Reviewed By Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT by Dr James Manning is a powerful book with a message that will undoubtedly help millions of people battling their “black dogs” of depression. “Black Dog” has been used before by writers to describe the symptoms of depression, and, in this book, the author uses it in a very creative way. It is very interesting to see how he introduces a kind of interaction between the reader and these symptoms, by carefully using the symbol of the “Black Dog” and portraying how it reacts to the different responses and scenarios.

Dr James Manning’s book is very informational, written in a simple style, with most of the psychological jargon that could make reading complicated to the average reader cut out completely. Starting from the way the mind works, the author leads the reader to powerful truths about depression and its symptoms and how to handle them. Readers will understand why what they have been doing to combat depression doesn’t work. They will understand the way their “Black Dog” operates, and create the best strategy to combat stress, keep depression at bay, allay their fears, and regain emotional health and freedom.

How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT has a very direct sub-title that indicates what readers will find in the book: "Accessible CBT techniques, CBT principles, CBT worksheets, and on-line CBT resources for depression in a nutshell." This book is a great tool for professionals working with people with emotional problems and those battling depression. It comes with many tools that can be accessed online. This is a book for everyone who wants to achieve inner freedom and keep their sanity amidst the stress and challenges of today’s competitive work environment.

Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Thirty Days to Natural Blood Pressure Control by David DeRose MD MPH, Greg Steinke MD MPH, and Trudie Li MSN FNP is a timely health tool that can change the lives of millions of people. High blood pressure is a perennial problem and, as I write this, I am well aware that mine isn’t normal. The competitive work environments, the unhealthy habits, and the stress that come with our contemporary culture are strong factors that fuel high blood pressure in individuals. This book is an invaluable tool for people with high blood pressure. Starting off with a general overview of hypertension and its ill effects it has on human beings, the authors move quickly to offer solutions that combine modern medical science and holistic therapies.

Written by experts in the field, Thirty Days to Natural Blood Pressure Control rings with great authority. The message of the book is very clear, and the writers use their backgrounds in medicine, anecdotes, and personal experiences to corroborate the powerful points they make. There is no denying that this is a work that has been perfected through practice. The writing is clear and very accessible; the authors have done a great job by avoiding any jargon that could make the message difficult for their readers. This is the kind of book that everyone should read because it contains therapies that will help readers prevent blood pressure, cure it, and eliminate its effects on their lives. You should read this informative and groundbreaking work if you are looking for a successful fight against high blood pressure.

Reviewed By Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

Opioids, alcohol, and prescription drugs used in moderation can help in several ways for pain relief and relaxation, but in excess these can become an addiction. Why would people risk their lives and their well-being for prescription drugs or another drink? It's not them personally; the signals that their brain gives off is the cause of their addiction. An addiction is the dependence on a legal or illegal drug, substance or medication. The Craving Brain: Science, Spirituality and the Road to Recovery by Dr. W. Anderson Spickard Jr., James B., and Barbara Thompson is a candid account of how the brain signals cravings that stimulate addictions. The Craving Brain: Science, Spirituality and the Road to Recovery is a self-help guide that provides the reader with everything that they will need to know about addiction and how to start the healing process. In The Craving Brain, you will learn a lot about how addiction can be genetically susceptible and be passed on from one generation to the next, the negative effects of addiction including abuse, and learn the symptoms of addicted behavior. Whether you or a loved one are struggling with some type of addiction, understand that you are not alone and that The Craving Brain can help you to become fully equipped with a comprehensive solution to the problem.

To fully understand the value that The Craving Brain brings, the book was developed and told from various sides. In The Craving Brain, a recovery addict tells about his journey into the world of cocaine and alcohol; Dr. W. Anderson Spickard Jr., a recognized expert in the field of addiction and substance abuse, gives his advice and input on the patients that have been in his care, and author Barbara Thompson has the expertise in putting the finishing touches on a story and bringing it to life. Immediately upon reading the Table of Contents, you are hit with section titles like Heavy Drinking: A Trap At Any Age; Like Father, Like Son; It Will Never Happen To Me; The Family Trap; Surrender to Win and Sustaining Recovery. Within seconds you want to learn, read and understand more about addiction and substance abuse. Addiction and substance abuse have a catastrophic effect not only on the individuals, but on their families, the community, the healthcare system and our tax dollars. People can overcome addiction and substance abuse, but it takes a lot of work and effort. With your own copy of The Craving Brain: Science, Spirituality and the Road to Recovery by Dr. W. Anderson Spickard Jr., James B., and Barbara Thompson, it can make the path to recovery easier.

