Book Reviews

Simply Woman by Crystal Andrus ISBN 1-4019-0517-x Hay House

"Simply Woman" can be a fascinating journey for any women who can devote 12 weeks of her life to spiritual, physical and mental transformation.

This wonderful book and DVD set includes 12 week meal plans, fat burning secrets and steps for living a more authentic life.

To gain the true benefits of Crystal Andrus's whole program, a true devotion to change in integral. This book can change you life!

- Angela Lions

Trust Your Vibes by Sonia Choquette ISBN 1-4019-0232-4 Hay House

Trust Your VibesIf you are one of those who repeatedly scolds yourself for not listening to your inner voice after disaster strikes, then this is the book for you. Often times our society suppresses our natural intuition -- labeling it superstition, paranoia or pure whimsy. "Trust Your Vibes" teaches readers how to reclaim their sixth sense -- the magical inner asset that so many of us have lost over our lives. Don't reject that niggling feeling in your belly again. Read "Trust Your Vibes" and learn to hear the voice of your inner wisdom.

- Angela Lions

Developing Your Intuition with Magic Mirrors by Uma Reed Richard Stodart ISBN 1-561-70-473-3 Hay House

Developing your Intuition with Magic Mirrors. Uma Reed has created a clever and fun tool for accessing your intuition. "Developing Your Intuition with Magic Mirrors" includes a 96 page book and a twelve card deck. Unlike Tarot cards the card reader interprets each card using their own intuition. The meaning of the cards shifts as the reader delves deeper and deeper into their subconscious. Reed has created a simple but powerful set of tools to inspire everyone to reach inside themselves for greater wisdom.

- Angela Lions

Aromatherapy Creating Fairy Garden Fragrances by Linda Gannon Illustrations by Dagmar Fahlau Story Books www.storey.com 1-58017-076-5

Creating Fairy Garden Fragrances. There is so much to love about this book, I don’t know where to start! Only sixty-four pages long it is filled with abundant information covering such areas as herb and flower lore, instructions for gathering and drying ingredients to choosing the right combination between flowers, herbs and essential oils. It contains the most delightful recipes for creating magical fragrant blends with whimsical names like Enchanted Forest, Pan’s Song and Midsummer Night’s Dream, each scent blend corresponding with a season.

Author Linda Gannon charms readers with an extensive list of fairy flora that can be used to make the many magical perfumes throughout the book with special emphasis to seasonal flora such as honeysuckle, sweet peas and pansies.

Perhaps the most enchanting element in Creating Fairy Garden Fragrances other than the fanciful names of the magical scents you can create, are the ethereal illustrations by Dagmar Fehlau. Totally enchanting for both the young, and the young-at-heart. You may even encounter a fairy or two!

- Katherine J. Turcotte, Reviewer Mind,Body,Spirit Magazine Online Romantic Times Book Club Magazine Bookpleasures.com Course Developer and Instructor: How to Become a Published Book Reviewer Column Author: Enchanted Wood Musings - A View From My Woods

What You Must Know About Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives by Jay S. Cohen, MD Square One Publishers 2005 0-7570-0257-9 $15.95 pp

What you Must Know about Statin Drugs & Their Natural AlternativesIf you or someone you know has elevated cholesterol, chances are your doctor will prescribe a statin medication such as Zocor or Lipitor. As patients we trust our doctors and are compliant, oft times asking few questions. We fear the effects of high cholesterol; a heart attack or stroke.

As many as 60-70% of people taking a statin drug will discontinue their treatment due to side effects, most which are preventable. Most of us are probably unaware that medication side effects are the 4th leading cause of death in America. As patients we have the right to questions our physician and we have the right to be advised of alternative natural therapies.

The usual statin dosage given to a patient is very likely to be too strong, especially if given to a woman, senior, or those with medication sensitivities. Plainly, the dosage of this medication is not in sync with the individual patient.

Jay Cohen has written a book that has been meticulously researched and documented from a myriad of sources. What You Must Know About Statin Drugs & Their Natural Alternatives provides sound evidence- based knowledge on proven strategies to reduce cholesterol by using a combination of traditional and alternative therapies.

There lies much uncharted territory in the studies of cardiovascular disease both in causes and prevention. Patients need to take an active part in their healthcare and they need to be educated consumers. We all need to assert our rights as patients and ask more questions. We deserve to get honest answers. My Rx to anyone who is concerned about their cholesterol, statin medications, and alternatives to conventional treatment is to read this book and recommend that your doctor read it also.

- Katherine J. Turcotte Copyright 2005

Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress and Fear into Vibrance, Strength and Love by Judith Orloff, M.D. Harmony Books, April 2004

POSITIVE ENERGY is destined to become a classic in the field of energy medicine and health because author Dr. Judith Orloff is meeting the needs of a culture that is rapidly becoming more intuitively and energetically aware. In her book, she shows you how to tap into the positive energy flow in your body and in your life as well as how to protect yourself from "energy vampires" who can sap you dry.

As an energy psychiatrist who is also a medical intuitive, Dr. Judith Orloff draws upon years of clinical experience and a rich interior life to map out the many kinds of energy that impact our lives. POSITIVE ENERGY presents ten chapters that Orloff calls "prescriptions," each one focused on a central life current, such as creativity, sexuality, relationships, and expanding personal intuitive practices. Throughout the book, she describes her practice of energy psychiatry, a field Orloff has pioneered which incorporates intuition, the body’s subtle energies and mainstream medicine to provide fresh solutions for everything from depression to "technodespair," a term Orloff coined to describe burnout from emails, faxes, and phones. Woven into every chapter are case histories of patients Orloff has worked in addition to intimate examples from her personal life-- including lessons learned from her own energy crash. Plus there are grounded suggestions for self-care. It’s very easy to offer advice in a book – try this, do that and with a little determination – poof, all is well. In contrast, Orloff’s approach is compassionately demanding. First she defines each category of energy. Then she clearly describes how easily a person can become energetically depleted by the stresses of life and discusses the emotional and psychological consequences. Nearly every page has an exercise or concrete suggestion that draws the reader into self-examination and perhaps more importantly, into action.

