Customer Reviews

Weight Loss : An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide

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Burton Goldberg emphasizes that his newest book, Weight Loss: 17 Smart Ways to Permanently Shed Unwanted Pounds, is not just another diet book. It's about improving your health by learning to eat in a balanced way. Well-known in the field of alternative medicine, Goldberg says that "unlike the countless fad diets, alternative medicine recognizes that one size does not fit all." Each person is different, with different biochemistry, and has gained weight for different reasons.

Goldberg starts with a general discussion of diets and why they don't work for most people. He describes some of the serious health problems associated with being overweight, and explains what causes weight gain in general terms.

He then gets into specific information about those causes. He discusses things like what is eaten and how often you eat, the role of exercise, psychology (eating as a response to stress or boredom, etc.), and chemical imbalances, such as those caused by an underactive thyroid, hormones, allergies, yeast infections, and parasites.

Goldberg explains how to customize a diet to fit your needs, including basic information on the components of food, like fats and carbohydrates, the role of nutritional supplements, and alternative medicine therapies for correcting chemical imbalances. He also includes information on detoxification.

The format of the book allows readers to easily turn to the pages that apply to their particular situations. Medical words and special terminology are clarified in "Quick Definition" boxes in the margins. Whenever a test or procedure is suggested, contact information in included in a box on that page.

Goldberg says his book "is less about dieting and more about regaining a state of health--good health is the key to weight loss." For all those who believe they have tried everything, but haven't been able to maintain a healthy weight, Weight Loss is a "guide to finding a personal plan that you can live with."

I've struggled most of my adult life with the same 30 pounds that I never quite seemed to lose until reading this book. This book gave me the tools to understand my weight problem at a level beyond counting calories or following the latest fad diet.

This book contains a wealth of information about how the body functions; contributing factors to weight loss/gain; an overview of all the popular weight loss programs; and valuable resources if you want to follow-up any of the ideas or programs.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a great, informative book that is very different from other diet books. Instead of touting just one "miracle diet" that works for everyone, it provides detailed chapters on leading diet programs and theories (low-carb diets v. other diets, fast-burner v. slow-burner, hormones, enzymes, intestinal problems, blood typing, candida, food allergies, etc.) It answered a lot of my questions about Atkins, allergies, etc. The authors remain objective throughout. They are also extremely helpful in providing information on how to contact professionals familiar with each type of diet. I've read many diet books and this one is the best at helping each reader decide which type of diet might be best for them. The only criticism I have is that it can be a bit confusing and overly scientific at times - but I'd rather have too much information than too little! I recommend this book to anyone interested in weight loss and nutrition.

EVERYONE should be forced to read this book concerning their health, regardless of their weight. It's about your health, and how what you don't know CAN hurt you. People need to know if their livers, kidneys, or colons are filled with toxins and are virtually breaking down their body systems day by day, for years, causing everything from cancer to depression and anxiety. This book is FULL of information, from MANY TOP ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE DOCTORS, all giving their opinions and experiences. I found it fascinating....and inspiring!

Great book with lots of useful information about losing weight naturally, including information on easy ways to detox your liver and intestines.

This book isn't really just about losing weight.
It shows you how to eat right, herbs that can help, and fasting.
I got it originally out at the library and couldn't put it down.
I had to buy it!!
You will love this if you enjoy health.

There are some interesting ideas in this book, but it is far too difficult to figure out which recommendations are safe and will work as promised. The book includes methods to diagnose (questionable) medical conditions that lead to weight gain along with advice on ways to deal with the condition. The diagnosis often requires ordering self-administered medical tests through various mail-order companies or having a test done by a doctor. I haven't tried, but I think my doctor would resist if I requested stool analysis for parasites, iridology (study of the iris of the eye), or electrodermal screening. I am concerned that someone might try to self-diagnose whether the cause of his/her weight problem is a yeast infection, toxic liver, toxic colon, or toxic lymph with normal or questionable medical tests, and then spend a fortune to fix it with potentially harmful supplements or regiments. For example, one program to detoxify the liver includes drinking "as much apple juice or cider as possible" for five days while following your usual diet, and then drinking 2 teaspoons Epson salt in water and 1/2 cup of olive oil (960 calories!) on day six and another 2 teaspoons Epson salt on day seven. It does not say to check with a doctor first and there are no warnings about hypertension.

Some of the suggestions are interesting and may even work, but many of them seem questionable and downright dangerous. The trouble is knowing which ones are worth trying, which ones are harmful, and which ones are a waste of money. Initially, I was intrigued because this book included information and advice beyond the standard "eat less and exercise more," but I become very concerned about the reliability of any of the information when so much of it was wacky.