Two Book Reviews on Health Remedies

If you’re uncertain about your doctor’s orders for medication, surgery or testing or if they don’t help, you may be interested in these two books. The second one will cure you by dealing with unconscious issues! The first book will teach you ways to improve your health by taking less medication, eliminating toxins and boosting the immune system through diet, exercise, probiotics and supplements.

Natural Remedies for Essential Tremor     

By Donna Gagnon

Natural Remedies for Essential Tremor by Donna Gagnon is chock full of information about remedies other than drugs and surgery that may offer symptom relief for those suffering from essential tremor. Gagnon supplies background information on Essential Tremor and on conventional drugs and surgery treatments and then covers a multitude of natural remedies that will help our health today including food choices and life style choices, eliminating toxins, nutritional supplements, alternate therapies and more. The book is well written and easy to understand plus it is documented with references. At the end of the book Gagnon puts it all together with a step by step plan for implementing lifestyle changes gradually. The information in this book will help all of us be healthier and hopefully will reduce or even eliminate tremors.

The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders

By John Sarno

The Divided Mind by Dr. John Sarno is about the principles and practices of psychosomatic medicine written by a well known doctor who for decades specialized in helping people with back trouble using mindbody methods. Sarno is concerned that medical care in this country is in crisis. He says that over six million Americans suffering from fibromyalgia are being treated by specialists who don’t have a clue about what causes this disorder. The same is true for other disorders. He says there are hundreds of disorders that are psychosomatic. In spite of the prevalence of these disorders psychosomatic medicine is almost unknown today. Instead, doctors treat the symptoms.

Sarno writes the first four chapters in this book – about half of the book. He writes excellent chapters on the history of psychosomatic medicine, and the psychology and treatment of psychosomatic disorders. Case examples amplify his convictions about proper treatment for many people. His treatment involves teaching patients to at least keep an open mind to the fact that their problems are often due to underlying unconscious anger and the pain experienced by patients is to protect them from these feelings of rage. The patients who are open to this are often helped by realizing their unconscious issues and some accept a need for psychotherapy. Their unbearable pain goes away.

The second half of the book is written by six doctors who studied with Sarno and who use his methods. They support with their stories the need for an understanding of psychological needs and childhood or background issues. They include a doctor who specializes in hypertension, one who works in rehabilitation, a rheumatologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a doctor in sports medicine, and a family doctor. All of these doctors have similar stories of success with helping many people who were hopelessly sick prior to using this method. Chapter six by the orthopedic surgeon is terribly long and not well edited. The rest are excellent.

For those of us who recall seeing a family doctor in a leisurely setting in which time was not rushed and the doctor really knew you – I wish many of you could realize what we are missing today with managed care and doctors looking at their computers and doctors pushing medication or surgery for every ill. I know most doctors are caring but are trapped in the system. I hope some doctors will read this and open up their own practice to a kinder, more helpful way of treating illnesses. People need to exercise and eat right and quit most meds

“O Lord, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.” Psalm 30:3

Blessings, Dottie