JOM Volume 26, Number 1, 2011 Book Reviews 41 Nutritional Medicine the original research, and the book contains 15,000 references; this is a true example of Alan Gaby, MD evidence-based medicine. 2011. Perlberg Publishing, Concord, NH I’ll o!er several examples to convey the ISBN-13:9780982885000 "avour of the book. Like many other books, Gaby discusses the etiology and nutritional treatments of major diseases, including coro- I frequently receive review copies of nary artery disease and cancer. Refreshingly, books, and I often wonder why good trees he also addresses many health problems that were destroyed to produce so many books of are troublesome but do not seem to attract little redeeming value. Sometimes the infor- the same ‘mindshare’ as do the major causes mation is seriously "awed, or there is simply of death. For example, how many nutrition no obvious market for the book. As a conse- book address melasma? In this section, Gaby quence, the number of “keepers” for my per- begins with a brief descriptive overview (as sonal nutrition library is relatively small. he does with discussions of all the diseases Nutritional Medicine is de#nitely one of in the book). I had been aware of the ben- the “keepers,” and I highly recommend it for e#ts of topical vitamin C in the treatment of both clinicians and serious readers of nutri- melasma, but I was not aware of several oth- tion books. It is exhaustive, well written, and er nutritional therapies that Gaby discusses, contains a true wealth of information. If the including the topical use of niacinamide and book’s price ($295, plus shipping) seems a azelaic acid (which occurs in some foods). bit high, it is de#nitely worth the investment Likewise, he begins the section on and will likely last a lifetime. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease %e author of Nutritional Medicine, Dr. (COPD) with an overview of the condi- Gaby, has a true love and exceptional grasp tion, followed by general dietary factors that of nutritional medicine. His book is a com- impact the severity of COPD. He then dis- prehensive clinical manual for clinicians who cusses nutritional supplements, including need a reliable resource for applying nutritional N-acetylcysteine, magnesium, potassium, therapies in the treatment of a large number and other nutrients, which may moderate of diseases. Of course, you can search Medline the symptoms of COPD. (pubmed.gov) to #nd much of the information In the section on hypoadrenalism (ad- but online abstracts rarely provide context for renocortical insu$ciency), Dr. Gaby notes or interpretation of the research. that mild hypoadrenalism is relatively Nutritional Medicine weighs in at sev- common. He states the drawbacks to com- eral pounds and more than 1,300 pages. mon testing methods, then discusses a va- %e book follows the organization of many riety of treatments, including cortisol, lic- general medical textbooks, including major orice root, and dehydroepiandrosterone, as sections of various types of cardiovascular well as vitamins and minerals that might diseases, pulmonary disorders, gastroenter- be helpful. He adds, importantly, that pre- ology, liver diseases, neurology, rheumatol- scribing thyroid hormones without #rst ogy, musculoskeletal disorders, dermatology correcting adrenal insu$ciency can lead to renal diseases, ophthalmology, otolaryngol- an “adrenal crisis.” ogy, hematology, infectious diseases, and still %e only thing I would have liked to see other categories of illness. Within each of included in Nutritional Medicine is a dis- these sections are discussions of individual cussion of laboratory testing. I believe that diseases, totaling 400 health conditions and identifying speci#c nutritional de#ciencies the relevant nutritional therapies. %e book and imbalances takes much of the guesswork also has sections on individual vitamins, (trial and error) out of administering nutri- minerals, amino acids, and other nutritional tional therapies. I would have found a list of therapeutic agents. In-text citations identify laboratory tests (for conventional measures Book Review.indd 41 3/8/11 3:29:44 PM 42 Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol 26, No 1, 2011 and nutrients), reference ranges, and optimal sisted that his was not a specific thera- levels helpful. py but a whole-body metabolic therapy. Nonetheless, Nutritional Medicine is Indeed, Gerson did not develop it as a an exceptional and useful reference in my cancer therapy at all. He began the diet own library, and will prove helpful in my and juicing program for himself, and on own writing and in my nutrition coaching himself, to cure his own severe migraine practice. %e reason is not just the infor- headaches. Patients knew him and sought mation, but how easy the book is to use. I him