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Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life
Two physicians unveil a revolutionary, accessible, science-based, patient-centered program for living an active, age-defying, disease-free life.
Healthcare is pulled and shaped by many forces, by drug and insurance companies looking for profits, by politicians in search of votes, and by stressed, overworked physicians who barely have time to talk to you before writing a prescription or packing you off to a specialist.
So is anyone interested in keeping you well?
Yes. Created by two physicians who both survived catastrophic illness, the Ultraprevention program will work for absolutely everyone—old, young, healthy, sick, or somewhere in between. The promise of its practice is huge—a health span that matches life span—and you'll experience increased energy, weight loss, enhanced mood and memory, better digestion, deeper sleep, diminished stress, and more.
Ultraprevention is the new science of staying healthy, an innovative program that shatters the myths of today's “fix-the-broken-parts” medicine. These myths —drugs cure disease, genes determine your fate, getting older means aging, fat is a four-letter word —are actually believed by many doctors and are keeping you sick.
Ardent general practitioners, Drs. Hyman and Liponis reject the current healthcare system of specialists paid to find something wrong, specialists who don't consider how their “cure” for one ailment affects the entire body. Working outside the managed care model at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, Hyman and Liponis break free of the vicious quick-fix prescription cycle and formulate a program that identifies and eliminates the cause of disease instead of just masking symptoms.
Isolating the source of more than 90 percent of today's most common diseases, from cancer and heart disease to diabetes, stroke, and Alzheimer's, they enumerate the Five Forces of Illness—Sludge (malnutrition), Burnout (impaired metabolism), Heat (inflammation), Waste (impaired detoxification), and Rust (oxidative stress). Through the practice of the six-week Ultraprevention program, you'll learn three simple steps—each only two weeks long—that stop these forces and create a lifetime of good health by removing allergens, infections, and toxins from the body and environment; repairing the body through personalizing nutrition, boosting the immune system, and balancing hormones; and recharging with stress management, sleep restoration, and gentle movement.
So stop falling for the myths that make you sick and start Ultraprevention, the powerful plan to get older without aging, to maintain health for all of life.
Healthcare is pulled and shaped by many forces, by drug and insurance companies looking for profits, by politicians in search of votes, and by stressed, overworked physicians who barely have time to talk to you before writing a prescription or packing you off to a specialist.
So is anyone interested in keeping you well?
Yes. Created by two physicians who both survived catastrophic illness, the Ultraprevention program will work for absolutely everyone—old, young, healthy, sick, or somewhere in between. The promise of its practice is huge—a health span that matches life span—and you'll experience increased energy, weight loss, enhanced mood and memory, better digestion, deeper sleep, diminished stress, and more.
Ultraprevention is the new science of staying healthy, an innovative program that shatters the myths of today's “fix-the-broken-parts” medicine. These myths —drugs cure disease, genes determine your fate, getting older means aging, fat is a four-letter word —are actually believed by many doctors and are keeping you sick.
Ardent general practitioners, Drs. Hyman and Liponis reject the current healthcare system of specialists paid to find something wrong, specialists who don't consider how their “cure” for one ailment affects the entire body. Working outside the managed care model at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, Hyman and Liponis break free of the vicious quick-fix prescription cycle and formulate a program that identifies and eliminates the cause of disease instead of just masking symptoms.
Isolating the source of more than 90 percent of today's most common diseases, from cancer and heart disease to diabetes, stroke, and Alzheimer's, they enumerate the Five Forces of Illness—Sludge (malnutrition), Burnout (impaired metabolism), Heat (inflammation), Waste (impaired detoxification), and Rust (oxidative stress). Through the practice of the six-week Ultraprevention program, you'll learn three simple steps—each only two weeks long—that stop these forces and create a lifetime of good health by removing allergens, infections, and toxins from the body and environment; repairing the body through personalizing nutrition, boosting the immune system, and balancing hormones; and recharging with stress management, sleep restoration, and gentle movement.
So stop falling for the myths that make you sick and start Ultraprevention, the powerful plan to get older without aging, to maintain health for all of life.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2003
84 people are currently reading
620 people want to read
About the author
Mark Hyman
349 books1,046 followersMark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality--and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That's why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. Dr. Hyman and his team work every day to empower people, organizations, and communities to heal their bodies and minds, and improve our social and economic resilience.
Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, an eleven-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, CNN, and The View, Katie, and The Dr. Oz Show.
Dr. Hyman works with individuals and organizations, as well as policymakers and influencers. He has testified before both the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Senate Working Group on Health Care Reform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the Surgeon General on diabetes prevention and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President's Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. In addition, Dr. Hyman has worked with President Clinton, presenting at the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generation conference, and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues. He is the winner of the Linus Pauling Award, The Nantucket Project Award, and was inducted in the Books for Better Life Hall of Fame.
