Disability-and-Health Books

This is a lesson that just because you see something on Dr Phil, doesn't mean its good.
I was disappointed with the lack of practical strategies suggested. It was not revolutionary as the hype made it out to be.
I have read MANY books on the subject and would not recommend this to someone looking for help with their child. Save your money!

I have a 14 yo son with ADHD and I've read too many books on the subject. I took my son off all meds a year ago because the cure was becoming worse than the diagnosis and realized that the meds were masking his emotional problems even though he went to Psychciatrists and Psycologists, Pediatric Neurological Behavioralists-the list seemed eternal.

One thing I learned very quickly is that the Dr.s never really understood. They knew-they saw-they treated, but that is not living with it. Dr. Lawlis brings in his own experience with disabilities and gives a compassionate understanding to the fustration parents and children themselves feel, and offers insight and solutions.

As for the "Snake Oil" comment, again, it's easy for Dr.s to poopoo when you tell them that you think sugar adversly effects their behavior, or that you see a change after you give them dyed foods, but as a parent, you know your child and know the subtleties to their character that back up your opinions. Even if it isn't scientifically proven, is there anything to be hurt by trying to take additives out of their diet? Is there anything wrong with trying everything you can for the sake of helping your child? For the pharamceutical companies there is.

For a few dollars I think any added perspective on the situation is worthwhile. You really have nothing to loose in reading it, and everything to gain. The book costs no more than a copay of Adderall/Ritilin/Depakote/ad nauseum...

I have read alot of stuff on ADHD and it was great to finally read a book where you can tell the author really cares about kids and actually looks at each child's case individually. There is no doubt in my mind that nutrition has something to do with it for alot of these kids!

I'm not sure (but not surprised)why this is getting such hostile responses. My son has been managed effectively through many of the techniques described here. I can't believe that these ideas are that controversial, but it's much easier to shove a pill down your kids throat and hope for the best. Is the negativity an attempt to quell your own guilt? A child will likely improve with stimulant medication because - guess what??- It's stimulating parts of the brain that regulate attention and impulse control. but what are the long-term effects of this? We do not have much longitudinal data (following people long term) to accurately guage the effects. Ever seen a long-term meth user? It's not pretty and Ritalin is in the amphetamine family. Granted, Ritalin users often take much smaller doses, but often takes it long term. I have known several kids that if I were their parent, I would medicate them, as their quality of life (school, home, and social) was significantly effected. However, for a mild/mod case, such as my son, I have found these strategies very effective. Most important to him: FOOD COLOR, sleep, & structure. For those that do not believe in the food color connection,we could do a little test: I could feed my son several packets of Go-gurts and send him to your house for the night. I would find you in the fetal position the next morning. Food color is PETROLEUM-BASED, people - why is this controversial???? Should this be in any of our bodies? Why has the diagnosis of ADHD exploded? The gene pool has not changed that much - points to environmental factors to me. Anyway, I highly recommend this book, as well as "The Gift of Adhd" by Lara Honos-Webb. Good luck and remember that children with this disorder would not choose these problems and need our help and willingness to help them find the keys to managing it.

I have been in practice for over 25 years, treating adults and children alike, I have read many books on the subject of ADD and ADHD and frankly I found this book to be full of the same old sham treatments that don't work any better than snake oil.
This guy is a snake oil salesman!

Dr. Stanley J. Steinberg D.C.

This is an amazingly dystopic book, absolutely full of horror stories and unhappy endings. There's a chapter on how to have a sex life despite RSI, how to sue for loss of a career, the testimonial of a man who was paralysed from the waist down but found RSI more disabling etc - but nothing concrete about what RSI actually. OK, so now I know that if I have tendonitis I'm more likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome and the rest of them but this book doesn't give me information on what tendonitis (or the others) actually is or how to make much of a change. There are quick mentions of various treatments but there is no discussion of their relative merits. The author tells us about her own exercise program (30-40 minutes a morning with weights and 1 1/2 hours of ballet four times a week plus walking and stretching) but there are no specific exercises that can help you avoid recurrance or assist in healing.

Please also notice that Deborah Quilter is not a medical professional but a health writer who has had RSI herself.

There is a good, explicit (but short) section on how to change your typing which I haven't seen other places.

