Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I first bumped into this book as a teenager and now at 45 years old and after working as physician and research chemist and reading a few other books along the way about health and healing, I still find this one to be one of the best. I know fasting as a source of healing is not exactly the fashion and is not promoted by most modern physicians but let's put things in perspective: In the late 1980's, physicians still printed serious debates in the New England Journal of Medicine about whether or not aerobic exercise was beneficial or not. The big worry was if the exercise would cause hypertrophy of the heart muscle and lead to shortening of the lifespan. Now we know that aerobic exercise does more to prevent heart attack than any diabetes, cholesterol, or high blood pressure pill on the market (from the same New England Journal). The point is that very simple practices that cause dramatic improvements in health may be slow to proof. There's no big pharmaceutical company to sponsor research on fasting. Research (I now conduct clinical trials) is very expensive and so any real research on fasting would probably need to be sponsored by the NIH. All this to say, don't throw it out just because Blue Cross doesn't pay for it and because there's no slick advertisement on TV....FASTING WORKS. And...this is the best introduction to fasting on the market. Warning: don't overdo it. Always check it out with your doctor first (if you have type I diabetes, you could kill yourself with this book). I'd be very slow to undertake the long fasts recommended in the book. If you're of normal weight, one day per month is fine (with maybe a 3 day fast 2 to 4 times a year). If you're obese, you might start with one day per week. Again, I'm not your doctor. It's just that some of my patients read this book and want to take it to the extreme and so have a detrimental result. Just read the book. Start with one day per month for a few months if your physician gives you the thumbs up. If you're obese and your physician acts like skipping a day of food is somehow detrimental or crazy and you don't have diabetes, anorexia nervosa, or bulemia...find another physician for another opinion. Charles Runels, MD Author of "Anytime...for as Long as You Want: Strength, Genius, Libido, & Erection by Sex Transmutation." A 15-Day Course for Men to Improve Life and Sex.