The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss


Jason Fung - 2016
    Weight gain and obesity are driven by hormones—in everyone—and only by understanding the effects of insulin and insulin resistance can we achieve lasting weight loss.In this highly readable and provocative book, Dr. Jason Fung sets out an original, robust theory of obesity that provides startling insights into proper nutrition. In addition to his five basic steps, a set of lifelong habits that will improve your health and control your insulin levels, Dr. Fung explains how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance and reach a healthy weight—for good.

Inside the Box: The Culture, Science, and Sweat of the CrossFit Revolution


T.J. Murphy - 2012
    Its fervent practitioners, known as CrossFitters, are as competitive as they are sweaty, striving for the pride of marking their time atop the list of the day’s top performers.CrossFit’s “boxes” are brick-walled industrial warehouses, gyms, and garages floored with rubber mats and chock full of kettlebells, free weights, ropes, medicine balls, truck tires, jump ropes, and bags of chalk. CrossFitters race to complete the day’s prescribed workout, many named after fallen war heroes, with exercises that include burpees, box jumps, clean and jerks, and pull-ups—as many times as they can in a designated time period. Workouts are intense, leaving spent athletes dripping with sweat and glowing with endorphin-fueled satisfaction.In a departure from sterile mainstream gyms, it is camaraderie that keeps CrossFitters coming back week after week for their hour of high-intensity suffering—that and the promise of weight loss and a sculpted physique. Its practitioners know well that CrossFit has changed lives, forming biggest losers into lean, mean evangelists.Author and veteran CrossFitter T.J. Murphy goes inside the box to shed light on the extraordinary community of CrossFit and why this fast-growing fitness movement is coming soon to a garage near you.

The Naked Surgeon: the power and peril of transparency in medicine


Samer Nashef - 2015
    We all have one, but most of us will never see one. The heart surgeon now has that privilege but, for centuries, the heart was out of reach even for surgeons. So when a surgeon nowadays opens up a ribcage and mends a heart, it remains something of a miracle, even if, to some, it is merely plumbing. As with plumbers, the quality of surgeons’ work varies. As with plumbers, surgeons’ opinion of their own prowess and their own attitude to risk are not always reliable. Measurement is key. We’ve had a century of effective evidence-based medicine. We’ve had barely a decade of thorough monitoring of clinical outcomes. Thanks to the ground-breaking risk modelling of pioneering surgeons like Samer Nashef, we at last know how to judge whether an operation is in a patient’s best interest, which hospital and surgeon would be best for that operation, when it might best be performed and what the exact level of risk is. We have at last made what is important in surgery measurable. But how should surgeons, and their patients, use these newfound insights? Ever since his days as a medical student, Samer Nashef has challenged the medical profession to be more open and more accurate about the success of surgical procedures, for the sake of the patients. In The Naked Surgeon, he unclothes his own profession to demonstrate to his reader (and prospective patient) many revelations, such as the paradox at the heart of the cardiac surgeon’s craft: the more an operation is likely to kill you, the better it is for you. And he does so with absolute clarity, fluency and not a little wit.

The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Astonishing Dialogue Taking Place in Our Bodies Impacts Health, Weight, and Mood


Emeran Mayer - 2015
    While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the microbiome—the microorganisms that live inside us—communicate with one another. In The Mind-Gut Connection, Dr. Emeran Mayer, executive director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress, offers a revolutionary look at this developing science, teaching us how to harness the power of the mind-gut connection to take charge of our health.The Mind-Gut Connection shows how to keep the brain-gut communication clear and balanced to:• heal the gut by focusing on a plant-based diet• balance the microbiome by consuming fermented foods and probiotics, fasting, and cutting out sugar and processed foods• promote weight loss by detoxifying and creating healthy digestion and maximum nutrient absorption• boost immunity and prevent the onset of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s andAlzheimer’s• generate a happier mindset and reduce fatigue, moodiness, anxiety, and depression• prevent and heal GI disorders such as leaky gut syndrome, food sensitivities and allergies, and IBS, as well as digestive discomfort such as heartburn and bloating• and much more.

It's All in Your Head


Suzanne O'Sullivan - 2015
    A neurologist's insightful and compassionate look into the misunderstood world of psychosomatic disorders, told through individual case histories

Plague of Corruption: Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science


Judy Mikovits - 2020
    Judy Mikovits is a modern-day Rosalind Franklin, a brilliant researcher shaking up the old boys’ club of science with her groundbreaking discoveries. And like many women who have trespassed into the world of men, she uncovered decades-old secrets that many would prefer to stay buried. From her doctoral thesis, which changed the treatment of HIV-AIDS, saving the lives of millions, including basketball great Magic Johnson, to her spectacular discovery of a new family of human retroviruses, and her latest research which points to a new golden age of health, Dr. Mikovits has always been on the leading edge of science. With the brilliant wit one might expect if Erin Brockovich had a doctorate in molecular biology, Dr. Mikovits has seen the best and worst of science. When she was part of the research community that turned HIV-AIDS from a fatal disease into a manageable one, she saw science at its best. But when her investigations questioned whether the use of animal tissue in medical research were unleashing devastating plagues of chronic diseases, such as autism and chronic fatigue syndrome, she saw science at its worst. If her suspicions are correct, we are looking at a complete realignment of scientific practices, including how we study and treat human disease. Recounting her nearly four decades in science, including her collaboration of more than thirty-five years with Dr. Frank Ruscetti, one of the founders of the field of human retrovirology, this is a behind the scenes look at the issues and egos which will determine the future health of humanity.

Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis


Lisa Sanders - 2009
    Lisa Sanders, author of the monthly New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis," the inspiration for the hit Fox TV series House, M.D.The experience of being ill can be like waking up in a foreign country. Life, as you formerly knew it, is on hold while you travel through this other world as unknown as it is unexpected. When I see patients in the hospital or in my office who are suddenly, surprisingly ill, what they really want to know is, ‘What is wrong with me?’ They want a road map that will help them manage their new surroundings. The ability to give this unnerving and unfamiliar place a name, to know it–on some level–restores a measure of control, independent of whether or not that diagnosis comes attached to a cure. Because, even today, a diagnosis is frequently all a good doctor has to offer.A healthy young man suddenly loses his memory–making him unable to remember the events of each passing hour. Two patients diagnosed with Lyme disease improve after antibiotic treatment–only to have their symptoms mysteriously return. A young woman lies dying in the ICU–bleeding, jaundiced, incoherent–and none of her doctors know what is killing her. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Lisa Sanders takes us bedside to witness the process of solving these and other diagnostic dilemmas, providing a firsthand account of the expertise and intuition that lead a doctor to make the right diagnosis.Never in human history have doctors had the knowledge, the tools, and the skills that they have today to diagnose illness and disease. And yet mistakes are made, diagnoses missed, symptoms or tests misunderstood. In this high-tech world of modern medicine, Sanders shows us that knowledge, while essential, is not sufficient to unravel the complexities of illness. She presents an unflinching look inside the detective story that marks nearly every illness–the diagnosis–revealing the combination of uncertainty and intrigue that doctors face when confronting patients who are sick or dying. Through dramatic stories of patients with baffling symptoms, Sanders portrays the absolute necessity and surprising difficulties of getting the patient’s story, the challenges of the physical exam, the pitfalls of doctor-to-doctor communication, the vagaries of tests, and the near calamity of diagnostic errors. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Sanders chronicles the real-life drama of doctors solving these difficult medical mysteries that not only illustrate the art and science of diagnosis, but often save the patients’ lives.

Training and Racing with a Power Meter


Hunter Allen - 2006
    No training tool can unlock as much speed and endurance as a power meter--for those who understand how to interpret their data. A power meter displays and records exactly how much energy a cyclist expends, which lends unprecedented insight into that rider's abilities and fitness. With the proper baseline data, a cyclist can use a power meter to determine race strategy, pacing, and tactics."Training and Racing with a Power Meter" makes it possible to exploit the incredible usefulness of the power meter by explaining how to profile strengths and weaknesses, measure fitness and fatigue, optimize workouts, time race readiness, and race using power. This new edition: Enables athletes to predict future performance and time peak formIntroduces fatigue profiling, a new testing method to pinpoint weaknessesIncludes two training plans to raise functional threshold power and time peaks for race dayOffers 75 power-based workouts tuned for specific training goalsThis updated edition also includes new case studies, a full chapter on triathlon training and racing, and improved 2-color charts and tables throughout."Training and Racing with a Power Meter," will continue to be the definitive guide to the most important training tool ever developed for endurance sports.

Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares His Personal Technique


Roy M. Wallack - 2011
    Long before anyone else was even talking about barefoot running, he was perfecting the art... Now, after twenty years of teaching, experimenting, and 'merry marathoning' (as he calls it), the first and best source of barefoot-running knowledge is bringing his ideas to print. And it's about time."—Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen"Ken Bob Saxton, a pioneer of the modern barefoot running movement, has logged more miles in his birthday shoes than just about anyone I know, and he has helped countless people run barefoot. As one would expect, this delightful book, full of wit and wisdom, is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to run barefoot, avoid injury, and have fun."—Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University"This is a wonderful guide from the Godfather of barefoot running!"—Irene Davis, Ph.D., director of Spaulding National Running Center, Harvard Medical SchoolLearn Barefoot Running from the Master!Almost overnight, barefoot running has exploded onto the fitness scene. However, it involves more than simply taking off your shoes. In fact, everything you've learned about barefoot running is probably wrong—unless you've learned it from Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton. The leading instructor and proponent of unshod running, he has completed 76 marathons barefoot, survived an astounding marathon-a-month challenge in 2004, and gone on to top that with 16 marathons in 2006, including four in a 15-day period—all barefoot.Barefoot Running Step by Step separates the facts from the hype, outlines Ken Bob’s personal techniques, and details the latest research on the newest trend in mankind's oldest sport. Whether you barefoot run occasionally, part-time, or full-time, you'll find methods for improving your form, staying injury-free, dramatically improving your speed and performance, and having more fun.The Bent Knee: Here is the hidden secret to perfect running form. Learn how this crucial adjustment will keep you running stronger and injury-free for life.Vibrams and Minimalist Shoes: Barefoot running is not a transition from shoes to minimalist shoes to bare feet. It's the other way around. Discover why you need to run barefoot before you use other footwear.Start From the Head: Proper barefoot form doesn't start at the feet. Discover how to get the correct body biomechanics.Ease Into It: Here are the steps you need to take to make the transition from running in shoes to barefoot running as painless and easy as possible.Improve Speed: Barefoot running's injury reduction benefits are well-touted; however a new landmark study proves that barefooting—even part-time—can make you faster.Barefoot Running Step by Step is filled with series photos and illustrations that show you the "do's" and "don'ts" of barefoot running, the latest research, and Ken Bob Saxton's personal experiences and insights for running barefoot for life.