Dr. Hyman also works with fellow leaders in his field to help people and communities thrive--with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen, he created The Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped The Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds. He is as an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show and is on the board of Dr. Oz's HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by educating American students about nutrition. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate to provide for reimbursement of lifestyle treatment of chronic disease. And, with Tim Ryan in 2015, helped introduce the ENRICH Act into Congress to fund nutrition in medical education. Dr. Hyman plays a substantial role in a major film produced by Laurie David and Katie Couric, released in 2014, called Fed Up, which addresses childhood obesity.
Dr. Hyman is a practicing family physician, an eleven-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, CNN, and The View, Katie, and The Dr. Oz Show.
Dr. Hyman works with individuals and organizations, as well as policymakers and influencers. He has testified before both the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Senate Working Group on Health Care Reform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the Surgeon General on diabetes prevention and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President's Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. In addition, Dr. Hyman has worked with President Clinton, presenting at the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generation conference, and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues. He is the winner of the Linus Pauling Award, The Nantucket Project Award, and was inducted in the Books for Better Life Hall of Fame.
Dr. Hyman also works with fellow leaders in his field to help people and communities thrive--with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen, he created The Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped The Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds. He is as an advisor and guest co-host on The Dr. Oz Show and is on the board of Dr. Oz's HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by educating American students about nutrition. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate to provide for reimbursement of lifestyle treatment of chronic disease. And, with Tim Ryan in 2015, helped introduce the ENRICH Act into Congress to fund nutrition in medical education. Dr. Hyman plays a substantial role in a major film produced by Laurie David and Katie Couric, released in 2014, called Fed Up, which addresses childhood obesity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 26, 2018
5.0 STARS
I purchased this book back in the early 2000s after listening to an interview with the authors on public radio WAMC in Albany, NY. Co-Medical Directors at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA at the time, authors Mark Hyman, MD and Mark Liponis, MD shared their holistic approach to health rather than “fix the broken parts” medicine that focused almost exclusively what was wrong without searching deeper for root causes.
“A mammogram doesn’t prevent breast cancer, a chest x-ray doesn’t prevent lung cancer and a stress test doesn’t prevent a heart attack,” writes Mark Liponis, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Canyon Ranch. “While these tests are crucial—they can detect diseases in your body before you notice symptoms—they won’t keep you from getting sick in the first place.”
Ultra-Prevention is all about … prevention!
How fortuitous for me to catch the interview exactly at a time in my life when I was adding a few extra unwanted pounds and wrestling with an escalating cholesterol problem. I read the book, followed the simple, straightforward recommendations, and my weight and cholesterol problems disappeared. My primary care physician was amazed. “How did you do that?” he asked. “Ultra-Prevention,” I replied. He picked his own copy of the book!
Fast forward to 2017. I’ve worked at a sedentary desk job for six years, surrounded and seduced by an unending supply of high calorie, highly processed, nutritionally bankrupt snack foods … the weight is insidiously expanding; the cholesterol is on the slow but steady march higher.
Ultra-Prevention to the rescue!
Ultra-Prevention is not a fad diet or extreme exercise program. Ultra-Prevention is an easy to follow, readily understood, science-based approach to regaining and maintaining your health through intelligent inputs (it is true … you truly are what you eat!), consistent and persistent moderate exercise and movement, and undemanding approaches to recharging and renewing the body and mind!
Foods high in antioxidants (eat the rainbow counsels the authors) play a significant role in quenching the inferno of inflammation, which damages cells, tissues and organs and is associated with chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The White Menace Foods – white sugar, white flour, white bread, white pasta and white rice – are discouraged as a source of detrimentally high levels of oxidative stress, the root cause of cell damage related to cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration.
These are just two very clear and simply concepts discussed in the book, fully based on science, that have a significant and immediate positive impact on your body. When I stop eating foods from boxes, bags and cans; load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and seeds; and refrain from eating three hours before bedtime, I feel awesome. Yoga and brisk walking or hiking only enhances the euphoria of good health.
Simple, scientific, safe and so easy to implement … for good health and the best shot at avoiding illness, I highly recommend Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life!
I purchased this book back in the early 2000s after listening to an interview with the authors on public radio WAMC in Albany, NY. Co-Medical Directors at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA at the time, authors Mark Hyman, MD and Mark Liponis, MD shared their holistic approach to health rather than “fix the broken parts” medicine that focused almost exclusively what was wrong without searching deeper for root causes.
“A mammogram doesn’t prevent breast cancer, a chest x-ray doesn’t prevent lung cancer and a stress test doesn’t prevent a heart attack,” writes Mark Liponis, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Canyon Ranch. “While these tests are crucial—they can detect diseases in your body before you notice symptoms—they won’t keep you from getting sick in the first place.”
Ultra-Prevention is all about … prevention!