Of particular interest are Dr. Orloff’s descriptions of "intuitive empaths." These are people who, like herself, are often labeled as " overly sensitive" from childhood and tend to absorb the negative energy and pain of others into their bodies. This can cause tremendous exhaustion, chronic fatigue, and depression. As Orloff states, the problem is that traditional physicians have no knowledge of subtle energy--so they can’t accurately diagnose this relevant medical issue. Some empaths become obese to protect themselves from negative vibes; others experience panic attacks in crowds because of the intense energetic overload. Empaths are often labeled as "hypochondriacs" and run from doctor to doctor with " mystery symptoms" without getting help. In addition Orloff says that empaths often have trouble with intimate relationships because they easily feel engulfed by a partner’s needs or energy field—that’s why so many stay single. POSITIVE ENERGY gives empaths practical solutions in the areas of health and relationships. It teaches them techniques to safeguard their personal space and energy fields so they don’t absorb negative vibes like a sponge or feel constantly overwhelmed by a partner or the world.

Orloff also devotes a section of POSITIVE ENERGY to energy vampires, those people who drain our energy. Here’s the scenario: You’re talking to one, then suddenly you start feeling sapped, anxious, or sick. We’ve all known our share of energy vampires. Orloff describes the sob sister, the drama queen, the blamer, the go-for-the carotid type. But it’s not enough to know who they are. Orloff gives you strategies for dealing with each type such as setting boundaries, shielding yourself with light, and breathing negative energy out the back of your spine. Learning these skills are essential if you want to keep your energy high.

Following each chapter in the book are interviews that Orloff conducted with celebrities such as Naomi Judd and Larry King, who offer their own wisdom about the chapter’s topic. Naomi Judd confronted Hepatitis C, for example, and describes her healing journey with tremendous warmth and inspiration. Quincy Jones tells how his intuition expanded after two brain surgeries. Jamie Lee Curtis shares how she protects herself from energy vampires. These interviews are great fun and give you an inside look into the care with which these well known people treat their energy.

For every one interested in energetic health and well-being, POSITIVE ENERGY is a must read. You can read it cover to cover or go specifically to chapters that address your immediate energy needs. In the end, this book fulfills it’s promise by teaching you to "transform fatigue, stress and fear into vibrance, strength, and love." It is a comprehensive energetic text book that speaks to our contemporary evolving energetic culture.

For more information about Dr. Orloff and Positive Energy visit www.drjudithorloff.com

- Caroline Myss Author of Sacred Contracts and Anatomy of the Spirit

The Louise Hay Gift Book Collection by Louise L. Hay Hay House 1-4019-0039-9

Louise Hay's Gift Book Collections contains three of her most beautiful and memorable books. The collection includes "You Can Heal Your Life" which shows readers that healing is possible when you commit your mental energy and powers of positive thinking to the healing process. This volume is accompanied by the "You Can Health Your Life Companion Book, a beautifully crafted collection of techniques and exercises to inspire reader's positive thinking and self-love. Many of these artistically designed pages contain space for readers thoughts and ideas -- a means to explore our beliefs about the world around us. Finally, the third title in the collection is "Meditations To Heal Your Life." Hay's poetically written meditations and affirmations are sure to awaken every reader's spirit to the possibility of creative change and invigorated health. Three gems in one box! Truly inspiring!

- Jeni Mayer

Life Lessons & Reflections by Montel Williams Hay House ISBN -- 1-58825-001-6

"Life Lessons and Reflections" is a collection of profoundly moving passages that have assisted the author in his fight again Multiple Sclerosis. All of the passages, whether from from the late Eleanor Roosevelt and Edgar Allen Poe or from Louise Hay or Williams himself, is steeped in comfort, wisdom and inspiration for anyone who is facing adversity. A little book to be savored in a very big way.

- Jeni Mayer

Archangels & Ascended Masters by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. ISBN 1-4019-0063-1 Hay House

I've been a huge fan of clairvoyant and psychologist, Doreen Virtue, since I first picked up her "Earth Angels" book in 2002. That simple little book opened my life to angels and allowed me to see that I too played an angelic role in this material plane of existence. "A Guide to Working and Healing with Divinities and Deities. Archangels and Ascended Masters" is yet another book by Virtue that furthered my knowledge of angels and the role they could play in my life if I chose to let them in -- to listen for their quiet and comforting voices.

Written in encyclopedia format, "A Guide to Working and Healing with Divinities and Deities. Archangels and Ascended Masters" lists 77 divinities and tells their history, the roles they play today and how each of them can help us with specific life problems. Virtue even includes instructions for calling each Angel as they are needed. A truly angelic read!

- Jeni Mayer

Spellbinding by Claudia Blaxell ISBN 1-56170-869-0 Hay House

More and more people are coming to understand that intention and personal will power have a great deal to do with our health, wealth and overall well being. Claudia Blaxell's "Spellbinding" is a poetically rich manifestation of this growing ideology. The book includes instruction for creating a magical life and ever occasion that life may contain. This is a fantastic first book by Australian writer Claudia Blaxell, a researcher, writer and author of modern esoteric thought.

- Jeni Mayer