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Books,
music, and more!
- The following links to CDs and books are highly recommended to those interested
in topics such as Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, IBS, environmental issues,
yoga, alternative medicine, group facilitation, relaxation and stress reduction/management.
These can be purchased at your local store, or online via my link to Amazon.com!
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Crohn's
and health-related
Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc. Guidelines for dietary relief and cure of Crohn's, UC, and other IBDs. Also known as the SCD book. By following the SCD I have maintained a controlled remission for over 6 years! The new "Millenium Edition" is clearer than previous editions and includes valuable Internet resources for support, recipes, success stories, and more. Over the last 6 years my wife and I have created many new recipes. These will be published in our own book in late 2003. Colitis & Me: A Story Of Recovery, by Raman Prasad. Raman's is a moving personal memoir of seven years of agony and the eventual triumph over symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Like many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Raman faced chronic diarrhea, incredible pain, internal bleeding, and vomiting for many years. Attempting to assuage or cure his condition, the author sought medical experts and was told, "changing what you eat cannot be used to treat IBD". After years of prescriptive drugs with the dramatic side effects he describes, Raman nevertheless decided to explore diet as a means to intestinal health. Raman explains how he found and now follows the "SCD", or Specific Carbohydrate Diet. He's been on this diet for several years, successfully maintaining a controlled remission. He now leads an active, healthy life. I met Raman in the summer of 2001, and we shared IBD and SCD stories over lunch. We both spoke of a desire to help others by writing about our experiences. I am glad to see Raman has completed this important work (I'm still working on mine!). This book shares many personal events and accidents that most IBDers find embarrassing, undoubtedly with the hopes that others can learn from his experiences. The dramatic use of medical images and engravings reinforces the emotions and fears many face in dealing with chronic health conditions. The book includes a foreword by Elaine Gottschall, author of "Breaking The Vicious Cycle", the primary printed resource for people wishing to learn more about the SCD. The book also contains useful Internet links to other SCD web sites, email support groups, and the author's own web site (www.SCDRecipe.com). Adventures In The Family Kitchen, by Raman Prasad. Raman personal collection of SCD recipes, as well as a few contributions from his web site, SCDRecipe.com. Listen To Your Gut, by Jini Patel Thompson. This excellent inspirational book describes a whole-body approach to overcoming Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBS. Ms. Patel provides a valuable framework of diet, exercise, stress management, and herbal treatments for quick relief of symptoms; she also includes thought-provoking questions in a worksheet format for further exploration of each chapter's concepts. While the author had minimal success with the SCD, (her personal lifestyle was not compatible with spending 'time in the kitchen'--she became "an irritated, angry person") she does recommend a very SCD-like diet throughout the book. My personal recommendation is to read this book after reading Breaking the Vicious Cycle, and assimilate the best of the two books into your own natural healing methods. Note: More of my review can be found on LTYG's web site. The Four Pillars of Healing, by Leo Galland, M.D. I read this book to learn more about Dr. Galland's style, medical practice, and his recommendations for those with inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Galland has done some research with positive findings as to the success of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and lists Elaine Gottschall's book, Breaking The Vicious Cycle, as a self-help resource. Dr. Galland's book provides valuable insight into modern medicine and the need for patient-centric health care. He describes the evolution of medical history and how we arrived at the current dilemma. Through today's science of reductionism, reinforced by medical specialists, the connections between symptoms, underlying problems, and root causes are often lost. Galland's goal is to work to heal the patient, not just the disease. I agree with Galland's four pillars (positive, worthwhile relationships; diet and exercise; one's environment; detoxification). The reader is presented with many patient case scenarios, how they were treated by other doctors, and the benefits they received upon seeking Dr. Galland's patient-centric integrative medical care. Anyone who is looking for more answers and wants to take a more active role in their healing will be well served to read this book. Controlling Crohn's: The Natural Way, by Virginia Harper. This is a compelling personal story of the author’s battle with Crohn’s disease, near-death experiences, and her triumph in finding a solution in macrobiotic food and lifestyle. While most of the painful and embarrassing experiences Harper shares are common to people suffering from IBD, I think it takes a lot to share this kind of personal information with unknown readers, and she deserves credit. Harper finds health and happiness in a macrobiotic diet and a lifestyle that is less stressful. Most traditional doctors and specialists will say that ‘diet has nothing to do with Crohn’s’. I agree with Harper’s point that “most people who suffer from some form of IBD know in their heart [gut!] that food is a trigger and a likely cause of their illness”. I also