out as the “Migraine Doctor.” In the learn as I casually read through it, and the course of treatment, many migraine pa- book feeds my curiosity with new infor- tients started recovering from a variety mation. You will #nd that it is well worth of other, seemingly unrelated illnesses. the investment. As I write this review, the Side benefits, as opposed to pharmaceu- book is not yet available at amazon.com. tical preparations’ side effects, is a very However, you can order it by going to orthomolecular-friendly idea. www.doctorgaby.com or by calling (603) So is using nutrition to combat obesity, 225-0134. Two sample sections are avail- diabetes and high blood pressure, the foci able at Dr. Gaby’s website. of this, the newest Gerson book. %e author is the doctor’s daughter, Charlotte Gerson. Jack Challem, B.A., A.S.N. I have met Charlotte a number of times, www.jackchallem.com #rst when she traveled to Ottawa for the induction of her father into the Orthomo- lecular Medicine Hall of Fame in 2005. I Defeating Obesity, Diabetes admit my bias as I say that Charlotte, now and High Blood Pressure: nearly 90, seems ageless and literally the The Metabolic Syndrome picture of glowing health. One cannot fail By Charlotte Gerson to be impressed with her energy and with 2010. Gerson Health Media, Carmel, CA her many decades of experience carrying on 254 pages ISBN-10:0976018632 her father’s work. Obesity, diabetes and high blood pres- sure are real killers. %ere is much to be said for applying the Gerson therapy to them, es- When most people hear the words pecially as all three are well-known to be diet “Gerson %erapy,” they think “cancer.” %e and lifestyle related. A #rst impression of the nutritional program of Max Gerson, MD, Gerson approach may be that it is extreme #rst emerged back in the 1920s and has and uncompromising. Consider the advice withstood many tests over time. Essentially, contained on the #rst two pages of the very it consists of abundant consumption of raw #rst chapter: eliminate fast foods, meat, salt, vegetable juices and high-nutrient, organic and MSG. Drink four or more glasses of foods, along with detoxi#cation via body- fresh, raw vegetable juice every day. Good temperature co!ee enemas. %ere are well- heavens, by page 3, we have to start exercis- documented cases of patients being cured ing and by page 7, cut out sugar. of cancer with the perennially controver- Given the gravity of the diseases in sial Gerson approach. Even HRH Prince question, I have a hard time seeing this diet Charles has weighed in on this, saying: “I as all that extreme. One does not have to know of one patient who turned to Gerson open a Gerson book to be quite well aware therapy having been told she was su!ering that plant-based diets are nutrient-rich, from terminal cancer and would not survive high-#ber and low-calorie, and that salt another course of chemotherapy. Happily, should be avoided, that exercise is good, seven years later, she is alive and well.” and that junk food isn’t. For decades, Dr. From the beginning, Dr. Gerson in- Dean Ornish has been successfully treat- Book Reviews 43 ing cardiovascular patients with vegetarian Charlotte Gerson’s writing style that in- diet and stress reduction. Dr. Benjamin spires con#dence. Maybe she is a natural- Spock, the Baby Doctor himself, came to born author. Maybe she has great material. advocate vegetarian diets for kids. Aller- It is likely a good bit of each. gist Dr. Benjamin Feingold emphasized the importance of avoiding food chemi- Andrew W. Saul, PhD cals, especially colorings. Surgeon-Captain 141 Main Street %omas L. Cleave described and prescribed Brockport, NY 14420 USA low- or no-sugar diets in the 1950s. Linus [email protected] Pauling was #rmly opposed to sugar. And Dr. Abram Ho!er is almost as famous for his “No junk!” food prescription as he is for niacin. Interestingly, among other supple- ments, the Gerson program currently urges 250 mg of niacin daily, about 15 times the US RDA. Max Gerson is in the very best of intellectual company. And, remarkably, Gerson was saying this back when #rst- class postage stamps cost three cents and Abram Ho!er was an undergrad. Defeating Obesity, Diabetes and High Blood Pressure provides comprehensive ad- vice ranging from how to reduce toxic en- vironmental exposures, to how to reduce stress, to how to buy a juicer, to how to set up your kitchen. %e book contains dozens of practical health hints, a question and answer chapter, interesting case histories and a conveniently-tabulated summation of the entire program. %ere are over 120 references to the scienti#c literature, and the book’s organization and indexing are outstanding. Ninety full pages of Gerson- friendly recipes are included. Read them over and see if they don’t look healthy–and tasty–to you.