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Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts

Sunday, 4 March 2012

Forget the Fear of Food, The Essential Guide, by Dr Chris Finn

Forget the Fear of Food The Essential Guide by Dr Chris Finn is an interesting book.

Nutritional consultant Dr Finn covers a wide variety of topics in her book. She asks, and answers a number of questions such as:-

Why can low fat foods make you fat? How can 'dieting'  make you put on weight? And how do you stop food controlling you?

The book contains much good advice and information on what happens when we eat, why some people eat more than they really should, the psychology of eating and dieting and how we can learn to control what we eat and not let what we eat control us.

However, a point of caution. The book seems to point out problems but fails to address them adequately. Dr Finn seems to imply that exercise will not help to reduce weight, and that sugar is the food of the devil.

She bases this on the fact that in 1972 John Yudkin published a book called 'Pure, White and Deadly' in which he roundly attacks sugar as being responsible for much of the ills besetting mankind. Although doubt has been placed on the results of his research. ("What's that professor? You fed a rat the equivalent of a human eating 100 pounds a day and it fell ill? Remarkable!" is a parody of the arguments raised, but there is a fair point. Rats aren't people and deal with sugar in a different way to people. )

I feel that the book would have worked better with an index, but it is a worthwhile book, even so.

It is published by Need to Know Books in paperback at £9.99.

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

New book Eat Right for Your Personality Type will show you how to work with your personality to create the perfect diet for you

For many of us, our relationship with food is complicated, confusing and far from satisfying; just think how often you eat something whilst simultaneously feeling bad about it.

We strive to find the right diet and balance for us, hoping to one day establish healthy eating habits that will leave us looking and feeling great. Yet with so much conflicting opinion about what and what not to eat, few of us know how best to approach this, let alone find the ‘magic combination’ for ourselves - that is until now!

In her new book, Eat Right for Your Personality Type, Karen Knowler reveals that there is one dominant factor governing our relationship with food – our personality type. She explains that after a decade of coaching people about their eating habits it became clear to her that there are different types of eater and that each of these types has individual ways of thinking, feeling and acting around food. The 10 types of eater are:

The Functional Eater; The Sensual Eater; The Intellectual Eater; The Emotional Eater; The Focused Eater; The Intuitive Eater; The Conscious Eater; The Experimental Eater; The Confused Eater and The Social Eater.

In the book Knowler sets out a step-by-step process that will enable you to discover your type (or combination of types); understand the pros and cons of each type and how they impact your life; and learn how to work with your type(s) in order to create a personalised eating blueprint and the perfect diet for you.

Whether you goal is weight loss, energy gain, improved health, inner peace – or simply to create a better fit between your eating and your lifestyle – this book will help you find the best approach for you and get you where you want to go.

Eat Right for Your Personality Type: How to Work with Your Personality to Create the Perfect Diet for You by Karen Knowler is published by Hay House on 5th March 2012, £12.99 paperback (also available as an e-Book)

• A completely new take on food and eating based on your personality
 • How what you eat and drink – and why – shapes not only your body, but every single aspect of your life
• Includes a quick and easy quiz to establish what type of eater you are – available for extract
• Explains the 10 different eater types and outlines 10 different ‘possibilities’ that can be experienced through food
• Includes advice on weight loss

Karen Knowler has been a prominent figure on the international healthy eating, raw food and self-help scene since 1998. A regular in the UK media, she has appeared on TV programmes including LK Today, and has featured in numerous magazines, including Tatler, Glamour and Woman & Home.

Through coaching thousands of people around the globe for over a decade, Karen's discovery of the different eater types has fast become one of the most potent tools for self-knowledge and conscious personal change that she has utilised in her work to date.

Thursday, 16 February 2012

“Bird flu will remain a threat as long as factory farms exist” claims author of new book on public health

The author of a pioneering new book on animals and public health, published this month, claims that “as long as factory farms exist; we will continue to be at risk from bird flu”.

Dr Aysha Akhtar, the author of 'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', considers that while Bird Flu is currently receiving much attention owing to recent deaths in Vietnam and its potential use in bio-terrorism “We don't need a terrorist to wreak havoc.  By confining billions of animals on factory farms, we have created a worldwide natural laboratory for the rapid development of a deadly and highly infectious form of the virus. The stressful and crowded conditions make a perfect breeding ground for new infectious diseases that can harm humans."