Strength Training Past 50


Wayne L. Westcott - 1997
    In the third edition of this best-selling guide, you'll find these topics:- 83 exercises for free weights, machines, bands, and balls- 30 workouts for increasing size, endurance, and strength- Sport-specific programs for tennis, golf, cycling, running, and more- Eating plans and nutrition advice for adding lean muscle and losing fatStrength Training Past 50 will keep you active, healthy, and looking great with workouts and programs designed just for you.

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection


John E. Sarno - 1991
    Sarno saved me from a life of pain.” — Howard Stern  The New York Times bestseller that has helped thousands leverage the mind-body connection to heal lower back pain and live pain free—without drugs, surgery, or physical therapy.  Offering a surprising, noninvasive solution to an epidemic of pain, Dr. John E. Sarno’s research on TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome) reveals that stress, anxiety and other psychological factors, not structural abnormalities, are the root cause of chronic pain. TMS develops as a result of repressed emotions which trigger tension in the body and deprive muscles and nerves of oxygen. The solution? Recognize the emotional roots of your TMS and sever the connection between mental and physical pain. With Dr. Sarno’s expert guidance you will learn:How the mind-body connection can permanently heal shoulder, neck, and lower back painHow accepting negative emotions like anger, anxiety, fear, or grief can reverse physical symptomsHow we condition ourselves to think back pain is inevitableWhy you should resume physical activity as soon as possibleSharing case histories and the results of his extensive, groundbreaking research, Dr. Sarno’s life-changing insights show readers how to banish back pain and reclaim their lives for good.

The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition


Anita Bean - 1994
    This fully updated and revised edition incorporates the latest cutting-edge research. Written by one of the country's most respected sports nutritionists, it provides the latest research and information to help you succeed.This seventh edition includes accessible guidance on the following topics: maximising endurance, strength and performancehow to calculate your optimal calorie, carbohydrate and protein requirementsadvice on improving body composition specific advice for women, children and vegetarianseating plans to cut body fat, gain muscle and prepare for competitionsport-specific nutritional advice.

Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries


Molly Caldwell Crosby - 2010
    In the midst of all this death, a bizarre disease appeared in Europe. Eventually known as encephalitis lethargica, or sleeping sickness, it would spread across the world, leaving millions dead or locked in institutions. Then, in 1927, it would disappear as suddenly as it had arrived-or so the doctors at first thought. Asleep, set in 1920s and '30s New York, follows a group of neurologists through hospitals and insane asylums as they try to solve this worldwide epidemic. The symptoms could include not only unending sleep but dangerous insomnia, facial tics, catatonia, Parkinson's, and even violent insanity. Molly Caldwell Crosby, acclaimed author of The American Plague, explores the frightening history of this forgotten disease- and details the frantic effort to conquer it before it strikes again.

Eat Sweat Play: How Sport Can Change Our Lives


Anna Kessel - 2016
    Sport's for everyone . . . isn't it?Society has led us to believe that women and sport don’t mix. But why? What happens to the young girls who dare to climb trees and cartwheel across playgrounds? In her exploration of major taboos, from sex to the gender pay gap, sports journalist Anna Kessel discovers how sport and exercise should play an integral role in every sphere of our modern lives. Covering a fascinating range of women, from Sporty Spice to mums who box and breastfeed, Eat Sweat Play reveals how women are finally reclaiming sport, and by extension their own bodies, for themselves - and how you can too. 'Anna Kessel's book should inspire a whole generation of women. It ought to be on the school curriculum.'Hadley Freeman "

Shoulder Pain? The Solution & Prevention


John M. Kirsch - 2010
    Kirsch, M.D., an Orthopedic Surgeon for the common man. It is the result of 25 years of research into a new and simple exercise to prevent rotator cuff tears and impingement syndrome in the shoulder, as well as treating these conditions and frozen shoulder. Testimonials and research CT scan images are included as well as images of the exercises performed by models and patients.