An Important Book,  Thursday, 19 July 2007 Along with The Yeast Syndrome by John Parks Trowbridge, M.D. this book is one of the most important titles on yeast related illness. Like Trowbridge's book, The Yeast Connection was wrriten over 20 years ago but remains a must read today for those suffering from unexplained symptoms and illnesses. The late Dr. Crook should be applauded for bringing the role of yeast in chronic illness to the attention of thousands. He is the most well known figure in this respect.

The Yeast Connection is written in a simple style without any unnecessary medical jargon although there is a significant amount of repetition throughout. Perhaps this is intentional and for the benefit of those of us with no concentration or short-term memory, both common yeast related problems! In any case, this book provides all the important information regarding how yeast can become a problem through antibiotic and hormone use, the different symptoms that may result, and finally what can be done about it through dietary changes, antifungal medications, and various nutritional and herbal supplements.

The Yeast Connection is not as in depth as The Yeast Syndrome so is not my personal top pick on the subject but it remains an important book and a very worthwhile read for those new to the subject.

 Still the best,  Thursday, 19 July 2007 This is the first book I read regarding Candida/Yeast related illness and it really opened my eyes and convinced me that this was something I needed to explore further in relation to my own health problems. I had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome 6/7 years previously and having had no help from the medical profession up to that point I felt I had to explore all the possibilities for myself. Although this book was first published in 1986 it is still the most comprehensive title on the subject in my opinion. It provides the most detailed scientific and medical information whilst remaining easy to read. The Yeast Syndrome includes detailed questionnaires to help determine if you might have a yeast problem before moving on to a comprehensive 4-stage diet and antifungal plan to restore health. The author provides extensive listings of foods with their carbohydrate content and allergy potential. Finally the book contains sections describing the connections between yeast and other illnesses including multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and mental illness.

If you suspect that yeast/Candida may be causing your health problems or you are suffering from various vague and unexplained symptoms then I can't recommend this book highly enough, especially as you can pick it up for next to nothing!

 Extensive review of biomedical treatment of autism,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 Based on the latest research that has identified a range of biochemical abnormalities in autism such as gut problems, allergies, nutritional deficiencies and antioxidant deficiencies, this book shows how these problems can be addressed resulting in improvements in your childs condition.

Although the information in the book can get very technical the authors do a great job of explaining everything in a way that every parent can understand. Each laboratory test is explained in detail before the reasoning behind using particular supplements and treatments is provided.

A great book for every parent of an autistic child to read, especially those seeing, or considering seeing, a DAN! doctor.

 Unique treatment for autism and allergies,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 Dr. Nambudripad, the creator of 'Numbudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique' (NAET) turns to autism and related allergies in this book. For those who haven't come across NAET yet, it is a unique diagnostic and desensitization system for the treatment of allergies, chemical sensitivities and related conditions. It is based on the ancient oriental energy medicine that forms the basis of acupuncture and other eastern medical modalities. A quick search online will reveal countless reports of people who have been greatly helped through this technique. The great thing about it seems to be that rather than just treating symptoms it actually reprograms the various bodily systems to no longer react to substances that had previously triggered symptoms. In this way it can be said to actually "cure" allergies.

From reports I have had this technique is also highly effective in kids with autism.

I cannot comment from personal experience as to the effectiveness of the technique as I have not personally tried it. I can see no reason however not to recommend this book to parents of autistic children. The technique is non-invasive and no medicines or supplements are given so there is no risk involved and potentially a great deal to be gained.

 A must read for concerned parents,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 Stephanie Cave is a family doctor who specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is a very prominent figure who has appeared on tv news shows and even testified in the US congress. This title is an extremely well laid out information and reference source for parents wishing to become knowledgeable about vaccinations before allowing them to be administered to their child. Each vaccination commonlly given to children has its own chapter in which the author describes the illness the vaccine is aimed at, the ingredients of the vaccine and their potential risks. At the end of each chapter research references are listed should you wish to look into a certain topic in more detail. Also provided are guidelines for a safer vaccination protocol and advice for parents regarding how to avoid being forced into vaccinating their child if they believe the risk is too high. This is an invaluable book for parents of young children concerned about whether or not to have their child vaccinated.