The book reveals how the link between how we treat animals and human health goes far beyond bird flu, however.  "A significant number of the most urgent health issues we face today are intricately linked with poor treatment of animals.”

The book to be published on 17 February is the sixth volume published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics book series in partnership with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.  In a lively manner, this book describes the link between the way we treat animals and human health across a wide range of health topics.

Dr Akhtar explores the lives of animals in violent homes, factory farms, experimental laboratories, the entertainment industry and the wildlife trade. She reveals how their treatment is related to issues as diverse as domestic violence, the obesity epidemic, the world's most ominous infectious diseases, animal attacks, high-profile drug failures and climate change.

In the first academic text to address the relationship between animals and public health, Dr Akhtar argues that "... public health has long-ignored the relationship between our health and animal treatment, largely owing to a misconception that animal welfare is in opposition to human welfare”. 

Using a wealth of scientific information, the book demonstrates that in order to best promote human health, we have to improve our treatment of animals.  Dr Akhtar hopes that this book will lead to a new public health paradigm, one that considers animals as part of the "public" in public health.

Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is a neurologist and public health specialist and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She works for the Office of Counter-terrorism and Emerging Threats of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The book is written in her personal capacity and is the result of many years of scientific research.

The Palgrave Macmillan book series is jointly edited by the internationally known theologian the Reverend Professor Andrew Linzey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and Professor Priscilla Cohn, Emeritus Professor in Philosophy at Penn State University and Associate Director of the Centre.

Commenting on the publication of Dr Akhtar’s Animals and Public Health, Professor Linzey says, “This is a must read for all those who think caring for animals is a separate issue from human welfare. The scientific evidence marshalled in this book ought to dispel any lingering doubts that a world in which animal abuse goes unchecked is a less safe world for human beings. This first book linking animals to public health is truly ground-breaking."

'Animals and Public Health: Why treating animals better is critical to human welfare', is published on 17 February in both the U.S. and the U.K. priced $85 / £50.

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Your Head Here: Your Guide To Real Bedroom Feng Shui By Sherwin Ng

This is THE book to clear all your doubts on Bedroom Feng Shu- the bed is regarded as the mountain within the house, and as such, a good bed location enhances good health, generates meaningful relationships, as well as augments power and authority.

Are you sleeping in the right sector?

In his highly-anticipated first book. Sherwin Ng introduces to you the importance of mountains in Feng Shui, and how these mountains affect your house and your bedrooms specifically. Transforming Classical concepts into modern application. this second book of the Fengshuilogy series gives you a fun, easy way to Feng-Shui-It-Yourself  by just turning to the page you need.

This is perfect for both the layperson interested to know if they have their beds in the right sector, and for the student of Classical Feng Shui looking for an alternative perspective on the simple but profound effects of mountains and the Feng Shui of the bedroom.

In this book: A concise, complete introduction on bedroom Feng Shui; An introduction to mountains and external Feng Shui; A complete chapter of bedroom rules in Feng Shui -- and WHY; All 16 Flying Stars chart for Period 7 and Period 8 houses; Technical commentary on the different bed locations for all 16 Flying Star charts in Period 7 and Period 8.

www.gazellebooks.co.uk

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

RIT English Professor's New Book Explores History and Evolution of ‘Mania’

Lisa Hermsen reveals her personal struggle with mental illness and traces the multiple ways in which the word “mania” has been used by popular, medical and academic writers in her just-released book, Manic Minds: Mania’s Mad History and its Neuro-Future.

“I am bipolar and have a medical diagnosis. And I am a freak; I am mad. There are no two options; I am both and more. I can have it both ways. And…I can tell a good story.” Lisa Hermsen, associate professor, Rochester Institute of Technology

Mania. Throughout centuries, the word has been synonymous with madness, fury, rage and frenzy. Although its meanings have shifted over time, the word has remained connected, even in clinical descriptions, to the same madness and rage. As a result, it is profoundly affecting individuals living with medical and psychological conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

In her latest book, Manic Minds: Mania’s Mad History and its Neuro-Future, Lisa Hermsen, associate professor and chair of Rochester Institute of Technology’s English department in the College of Liberal Arts, traces the multiple ways in which the word “mania” has been used by popular, medical and academic writers. She also explains the way medical professionals analyzed the manic condition during the 19th and 20th centuries.