Reviewed By Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite

As the name suggests, The Bi-Polar Express by Ela and Natasha Simon is a book that throws light on how the life of a family is affected by depression and other mental instabilities. Ela, in the first half of the book, expresses the point of view of the mother of a daughter who is suffering from bipolar disorder. The life of a mental patient is difficult as it is; however, the caretaker of the patient, especially if he/she is a family member, goes through an overwhelming journey themselves. They often end up requiring some help to keep them sane. This is what happens when Natasha, the daughter of the author, is diagnosed with ADHD. Even before she was diagnosed, Ela and her husband, Peter, knew that there was something different about her. Natasha was always restless, sometimes utterly active and multitasking; on the contrary, sometimes hopelessly depressed. Although making friends was difficult for her, keeping them was a bigger task. Picking up the signal that she was not wanted was always hard for her. So, she would try her best to keep these "friends" in her life, not realising that she was being played by these people. When she realized the reality, she would be heartbroken. In these moments, only her family and she would be left to pick up the pieces. Ela's struggle to keep up with Natasha's manic episodes, and her desire to keep her daughter happy are well depicted in the first part of the book.

The second part of the book, which is written by Natasha, gives readers an insight into Natasha's side of the story. I have often wondered about how the entire picture changes based on the perception of the audience. This proved to be true from the second half of the book. For instance, according to Ela, Natasha was coming on too strong and thus many of the guys whom she assumed were "The One" ran away; however, when I read this part in Natasha's own words, I realized that she knew when a relationship was over. She could understand it clearly from the guy's behavior, but she chose to hold on because of her undying faith in love. While reading Natasha's version of her life, I developed strong feelings for her. I felt protective of her, which doesn't happen very often. Nevertheless, while reading Ela's part, I could not help but respect her every step of the way. Of course, a mother's love is above every other love, but, in Ela's case, she actually proved her limitless love for her daughter even when Natasha pushed buttons that Ela didn't even know existed.

The interactive style of writing of both the authors is extremely entertaining. From the first chapter to the end, I became a part of the world of Ela and Natasha. I connected with both of them on so many levels. Although the subject of the book is quite emotional, the book is far from it. The authors have ensured that the book doesn't become a dark universe, where readers would only see the darkness. They have kept the mood light and introduced many light-hearted events as well. I learned a lot about bipolar disorder and have developed more empathy towards its patients and their families. I would recommend this book to readers who wish to know more about mental problems or who have, in any way, been in contact with its patients. Also, readers who are intrigued by well-written memoirs should give this book a try. I loved everything about the book.

Reviewed By Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Thank God I Got Cancer: I'm Not a Hypochondriac Anymore! by Angelina Assanti can aptly be described as hilarious, a rare gift to cancer patients and those who take care of people suffering with terminal illnesses. There are lots of books out there to educate readers on how to live with cancer and with cancer patients and sometimes people don’t need those. Award-winning author Assanti seems to remind readers that there is a time to take life less seriously, to laugh it out, and this book clearly shows that humor can be the path to embracing any kind of situation. The author leads readers through her personal experience, from the time she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in July, 2015, through the different moments of her treatment, to offer insights on what it takes to live with cancer.

Thank God I Got Cancer: I'm Not a Hypochondriac Anymore! by Angelina Assanti is a powerful tool anyone can use to transform a curse into a blessing, and the author offers a lambent light that can guide patients and those living with them toward hope. This book will also help anyone understand the emotional and psychological changes that take place in the lives of cancer patients as they struggle to come to grips with the reality of the monster eating their life away. Assanti's prose is beautiful and she knows how to connect with readers through her masterful use of humor. This book offers a whole new approach to living with cancer, and anyone with any kind of terminal illness will benefit from her insights and wisdom. This is a book that will entertain you and put a smile on your face, even in the heart of harrowing grief, a book to be read and shared.

Reviewed By Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Other Medicine That Really Works: How Energy Medicine Can Help You Heal in Body, Mind, and Spirit by Heidi DuPree RN CTN is a profound and uplifting book that speaks about a holistic way of healing and transforming lives. The book speaks about energy healing grounded in traditions, and is something that has been in existence for a long time. The author witnessing the unfolding of another human being is indeed a very enriching experience to read, and through the book she guides readers to explore the nature of life and the lost knowledge of health and healing. The healing journey in the book provides insights about the mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well being that leads to living a fulfilling and enriching existence.