 Medical Dr + autistic family member = real solutio,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 The author of this title is an experiemced medical doctor with specialist training in the area of psychiarty and neurology. She now runs an alternative medical practice and came to research the actual causes of autism after her grandchild was diagnosed. This is a very technical book, sometimes reading like a textbook, but the amount of important information it contains means it is worth the effort. Drawing on the latest research findings Dr. McCandless finds that Autism Spectrum Disorders are most likely the result of genetic susceptibility combined with various environmental triggers like heavy metals and gut dysfunction. The reader is then presented with guidelines for a "broad spectrum approach" to treatment. An invaluable source of the latest information.

 Effective biological therapies for autism,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 In this book, Dr. William Shaw relates what he has learnt in his many years caring for patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders. He does this in a style that makes sometimes complex subject matter easy for anyone to understand. This title confines the view that autism is purely a psychiatric disorder to the past by presenting masses of data from research and clinical practice regarding the biological causes behind the illness. Dr. Shaw has been instrumental in determining the role of intestinal yeast in illnesses that include autism and all the other environmental illnesses. As well as yeast the book also covers other environmental factors such as chemical exposure and intestinal bacteria and parasites and their importance in autism. Many readers have said this is the book that really opened their eyes and helped them get their child on the road to a brighter future.

Although aimed specifically at autism, the information in this book will be of great benefit to people suffering from other environmental illnesses. Indeed, Dr. Shaw's laboratory focuses on all the same conditions that we do here at The Environmental Illness Resource.

 A simple solution for allergies, asthma and lupus,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 This really is a very interesting book. It is based on the author's (a medical doctor) unique explanation that dehydration is the underlying cause of many allergy cases. It may be hard to believe that simply drinking more pure water would drastically improve or even cure someone of allergies but the theory is backed up with extensive research references and the number of anecdotal reports from patients (including other medical professionals) is hard to ignore.

The author presents his theory in an easy to understand way whilst making sure to backup his claims with relevant research. Definitely a recommended read.

 Great for some...but not others,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 This book is a bit of a strange one. On the one hand it is great for those who are avoiding things such as yeast, sugar, and dairy. This of course would include many environmental illness sufferers who may be following an anti-fungal diet or a dairy-free diet for example. The flipside is that many of the recipes contain nuts and shellfish which are obviously highly dangerous to people with classical IgE-mediated allergies to these foods.

It is telling that the author defines a food "allergy" as the experience of: "eating a food causes you distress, or if you discover any clear cause-and-effect symptoms that are relieved by avoidance of specific foods." Whilst this is not an accurate definition of a classical IgE allergy it is nevertheless a useful definition as far as environmental illness patients go. Many people find that symptoms develop slowly over a number of days after eating certain foods and are only able to uncover problem foods after using an elimination diet. These reactions are suspected of being caused by IgG-mediated reactions but this theory remains controversial.

In summary, this book is great for those who suspect the foods listed on the cover may be causing non-specific reactions and ill-health but those who suffer from immediate allergies to nuts and seafood should stay away and choose one of the much more suitable titles available.

 Excellent review of nutrition and allergies,  Tuesday, 17 July 2007 The author has had 25 years experience as a doctor of chiropractic and naturopathy treating allergic diseases. In this recently updated edition of her book she looks closely at the role that nutrition plays in allergic conditions. She challenges the old medical dogma regarding allergies and draws upon growing research demonstrating that nutrition that has a negative effect on the acid-alkaline (pH) balance of the body leads to increased incidences of allergic disease whilst positive nutritional habits such as eating "good" fats can help to treat them.

A great book for anyone suffering from allergies who has found little help in conventional allergy treatment.