Inflammation has been in the news lately thanks to a study out of the University of Toronto that showed evidence of brain inflammation during episodes of depression. However even before that, celebrity watchers were familiar with the concept of battling inflammation by reading about Anne Hathaway’s anti-inflammatory diet that she ate in preparation for her role as Catwoman. So at this point you’ve got to be wondering, what the hell is the deal with inflammation and how does one deal with it? You know I wouldn’t type out the question if I wasn’t prepared to offer you some kind of answer.
Healing Arts Press offers “Natural Remedies for Inflammation” by Christopher Vasey, N.D. Vasey does an excellent job describing inflammation and the different ways it can affect the body. As you can tell from the fact that we’re still discovering things that may be linked to inflammation, it’s still hard to say exactly what can or can’t be directly linked to inflammation. Yet Vasey highlights and explains many things that if inflammation isn’t the sole cause, it plays a large role in the malady. Arthritis, eczema, tendonitis, and gout are all characterized by inflammation.
Then Vasey dives in to discuss how anti-inflammatories work and how you need to decide if you want to block pro-inflammatory prostaglandins or increase anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. From there it’s a discussion of diet, plants, and supplements. (As we’ve recently learned, be sure you’re using plant sourcing and supplements you can trust.)
Of course what always impresses me with these types of natural remedy books is when they’re not afraid of traditional Western medicine. Frequently when describing conditions Vasey says you should see a doctor, or advises speaking with your physician before starting certain supplements. I personally tend to use a blend of Western and holistic/alternative medicine so I appreciate it when authors of natural remedy books don’t look down on Western medicine. Just like when I discuss alternative medicine with my physicians I expect them to listen to me, not just blow me off.
Anyone interested in learning about inflammation, how it works, and more importantly, ways to stop it, should absolutely grab a copy of “Natural Remedies for Inflammation” by Christopher Vasey, N.D.
As I’ve come to expect, there is a tremendous amount of information in “The Esoteric Dream” and yet you never feel overwhelmed and the book comes in at a svelte 221 pages (including endnotes). For those of you thinking that 221 pages seems like an awful lot, you haven’t heard all that you’ll learn about in this offering.
Originally I had wanted to review this before the holidays, in the thought that people would want to give it as a Christmas gift, but things sometimes don’t work out as planned. However it isn’t that big of a deal because it turns out the “Well Seasoned: Savoring Life’s Lessons” by Rebecca Webb Wilson is the perfect gift for all seasons. So stay tuned as I clue you in on a great book for you, and probably for lots of people you know.
“A Spell A Day: For Health, Wealth, Love, and More” by Cassandra Eason is an amazingly diverse book of spells that quite literally has a spell for every occasion. First off, there are 366 spells in case of it being a leap year. Good catch Eason! Second, her introduction mentions that idea of opening the book for a spell at random. Suggesting that perhaps the spell you need will find you. I love that kind of thing. Third, it has a great index. With spell books, you want a good index because at some point you’re going to want to find some spell you read and you are NOT going to remember what day it was on.
1. “Among the Mermaids: Facts, Myths, and Enchantments from the Sirens of the Sea” by Varla Ventura. As someone who has always loved myths and stories about sirens and mermaids, “Among the Mermaids” was a definite stand out for the year. Not only did Ventura fill the book with lore and legends of merrows, mermaids, and sirens, but the resources section in the back lists books, movies, and shopping. Shopping! Want your mermaid tail?
3. “The Daemon Tarot” by Ariana Osborne. Based on Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy’s “Dictionnaire Infernal”, this 69 card deck isn’t just a divinatory tool, but a piece of occult reference. Obviously it cannot be used exactly as a tarot deck, but thanks to a researched and well thought out companion book, you’ll be doing a single card draw or a six card spread in no time.
5. “Encyclopedia of Goddesses & Heroines” by Patricia Monaghan. Monaghan published the first encyclopedia of divine females in 1979, and that book has stayed in print in one form or another right up to today. The latest is newly expanded and features more than 1,000 heroines and goddesses from folklore, literature, and religion from around the world. It. Kicks. Ass.