I read this book because I had severe RSI and wanted to recover. The first thing I read in it was that I had a chronic case and would never recover. This was followed by an avalanche of anecdotes about people who are radically crippled for life. These were intermingled with depressing advice about how to "handle" your newfound, chronic handicap. For example, Quilter says that people with RSI can still work any job, as long as they work at their own pace. So far, so good. Then she says most employers won't let you work at your own pace and goes on to suggest that you must change careers unless you want to do even more permanent damage to yourself. Great, just the kind of upbeat advice I needed to hear.

I suggest that unless you want to scare the pants off of someone who does not take their RSI seriously, you should get the original Pascarelli and Quilter book for overall information and the Damany and Bellis book for a concrete and helpful recovery plan.

Ms. Quilter's book is good when it comes to advice on selecting a doctor and therapist, and also dealing with the guilt and depression associated with RSI. But I found it enormously lacking in not only the causes of RSI, but of what the specific injuries are and how you can recognize them. Emil Pascarelli's work, even though it is now five years old, remains the No. 1 source guide for anyone who has RSI.

I disagree with the reviews below, I thought this is a fine book, a good complement to the books "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" by Damany and " Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries" by Sharon Butler. It's true the latter two have much more on specific exercises to help get you better and I liked the medical information in Damany. However they don't have a lot of practical information on how to cope with your life during the healing process when you can't do a lot of the things you normally do in your daily life. This book fills that gap. It's got lots of practical suggestions of how to do things when you're injured. It's more of broader focus than the other books on the overall changes you need to make beyond the specific exercise program. I would recommed someone with an RSI get all three books as the information is complementary.

Great book, except:

Like many authors of medical self-help books, Quilter urges her readers to enlist competent medical help. Unfortunately, she does not say that although one can find good, knowledgeable physical therapists, it is almost impossible to find an American medical doctor who knows anything about RSI. She does not mention that although it is an official diagnostic category in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, neither RSI, nor any medical synonyms (i.e. overuse syndrome, cumulative trauma disorder, etc.) appear in American diagnostic guides (although other "controversial" syndromes like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndrome do!) So ... American doctors can not officially "know" about RSI. This also makes it difficult for RSIers to follow Quilter's most important recommendations -- rest and pacing, since we often need medical justification (at least a doctor's note) to get appropriate accomodations at work.

Although we should all be open to new ideas, research is the best judge for results. I am a certified dyslexic tutor and tester and I have learned first hand as well as from extensive research, that unless a dyslexic child is taught with an Orton Gillingham approved program, then the success rate is very low. We now have irrefutable evidence about the cause and treatment for dyslexia and OG methods clearly out-shine any other "controversial" program. People who are in support of OG are not living in the past or too narrow minded to "think out side the box", they are people who don't ignore the facts: current research solidifies what specialist have known all these years. I personally wouldn't take the risk with my daughter and so we have used an OG program with stellar results! Most people who are taught without an OG method tend to either hit a plateau around the 4th grade reading level and or their poor spelling continues to be a problem. Their are 11 Orton-Gillingham approved programs that would be wonderful for any dyslexic child to gain lifelong reading and spelling skills all the way... not half way.

This is Winfore Dore's attempt to justify charging $4,000 and up for a system of exercises that has absolutely no effect on reading ability.

The approach has been widely publicized in the US, the UK (its origination) and in Australia.

If you are looking for help for your dyslexic child, I commend to you any Orton-Gillingham based multisensory teaching; Lindamood Bell (good track record); and Susan Barton's DVD-based training for parents, The Barton Method for Reading and Spelling

I completed the Dore program about two years ago and it changed my
life. My Dyslexia and ADD made everyday tasks very difficult to
perform. My father talked me into doing the Dore program even though
the closest center was six hours from my home. We made the drive and I
am so glad we did. This program has enabled me to do things that were
easy to others, but impossible for me. My life is so much better after
completing the Dore program. As for the cost, I would have paid triple
that amount. I no longer have to worry about feeling stupid or ashamed
of things that were out of my control. This is a great book. Read it
for yourself.[...]

I am an educator who works specifically with learning disabled children, and I am always on the lookout for new techniques and approaches. I bought this book hoping for some practical recommendations.

This book is one long advertisement for the DOre program. It contains very little practical information. I am annoyed at having spent ten dollars for what amounts to propoganda.

Instead of this book, I recommend the Brain Gym books. The approach appears to be similar, and the books they publish contain practical, easy to implement recommendations and activities for remediating learning problems. The Brain Gym website links to independent studies supporting the efficacy of their approach.