There is a lot from this book that can be incorporated into one’s life and put into practice without much difficulty. The case histories, methodologies, techniques, the author’s own experiences, and the truth that the power to heal and transform comes from within are also inspirational, encouraging readers to look into their lives and make the required changes. Embracing compassion and self acceptance are important tools on one’s journey to healing and recovery, and the author speaks about their importance in the book. The topic of Chakras is quite enlightening and informative and shows how energy systems determine the formation of our beings. This book encourages readers to try out new healing techniques like meditation, homeopathy and many other healing methods, and to find their own path to personal healing by choosing what suits them the best. Being a Reiki healer myself, I enjoyed this book thoroughly.

Reviewed By Lucinda Weeks for Readers' Favorite

Mirror of the Body: Your Mouth Reflects the Health of Your Whole Body by James E. Rota, DDS, is a fascinating and eye opening look at the little known ill effects of mercury poisoning due to common dental fillings. This informative guide begins with a fascinating in depth look at the author’s young life and his decision to go into dentistry. The author describes being exposed to mercury as a youth and was soon battling with undiagnosed health problems. These common but often undetected health problems included allergies, symptoms of attention deficit disorder, constipation, sleep disturbances, and lethargy. Other symptoms that developed later included chronic fatigue syndrome, burnout, depression and Epstein-Barr syndrome. On top of these symptoms, the author later developed memory lapses, ringing in the ears, and an unhealthy weight loss.

Dr. Rota describes how he slowly began to realize that these symptoms and others were the result of exposure to the second most toxic element known to man, mercury. The author describes that everyone who has mercury dental fillings is at risk of developing similar symptoms caused by mercury vapor emissions inside the mouth. These emissions can be absorbed into the human blood and also affect the brain. The book goes on to describe practical treatment approaches that include removal of mercury fillings, colon cleansing and detoxification, and change in diet. When these techniques are employed, a person might expect to see a decrease in symptoms.

This book presents a powerful look at a problem quietly affecting most of the world’s population who are daily exposed to mercury through dental fillings, light bulbs and more. This book is practical and down to earth. The author provides a mountain of scholarly research in a way that is interesting and easy to understand. Deserving of becoming an international best seller, this is a must-read for everyone concerned about their health as most people are at risk for mercury toxicity. As someone who has personally experienced many symptoms associated with mercury toxicity, I found this research fascinating. Before reading this book, I had never heard of the risks associated with mercury dental fillings. I highly recommend this informative book; Mirror of the Body: Your Mouth Reflects the Health of Your Whole Body to people all over the world who have been exposed to mercury and who care about their health.

Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

The Vitamin Solution by doctors and co-authors Arielle Levitan and Romy Block is fantastic! How can yet another book on vitamins be “fantastic”? Aren’t there hundreds of books on that subject, and with all the information now readily available on the net, why would The Vitamin Solution even be necessary?

Here’s why this book is necessary: it’s completely up to date, thoroughly researched, has a massive glossary of references to substantiate the claims, and it’s written by two doctors who know a lot more than what they learned in medical school. So few doctors seem to know the first thing about nutrition, let alone about vitamins and minerals, what we need, how much, and how these elements affect our bodies and well-being. Most doctors are too busy to study everything, right? Well, these two doctors are busy too: both are mothers with children, but their bios at the back of the book tell you just how well qualified they are to not only write a book like The Vitamin Solution, but also to have now established their own vitamin company, Vous Vitamin. A visit to their website by the same name is an experience indeed. You can sign up for the blog (I did!) and take a personalized test to determine exactly what kind of vitamin supplements you need, if any. I did that too, and as a septuagenarian with an auto-immune disease, who sometimes works out a bit too much and feels totally pooped afterward, I plan to order their “power up" situational supplement to make sure I’m replacing those electrolytes lost during exercise.

