Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life (Hardcover)

~ Mark Hyman (Author), (Author) "How knowledgeable are you about today's medicine?..." (more)
Key Phrases: impaired detoxification, white menace, organ reserve, Canyon Ranch, United States, New England Journal of Medicine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Any program promising better health is only as good as the work you put into it, but Ultraprevention authors Mark Liponis and Mark Hyman, co-directors of medicine at Canyon Ranch, have designed their program so that not everyone must follow every little detail to the letter. Their six-week program is divided into three stages, but you can decide which suggestions will help speed you towards your goals. They begin by simplifying illness and reducing the various causes to five possible categories: Burnout (metabolism), Heat (inflammation), Rust (presence of free radicals or absence of antioxidants), Sludge (nutrition), and Waste (poor detoxification). These five categories are individually complex, but it's not at all difficult to find a few simple steps to take in the direction of healthier living. Some choices--filtering drinking water via reverse osmosis, improving your sleeping habits, or choosing specific supplements to add to your daily regimen--are quick and painless. Others, such as weaning yourself off prescription medications (like anti-inflammatories) and replacing the drugs with micronutrients, are best done in consultation with your own physician. Balancing general suggestions with a deep understanding that people vary greatly in their habits, Liponis and Hyman present a range of possibilities for every age and level of fitness while simultaneously addressing the specific needs of particular illnesses. While the terminology is potentially overwhelming to total novices in complimentary medicine, the book offers clear and excellent possibilities for those who are willing to look outside the box for improved health. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Bets are on that pharmaceutical companies are not fans of doctors Mark Hyman and Mark Liponis, co-medical directors of Canyon Ranch, a practice affiliated with Harvard University. Their fact-packed book presents a convincing argument that most prescription and over-the-counter medications do nothing more than treat the symptoms of sickness, ignoring the root cause of illnesses like asthma, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. They also blame pharmaceutically indoctrinated doctors for neglecting their duty to examine the real causes of illness in their patients. "If you have high blood pressure," they remark, "Doctors give you a high blood pressure pill, instead of trying to figure out why you might have high blood pressure in the first place." In lieu of such quick fixes, Hyman and Liponis suggest a plan of far-reaching life-style changes that combat "the five forces of illness" (i.e., malnutrition, impaired metabolism, inflammation, impaired detoxification and oxidative stress). For example, instead of treating arthritis with commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs that can "burn a hole in your stomach, your kidneys, or your liver" they suggest taking nutritional supplements like glucosamine and chondrotin. But Hyman and Liponis's six-week Ultra-Prevention Plan can be a bit overwhelming-one of its first steps requires that readers install a reverse osmosis water filter in their kitchens. It may be that only true believers, or otherwise very dedicated folks, will be determined enough to practice Hyman and Liponis's prescription for good health.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (September 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743227115
• ISBN-13: 978-0743227117
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #364,689 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

311 of 346 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars All good stuff but nothing new, March 11, 2004

By	Justus Pendleton (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ultraprevention : The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life (Audio Cassette)

I give this book a low rating not because anything in it is bad per se, only that there is nothing all that great in it either. It is broken into three sections. The first two basically discuss their theory of disease along with anecdotes from their practice. While all of this is certainly interesting you're probably reading this book for its practical application to your life. So a story about someone's drug interaction and how the doctor's diagnosed it isn't particularly relevant unless you happen to have the same weird biochemistry that that patient had.

The third section contains the practical applications of everything they've talked about up to this point and this is where the disappointment sets in. I have two complaints:

One, in the previous two sections they mentioned numerous medical tests (e.g. checking homocystein levels or measuring metabolic performance) as being useful for diagnosing your overall health. Yet in this section there is no mention of these tests. Which ones should I ask my doctor to perform? How often should I have them performed?

Two, and this is the killer, nothing they have to say is new or different. Almost the same exact advice regarding diet and exercise is contained in my 10 year old copy of a book by the guy who did Abs of Steel. If you haven't paid *ANY* attention to health and diet literature over the past decade then what they have to say might be new to you and so the book is useful for that. But at this point you can pick up most diet and nutrition books that aren't focused on a single fad diet and they'll contain the same advice: exercise (both aerobic and resistance) regularly, watch out for foods with a high glycemic index, cut out sugars, caffeine, and alcohol, minimize your animal and large fish protein and fat consumption, avoid overly processed foods, eat lots of colorful vegetables high in antioxidants, get plenty of sleep, lower your stress, laugh, enjoy life.

Yes, their plan will make you healthier if you can follow it. But their plan isn't any different from what most health books have been suggesting for at least a decade and most people haven't been following their advice.

There is nothing *wrong* with this book and if you aren't familiar with modern diet, exercise, and nutrition advice it is a fine place to start. But if you are familiar with such things you won't find anything new in here that you can apply to your life.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't knock it till you've tried it., November 29, 2003

By A Customer

My husband and I transformed our life through Ultraprevention. And we've completed only part of what is recommended so far. We are gradually continuing on the path because it works. As patients of doctors Liponis and Hyman, it is hard to overstate their genuine caring and desire to help their patients live as fully as possible. How terrific that everyone can try their program through this book, not just those fortunate enough to be able to go to Canyon Ranch. The most important points we've learned from our experience: 1) Take charge of your own health. You cannot count on today's harrassed, malpractice-threatened, inappropriately incented doctors to do it for you. Even those with the best of intentions are hamstrung by the system. 2) The smallest steps in the right direction can bring significant rewards. The program is not overwhelming and complex when you think of it incrementally. Just take one bite at a time -- it's not an all or nothing exercise.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Well for Good, January 14, 2004

By A Customer

If you'd like to get off your prescription medications, break free from fatigue, and experience true wellness, read Ultraprevention... then follow the six-week path to good health. Full of stories about real people, the book is interesting and engaging... an easy weekend read.

Authors Hyman and Liponis are both U.S.-trained physicians who write frankly about the strengths and weaknesses of our "health care" system. One is a cancer survivor, cured by the drugs and surgery of Western medicine, who was left wondering how he could ever have gotten so sick in the first place. The other had a knee that was deemed unfixable by Western medicine, but he found a cure through Chinese remedies. Both came out of their experiences determined to find a better approach for their patients.

After reading this book, I'm convinced that our "health care" system is really a "sick care" system, because of the way it isolates and treat illnesses rather than seeking to treat the root cause of our problems. Of course, we have a capitalist health care industry in which the profits come not from healing people, but from treating them. And we live in a quick-fix culture. And most of our food is tainted with pesticides, antibiotics, and artificial hormones. That can't be good. (As if all that disgusting information on mad cow disease isn't enough!)

So I'm changing the way I'm buying and preparing food (no more hydrogenated anything ever!), I've joined a gym, and I'm already feeling lots better. My 10-year-old son is off steroids, and continues to show great improvement with acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy. Many "chronic" conditions really can be cured, and this book is a great start to finding out how. There really is a better way!