Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

A three week weight-loss plan? That is just what this book is. But it is really much more than that; it is a journey to healthier living, using a buddy to help you through. This book starts off by giving you tips in finding the right friend and partner to go on this journey with you. It even gives you a Healthier Lifestyle Partnership Agreement for each of you to fill out. It then follows by giving you The Daily Plan, The Weekly Plan, Loving Your Body, Exercise and everything else you need to follow this exciting plan. This is an altogether different outlook on losing weight. There are so many neat things in this book that I hadn’t thought of before. These two ladies break it all down into simple steps that make the journey so much easier. And with this plan, you don’t need help from any of those expensive weight loss programs. All of your help comes from your partner. There is one thing though, you both have to be completely honest with each other for this to really work. The letters these ladies wrote to each other show the support they gave each other. And another bonus you will get following this plan is a special, much closer friendship with your weight-loss partner.

"1 Weight Loss Plan, 2 Friends, 3 Weeks" is a little book with a powerful plan. I have read it, and I plan to re-read it and find a friend to follow this journey with me! Everything about this plan is good, so I encourage you to pick up a copy and try it for yourself.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

"Improve Your Wellness Quotient in 28 Days: A 4 Week Wellness Program" is designed to help you achieve optimal health one day at a time. Lakshmi Narayani's work makes self-improvement something anyone can work at without making major changes to their lives. There are 28 different Wellness Enablers that help with your physical fitness, psychological health, emotional fulfillment and spiritual satisfaction. At the end of the text, there are weekly and monthly scorecards for marking down each day's Wellness Enabler with room for comments. There is also an additional 28 days of Wellness Enabler included which could easily allow you to extend your Wellness Program further.

I smiled as I read this book. I had expected this would be exactly like the usual wellness prescriptions but that was not at all the case with "Improve Your Wellness Quotient". The Wellness Enablers are fun and, for the most part, easily accomplished. Narayani's presentation of each enabler is inspirational and open-ended. There is never the sense that the author is telling you to do something a certain way; instead, there is more of a gentle nudge showing you how you can expand or improve your life, health and wellness. While some suggestions may be more appealing than others (I, for one, shudder at the thought of de-cluttering), there are so many simple and practical things to promote wellness, such as an hour spent in a park, coffee with a friend or playing with your pet. Who knew wellness could be so much fun?

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

Breaking Thru the Fibro Fog starts off describing Fibromyalgia (FM) in detail: what it is, what it is not, the symptoms, how to expect to feel, how FM is diagnosed and false things that have been said widespread about the disease. The second part is twelve chapters about Fibromyalgia being real, and the scientific reasons to back this up. The third and last part is about the Trauma and Disability of FM.

I chose this book to review because I suffer with FM, and I am always looking for new information to read. This book is a good choice for the FM patient because of the wealth of information included. The First Chapter is really informative about every aspect of the disease. The author's details of how's and why's of FM help the reader understand more clearly what is happening in the body with this disease. This book is very user friendly for the doctor, patient and even insurance companies and lawyers dealing with patients who have FM.

But the book is most important for the scientific evidence proved here in these pages that FM is indeed a disease. Many who suffer with FM have been ridiculed by friends and family, as well as doctors and lawyers because of their complaints of symptoms of FM. I found it interesting that the millions that suffer with FM all have very similar symptoms, meaning that there is no way all of these people are not making up the same symptoms. If you have FM or know someone who has it, please purchase a copy of this great book and read it!

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Gautam Soparkar, author of The Quick and Easy Sleep Apnea Book, focuses specifically on sleep apnea: the description, the diagnosis, and the treatment. This disorder is associated with high blood pressure and heart disease. Most people with sleep apnea snore and are overweight. The disorder can affect you throughout the day by causing you to be sleepy and feel as though your brain is in a fog. The American Sleep Apnea Association offers six questions to help you determine whether you need to be checked for sleep apnea.

Soparkar discusses the three types of Sleep Apnea and uses illustrations to explain each. At the end of each chapter he reviews the main points. He describes a sleep study, its purpose and how one is conducted. He lists the lifestyle changes that can help with the problem: lose weight, stop smoking, avoid sleeping pills, avoid alcohol, and avoid sleeping on your back. While there are many ways to treat Sleep Apnea, a CPAP machine is the most effective.

Gautam Soparkar takes the mystery out of sleep apnea. He uses simple and easy to understand terms as well as illustrations so that a layman can comprehend the disorder. This book is a fantastic resource tool for patients and physicians. I suggest physicians give their patients a copy of this book or at least recommend it. He clearly stresses that sleep apnea goes along with several other health risks.

Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite

This book piqued my interest the moment I saw it for two reasons: 1) I love tomatoes; and 2) I'm overweight. Author Joanna Cameron takes a unique approach to weight loss. She encourages us to have a conversation with our unconscious mind and to make it our best friend. According to Cameron, too many of us "eat emotionally to fill a void in our heart and soul...and diets do not work because they don't address the underlying emotional causes of an eating problem." It is only by reaching our unconscious mind that we can ferret out the negative emotions that cause us to overeat.

This is not a diet book but is considered to be an action plan. There are assignments and MP3 downloads to assist the reader in discovering why they overeat. Cameron teaches the reader to use self-hypnosis to reach the unconscious mind.

