Customer Reviews

Natural Health Bible: From the Most Trusted Source in Health Information, Here is Your A-Z Guide to Over 200 Herbs, Vitamins, and Supplements

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This book is a must have for anyone interested in alternative health, providers and patients alike. Bratman, a physician with extensive experience in the field of holistic medicine reports the results of medical research into the effectiveness of food supplements and herbs. The presentation style is unbiased, neither recommending nor critical of alternative treatments. Most of it is based on European research involving doubleblind studies. Bratman includes vital information such as the dosage needed to achieve the desired results as well as possible drug interactions. This book is a much needed departure from unsubstantiated claims and the information overload that consumers are sujected to, in natural food stores.

One of the reasons I like this book is because it is based on science, not opinion, anecdote, or folk wisdom.

When patients ask what kind of herbal would be best to use for a specific condition, the book is in a format that makes it easy for me to quickly look up the condition and then it lists principal natural treatments. Scientific evidence is then presented to justify the principal natural treatments.

It is a book I take with me each time I work in the pharmacy and my patients appreciate concise answers that can be backed up scientifically.

The price of the book is also a plus and makes it even more attractive.

If you are looking for a reference book to tell you WHAT popular and not-so-popular natural remedies like herbs, vitamins and supplements DO or DON'T do - this is one book you MUST have in your library. As the Guru for Lifetips.com Alternative Health site and as a health writer (Generationsr.com & Theamstream.com), I constantly refer to this wonderful book to guide me in my research to share tips with my readers - tips that are backed up with info provided by terrific book, including Safety Issues, Interaction Warnings, and Scientific Evidence that backs the worthiness or unworthiness of a particular herb or supplement. If you buy one health book, this should be the one you choose.

I feel it is very important that I have a good source of information aside from that which is available from the company for which I sell natural supplements. I'm often frustrated by the limited acceptance of herbal supplements and remedies in the U.S., especially those which are widely used in Europe, China, and other parts of the world. This book states "principal proposed treatments" (those which have been tested successfully in the U.S.) and "other proposed treatments" (those not tested in the U.S., but are often used in other countries). It gives details about recommended dosages, safety issues, medical interactions, etc. So far, it has provided me with information about almost every ingredient I've searched for, and has made me feel much more confident about recommending the products I sell! There is a section regarding health problems and the recommended products for treating them, then another section of herbal substances and their recommended uses. The information is alphabetized, with shaded tabs on the edges of the pages for quick look-ups. It is so organized and easy to use, it's not only the first book I reach for when I need information, often it is the ONLY book I need!

This book has saved me hundreds of dollars, since I always cross-check claims by commercial companies that sell complementary products--and who usually provide artfully deceptive ways to make it appear as though vitamins, herbs, and other supplements are the "answer" to everything from arthritis to herpes zoster. Clearly presented with an impartial and reasoned conclusion regarding the efficacy of a vast number of natural healing consumables. It provides recommended doses when a product is given the thumbs up, and warns against common assumptions many of take for granted owing to media overexposure. When research is presented that purports to support the medicinal qualities of a product, the authors provide a careful analysis of the strength of the reserach, whether its been replicated, and whether other research has been done that has had less stellar findings. A brief history of natural products is provided whether its an herb used for thousands of years or a current fad that is prevalant in other health care systems, particularly in Europe. I do have ONE MAJOR disappointment, however. Where is the UPDATED edition? This book is now six years old; much has happened in the world of conventional and natural medicine in that time, and without such a reference guide it would require endless searching to learn of newer findings.

We are often hearing about a new natural/ herbal remedy and this book has become a great resource for information on all the implications of introducing something new to your system. We especially like the way the book is divided into a condition/ailment section and an alphabetical herb/supplement section. It is very easy to read from a non medical background and quickly answers our questions. A good value too.

I love this book, it has great advice, warnings and cites good references. It is easily readable by anyone and goes into summary lists of warning and possible drug interactions.

At what this book is selling for, it's very cheap insurance for optimum health. While it is a bit out of date, it still has enough good meat to be very worthwhile.

I have owned the Natural Health Bible for several years and find it to be a reliable source for information regarding herbs, vitamins and supplements. Always answers my questions and keeps me informed.

A good reference book and one of the few I recommend to pet owners who want to learn about natural health care for themselves. This is the text I used and adapted for my own award-winning book. Super job!

Shawn Messonnier DVM

Author, 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats.

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This was the first book I purchased when I decided to "get into" herbs and supplements. I was looking for a concise, yet thorough, book of herbs and the ailments best treated by each. I wanted as much information as possible about the pros and cons of each herb, interactions and contradictions-not just a listing of the popular uses for each herb. While this book doesn't provide "how-to" recipes for salves, tinctures, teas, etc., it does give the beginner a great basis for understanding herbal uses and options in a very easy and user-friendly format. It has everything I was looking for in an herbal referenece book and it IS my bible. It has whet my appetite for more herbal reading material and possibly a career in herbal health. Recommend!!