This book is the compelling story of how one man's obsession turned into a true breakthrough in treatment for dyslexia and other learning difficulties. It chronicles the steps he went through to reach his goal and is interspersed with personal stories from people who have benefited from the treatment. The research is interesting and the results are truly amazing. If you, or someone you love, suffers from learning difficulties, this is an important book. I have researched this and talked to many people who have been helped.

Williams and Torrens have developed one of the best introductory texts on the US health system. The book has clear learning objectives, useful references, and helpful diagrams. The American health system is farily and accurately described, warts and all.

This book is adequate for the purpose it was written but my biggest criticism is the price which is it sold for. I feel that I have read many similar books with three or four times the content and is the price at which Intro to Health Services was sold.

Using this text for a distance learning course. Seems to provide a good introduction to the subjects of Health Services. Written on a level I can understand, not being a medical person, but a hospital support person.

This book is not very well suited to those who want an introduction to health policy and services. If you have some background in the field, it will probably be too basic to help you very much. I had no such background when I began using this book in a graduate course in health policy, and while most of the text is understandable, it is generally not very interesting and/or helpful. I suppose it's a good thing that the book and chapters are brief, however it leaves out a lot of details that I felt would be beneficial towards understanding a very complex system. When statistics are used to exemplify a point, they are generally pretty dated. Even if a new edition were available though, I'd read through a chapter or two in the library before investing in this book.

If this book is only about the US health service, why doesn't the title say so? There are quite a few other countries out there in the world, and almost all of them have health services!

This book is basically a book written to bring more business to neurologists. Written by two neurologists who state ADD is best treated by neurologists and with medications. Their bias gets in the way of this book being useful. In the real world, try to find a neurologist who will take on ADD patients! Psychologists and psychiatrists are much better trained and equiped, AND available to treat this disorder. I would never recommend this book to my patients!

This book was not very helpful for me because it only described things I already knew and the tips it offered werent that many and werent that helpful.

This great book for adults with ADD. It offers some great tips. This is must for a newly diagnosed adult or an adult who supsects that he or she has ADD. The lay out of the book is also easy for people with ADD to follow...

ADD does not end with adulthood. For millions of adults throughout the world, in all types of careers, ADD is something they deal with on a daily basis. This book gives strategies for adults coping with ADD that are informative and easy to follow. I would highly recommend this to individuals and counselors alike.

As an adult dyslexic diagnosed late in life looking for tools of compensatation in the work force, I found this book to be patronizing and completely useless. Although the book does have an excellent reference list of agencies you can contact, the tone and content of the book suggest an incompetence on the part of the reader which is clearly a residual attitude of past misconceptions about the disability. It implies that dyslexics are self-centered individuals not capable of even the simplest task of personal grooming or intellect. Clearly not the best book for individuals trying to understand the unique way dyslexics comprehend the world.

I am a young adult and I discovered that I was dylslexic just recently. This book provided comfort to me, as my condition has caused much pain in my life. I made many mistakes in my childhood that could have been avoided had my condition been diagnosed. As an adult, I was accused of a serious crime that I did not do. The good news in my life is that I now know what I am fighting. This book and others like it have showed me that I am not alone in this battle and that others have faced the same obstacles.

As a dyslexic who has been mocked and humiliated quite often (and to this day), I found it reassuring to see that there are people in the medical field who are not afraid to challenge the old-school paradigms. I hope that every dyslexic buys this book and others on the market as a way to help themselves, and also as a way to encourage research in this important area.

This review is written by someone who is dyslexic. I found the book to be a total waste of time. It was nothing but an "I'm So Sorry For Me" book. The book gave no positive outlook for dyslexics at all. There were some helpful resources in the back (maybe). My husband also read it and found it to be severely lacking in useful information.

Insurance Solutions is a very strongly recommended workbook specifically designed for businesses with employees having chronic conditions or disabilities and is especially valuable for its importance as an effective financial planning and problem solving management tool. Insurance should cover all disability-related costs, but it's important to understand differences between insurance policies and benefits. Readers learn how to examine health, life, disability and care plans for long-term usefulness.

In my opinion, I found this "workbook" to be totally useless for a person who is already on disability, as most of the ideas presented are not applicable unless you are still employed. The title is, therefore, misleading and should instead state that it is for those with a chronic disease or disability "who are still employed."

Basically, this workbook contains approximately 120 pages of worksheets and spreadsheets. You, the reader, are to fill in the worksheets and then transfer the data to the spreadsheets, in order to determine your insurance needs and areas of insurance weaknesses.

