Reader Mail: Building A Wellness Library

Dear Jolene,

We all enjoyed the classes you presented May 6th and 7th.  We would like to start a small wellness library and wondered if you could give us some suggestions for books to purchase?—Human Resource Coordinator, Atlanta, GA

I’ve been thinking a lot about which books I would include on this list.

I reviewed some of my previous lists.  I scanned my own bookshelves and I made a quick trip to Barnes & Noble to make sure I wasn’t forgetting any great titles.  There are so many wonderful health and wellness books available today, but here is what I settled on for my current favorites…

Nutrition:
1. Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health – Gary Taubes is a relentless researcher, obesity is caused, he argues, not by the quantity of calories you eat but by the quality. Carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates, raise insulin levels, promoting the storage of fat.  This is just one of Taubes many researched and referenced theories.

2. The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger– From her work with insulin-resistant patients with Type II diabetes, Dr. Schwarzbein teaches patients how to eat balanced meals with adequate protein, appropriate carbohydrates and high quality fats.  Whether you’re looking to lose weight, prevent diabetes or maintain optimal health this is a great resource.

3. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why– Jonny Bowden is one of my favorite nutrition experts.  He tells you where to find great foods, how to prepare them, and how much to eat – plus wonderful recipes using these healthy foods!

4. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats– Recalling the culinary customs of our ancestors, and looking ahead to a future of robust good health for young and old, Nourishing Traditions offers modern families a fascinating guide to wise food choices and proper preparation techniques. Author Sally Fallon unites the wisdom of the ancients with the latest independent and accurate scientific research in over 700 delicious recipes that will please both exacting gourmets and busy parents.

5. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating– Dr. Walter C. Willett, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health gets off to a roaring start by totally dismantling one of the largest icons in health today: the USDA Food Pyramid that we all learn in elementary school. He blames many of the pyramid’s recommendations–6 to 11 servings of carbohydrates, all fats used sparingly–for much of the current wave of obesity.

6. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals – This book examines “our national eating disorder”  in this remarkably clearheaded book. It’s a fascinating journey up and down the food chain, one that might change the way you read the label on a frozen dinner, dig into a steak or decide whether to buy organic eggs. You’ll certainly never look at a Chicken McNugget the same way again.

7. The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book– Complete usage and dosage recommendations for the twenty-eight basic vitamins and minerals that every person needs to promote health and to slow aging; – advanced recommendations for special conditions that may require additional supplementation; and – quick-reference charts and tables for easily updating supplement regimens.

Gluten-Free:

8. Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too– Shauna Ahern’s story sheds light on celiac disease, a little-known and difficult-to-diagnose autoimmune condition. Those afflicted cannot digest gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, rye, and related grains. Ahern explains how she learned of her malady and found that she was able to enjoy food while avoiding gluten.

9. Gluten-Free Quick & Easy: From Prep to Plate Without the Fuss – 200+ Recipes for People with Food Sensitivities– Carol Fenster reveals all her shortcuts, tips, and time-saving techniques from nearly twenty years as the gluten-free cooking authority.

General Health:

10.The Thyroid Diet: Manage Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss– Discusses optimal dietary changes, thyroid-damaging foods to avoid, and metabolism-supporting herbs and supplements, it contains several different eating plans, food lists, and a set of delicious and healthy gourmet recipes.

11. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About: Hypertension: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Lifestyle Program to Help Fight High Blood Pressure -Vanderbilt cardiologist Dr. Mark Houston outlines dietary approaches in this book- combined with exercise, stress reduction, and medication, this program has resulted in success for 90% of Dr.Houston’s patients!

12. Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing– The book begins with an exploration of how society influences the way in which women think about and care for their bodies. Part two provides a comprehensive description of women’s anatomy and includes a list of conditions and concerns from fibroids to hysterectomy. The book’s third portion discusses what type of guidance to look for in a health care provider.

Emotions:

13. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living– Like other Dale Carnegie books, this one is packed with good old-fashioned common sense, illustrated with examples drawn from research on historical figures and interviews with business leaders.

14. Man’s Search for Meaning-Internationally renowned psychiatrist Viktor Fankl endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps.  During, and partly because of his suffering, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy.  At the core of his theory is the belief that man’s primary motivational force is his search for meaning.

15. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated– Psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life.

Addiction, Depression, Anxiety and Brain Health:

16. Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism through Nutrition– Joan Mathews Larson and her colleagues at the Health Recovery Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, discovered a series of nutritional deficiencies in alcoholics, and found that with proper dietary adjustments, they could help almost three-quarters of their patients kick the bottle for good.

17. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness– Written by a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has also authored a book on attention deficit disorder, Change Your Brain contains dozens of brain scans of patients with various neurological problems, from caffeine, nicotine, and heroin addiction to manic-depression to epilepsy.  A facsinating read with practical lifestyle recommendations.

18. The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity with the Balanced Brain Advantage– Dr. Eric Braverman, a leading figure in the practice of brain-body health care, reveals the dramatic impact that proper brain nourishment can have on the quality of our lives.  His key to longevity and well-being is balancing the brain’s four important neurotransmitters. A simple test determines which of the four is dominant in you, and what you can do to maintain the right balance, by modifying your diet with both foods and natural supplements.  Note from Jolene, I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE!

