Women's Health Solutions

Publishers Weekly

Although much of the information in this encyclopedia of women's health is excerpted from Null's 1999 book, For Women Only! Your Guide to Health Empowerment (with Barbara Seaman), the renowned nutritionist does provide expanded sections on AIDS, digestive disorders, food allergies and Alzheimer's disease. As in the earlier work, Null's emphasis is on alternative medicine with a focus on boosting the immune system with proper diet, exercise and supplements. He briefly covers conventional medical treatment for conditions such as heart disease and cancer, but offers research showing that a combination of traditional and alternative responses to disease is more effective. Included also is a chapter called "Everyday Health" that details natural methods for maintaining dental hygiene, dietary solutions for avoiding colds and headaches, and items to include in a natural remedies medicine chest. Null's strong concern about environmental pollutants and the prevalence of chemicals in food is clear. He suggests a variety of ways to combat their toxic effects on the body. Anyone interested in alternative therapies will find this guide invaluable despite the occasional hectoring tone. For example, here's Null on antiaging diets: "Antiaging diets contain no animal proteins. Let me repeat that. Not a little bit, a moderate amount, but zero animal products." (Apr. 2) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

From The Critics

Feeding popular notions that you are what you eat, this substantial guide to women's health reports on the alternative treatments, especially nutrition, omitted by traditional medicine. Null (a nutritionist) summarizes the findings and advice of alternative health specialists (citing them conscientiously throughout), on health concerns and diseases that range from diabetes and heart disease to migraines and allergies. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)