Here's the problem -- most of us already know what insurance we have and what we need, without having to first compile the extensive amount of data requested in the first 120 pages of this workbook. Our problem is how to "afford" and "obtain" what we need if we are already on disability. And - if we are still employed - our problem is still, in many cases, how to "afford" the insurance we "need."

However, if you are still employed, do not know what insurance you need (or already posses), have lots of disposable income, *and* you have the endurance to complete the exhaustive worksheets and spreadsheets, then maybe this book is for you. If nothing else, it may give you some food for thought and may even provide you with a bit of information that you did not already know.

After the initial approximately 120 pages of worksheets and spreadsheets, the remaining 60 pages or so contain information and situations that are not always realistic, in my opinion. However, if you are still employed, you may find a few ideas that could possibly be helpful to you, depending on your personal circumstances.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I found this workbook to be totally useless to me, personally, as a person who is already on disability.

By the way, in response to the two (or, one and the same reviewers above), I am not attempting to "redeem myself since I am already on disability." Nor am I living on "paltry government benefits." In fact, I have never received government benefits. But there are many out there who do and should not made to feel badly because they do. Also, I am proud to say that I *am* living in the "right" country and am proud of my country as well.

All that I am doing is voicing my own personal opinion (and last I heard, I was allowed to do so in *this* country. And my opinion stands in that this workbook is totally useless if you are already on disability and of very little use if you are still employed and already have a very basic idea about what you will need "if and when" you "may" become disabled and unemployed. Buyer beware -- save your money.

This book is a total waste ... save your money.

I complete disagree with the other review. I doubt this was ever meant to be a book about how to redeem yourself if you are already on disability and didn't do any planning so are living on paltry government benefits. Instead, it is a book about hot NOT to end up that way even if you are already diagnosed with something. If all you want is to have all the insurance or benefits you need handed to you, then this is not the right book for you -- nor the RIGHT COUNTRY! If, however, you are willing to do some serious work then this book will let you see beyond your employer benefits and anything else you may have and make sure you don't get "bit" by the "American system." It does assume that you would be willing to pay reasonable premiums. But, I completely disagree that it offers nothing to people already out on disability. The hospital indemnity strategy alone could be worth fortunes, and the sicker you are the better it would seem to work. It does have a lot of forms and worksheets, but if you are a serious planner this can only be helpful. I especially like the single worksheet where she summarizes all of the insurance coverages in one place in a "risk analysis" format. It is about time that somebody treat people with disabilities as if they weren't all poor or incapablem and I really like it that somebody is trying to do something for people with disabilities in the free markeplace rather than just telling us all to rely on the government for everything.

I don't have my copy of "After the Crash" in hand but since I regard it as the most complete book on the topic and regularly treat MVA PTSD patients, I believe I can review it nonetheless. Blanchard and Hickling are the most experienced researchers in the area of MVA PTSD.

It is possible to overlook the chapters that are most relevant to actually doing therapy, if the dense research chapters at the start are too off-putting. Reading the last half FIRST helped me maintain a mind-set that kept the first half from being too intimidating.

The authors have data covering very significant longitudinal follow up of accident survivors - both those identified as "at risk" based on needing medical treatment for accidents and people seeking treatment for psychological symptoms.

The book DOES have a huge amount of research findings to begin with. There is little in the first 350 pages that is a lot different from the 1997 edition. However, there are some very important findings relevant to clinical practice - one is a fairly rigorous analysis of what the risk factors are for developing PTSD and SUBSYNDROMAL PTSD symptoms following accidents. The authors always discuss their findings in the context of what other researchers have found and suggest possible explanations for different findings.

Another is a very thorough discussion of MVAs and PTSD MALINGERING. Blanchard and Hickling experimentally challenged their assessment procedures with trained MVA PTSD simulators to find out which of their assessments distinguished real patients from people likely to be the best malingerers possible.

What IS a significant change from the 1997 edition is the fairly comprehensive research on clinical treatment. The authors did NOT do the typical, develop a treatment protocol and compare to wait list research. What they DID was run two parallel treatment protocols with supportive treatment as one modality (the supportive treatment condition seems to match fairly well what many or sadly MOST patients are likely to get with little emphasis on targeting specific trauma symptoms and a lot of dependence on the power of strengthening coping skills in general and on the therapeutic relationship). The other treatment condition was a targeted Cognitive Behavioral protocol which they compared both to no treatment and to what is likely to be usual care.

Blanchard and Hickling DO provide a brief description of their treatment protocols and manual - this is less detailed than might be wished but sufficient to assist a therapist who regularly uses CBT in modifying her/his approach.