How fortuitous for me to catch the interview exactly at a time in my life when I was adding a few extra unwanted pounds and wrestling with an escalating cholesterol problem. I read the book, followed the simple, straightforward recommendations, and my weight and cholesterol problems disappeared. My primary care physician was amazed. “How did you do that?” he asked. “Ultra-Prevention,” I replied. He picked his own copy of the book!
Fast forward to 2017. I’ve worked at a sedentary desk job for six years, surrounded and seduced by an unending supply of high calorie, highly processed, nutritionally bankrupt snack foods … the weight is insidiously expanding; the cholesterol is on the slow but steady march higher.
Ultra-Prevention to the rescue!
Ultra-Prevention is not a fad diet or extreme exercise program. Ultra-Prevention is an easy to follow, readily understood, science-based approach to regaining and maintaining your health through intelligent inputs (it is true … you truly are what you eat!), consistent and persistent moderate exercise and movement, and undemanding approaches to recharging and renewing the body and mind!
Foods high in antioxidants (eat the rainbow counsels the authors) play a significant role in quenching the inferno of inflammation, which damages cells, tissues and organs and is associated with chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The White Menace Foods – white sugar, white flour, white bread, white pasta and white rice – are discouraged as a source of detrimentally high levels of oxidative stress, the root cause of cell damage related to cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration.
These are just two very clear and simply concepts discussed in the book, fully based on science, that have a significant and immediate positive impact on your body. When I stop eating foods from boxes, bags and cans; load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and seeds; and refrain from eating three hours before bedtime, I feel awesome. Yoga and brisk walking or hiking only enhances the euphoria of good health.
Simple, scientific, safe and so easy to implement … for good health and the best shot at avoiding illness, I highly recommend Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life!
February 9, 2011
The information in this book is overwhelming, but often it's because the authors explain specifics and cite research and examples. It's excellent, but I'll have to return to it and re-read several sections to get the full benefit of the information they offer.
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about and take responsibility for their health. As the title suggests, this book focuses on prevention --maintaining health to avoid so many of the issues that plague our modern society like diabetes, heart problems, etc.
Their program and recommendations are not something I'll be able to apply completely, but even the authors admit that they don't all the time and that's it's not practical to expect yourself to do so. I'm approaching it as challenge to slowly adapt a few changes into my life at a time.
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about and take responsibility for their health. As the title suggests, this book focuses on prevention --maintaining health to avoid so many of the issues that plague our modern society like diabetes, heart problems, etc.
Their program and recommendations are not something I'll be able to apply completely, but even the authors admit that they don't all the time and that's it's not practical to expect yourself to do so. I'm approaching it as challenge to slowly adapt a few changes into my life at a time.
June 7, 2017
Nothing new here about what needs to happen: Eat right, and exercise. Only the judgments made by the authors - both trained MD's - about what constitutes correct eating habits differs from other books, if only slightly; also, strong (over?) reliance on peer-reviewed scientific research, which is not always considered in this genre.
December 28, 2014
I revisited this 2003 book recently. The personal narrative was interesting but the 6-Week Plan was pretty high-level and leaves much of the figuring out exactly what to eat and how to supplement to the reader.
February 26, 2010
I loved this book. I already loved one of the authors because he wrote "UltraMetabolism", which is also awesome. It gave me a complete paradigm shift. I have always gone to the doctor when I've been sick, and coincidentally with reading this book, I went to the doctor a couple times with an annoying recurring health issue thing. Perhaps the combination of all that, plus a lot of other books I've been reading in the last few months, completely woke me up. (That sentence doesn't make great sense, but I blame it on the three year old who keeps grabbing my hands and throwing crayons at me. Seriously, little dude!!!)
Okay, I'm gathering my thoughts.
Doctors don't actually know everything. In fact often, they screw you up much more than they help you. If you are diagnosed with something - say, high cholesterol (which opens up a whole other can of worms - if your HDL/LDL levels are balanced well, it may not matter at all that it's a little high, meaning you never needed the dumb drugs in the first place) - the medication they put you on for cholesterol may give you high blood pressure. So they put you on blood pressure medication, which gives you acid reflux - so they put you on antacids, which gives you sleep apnea - so they give you something else, which dehydrates you, so you start taking diuretics.... until aaAAAHHHH!!! You are on so many pills you can barely keep track and you feel horrible and exhausted.
Why didn't the doctor have you lower your cholesterol with diet and lifestyle changes before prescribing a pill and sentence you to this medication hell? Lots of reasons, all of which are dumb. You can read the book for more details.
Both my mom and my in-laws are suffering from taking so many dumb medications. Maybe it's because I have never been particularly hip...but I am seriously turning very hippie. If you live in Utah and want a great doctor's office that treats patients the way this book explains (weaning you off of medications and practicing preventative and total care instead), they are in Draper and I can pass their info on. I actually have sent my mom to see them, after I got connected with them through the wife of one of the nurses there, who teaches at the gym where I go. Seriously. There are very few medical doctors I will take seriously in the future.