agree that beyond simply taking prescribed pills, the patient needs to take a greater role in one’s own healing. Harper points out the power of positive visualization, and the joy she felt when the healthy image she envisioned years earlier was actually achieved. Beyond the macrobiotic diet she espouses, other key points include: the importance of chewing your food completely to aid in digestion, eating smaller meals (but more often), and the importance of a caring support structure. To anyone critical of the time commitment involved in any sort of natural self healing: it is an investment of time to feel well versus time spent seeing doctors and feeling poorly. My disappointment with the book stem from the broad title and where the book leaves off. The title suggests the possibility of the discussion or comparison of more than one natural solution to dealing with IBD. For example, I follow the SCDiet, and would consider that to be natural as well (albeit quite different from the macrobiotic diet). Also, I was left wondering if Harper would be able to sustain her diet and lifestyle changes, as she deviated off the regimen, which resulted in a few flares. The New Eating Right For A Bad Gut: The Complete Nutritional Guide To Ileitis, Colitis, Crohn's Disease, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, by James Scala, Ph.D. Dr. Scala's book opens with the quote, "Let thy food be thy medicine", and suggests diet and lifestyle habits that are least likely to cause flare-ups. This book is not aligned with the SCDiet but for me, some of the things I liked most about Scala's book included: Discussion of the nutritional challenges for people with IBD (vitamins, minerals..); Listings of foods that typically cause problems (including processed foods, sugar, corn, whole nuts, many dairy products...); A lot of information about dark skinned cold-water fish (like salmon) and the therapeutic benefits of their essential oils; The suggestion to keep a food diary to help one confirm what is/is not working, but also to document more than just food (emotions, stress, etc.), serving sizes, environmental factors; "End Of Day" self evaluation - how well did I do today? A self-critique of food and lifestyle choices. As someone who follows the SCDiet, many of the foods Scala suggests are *completely contrary* to what I follow (i.e., he suggests oatmeal, cornflakes, branflakes as foods that don't cause flare-ups; he suggests these for their low-residue/irritation characteristics but I would not eat them because of the complex carbs they contain and the flare-up that might result from digesting them) but I choose to recognize this book as very useful nonetheless. One can certainly make one's own adjustments to Scala's suggestions, taking a patient-centric approach to healing. We're all different, and what works for one patient may require modification in another. I especially agree with Scala's insights into whole-body aspects of IBD, and the way outlook, exercise, stress, love, etc. can play a role in one's condition. If you're going to read his book and consider the realistic concept of achieving intestinal health through diet I'd also suggest Gottschall's "Breaking The Vicious Cycle", Patel-Thompson's "Listen To Your Gut", and Trenev's "Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers" as complementary reading. Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers, by Natasha Trenev. While many take antibiotics to battle their IBD, this book explains why probiotics can be helpful in achieving intestinal health, how to buy quality probiotics, and the importance of homemade yogurt. The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, by Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, and Matthew McKay. This workbook contains useful exercises to identify areas of stress (and excitement) and provides over a dozen therapies to help manage the effects upon one's health; part of my ongoing research regarding IBD. Managing Your Child's Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis , by Keith J. Benkov, Harland S. Winter. While this is a quasi-CCFA publication (and therefore oriented towards prescription drugs, surgery, and other medical treatments) it appears to be a worthwile resource for parents. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing, by Christiane Northrup, M.D. An excellent resource for all women (and some suggested reading for their husbands, too). The link above points to the hardcover edition; paperback here. More on Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, and IBS Check out Glassbird
Kitchen! and create your own efficient SCD kitchen! Environment - as suggested by Laura Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, by Edward Abbey. A eulogy to Arches National Monument and life in the desert. A wonderful, powerful book! Also: The Monkey Wrench Gang. Purely fun fiction. Plundered Promise: Capitalism, Politics, and the Fate of the Federal Lands, by Richard W. Behan Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson. The classic that set off a wave of environmental legislation and galvanized the nascent ecological movement. A must-read. Science, Money, and Politics: Political Triumph and Ethical Erosion, by Daniel S. Greenberg The American West: A New Interpretive History, by Robert V. Hine, John Mac Faragher. A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold. Reclaiming the beauty of nature after the dust bowl. Beautifully written. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water , by Mark Reisner. A history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West. A tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West, by Wallace Earle Stegner. Fire On the Plateau: Conflict and Endurance in the American Southwest , by Charles Wilkinson. Devil's Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth-Century American West , by Hal K. Rothman. 