This volume is written with the scientist-PRACTITIONER in mind. The treatment protocol was NOT a lockstep curriculum that ignored the differing needs of different patients and they DO include "clinical hints" to make it as useful as possible to non-research clinicians.

They give a very balanced discussion of the areas in which non-specific supportive treatment was as effective as CBT and where it was weak. As I recall, the treatment effects of BOTH protocols are significant but some symptoms, especially intrusive PTSD symptoms and driving avoidance seem to me to be more amenable to specific CBT interventions. Also, not surprisingly, CBT is likely to continue to have effects after treatment ends, since it is so skills based.

There is more comming in the area of clinical application - how to DO specific CBT tx with MVA PTSD patients in more detail. Two new books, "Overcoming the Trauma of Your Motor Vehicle Accident : A Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Program Workbook (Treatments That Work)" which is a patient workbook and "Overcoming the Trauma of Your Motor Vehicle Accident : A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work)" are scheduled for release in early May. It appears that there will be paperbound volumes of BOTH books right away.

So my recommendation is if you are treating this population you are likely to find the second edition of "After the Crash" a very useful expansion of the first. It is likely that the upcomming practice focussed books will help clinicians more - but knowing how well and why the treatments described in them work is not trivial. If all you need are the "How to do it" aspects you may want to wait til May, but you may also have trouble answering some questions your patient might have about their illness and prognosis.

David.pollin@med.va.gov

I am a postdoctoral fellow in neuropsychology who occasionally assesses TBI in motor vehicle accidents in a medical center in San Francisco. I was looking forward to receiving this book as I am always
interested in any resources I may offer to my patients after an evaluation. This book was a great disappointment! I think the title is very misleading. Before you actually arrive at the very tiny section on the assessment and treatment (supportive therapy -- you don't need to spend $40 on a book to learn how to do this!) of MVA survivors, you must wade through almost 350 (yes, 350!) pages of research, statistics, and and endless tables of research findings. Nowhere in the description of this book does it mention that the piece reads like a very long, very dry dissertation. Unless research, tables, and statistics are your thing, don't bother! I have been an Amazon customer for many years and I have never returned a book. However, I am returning this one immediately. I am very disappointed!

The book is full of abundant data and information about PTSD problems related to MVA. The review is very comprehensive and informative. However, there is limited discussion and presentation upon the treatment materials and practical steps in treating PTSD arised from MVA.

You would think that helping those with special developmental needs is a no-brainer. Often though, it takes intuition, persistence and a passionate resolve to cut through institutional red tape and push through the social barriers that stand in the way of bringing resources to those in need.

"The Willowbrook Wars" is an extraordinary, historical account of people in the vanguard of reform. It is their story and it is compelling.

Throughout "The Willowbrook Wars," we are reminded that everyone has a right to respect and inclusion in his or her own community. This belief is as important today as it was thirty years ago. Today, costs of care are rising and fiscal resources are being diverted from social healthcare programs, so there is a natural, bureaucratic tendency to do the `cost effective' thing. But `entitlement' is not a dirty word; it's a hard-won right.

"The Willowbrook Wars" shares the struggles and joys of people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and advocates. For anyone in the field, this is a must-read.

Maybe some people would like to know some of the specifics of Willowbrook? If so, this book might provide some insight into the movement called deinstitutionalization.

This is a horribly cliched and trite book.

Liberal activist do-good trial lawyers save the world. Mentally retarded living in their own feces, chained to the walls. Hell on earth!

Who comes in on the white horse to save the day? Why the class-action liberal trial lawyer of course!

Yeah for the liberal trial lawyers. Yeah for the crusading journalist who exposed this horror. Boo for the mean evil bureaucrats! Boo for the currupt and inept politicans!

This is an endless stories told by many liberals 60's do-gooders themselves. Ahhh, if only the world was like it was back then. If only the courts were so friendly to righting the wrongs as they were then. If only Bush wasn't in office.... Wait, I digress.

And the Rothmans are liberal do-gooders. David sits on the board of George Soros's foundation (does it get any more liberal and biased these days?!?) and once was on the Board of the ACLU. Sheila is one of the travel-loving Human Rights type (human rights activist just another phrase for someone who loves to travel to exotic places and get other people to pick up the tab). She works on projecs with phrases like the "Socially Disadvanted" and worries about "the poor" from her Ivory Tower perch at Columbia.

Look, this is a badly written, highly cliched, highly biased book.