Now I’m not the kind of person who just buys anything others recommend. But after reading The Vitamin Solution from cover to cover - in fact, I couldn’t put it down - I’m convinced Arielle Levitan and Romy Block aren’t just a pair of entrepreneurs out to make a fortune from folks like me, but a couple of doctors who are offering solid, knowledgeable advice on everything to help us stay healthy. I thought I knew a lot about vitamins. Indeed, I take them daily. But what quality am I taking? And how much is too much or too little? Are all the vitamins I’m taking necessary or do I only need some of them? The Vitamin Solution dispels the myths and clarifies the grey areas with detailed information. Then at the end of the book, we are given a marvellous “quick ref” so we don’t need to re-read that chapter on which of the B vitamins did what, etc. Furthermore, these two doctors include fabulous chapters on diets - what works and why - on fads, on general nutritional topics like “gluten-free,” “organic products” - well, just about anything you’re hearing about everywhere nowadays. Believe me, you will come away well informed on everything you’re not sure about. If there was ever a Bible on vitamins and nutrition, The Vitamin Solution is it.

I said in the opening of this review that not only is this book necessary, but it’s “fantastic.” Why? Because of how it is written: The Vitamin Solution is so enjoyable! The tone throughout is conversational, inviting. I feel like I’m sitting down and talking with a couple of clued up friends. They refer to each other by their first names; they joke. When they talk about the various screening tests available, including colonoscopy, I find myself laughing as they write that it’s “probably the grossest idea for a test ever. But guess what? It’s actually not all that bad!” This is the way to write a book on what could otherwise be a heavy, even dull subject. And it’s that tone that had me turning pages as fast as I do when reading an absorbing novel: I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter on exercise, weight loss, migraine headaches, thinning hair, blood pressure, diabetes. The Vitamin Solution addresses all these subjects and so much more. You can’t go wrong buying this book, but do yourself an even bigger favor: visit the Vous Vitamin website, sign up for the blog, take the test to zero in on what vitamins you need. Your body and mind will thank you for doing so.

Reviewed By Roy T. James for Readers' Favorite

Miracle Survivors: Beating the Odds of Incurable Cancer by Tami Boehmer begins with the story of the author and her survival efforts when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. How the news was shattering to all, and how she was quietly told about the possible end of her life within six months. How upset she was to hear that and how that gave her the strong desire to not give up. The book is a collection of such instances of determination and grit. Brenda Beguin, living with breast cancer; Brittany Ross, who is affected with leukemia; Greg Cantwell, diagnosed with brain cancer; or any one of almost a score more such survivors is teaching us the importance of the will to survive. Each of these cases has been analyzed in earnest and the lessons to be learned are clearly noted: choosing happiness, finding happiness, or surrounding oneself with happiness being a lesson common to all cases.

Miracle Survivors: Beating the Odds of Incurable Cancer by Tami Boehmer is a book replete with stories of inspiration. In the case of each and every one of these accounts, without fail, I could feel a sense of triumph emanating at the instant of completion. Each of the survivors presented here had a tough time to find words, soothing and comforting while encouraging in their quest, many of them finding the Bible to be a source of strength. This book has the potential to be of great succor and solace to many, while promoting and encouraging such battlers in all their moves.

Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Not in the Pink by Tina Martel is the most stunning and unusual memoir I have ever seen or read. Why do I say “seen”? Because when you read Not in the Pink, you actually SEE Tina Martel’s journey from her discovery of breast cancer, through to her chemotherapy and radiation treatments to her questionable recovery from both the physical and mental pain of the entire experience.

The reader sees this journey because Tina Martel is an artist. The page backgrounds of her memoir are paintings and photographs that illustrate what she is saying or describing in the text. Readers find themselves poring over the details in the graphics while they read the words depicting her long and difficult battle with the cancer, the treatment, the meds and, sadly, the attitudes of hospital staff and others along the way. This is not a page-turner in the regular sense of the word because one feels compelled to explore the illustrations before moving on to the next page. The entire concept is brilliant, a visual and writing feast for the eyes that leaves the reader seeing and remembering Not in the Pink long after the reading has ended.

According to an article published in 2014 by the Grand Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune, Tina Martel feels “there are many myths surrounding breast cancer” including that it’s not as difficult as other cancers. Well, she certainly debunks that myth in Not in the Pink. My reaction to what I was reading and after I’d finished was I hope I never have to go through what Tina Martel and so many other women do. There is nothing easy about breast cancer or the treatment of it. As Tina says, “It’s a profound and life-changing experience”. And yet, throughout the memoir, Tina has found moments to laugh at herself and her circumstances and share those with her readers.

I, for one, will never forget Tina Martel and how she has chosen to share her memoir, Not in the Pink. Consider me a lifelong fan of this artist and writer. Bravo!