There are seven major steps to Cameron's plan:
1. I get started today. I take action.
2. I take responsibility for where I am today.
3. I take inventory of where I am today.
4. I set one-month goals in the health and fitness area of my life.
5. I let go of limiting decisions and negative emotions from the past.
6. I celebrate reaching my one month goal.
7. I set long term goals in every area of my life.

I'm impressed with Cameron's book because she backs up her statements with examples and testimonies. She also includes a lot of information from well-known doctors such as Milton Erickson and Sigmund Freud. I've been hypnotized in three comedy acts. The first two were pleasant experiences, but I was mortified by my actions at the last one. However, this is proof to me that a person can be hypnotized. I also remember feeling extremely relaxed after the session, and I was able to sleep like a baby. I plan to reread this book and use the MP3. I highly recommend Forget Diets, Plant Tomatoes.

Reviewed by Author Anna del C. Dye for Readers' Favorite

This isn't just any cooking book. It has facts about the many things we eat and inadvertently put in our bodies. Many say food is to keep us alive. Thienna Ho has found that it is much more than that. Food is that which helps us live productive and healthy lives. We are what we eat and if we eat junk, our body will reflect this fact. Our hair, skin and energy will suffer if we are not giving our body the right kinds of food. Not only our inner and outer bodies will suffer but also our minds. When we are not healthy our minds too cloud up, and we have a hard time concentrating and making decisions.

In Cooking on the Light Side, the author will teach you, in easy understandable ways, the many facts that surround our food. Then she will help you learn how to get more for your money.

For example, did you know that a study conducted by the University of Missouri reveals that one brand of bottled water contains chemicals that stimulate division in cancer cells? 38 of them contain: coli form bacteria, ammonia, benzene, cyanide, and lead, to name a few toxins. Also, did you know that your tap water could contain 260 contaminants, of which 52 are linked to cancer, 41 are considered hazards to healthy reproduction, 36 are believed to impair development, and 16 are linked with dysfunction of the immune system?

How can you help your body to be healthy? Thienna Ho has found that a diet high in sulfur keeps the body strong and healthy. This greatly helps the oxygen get into your body. I have always known that oxygen is one of the most important components in my body. Where and how I get it should be a major concern for me.

So is this diet hard to follow? The food is easy to find, and it will give you a variety of vegetables that you probably don't know how to use. This is a great opportunity to try something new. The recipes are included with color pictures to get your mouth watering. Give this book a try and your body will thank you. Recommended to Young adults and adults alike.

Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite

"Yoga In No Time At All" takes Yoga to a new level. Joel DiGirolamo takes the excuses out of this form of exercise by bringing it into our everyday life. In his own words, “This book is about meeting people where they are in their busy lives and bringing them a taste of yoga with the hope that it will improve their lives in some measure, and perhaps even get them onto a yoga mat”. If you`re getting a book off of a shelf, petting your cat, or brushing your teeth, you can, simultaneously, hold a Yoga pose.

I admit that I hate traditional exercise. By following the simple poses, I can strengthen my body. I actually enjoyed the poses and felt better afterward. I found Yoga to be a good stress reliever. My posture, balance, strength and flexibility have improved since following DiGirolamo’s suggestions. Hatha Yoga incorporates proper breathing and posture. I have asthma and found that I breathe much easier after my yoga session. Most of my day is spent at the computer. There are even poses that can be done in front of the computer.

This book is for everyone. DiGirolamo makes it easy. I am very short and had to modify some of the poses to meet my needs. “Yoga is not about every pose. Yoga is about making a connection with your body, mind, and soul. It is truly about the journey, and not the destination." "Yoga In No Time At All" is well organized. The photos assist the reader in assuming the proper stances. Well done, Mr. DiGirolamo!

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Muriel L. Crawford’s book Smoking: 201 Reasons To Quit should be mandatory reading. She covers the many reasons why people should quit smoking. She discusses illnesses and the hazards to the whole body. When we hear the word smoking we automatically think of lung cancer but smoking is a contributing factor of many other health related problems including strokes, aneurysms, and heart disease. Lung cancer is just one of the many cancers caused by smoking. Smokers tend toward hearing loss, insomnia, sinus infections, snoring, and sexual problems. If you are a smoker you are exposing your family, friends and me to health hazards. Smoking affects how you look. No matter how clean you are you still give off the smell of smoke. Crawford offers 201 reasons to quit smoking, each reason has been presented in a rational, logical, easy to understand manner.

My 74 year old father has smoked since he was 8 years old. Three years ago he was diagnosed with emphysema. It has not stopped him from smoking. I know of at least 5 times he has successfully stopped…temporarily. One time he went two years without a cigarette but the lure of nicotine beckoned him. If he had never started smoking he wouldn’t be smoking now. My sister and I both have asthma which I attribute to the years of a home and car filled with smoke. I love my dad and have begged him to quit but the addiction is stronger than love

Smoking: 201 Reasons To Quit has a foreword by Jack Klugman. I am one of his biggest fans. Klugman was a heavy smoker for 40 years. In 1974 he had repeated laryngitis. He was diagnosed with a precancerous condition of his vocal cords. It was a warning that Klugman did not heed. In 1989 he was diagnosed with invasive throat cancer. Today he is cancer free! Klugman readily admits that his smoking contributed to his cancer.