Business, Thinking, Groups, and Creativity Development The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars, by Joel Glenn Brenner. Learn how sugar came to be considered a "food group" by the military, what the "M's" stand for in "M & M's", and more! The Heart of Coaching: Using Transformational Coaching to Create a High-Performance Culture, by Thomas Crane. Good stuff that we've all heard before but need help remembering. Community Building On The Web, by Amy Jo Kim. Kim's book details how to start, maintain, and grow online communities. Useful for online facilitators, virtual team leaders, listserve managers, and others seeking to capture and focus the energy of individuals separated by time and/or distance. Virtual Leadership: Secrets From The Round Table For The Multi-Site Manager, by Jacklyn Kostner, Ph.D. Using the analogy of King Arthur's court, Kostner's readers benefit from the lessons learned by one of the most famous "virtual team leaders" of all time. This book is full of valuable tips and lessons for creating team focus, dealing with "infighting", and creating and maintaining a shared vision. Design for Community: The Art of Connecting Real People in Virtual Places, by Derek Powazek. Powazek's book is written in a fun, easy-to-read story style, and provides valuable insights into the questions one must be able to answer when designing, developing, and managing an online community. The end-of-chapter interviews with online community leaders are especially interesting. (The cute cover is by Loobylu.) Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. It took me a little over two months to finish this amazing, thought-provoking classic. It was well worth it!! The parallels between those characters and, say, Bill Gates are amazing. Do
What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets
of Personality Type, by Tieger & Tieger. I really enjoyed this
book! It's never too late to reconsider what motivates you to get out
of bed each morning and go to work. This book, along with an online Myers-Briggs
or Keirsey
Temperament test, will help you understand what you're really like
and what you should be doing! By the way, I'm an ESFJ (but you knew that
by now!) Science, History, and more Dogs Never Lie About Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. The Language Instinct - How the Mind Creates Language, by Steven Pinker. How Pinker's research shows that language is "hard-wired" into our brains. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World, by Michael Pollan. A fun and enjoyable book about the beauty and downside of domesticated plants. Pollan points out how plants have evolved to satisfy our desires and causes us to ponder: who domesticated whom? Going Back To Bisbee, by Richard Shelton. A wonderful book about the geology, history, people, and animals of Southern Arizona! Brutal Journey: The Epic Story of the First Crossing of North America, by Paul Schneider. A great history of the four survivors from the 400+ Spanish explorers on the Narvaez expedition of 1528. Starving to Death on $200 Million, by James Ledbetter. The story of short, fast life of The Industry Standard magazine. A
Perfect Day, by Richard Paul Evans. A story about love, choices, mortality,
and forgiveness. Hiking Tucson Hiking Guide, by Betty Leavengood. Go take a hike in one of the four mountain ranges that surround Tucson on all sides! Arizona
Day Hikes: A Guide to the Best Trails from Tucson to the Grand Canyon,
by Dave Ganci. Cookbooks - do you like to cook? We do! Catalan Cuisine, by Coleman Andrews. The definitive guide to the food, wine, and customs of Catalonia (an oppressed nation) on the Mediterranean in the northeast of Spain. The Foods and Wines of Spain, by Penelope Casas. According to Craig Claiborne, "the definitive book on Spanish cooking". True; and the more I use it, the better it smells. The New Joy Of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. This book is an incredible improvement upon the already well-worn favorite of ours! It has so many delicious recipes, as well as valuable explanations about selecting and preparing different foods. This cookbook is a must-have! Lonely
Planet World Food Spain, by Richard Sterling and Allison Jones. Lonely
Planet publishes some of the best travel guides I have ever read. This
new World Food series is awesome--and it tastes great, too! Spain - a favorite destination of mine Discovering Spain - An Uncommon Guide, by Penelope Casas. Far superior to those 'travel guides', this book is for those who really want to discover Spain. Includes suggested itineraries. Barcelona, by Robert Hughes. Exciting and highly readable social history of Barcelona, a city where you will find people dancing the Sardana in the streets, debating the perfect pa amb tomàquet, and greeting you with a glass of cava. The
Conquest of Paradise - Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy,
by Kirkpatric Sale. Seven years of research produced this portrayal of
Columbus' time, exploits, and his legacy in the 'New World'. A fascinating
investigation of how history is perceived. Photography Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs If dogs could write poetry, this is what you might get. The cover shot is of Lola, one of my all-time favorite dogs. More photos by Kenneth Chen inside. Chasing Rickshaws, by Tony Wheeler, Richard I'Anson. The ultimate in bicycle and foot-powered taxis! This book is the next-best thing to visiting these cities and taking a rickshaw yourself! Another fine publication from Lonely Planet. The Dog Observed: Photographs 1844-1988, Edited by Ruth Silverman. I like photography, and I like dogs. Over 100 dogs as photographed by the world's great photographers. If Only You Knew How Much I Smell You: True Portraits of Dogs by Valerie Shaff (Photographer), Roy, Jr. Blount David Muench's Arizona 144 pages of photos by David Muench. Published by Arizona Highways. The
Sonoran Desert by Jack W. Dykinga (Photographer), text narrative by
Charles Bowden.
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