Lean on Me: Ten Powerful Steps to Moving Beyond Your Diagnosis and Taking Back Your Life [Hardcover]

Nancy Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

The author, founder of the Center Without Walls (a medical research foundation), has written an inspirational book for anyone with multiple sclerosis (MS). When she was a mother of three small children, she was diagnosed with MS at the age of 33. Her neurologist told her to go home and "go to bed... forever." Determined to have an active life, Davis developed a program to live as fully as possible. First she ditched a troubled marriage and surrounded herself only with people who would support her emotionally. She learned as much as she could about MS, working her way through the maze of medical information and misinformation to find which physicians and treatments would be the most help. In order to remain positive, avoid stress and commit to a healthy diet, she explored alternative approaches (among others, Davis has found homeopathy, acupuncture and osteopathy to be useful for her condition). Davis provides readers with an informed overview of how to negotiate the health-care system as well as Web resources. Today, remarried with two more children, the author, an MS activist, has devised a thoughtful plan for dealing with a devastating illness that should motivate others.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author, founder of the Center Without Walls (a medical research foundation), has written an inspirational book for anyone with multiple sclerosis (MS). When she was a mother of three small children, she was diagnosed with MS at the age of 33. Her neurologist told her to go home and "go to bed... forever." Determined to have an active life, Davis developed a program to live as fully as possible. First she ditched a troubled marriage and surrounded herself only with people who would support her emotionally. She learned as much as she could about MS, working her way through the maze of medical information and misinformation to find which physicians and treatments would be the most help. In order to remain positive, avoid stress and commit to a healthy diet, she explored alternative approaches (among others, Davis has found homeopathy, acupuncture and osteopathy to be useful for her condition). Davis provides readers with an informed overview of how to negotiate the health-care system as well as Web resources. Today, remarried with two more children, the author, an MS activist, has devised a thoughtful plan for dealing with a devastating illness that should motivate others. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074327640X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743276405
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lean on Me, August 28, 2006

By 

M. Wiens (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lean on Me: Ten Powerful Steps to Moving Beyond Your Diagnosis and Taking Back Your Life (Hardcover)

This book is most useful for the newly diagnosed. It had some good advice for those who have been living with MS for a long time (for instance the medical card people with MS should carry), but I found a lot of what Ms. Davis advocating not realistic for those of us severely affected by the disease; i.e. in a wheelchair, unable to drive, very dependent on others for most activities. I could go along with her until I got to the part of the book where she doesn't take any of the approved MS medications...I then surmised that she and I do not suffer from the same brand of MS. Positive thinking is important in dealing with any form of this nasty disease, but sometimes it is just not enough.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Simple, June 30, 2006

By 

Much problems "ms-billt" (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lean on Me: Ten Powerful Steps to Moving Beyond Your Diagnosis and Taking Back Your Life (Hardcover)

This a good book for those who have yet to venture in the zoo of the personal medical investigation. However, for those hoping for more specific help in the MS specifics of identification MS, solutions, and who to see it --this book does fall short.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More harm than good, July 30, 2006

By 

Newly Diagnosed (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lean on Me: Ten Powerful Steps to Moving Beyond Your Diagnosis and Taking Back Your Life (Hardcover)

Although I appreciate that the author would share her story of moving from a scary M.S. diagnosis to a more positive health path, I found this particular book disturbing in its lack of empathy and credit to others. Instead, it reads like a long list of proud directives from a mother of five who "researched" this, works-out six days a week, has her own "elliptical trainer", goes skiing, does Pilates, has a black belt in karate, attends fund-raising galas, and counts Hollywood celebrities as "close, personal friends". The author is obviously rather fortunate: her disease does not appear to progress and she makes no reference to financial need (holding a job, raising children). Reality check: with M.S. there is often extreme fatigue, constant pain and great uncertainty. Whether we do everything this author suggests or nothing, the disease will progress rapidly in some, and remain almost completely inactive in others.

Some of what is written is valid; we can do much to help ourselves. But I would hate to think that someone newly diagnosed (as I am) could feel like it was their own fault if their disease worsened, all because they didn't follow the many orders in this book. Ms. Davis shows no empathy for those who smoke or drink or eat poorly; these are real addictions and habits, which are surely not any easier to kick when also facing a life with M.S.? And will those who know nothing of M.S. now look at someone on crutches and assume they "just hadn't tried" like this author?

Finally, credits please!? Bill Withers wrote, "Lean on Me" (full lyrics appear without his name). Dr. Roy Laver Swank was instrumental in developing an M.S. diet, which is largely what Davis describes.