Okay, let me first say, I don't typically read self-help books. I mainly stick to works of fiction because I find a lot of self-help books tedious and difficult to get through. Who knows, maybe that's why I decided to try to read this book!
From a purely literary criticism, the author beats the same points in over and over and is incredibly redundant. The book could easily have been written in 40 pages not the almost 400 pages it is.
I think the author genuinely believes he has found the major problems in our society (and what was "wrong" with him...certainly don't call it depression)! I don't think he is purposely trying to sell you "snake oil" although he is obviously making a very good living off this book, patient consults and the diet guides etc.
A lot of what he says is very interesting conjecture but not nearly as revolutionary as he would like us to believe. Doctors have been telling people to eat right, drink in moderation, exercise, relax and get a good nights sleep since the dawn of time.
By nature of his medical practice, he relies heavily on anecdotal evidence that his patients' "cures" are working and not purely a function of people getting to a desperate point in their lives where they are willing to live a clean lifestyle, pay attention to their sleep and overall health. Of course, our body is our temple and we are what we eat, sleep etc. There is no way this stuff is not cumulative but to what degree it truly affects each individual varies.
In the end, I think watching what you eat (avoiding caffeine, alcohol and highly processed foods), being aware of environmental toxins, rare food allergies, prudently taking supplements are all a good start but not the end-all and be-all of modern day medicine.
From a purely literary criticism, the author beats the same points in over and over and is incredibly redundant. The book could easily have been written in 40 pages not the almost 400 pages it is.
I think the author genuinely believes he has found the major problems in our society (and what was "wrong" with him...certainly don't call it depression)! I don't think he is purposely trying to sell you "snake oil" although he is obviously making a very good living off this book, patient consults and the diet guides etc.
A lot of what he says is very interesting conjecture but not nearly as revolutionary as he would like us to believe. Doctors have been telling people to eat right, drink in moderation, exercise, relax and get a good nights sleep since the dawn of time.
By nature of his medical practice, he relies heavily on anecdotal evidence that his patients' "cures" are working and not purely a function of people getting to a desperate point in their lives where they are willing to live a clean lifestyle, pay attention to their sleep and overall health. Of course, our body is our temple and we are what we eat, sleep etc. There is no way this stuff is not cumulative but to what degree it truly affects each individual varies.
In the end, I think watching what you eat (avoiding caffeine, alcohol and highly processed foods), being aware of environmental toxins, rare food allergies, prudently taking supplements are all a good start but not the end-all and be-all of modern day medicine.
