Fascinating! - and very useful (Nutritional Medicine - Stephen Davies, Alan Stewart, Andrew Stanway)

Member Name: SaraL

Product:	Nutritional Medicine - Stephen Davies, Alan Stewart, Andrew Stanway
Date:	08/09/00 (289 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Both comprehensive and accessible

Disadvantages: needs a new edition

Nutritional Medicine by Dr Stephem Davies and Dr Alan Stewart.

This was the book that got me into the whole concept of holistic medicine, and one which I still use regularly today. As I've had it for 13 years that's pretty good going!

There are many outstanding features to this book, but perhaps one of the most important is that it's not too 'hippy trippy'. Although it's very accessible (you certainly don't need a PhD in chemistry to understand it), this is a book that is just as appropriate for sceptics as those who may already be converted to the cause.

It takes a fairly scientific tone, but is never dry, dusty or overly complex.

The authors' aim is to show how many common conditions can be alleviated by vitamins and minerals.

There's absolutely no preaching about a healthy diet though (that's probably why I like it so much!), but some very sound information about precisely how and why each micro-nutrient can affect areas of health.

The book is divided up by illnesses/conditions as well as by nutrients. So it's easy, for example, to go to 'asthma' and see what nutritional treatments are recommended. It's equally easy to look up 'vitamin c', and see what conditions that may be useful for, what doses may have what effect and what forms of vitamin c are the best.

Another factor that makes this indispensible is that it is so totally comprehensive. It manages to have both breadth and depth within its 500+ pages.

For those who might want to take a more serious look at the subject there are also an absolute wealth of references which back up all their arguments, but included in a way that doesn't obstruct the more casual reader.

My only criticism is that there hasn't been a new edition since 1987. Very little is actually out of date (which probably shows how groundbreaking it was at the time!); but there is much new rese
arch which could usefully be included.

ISBN: 0330288334

Summary: