of serious illness in her body. Most importantly, she tells how she came to understand and let go of the emotional blocks crippling her immune system, and how doing so allowed her to resume a life of quality.

The healing path Marcia chose to follow will touch your heart as you recognize familiar life circumstances all of us face at one time or another. You will understand how the choices you make and your responses to people and daily life events can affect the strength of your immune system, and thus your health.

Above all, the book offers hope to people suffering from environmental illness, giving them a new perspective to consider in working to regain health. It is a must-read book for anyone suffering from any illness who believes that recovery is impossible.

-Dorothy Eubanks Polsgrove

This book presents concepts and necessary suggestions for coping with cancer that could only be derived by someone who has lived with cancer for eighteen years. Mr. Dejka clearly has experienced many common problems that only a cancer patient would know. His 100 tips are each presented as independent ideas but they are really integrated into a total approach. Mr. Dejka has an approach that treats the total spirit, mind, and body.

This approach considers our relation with our creator. A positive attitude is a critical part of the treatment. It also discusses two critical elements - enzymes and detoxification. Without them a cure cannot be reached. Other suggestions include dealing with anemia, diet, juicing, indigestion and other supplement issues. One unique part of this book is Mr. Dejka's suggestions for dealing with your doctor and the medical community.

Lastly an integrated supplement program is presented. It is a program that takes supplements randomly rather than popping massive numbers of pills each day. The tips presented in this book are invaluable to anyone facing cancer today.

The second part is devoted to short stories based on dreams and hallucinations experienced whilst he was in 'Intensive Care', which in themselves reveal something of what a patient was going through. They also serve to illustrate the narrow boundary between reality and the dream world, and which whilst making for entertaining reading, could possibly be the subject of further study.

Although the Author is a layperson, in medical terms, it is believed this book will be an important aid to medical professionals and care-givers, providing as it does, new insights and a unique perspective on the effects, not only of the disease, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, but also of the handling and care of any long-term intensive care patient, and their subsequent rehabilitation. For the curious, it will answer many questions. For G.B.S. patients and their families it should provide inspirational reading.

The foreword to the book has been written by Dr Frank Warshawski, MD, FRCPC, Director of Intensive Care, Rockyview General Hospital, Calgary. In addition to that prestigious involvement, the Author has been fortunate in receiving permission to use other material authored by exceptionally well qualified medical professionals, for which due credit is given in the 'Acknowledgements' section of the book, enabling him to produce not only an interesting publication, but an informative and educational one.

In short, a 'must read' and deserving of a place on any medical bookshelf.