7. “The Yoga of Cleaning” by Jennifer Carter Avgerinos. Weird, right? Nope. Avgerinos background as both a certified yoga instructor and having worked in the consumer packaged cleaning tools industry for the past several years indeed gives her a unique perspective on these two seemingly divergent topics. She brings them together in a way that, I swear, makes you want to clean.
9. “The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences: How Understanding NDEs Can Help Us Live More Fully” by Dr. Penny Satori. There have dozens of books written about near-death experiences, however in my opinion this is the one we’ve been waiting for. Dr. Satori’s book is based off of the UK’s first long term prospective study of near-death experiences and she was awarded a PhD for her research in 2005. That’s right, it’s science. Although the research is grounded in science, Satori also includes many of her experiences from her 17 years as an intensive care nurse. This makes “The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences” a compelling read.
10. Helderberg Mead. 2014 gets to be the year that I fell in love with Helderberg Mead. As Peter Voelker said when I interviewed him about Helderberg Meadworks, “Most mead that you can buy in the wine stores around here either tastes like a low alcohol honey syrup or a nice soft white wine. While there’s nothing wrong with that (I love a nice Vidal Blanc), HMW takes a different approach. We use techniques that would have been used many moons ago and produce a mead that has big, bold and feral qualities to it. We’ve adapted old world methods to modern day sanitation and palettes without catering to any particular group of consumers. This is mead as we think it should be. With that said, there are 2 major differences between HMWs mead and others. The first is our alcohol content, which has a range on the label of 15% to 16%. Our current “Burgundy Wax” batch is at the high side of that range. Most others are from 8% to 11%. The second difference is our use of oak aging. Back in the days before metals were commonly available, oak would have been the preferred storage vessel for nearly all drinks. We have taken this concept and applied it to our mead. The result is a powerful mead (shouldn’t all traditional mead be POWERFUL?) with a whiskey-like nose and great honey flavor without being overly sweet.”
Joe Arpaio is the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. You may know him as “America’s Toughest Sheriff”. Sheriff Arpaio is nationally known, and in many cases internationally known, for having prisoners wear pink underwear, erecting Tent City (an outdoor tent prison), feeding prisoners food salvage, being overly enthusiastic about cracking down on illegal immigration, investigating the origins of President Obama’s birth, and more. Fortunately for the press, he loves media attention.
When I say photographed, let me explain. Kim Weiss lives in coastal Florida and takes photos of sunrises and sunsets from her terrace. “Sunrise, Sunset” features 52 of the most gorgeous photos you can imagine of these scenes. Then, paired with these images are reflective thoughts from Ann DeMarle, Jack Canfield, Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., Candace Bushnell, Frank De Caro, and of course many more.
I also love the idea of spending a little time getting to admire a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Something I don’t take the time to do here in New York, or if I do, I’ll readily admit they don’t look like these bad boys. Sometimes the words paired with the images resonated with me, and sometimes not. However that’s how it will be for you too when you buy your copy. Because I highly suggest getting a copy for yourself.
Fortunately “The Grateful Life” is full of real life stories of how people have learned the value of gratitude and have incorporated it into their lives. Many readers will find a person who they can emphasize with, or find a connection to. These stories end with a tip as to how those people incorporate gratitude into their daily lives. Often times there are links to websites for some of the altruistic projects the people are involved in.
Avgerinos talks about cleaning as karma yoga, or selfless service – “the desire to serve the divine in everything and become one with everything (yes, even the toilet).”, or cleaning as bhakti yoga or pure love and devotion, or cleaning as plain old healthy exercise. You don’t need to know how to do yoga to use or enjoy the book, and she does show the reader some basic poses. (Fun fact: Her husband, musician and longtime friend of The Buffet Paul Avgerinos is featured in the book doing all the poses!) She also discusses Ayurveda, a natural healing system from India, as it pertains to cleanliness, vatsu, which is an ancient architecture school that for the purposes of those who are not building their home from the ground up is being modified to a system of room design, how to make your own cleaning products, and more. For Averginos, the health you gain from yoga extends to the health of your home and vice versa.
