Previous Book Reviews
What to Do When Love Turns Violent
Marian Betancourt and Dr. Robert McAfee
Reviewed by Vickie W. Lovin, M.D.
Reviewed by Vickie W. Lovin, M.D.
Hopefully, most women reading What to Do When Love Turns Violent will not need its advice. However, for women who are in an abusive relationship, this may be the most important book they will ever read.
This book is written by Marian Betancourt and Dr. Robert McAfee, a past President of the American Medical Association. The AMA and the AMA-Alliance have made domestic violence one of their primary focuses, and this book is an excellent "all in one place" guide for women in trouble.
What to Do When Love Turns Violent is an easy to read, well written guide to help you or someone you love get out of a dangerous situation safely. There are eleven chapters filled with information that are thoughtful and practical. The topics covered include:
At the end of the book there are several appendices which give addresses and phone numbers of agencies in your state that can help. There is also a list of other books and videos about domestic violence. If you do not feel you can talk with your health care provider about this issue, please consider reading this book.
Ms. Ford is the hormonal educator at the Center for Hormonal Health in Roseville, California. In the introduction to Listening to Your Hormones she describes her years of suffering from significant hormonal and other medical problems. She eventually underwent a complete hysterectomy and uses her experience and training to write a very informative chapter on hysterectomy and other gynecologic surgeries.
Ms. Ford covers hormone problems and their treatment thoroughly. Especially valuable are her chapters on PMS, perimenopause, and menopause. She discusses the various types of estrogen, including pills, patches, injections, and implants. She also discusses the pros and cons of the natural estrogens and progesterones and covers the benefits of androgens (testosterone) as well.
I especially liked the chapter entitled "The Optimum Diet for Hormonal Problems." This chapter warns against fad diets and emphasizes a common sense approach to diet that would be beneficial for all women to follow.
Finally, there is an extensive bibliography so the reader can find the original article or book if she wants more information.
I found Listening to Your Hormones very informative and even though I do not necessarily agree with all of Ms. Ford's statements, for the most part the information is accurate, up-to-date and very helful.
IBS: A Doctor's Plan for Chronic Digestive Problems
One of the most common complaints my patients make is excessive bloating and gas. There can be many causes of this, but one of the most common is irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. Because this condition is so common, I decided to review a book in our patient library entitled “IBS: A Doctor’s Plan for Chronic Digestive Problems” by Dr. Gerard Guillory.
This book is very easy to read and I think a very valuable guide for people suffering from IBS. The first two chapters are fairly general ones about the symptoms and diagnosis of IBS. The next several chapters are very good ones which cover diet, food intolerances, and the benefit of fiber. Dr. Guillory then goes on to give advice for preventing constipation, gas, and diarrhea and some natural remedies as well as the traditional medications used to treat IBS. Finally, he covers other causes of GI symptoms and goes into detail about the common medical and laboratory tests used to rule out these other problems.
The book itself is an excellent source of information, but the Appendices are invaluable for IBS sufferers, covering frequently asked questions, a diet diary, more detailed information about the different medications, and a table of high fiber foods.
Overall, I found this book to have very good medical information and it was easy to read and understand.
Reviewed by Terry DeMeyer, CNP
The Gift of Fear was written by Gavin DeBecker, a presidential consultant and advisor for many of the world's most prominent media figures and corporations which predict violence. Mr. De Becker serves on committees and task forces on domestic abuse and stalking. He has also testified for the prosecution on major court cases including O.J. Simpson's murder trial.
This book brings insights to human behavior and helps separate real from imagined dangers. It gives confidence in a sometimes threatening world and makes you more aware, to ultimately make you safer. You will read first-hand accounts and real-life stories of victims who survived stalkings, intimate enemies, death threats, and people who refuse to "let go." It describes how to tap in to and act on subtle warning signals.
Mr. DeBecker has taken his extensive experiences and many interviews with victims of crimes and helps you to identify your intuition of fear and danger.
Chapters include: Understanding Threats, Dealing with People who Refuse to Let Go, Violence in the Workplace, Domestic Violence, Date Stalking, and Violent Children.
The Gift of Fear could be a gift of survival for you or a loved one. It is available in our Patient Library for you to check out and read at your leisure. We also have many other books available on various topics. You may call, fax or e-mail the office if you would like to receive a listing of the books and videotapes we have available.
Reviewed by Vickie W. Lovin, MD
I received an interesting e-mail recently from a woman who had read one of my book reviews. She recommended a book titled “Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn’t Teach You and Medication Can’t Give You”, by Richard O’Connor, Ph.D., an experienced psychotherapist who has suffered from depression himself and has firsthand experience with depression.
Depression affects over 20 million Americans and is diagnosed much more commonly in women. It is responsible for billions of dollars in lost productivity and cost for treatment, and also for many deaths each year from suicide.
Dr. O’Connor agrees that there are many factors involved in depression such as genetics, biochemical, and environmental influences, but he points out that people who are depressed learn certain behaviors associated with depression and they become good at acting depressed and seeing themselves as depressed to the point of becoming comfortable in this behavior.
He believes that people can change these behavior patterns and therefore “undo” depression. He is not opposed to medication and psychotherapy and in fact clearly states that major depression is serious and requires multiple modalities of treatment and goes into detail about the types of medications and about finding a good psychotherapist.
The clear focus of this book however, is what you can do for yourself by acquiring new skills which he says must be consciously practiced.
The concepts Dr. O’Connor puts forth are common sense ones, but will be difficult for many people to incorporate into their lives because of the conscious effort that must be made. However, if a depressed person truly wants to live a life of purpose and joy, they cannot afford to not read this book.
Visit our Online Bookstore and order these and other health titles right now! Also, any of these books and many more may be checked out for up to two weeks from our Patient Education Library.
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