Relaxation:

19. The Relaxation Response– This revitalizing, therapeutic approach, discovered by Dr. Benson and his colleagues in the laboratories of Harvard Medical School and its teaching hospitals, is now routinely recommended to treat patients suffering from heart conditions, high blood pressure, chronic pain, insomnia, and many other physical ailments. Requiring only minutes to learn, and just ten to twenty minutes of practice twice a day, the Relaxation Response has proven to be one of the most effective ways to relieve the tensions of modern-day living.

20. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers– Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford University neuroscientist, explores stress’s role in heart disease, diabetes, growth retardation, memory loss, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. He cites tantalizing studies of hyenas, baboons, and rodents, as well as of people of different cultures, to vividly make his points.  Sapolsky concludes with a hopeful chapter, titled “Managing Stress.”

21. No More Sleepless Nights– Based on sleep disorder studies from the Mayo Clinic’s insomnia program.  Beginning with possible causes, among them diet, exercise, environment, stress, smoking and drinking, this guide offers detailed steps and exercises for ridding oneself of insomnia.

Finances:

22. Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence– There’s a big difference between “making a living” and making a life. Do you spend more than you earn? Does making a living feel more like making a dying? Do you dislike your job but can’t afford to leave it? Is money fragmenting your time, your relationships with family and friends? If so, Your Money or Your Life is for you.

23. Finish Rich Workbook– David Bach has taught millions of people of all ages and incomes how to take control of their financial future. His message, that the key to building wealth is “values first, stuff second.”

24. The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook : A Foolproof Guide to Organizing Your Cash and Building Wealth– The Gardners help make investment principles clear and are very effective in reaching those who may be put off by more traditional financial planning guides. Although their advice is quite sound, they serve it up irreverently and make it clear that they do not take themselves too seriously.

Exercise:

25. Stretching, 20th Anniversary Revised Edition–  Bob Anderson doesn’t need a lot of complex explanations because the drawings are so easy to follow. He makes it clear that stretching should make you feel better, not worse, and that it’s not a competition. Any little bit you can do is better than not doing anything. That’s a timeless message, which is why his book has been such an valuable reference for the past 20 years.

26. The Maffetone Method: The Holistic, Low-Stress, No-Pain Way to Exceptional Fitness– Dr. Maffetone’s unique training system for champions proves that the kinder, gentler approach actually works the best. This fitness regimen has worked for champions and non-athletes alike- because it’s based on Dr. Philip Maffetone’s deep understanding of how the body works.

27. Power of 10: The Once-a-Week, Slow Motion Fitness Revolution-A Week’s Worth of Exercise in a Single Workout?  “People don’t believe it. Then they try it. Then they recruit their friends.”

Service:

28. The Courage to Give: Inspiring Stories of People Who Triumphed over Tragedy to Make a Difference in the World– These poignant and uplifting stories tell of people who have suffered great emotional or physical difficulties and then went beyond their pain to help others. In reaching out, they discovered that their healing actually depended on contributing to a better world.

29. The Giving Tree– This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return.

Spirit:

30. Forgive for Good– Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, insists author Fred Luskin nor does it mean condoning bad behavior. What it does mean is that you “take your hurt less personally, take responsibility for how you feel, and become a hero instead of a victim in the story you tell.” Luskin, a practicing psychologist and cofounder of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, shows why forgiveness is important for mental and physical health.

31. My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging– Through a series of unpretentious, affecting vignettes, author,  Dr. Rachel Naomi Ramen encourages readers to recognize and celebrate the unexpected blessings in their own lives. Many of her recollections are linked to her experiences as a medical student and a physician working with cancer patients, but the most memorable ones relate to Remen’s deep engagement with her grandfather, who died when she was seven. She gently illustrates her advice through simple yet powerful stories.

Relationships:

32. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life– A methodology for communicating in a way that meets both parties’ needs. This is one of the most useful books you will ever read.

Goals:

33. Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It– Anne Klauser Ph.D. explains how simply writing down your goals in life is the first step toward achieving them.  Klauser’s down-to-earth tips and easy exercises are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

34. Your Best Year Yet!: Ten Questions for Making the Next Twelve Months Your Most Successful Ever– Jinny Ditzler offers a clear, concise and thorough “framework” for defining values, identifying important roles and prioritizing and focusing energy where it “will make the most difference to you” throughout the next 12 months.

Critical Thinking When Deciphering Health Information and Understanding How and Why We Form Our Emotional Beliefs and Core Philosophies in Life:

35. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion– Whether you’re a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or accept your product or philosophy, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of beliefs.

36. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts– This book should be required reading for everyone, especially anyone who’s in a position to make policy or influence the lives of others.

*And now I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.  What are some of your favorite health and wellness books?

If you’re curious about my opinion regarding a health issue, or you’re looking for more info/resources on a certain health topic, email me:  jolene at healthy discoveries dot com, and I might just publish your question for the next “Reader Mail”.