36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting, but ultimately unscientific, January 17, 2002
This review is from: Omega 3 Oils: A Practical Guide (Paperback)
This book is essentially the published results of a study Donald O. Rudin did in the early 1980s. In this study, Rudin gave a group of forty-four patients high doses of flax oil and vitamin supplements for two years. His results: Most patients in the study showed health improvements in a variety of areas, including cardiovascular health, emotional disorders, immune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, joint and muscle problems, skin problems, and urinary tract problems. I recently read this book along with Andrew Stoll's The Omega-3 Condition in my ongoing search for better health and relief from persistant, nagging feelings of anxiety and depression. While Rudin's words and the results of his study give me great hope, my own experience with flax oil has not been as dramatic as the participants in his study. After a two months of taking a daily dose of flax oil (and fish oil, I might add), I have noticed that the dry skin in my eyebrows and ears has dissipated, but I have not noticed any anti-depressant, anti-anxiety effects while taking flax oil. Rudin's "modernization disease theory"--that most of the ailments plaguing us today, (i.e. cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and depression) are the result of dietary modifications in the last century, appeals to me on an emotional level. Also appealing to me is the idea that our modern healthcare system is totally monopolistic and based on dealing with problems that are not medical, but are more related to nutrition and lifestyle. However, I suppose that even if all of this is emotionally appealing to me, the science of Rudin's flax oil/omega-3 theory is probably not very valid. Overall, I think this book is interesting and well worth a read for anyone interested in nutrition.
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28 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but.., August 25, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Omega 3 Oils: A Practical Guide (Paperback)
This is a great book but it lacks scientific evidence and it rests it's theories on one experiment conducted by the author, the experiment itself was hardly done under the strict standards of the scientific community, he didn't even have a control group, by what is he comparing it with!! I can see why so many people can get sucked in by it but the empirical mind will see it for what it is. It does have intresting theories but with very little (if any ) concrete evidence.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very practical guide, August 27, 2005
This review is from: Omega 3 Oils: A Practical Guide (Paperback)
What I like most in this book is the very comprehensive review of many health conditions where supplementing the diet with food and products containing omega-3 essential fatty acids can make the difference. The recommendations of the book are based on an experimental forty-four patients study performed by the author in 1980 (at a time when little was known about essential fatty acids). Although since then research on the role of essential fatty acids has greatly expanded our knowledge, none of the more recent experiments undermines the previous recommendations of the book.
The book lists the best natural sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. A must-read book for everyone interested in learning the role the omega-3 essential fatty acid deficiency of the American diet plays in the multiple health deterioration afflicting so many Americans.
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