“Today, we don’t classify people using the terms lunacy, insanity or melancholy, but the word ‘mania’ still appears as a diagnosis,” says Hermsen. “The problem with the world ‘mania’ is that it carries madness with it. Madness lingers with mania and can’t be shaken. The purpose of this book is to talk about what kind of language we can use to change how we think about madness. The word mania and the baggage that comes along with it interfere with people’s ability to manage their disorders.”

Hermsen, who teaches courses at RIT in the rhetoric of science and the history of madness, knows firsthand about the struggle with the perception of mania. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 20s. Many of her colleagues and students had formerly been unaware of her diagnosis, but Hermsen believed that her admission was necessary to include in the book.

“My husband and I talked about whether I should ‘out myself’ in the book as someone who lives with bipolar disorder,” says Hermsen. “I feared that my colleagues and students would look at me differently if they knew—and maybe some will. But if my intention is to help others understand the history of their disease and learn that it can be managed, lived with and that these individuals can become successful, then I knew there was no way I could leave it out.”

Throughout the book, Hermsen offers in-depth analysis of contemporary figures that have written from within the illness itself, as well as her thoughts on her personal experiences with mania. Hermsen’s story was included in the book based in part on a note that was sent to her from an RIT alumnus who experienced a serious depression that temporarily interrupted his studies. The note says, “I’m glad to see someone like us chairing the English department.”

Hermsen writes: “By emerging from this diagnostic silence, I am able to tell a story beyond my own limited narrative. There were certainly times during the writing when I had to come to terms with the debilitating effects of a manic episode—the bodily reality of psychic tension, times when linguistic power eluded me. But in the end, I hope to have written with the confidence and credibility of one who possesses a dynamic relationship to mania.”

Hermsen’s book is available for $23.95 at http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu or www.amazon.com.

Friday, 16 December 2011

First the Absolute Sanctuary, now the cook book!

The Love Kitchen, the in-house restaurant, at ABSOLUTE SANCTUARY is proud to announce the launch of its much awaited cook book Food Made with Love from the Love Kitchen.

The thrice-nominated restaurant for Best Spa Cuisine of the Year by Asia Spa is well known for its signature dishes like Cheong Mon Burrito, Nori Handrolls and Sanctuary Spring Rolls. It has grown from strength to strength since its humble beginning and the recipe book epitomizes its success. Absolute Sanctuary, known for its wellness holiday programs, has carefully selected 60 of the restaurant's most popular dishes and delightful thirst quenchers to be featured in the hard cover cook book.

"Over the years we have been inundated with constant requests from guests for recipes to take home with them to continue eating healthily at home. Recognising this need and with a mission to spread the love for cooking healthy and tasty meals, the idea of the cook book was born," explains Executive Director Claire Bostock-Huang.

"The menu at The Love Kitchen is a collection of recipes from inspiring chefs who have helped shape the restaurant namely Lucas Rockwood, Lisa Esposito and Dara Duchanee, and the recipe book showcases their passion and love for cooking healthily which is the essence of the Love Kitchen and the cook book." Ms Bostock-Huang enlightens.

The Love Kitchen at Absolute Sanctuary was opened in 2008 with the fundamental concept of serving tasty but healthy food. Starting with a pure vegetarian menu, the restaurant moved towards a spa cuisine based menu in 2009 featuring both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes and added refreshing raw food items in 2011.

Known for making healthy food tasty and using fresh natural ingredients, the Love Kitchen's mission through the cook book is twofold: to demonstrate that healthy food need not necessarily be bland and to bring healthy cooking to the home kitchen.

Available from 18th December 2011, the hard cover recipe book will feature enticing appetizers, vegetarian and non-vegetarian main courses, tempting guiltless desserts, as well as refreshing detox dishes in keeping with the spirit of the resort's detox focus.

A special feature of the book is the heart facts introduction to each recipe giving the nutritional benefits of the ingredients that go into the making of each dish. Written by Singaporean writer Wee Kiat, a fan of the resort and restaurant, the book will be retailed not only in the resort but at selected book stores and wellness centers throughout the world.

To promote the cook book, the Love Kitchen under the directorship of Executive Chef Eddy Choungsomboon will feature a special menu highlighting its recipes from 19th December 2011- 31st March 2012.

