The Great Anxiety Escape: A Revolutionary Program to Escape Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression and Drug Dependency [Paperback]

Max Ricketts (Author), Edwin Bien (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0962620505 | ISBN-13: 978-0962620508 | Publication Date: June 1990

A revolutionary program to escape anxiety, insomnia, depression and drug dependency

Editorial Reviews

Review

Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. (author of "Orthomolecular Medicine for Physicians"): "...first book I would consider a truly holistic book tackling this topic...well-orgnaized, graphic...a very useful guide."

Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. (research psychologist, director of Autism Research Institute - tech advisor for film "Rain Man"): "You couldn't find a better advertisement for this book that its author, Max Ricketts... a man with a vision, and a mission...you will treasure the chapters in which Max explains to you, just as though you were sitting next to him in some small informal cafe, the nitty-gritty, do-it-yourself details of the various methods - and there are many - that he used to bring himself back to a full and happy life."

Maureen Salaman, author of "Foods That Heal" and president of the National Health Federation: "A remarkable book that shows how to beat anxiety without drugs!"

B.J. Sahley, Ph.D., director of The Pain & Stress Therapy Center and author of "The Anxiety Epidemic.": "...an important reference source in the future treatment of anxiety disorders... comprehensive in scope. As you follow this remarkable man's path, you will feel your healing begin...It's truly a new beginning." -- From the Publisher

About the Author

1963 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis. Vietnam veteran. Free-lance writer on a variety of topics from current and historical affairs to health issues (published in the San Diego Union, Health Store News, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, Philippine News & World Report, Mabuhay News). Realtor in San Diego, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Matulungin Pub (June 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962620505
• ISBN-13: 978-0962620508
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,985,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Holistic
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Mental Illness

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Author response to "reader" review, July 28, 2004

By 

Author (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Anxiety Escape: A Revolutionary Program to Escape Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression and Drug Dependency (Paperback)

Author's response to unnamed reader review: Apparently the review of reader comes from a psychiatrist operating out of a pharmacotherapeutic bias in the treatment of anxiety-state disorders. In fact, the SSRIs suggested by reader carry considerable risk of adverse side effects - some quite dangerous. Significantly, SSRIs do not address the underlying root causes of anxiety disorders. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of nutritional supplements. The counterproductive pharmacotherapeutic treatment received by the author while in the Philippines was comparable to treatment the author had received previously in the United States. It was in the Philippines that the author attained recovery by the effective holistic means described within the book.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is dangerously out of date, May 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Anxiety Escape: A Revolutionary Program to Escape Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression and Drug Dependency (Paperback)

The author was treated for panic disorder before the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) became the standard. He was treated with, and became addicted to, benzodiazepines e.g., valium. This was evidently before alprazolam became available. He was also prescribed antipsychotics among other dubious treatments.

No responsible psychiatrist would treat panic disorder like this today. Alprazolam or clonazepam are typically prescribed for a few weeks until an SSRI can take effect. Doctors are well aware of the addictive nature of these drugs. Treatment with SSRIs has a biological basis: research at NIH shows a 2/3 reduction in the number of serotonin receptors in certain areas of the brain in panic disorder patients.

The other treatments suggested in this book--cognitive therapy, deep breathing, meditation--are routinely prescribed even by very medically oriented physicians. (Acupuncture is not, and probably should be.) The book also suggests treatments along the line of orthomolecular psychiatry (high-dose nutritional supplements), which have no proven value.

One can only feel sympathy that the author needed treatment in a time and place (the Philippines) where safe and effective treatement was unavailable.