If you want to read something good on a topic like this, at least spend your money on something well writeen:

Simple Justice by Richard Kluger
Buffalo Creek Disaster by Gerald Stern
A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis
The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz
The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein

Just read anything but this.

There is no "cure" for ADD or ADHD. This book lends itself to the idea that natural remedies are the answer, they are not. In fact, most of these so-called remedies don't work as well as prescription medication. My son is almost 18 and has lived with ADHD and Asperger's his entire life, there is no cure, especially a "natural." We've tried many "natural remedies" and none of them even took the edge off; so, he took prescription medication for most of the past 15 years. He's learned, with help from me and school programs, to control the behaviors on his own and no longer takes prescription medications, but nothing "natural" works. Don't be misled.

Another amazing book by the brilliant Dr. Jay Gordon. I found it to be utterly fantastic. It is concise and to the point and provides excellent nutritional advice from one of the world's finest pediatricians (and IMHO, THE FINEST pediatrician). Dr. Jay specializes in pediatric nutrition and this, coupled with the fact that he has ADD/ADHD and has helped countless children with ADD/ADHD in his practice, makes him an expert in this subject. He is a prime example that it can work for ADD/ADHD sufferers. He advocates a healthy lifestyle, which should be paramount to every family - regardless of ADD/ADHD.

In the book, Dr. Jay simplifies the "how to" by providing recipes, weekly meals, even shopping lists. Every busy parent will certainly appreciate that. He discusses the importance that food plays in our ability to focus, concentrate, learn, listen, adapt, adjust, etc. There are countless studies that support his findings. Simply removing sugar in the diet will make a huge (and wonderful) change in a child with (or without) hyperactivity. Glutten is a trigger so avoiding that will help calm an otherwise overactive little one. He also stresses the importance of exercise and outlet and even lists the benefits of different forms of exercise, as well as a specific program to implement. I loved this book!

To the previous reviewer, whom I suspect did not actually read the book, I want to state that Dr. Jay does mention that some severe cases may still warrant medication; however, it should NOT be the first resort. Many (if not most) cases can be lessened and *cured* to the point that even without medication, no one would suspect that child has ADD/ADHD. I'm sure most parents would prefer to go the natural route and avoid as many side effects as possible. And certainly many have done so (including Dr. Jay himself). So if you are considering this book (and I mean no disrespect here), don't let the previous reviewer lump your child into the category of his son, who very well may have a severe case that could only be "lessened" by following the advice in this book. But it still goes without saying that even if his son wasn't *cured*, he would benefit from this healthy lifestyle.

Every child is different and deserves a chance at being as healthy as possible. It certainly can't hurt to try this - if nothing else, you will be implementing a healthier lifestyle with less disease, illness, and a longer lifespan for your child. The diet is heavily plant based, but does list where meat can be added to the recipes so it is very flexible to fit just about every family's eating style. The recipes are very tasty (we are enjoying them immensely) and are fun to make as a family. For those who eat a plant-based diet, I'd also like to recommend a wonderful book by Dr. Fuhrman called "Disease Proof Your Child".

This book also has a section on additional treatments and discusses how the mind and body are linked, how yoga/meditation/tai chi can calm a child with ADD/ADHD. He also briefly discusses herbal remedies and accupuncture.

This book, I am recommending even for those who do not have ADD/ADHD. My twins are patients of Dr. Jay and thanks to him, have been eating and exercising optimally since birth. My husband and his mother both have ADHD and one of my children may have it, but I honestly can not tell for sure because we've always been on Dr. Jay's healthy lifestyle program. When she eats healthy and follows his advice, she acts like a calm, concentrated child. So if she does have it, her symptoms are masked and she is *cured*. Now, I do notice that if we slip and she has sugar or doesn't sleep enough, her behavior changes dramatically, and this has led me to suspect she has a case which is cureable by following the advice recommended in Dr. Jay's book. (I should note that my children are homeschooled so I have not had a teacher slap the label on her. She certainly doesn't *sit still* behind a desk all day or I suspect the call would have come on a day when cookies were passed around the classroom.) Regardless, this is a lifestyle change that needs to be followed thoroughly. I will continue to follow his advice and watch my children flourish.

I'd highly recommend this book as a must read for all parents who want to follow a healthy lifestyle, as well as those who suffer from ADD/ADHD in their family. The recipes can be easily adapted to meet special needs (like rice allergies or nut allergies) and I guarantee that your family will thrive in this beautiful, healthy family lifestyle! Good luck to all of you!

-mom of 5 yr old twin girls