Chef Eddy will also be conducting cooking classes on an ongoing basis in 2012 for guests wanting hands-on guidance in cooking healthily. Of German and Thai descent and trained in Dietetics & Nutrition sciences, Chef Eddy intends to bring The Love Kitchen up a notch in 2012 with new recipes. A sequel cook book is in the pipeline.

For more information on the cook book or The Love Kitchen please visit www.absolutesanctuary.com


FACTFILE:

ABSOLUTE SANCTUARY, Thailand's Premier Detox & Yoga resort is a Moroccan inspired boutique wellness resort situated on Koh Samui, Thailand, and specializing in detox, spa and yoga holiday programs. ABSOLUTE SANCTUARY is part of the ABSOLUTE GROUP that owns and operates ABSOLUTE YOGA, Asia's premier yoga centre.

Established since 2002, ABSOLUTE YOGA is now the largest yoga studio in Thailand, with 8 yoga centers nationwide. In 2010, the group opened Absolute Pilates, launching the first large group Pilates reformer studios in Thailand and further expanded it to private Pilates classes with the opening of Absolute Pilates Plus in 2011.

Opened on 1st April 2008, the resort is not only growing in popularity as a destination for detox and yoga holidays in Thailand but also as a yoga teacher training and retreat center. In December 2008, the resort was awarded the Best Themed Resort award by SKAL International (Koh Samui).

The resort has also been nominated for three years in a row for Best Spa Cuisine of the year by Asia Spa awards since 2009 and was nominated for Spa Retreat of the Year & Destination Spa of the year by Asia Spa awards. The resort underwent expansion in 2010 with the construction of a new wing housing 2 new yoga studios and a larger Love Kitchen restaurant. In 2011, the resort added a Fitness Studio to its facilities.

For more information, please visit www.absolutesanctuary.com

Monday, 7 November 2011

Weight Loss, the Essential Guide

This is another of the highly approachable and easy to use Need 2 Know books. It is written by Sara Kirkham who is not a guru of a weird fads celeb diet. Sara is a genuine nutritionist who lectures and writes on nutrition, so her book is a breath of very fresh air.

No fads, no fantasies, no fallacies, this book is the real deal if you really do want to lose weight in a sensible, structured and safe way.

She provides commonsense ways to reduce your calorific intake, tells you why control of portion size is so vital, tells you how to get past or beyond the weight loss plateau and how to measure your progress.

The book contains some enticing recipes that will help you reduce your weight as part of a calorie controlled diet, which is, of course, exactly where this book comes in!

Sara also provides tips on how to create shopping lists that will help you in your battle of the bulge, how to keep a food diary and why this can be so important.


The book also has a wealth of hints, tips and information and also some references to some other books that might be of help for the aspiring dieter and some information on some groups that could  be useful. There's also a wealth of websites for you to browse at your leisure.


The book is in paperback and costs £9.99, the ISBN is 978-1-86144-090-7

Friday, 30 September 2011

Book launched for World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day sees the launch of  'In Case of Spiritual Emergency' with an international webinar.

Catherine Zeta-Jones has been open about her mental health struggles. So has Stephen Fry and other celebrities. One in four of the population suffer. Yet something is missing; a framework that allows these experiences to be positively transformational. Transpersonal psychology fills the gap. It offers an alternative perspective, an opportunity to reframe mental health conditions as an opportunity for healing and growth. ‘Trans’ meaning ‘beyond’ the personal, transpersonal psychology encompasses the soul dimension. It brings together ancient spiritual wisdom with modern psychology, grounded in scientific research.

“This book is a remarkable achievement. The author charts the terrain of moving from breakdown to breakthrough, exploring how surviving a mental health crisis can lead to a new and authentic way of being and bringing a profound message of hope to all sufferers.”

Dr. Andrew Powell, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Founding Chair, Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group.

Emma, Annabel and Kate have each chosen to see their mental health struggles from the transpersonal perspective. Emma was admitted to hospital repeatedly with recurring psychotic symptoms. Annabel was sectioned on three separate occasions and forcibly injected with high dose anti-psychotic medication against her will. Kate suffered from crippling depression on and off for over 30 years. All three see what they have been through as their personal odyssey towards healing and growth; the psyche’s journey through spiritual emergency to wholeness.

