Authors Leroy Hood, MD and Nathan Price have a bold vision for the future of health care in their new book The Age of Scientific Wellness (2023). They see the future moving away from a disease-oriented system to one based on the “science of wellness.” The tools to do this are available today, and they… Read more »
Book Reviews
Dr. van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People
- By Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- May/June 2024
Dr. van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People Chris van Tulleken, MD, PhD is an infectious diseases physician at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. He trained at Oxford and has a PhD in molecular virology from University College London. He is best known in England for his interest in food science and the harms caused by… Read more »
Dr. Lyon’s Forever Strong
- By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- March/April 2024
Gabrielle Lyon, MD has shifted the discussion of wellness to a focus on skeletal muscle as the key to long-term health. She is the founder of Muscle Centric Medicine and treats patients from all over the world in her New York City office. She is board certified in family medicine and geriatrics and studied nutritional… Read more »
Debra LaCoppola’s Care 360º
- A Review by Lauren Del Sarto
- January/February 2024
Caregiving is hard, especially for those who circumstantially assume the role for a loved one or parent. Statistics show that family caregivers are at significantly higher risk of developing disease, depression, anxiety – and even dying before those for whom they are caring. Why? Because when caregiving for someone who has given so much of… Read more »
Palmer’s Brain Energy
- A Review by Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- November/December 2023
This is a groundbreaking book that unifies mental health problems with physical health problems. Harvard psychiatrist Christopher Palmer presents a new way of thinking about mental health conditions as metabolic diseases rather than behavioral or brain chemistry disorders. His arguments are compelling, backed by solid science and put mental health in line with the most… Read more »
Mark Hyman, MD’s Young Forever
- By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- May/June 2023
More than 10 years ago I became interested in two areas of alternative medicine: functional medicine and anti-aging. Functional medicine addresses the present health habits of a person to prevent or reverse disease. Anti-aging medicine addresses the future and seeks greater longevity and health span. As I attended conferences in both areas, I was impressed… Read more »
Life in the Fasting Lane
- by Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- March/April 2023
When I reviewed Jason Fung, MD’s The Obesity Code (2016), I commented that Dr. Fung taught me how not to eat. Dr. Fung promotes fasting as a cornerstone of weight loss and overcoming obesity. He also promotes a very low carbohydrate diet that is essential for burning off excess body fat. One of my patients,… Read more »
The Why and How of Living Grain-free
- By Lauren Del Sarto
- January/February 2023
If you are a fan of Desert Health, you’ve probably heard many top docs say that the healthiest way to improve overall wellbeing is to cut sugar and carbs, leading culprits in today’s chronic disease and obesity epidemics. One of the easiest means is to remove processed sugars and grains, key principles behind Paleo and… Read more »
Dr. Robynne Chutkan’s The Anti-Viral Gut
- A Book Review by Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- January/February 2023
In The Anti-Viral Gut, integrative gastroenterologist Robynne Chutkan, MD builds upon her previous books, especially The Microbiome Solution (2016), to provide an update for maintaining a healthy gut and immune system. This is an important book for our times as 70% of the immune system is in the gut and the health of our gut… Read more »
Mark Hyman, MD’s The Pegan Diet
- A Review by Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- September/October 2022
Mark Hyman, MD is the author of more than 20 books on nutrition. Like me, he trained in family medicine and is now a champion for functional medicine. As a leader in the field, he has served as chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine for many… Read more »
Chef AJ’s Unprocessed: Revitalize Your Health with Whole Foods
- A Review by Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- July/August 2022
Abbie Jaye, aka Chef AJ, is a nationally recognized champion of whole food, plant-based cooking and has been sharing its benefits for nearly four decades. I have had the pleasure of meeting Chef AJ several times and her enthusiasm and positive spirit are infectious. She has received numerous awards for her work and is recommended… Read more »
Could Your Pooch Live to 25?
- A Book Review by Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- March/April 2022
This book is about much more than dogs. Forever dogs, forever people. Authors Karen Shaw Becker, DVM, a functional medicine veterinarian, and Rodney Habib, an internationally-acclaimed pet health leader, are on a mission to save dogs from a life of junk food and poor health practices. Since many people take better care of their dogs… Read more »
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
- A Review by Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- January/February 2022
Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out…While breathing is instinctual, breathing well is a conscious act. So says science writer James Nestor who, in his illuminating book, Breath (Riverhead Books, 2020) compiles some of the science and complexities of breathing. Breath is filled with thoughts and techniques, as well as product and service recommendations… Read more »
Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of the Calf Who Kept Growing
- Review by Doris Steadman, MEd, MSW
- January/February 2022
Guapo’s Giant Heart is the lovable story of a calf who is adopted into a pet-farm family by caretaker, Lynn Jamerson of Mecca. The true tale illustrates Guapo’s journey as he grows from a cute little calf into an extraordinarily large bovine. Written by Janet Zappala and Wendy Perkins and illustrated by Lara Calleja, the… Read more »
Reflections on Michal Oshman’s What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?
- By Amy Austin, RN, PsyD, LMFT
- November/December 2021
In her new book, Michal Oshman, head of company culture, diversity and inclusion at TikTok Europe and former leadership expert for Facebook, recalls seeing a sign hanging in the reception area on her first day at Facebook that read, What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid? The quote really hit home with her at… Read more »
Bredesen’s The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s: How Patients Recovered Life and Hope in Their Own Words
- A Review by Joseph E. Scherger MD, MPH
- November/December 2021
Recovering from Alzheimer’s disease is complicated work. Dale Bredesen, MD shocked much of the world with his first book, The End of Alzheimer’s (2017). The science was clear and published in scientific journals, however, doing the protocol to reverse the disease was not spelled out clearly and was confusing. His second book, The End of… Read more »
Hidden chronic infections are common. They are likely a cause of many inflammatory autoimmune diseases and some Alzheimer’s disease. That is the opinion of Steven Phillips, MD, a Yale-trained general internist in Connecticut who became severely ill and recovered from Lyme disease. Dr. Phillips has dedicated his clinical practice to treating a wide variety of… Read more »
The End of Alzheimer’s Program
- By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- July/August 2021
The 2017 book The End of Alzheimer’s by Dale Bredesen, MD caused a sensation. For the first time, there was scientific documentation on a wide scale of the reversal of cognitive decline using lifestyle factors. Bredesen, a research professor of neurology at UCLA and founder of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, first reported… Read more »
Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety
- By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH
- May/June 2021
Drew Ramsey, MD, a psychiatrist in New York who lives on a family farm in Indiana, introduced me to nutritional psychiatry. I did not realize such psychiatrists existed; it turns out they have international meetings. Leading the way is psychiatrist Daniel Amen, MD, who has authored over 30 books and established more than 7,000 clinics.… Read more »
Dr. Amy’s Inaugural Children’s Book
- Review by Doris Steadman, MEd, MSW
- May/June 2021
Desert Health contributor Amy Austin, RN, PsyD, LMFT has published a warm and educational children’s book based on real characters from her own life. The book tells the story of Shaina, a striking black poodle, and her best friend Chuckles, a llama. The unlikely pair were actual friends and Shaina, a beloved pet of Dr.… Read more »
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