In Case of Spiritual Emergency is a book of extremes; the terror and the bliss, the danger and the opportunity, as the psyche moves through its very own Hero’s Journey. Psycho-spiritual crisis can be triggered by many things: loss of faith or a loved one, intense spiritual practices, even childbirth. Encouraging, supportive, and life-saving, In Case of Spiritual Emergency is vital for relieving the mental and emotional suffering these experiences can bring.

In this guide for mental health professionals, pastoral care specialists, and people going through spiritual crisis or their caregivers, you will find:

• A clear summary of recent psychological research of the past twenty years
• Patterns of spiritual crises through the ages, including St. Teresa of Ávila, Carl Jung, Eckhart Tolle
• The Three Key Phases for Moving Successfully through Spiritual Emergency
• Practical, life-saving guidance for those experiencing spiritual emergency or their carers

Catherine G Lucas is the Founder of the UK Spiritual Crisis Network and an accredited Mindfulness Trainer. She has organised international conferences on spiritual emergency and is a regular speaker on the subject.

Tuesday, 21 June 2011

A long and healthy life? A new book might challenge what you know

We have been told that the key to longevity involves obsessing over what we eat, how much we stress, and how fast we run. Based on the most extensive study of longevity ever conducted, The Longevity Project exposes what really impacts our lifespan - including friends, family, personality and work.

This is the first time the general public has shown the findings of this incredible, decade-spanning study that began in the early 1920s

THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study

By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD

Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb

Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you're a woman
- It's not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it's the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.

With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.

Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the 'disease-prone personality' and the 'self-healing personality.' Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.

LONGEVITY MYTHS:

The Longevity Project proves that most of the truisms about health and longevity are inaccurate; and even when they are true, it’s not for the reasons we expect!

Here are just a few of the longevity myths busted in this book:

• ‘You’ll worry yourself sick’: In reality worriers live longer; a healthy dose of concern about the future makes people more likely to be diligent about their health, which translates into years.

• ‘Look on the bright side’ It turns out that overly-optimistic people tend to put themselves in harm’s way—they just don’t see risks as clearly as people who are prone to caution/pessimism.

• Do you resolve every year to exercise more? Vigorous exercise can be detrimental to longevity. If you’re not a gym bunny, don’t sweat it—partaking in physical activities that you enjoy like gardening or walking actually are more beneficial to your health than high-impact exercise.

• ‘You’ll work yourself to death’: Hard workers actually live longer, even those with stressful jobs; being engaged and motivated keeps you alive.

• Married people live longer: Those in happy marriages do often live longer, but those whose marriages end in divorce actually have shorter life spans.

• Early education ensures higher level of achievement: Many children who are pushed into schooling before they’re prepared actually do not excel academically. In fact, drop-out levels are often higher in children who are put into school too early.

What do the experts say about this book?

‘The Longevity Project uses one of the most famous studies in psychology to answer the question of who lives longest - and why. The answers will surprise you. This is an important and deeply fascinating book.’
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point

‘The content of this book will prove fascinating, not only to social, behavioral, and clinical scientists and practitioners and their students, but to the general reading public as well. The writing is crystal clear as it compels us to go on reading because we know that there will be an illuminating vignette as an example, or another fascinating finding, just around the corner, on the next page.’
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Harvard University

‘Incredibly, no one until now has chronicled and interpreted the findings from the monumental almost century-long longevity project for the general public. Is living a long life associated with being married, daily jogs, having a pet, or faith in God? At last, with lucid prose and rigorous yet crystal clear analysis, Professor Friedman and Professor Martin have succeeded beautifully.’
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D., professor of psychology at the University of California/Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

‘Want to live longer? You’ve probably heard the common advice (don’t work so hard, think positive thoughts, eat your broccoli, etc.) As the fascinating analysis in The Longevity Project shows, much of this advice is wrong. Based on one of the longest-running longitudinal studies ever conducted, The Longevity Project describes, in its lively and accessible pages, the personality traits most common to those who lived long lives – and how to shape them in yourself. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the burgeoning research on psychology and health.’
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me

‘A compelling and objective assessment of character traits associated with longevity. Only a handful of studies in this field last long enough to give meaningful results, and even fewer remain significant after their primary investigators have passed away. Friedman and Martin have resurrected a remarkable achievement with surprising conclusions. I learned a lot from this book.’
Andrew Weil, M.D.

(EDITOR: So a lot of what we think we know might not be wrong, but actually be detrimental to our well-being? This is fascinating stuff.)

To find out more about this book visit