Seriously, seriously, seriously!! Seriously, everyone should read a book like this. AHAHHH! I cannot take the crayons hitting me in the face anymore. I have to go now.
Okay, I'm gathering my thoughts.
Doctors don't actually know everything. In fact often, they screw you up much more than they help you. If you are diagnosed with something - say, high cholesterol (which opens up a whole other can of worms - if your HDL/LDL levels are balanced well, it may not matter at all that it's a little high, meaning you never needed the dumb drugs in the first place) - the medication they put you on for cholesterol may give you high blood pressure. So they put you on blood pressure medication, which gives you acid reflux - so they put you on antacids, which gives you sleep apnea - so they give you something else, which dehydrates you, so you start taking diuretics.... until aaAAAHHHH!!! You are on so many pills you can barely keep track and you feel horrible and exhausted.
Why didn't the doctor have you lower your cholesterol with diet and lifestyle changes before prescribing a pill and sentence you to this medication hell? Lots of reasons, all of which are dumb. You can read the book for more details.
Both my mom and my in-laws are suffering from taking so many dumb medications. Maybe it's because I have never been particularly hip...but I am seriously turning very hippie. If you live in Utah and want a great doctor's office that treats patients the way this book explains (weaning you off of medications and practicing preventative and total care instead), they are in Draper and I can pass their info on. I actually have sent my mom to see them, after I got connected with them through the wife of one of the nurses there, who teaches at the gym where I go. Seriously. There are very few medical doctors I will take seriously in the future.
Seriously, seriously, seriously!! Seriously, everyone should read a book like this. AHAHHH! I cannot take the crayons hitting me in the face anymore. I have to go now.
January 14, 2011
Ultraprevention is one of the best overall health books I’ve read. The focus of the book is to understand basic health, and when facing common health ailments, how to fix the root causes rather than treating symptoms with drugs.
In order to help us lay people understand all the science behind our bodies, how they work, and how the food we eat affects our health, the authors have broken up the material into five sections, the “five forces of illness”. Each is explained in detail, and then comprehensive plans to deal with each of the five are outlined. Much of the plans are food related - after all, we are what we eat (and drink) - but there are also lifestyle changes that are recommended, including, of course, the old standby, exercise.
What I like about this book is that it’s easy to read and understand despite being chock full of a lot of great science information. It’s written so that someone without a chemistry or medical degree can understand, but not so “dumbed down” that the reader feels that “the doctor is talking to me like I’m stupid” feeling you sometimes get with other books of this ilk. In addition, the material is well researched and referenced, and, really nothing new. If you’ve been paying attention to health news over the past decade, much of this material will seem familiar. But it’s laid out and explained in a way here that is easy to follow and implement - if you’ve got the motivation to change.
The plans are by no means easy for someone who is unhealthy or following a traditional Western diet of mostly processed and packaged food. Hopefully, if you’re interested in the book, you are motivated to change or have a basic interest in health anyway. And if you are interested in health, you’ll probably find that you’re already doing some of the things they recommend.
While I found that I’m already doing about 75% of what they recommend, the book was still incredibly valuable for me, giving me a good structure to think about my health and to organize and plan my approach to staying healthy.
There is an excellent quote in the book:
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself; art cannot become manifest; strength cannot be exerted; wealth is useless, and reason is powerless.” — Heterophiles, the father of anatomy, 300 B.C.
A good reminder of why it’s worth spending time on your health. Here’s to your good health in 2011!
In order to help us lay people understand all the science behind our bodies, how they work, and how the food we eat affects our health, the authors have broken up the material into five sections, the “five forces of illness”. Each is explained in detail, and then comprehensive plans to deal with each of the five are outlined. Much of the plans are food related - after all, we are what we eat (and drink) - but there are also lifestyle changes that are recommended, including, of course, the old standby, exercise.
What I like about this book is that it’s easy to read and understand despite being chock full of a lot of great science information. It’s written so that someone without a chemistry or medical degree can understand, but not so “dumbed down” that the reader feels that “the doctor is talking to me like I’m stupid” feeling you sometimes get with other books of this ilk. In addition, the material is well researched and referenced, and, really nothing new. If you’ve been paying attention to health news over the past decade, much of this material will seem familiar. But it’s laid out and explained in a way here that is easy to follow and implement - if you’ve got the motivation to change.
The plans are by no means easy for someone who is unhealthy or following a traditional Western diet of mostly processed and packaged food. Hopefully, if you’re interested in the book, you are motivated to change or have a basic interest in health anyway. And if you are interested in health, you’ll probably find that you’re already doing some of the things they recommend.
While I found that I’m already doing about 75% of what they recommend, the book was still incredibly valuable for me, giving me a good structure to think about my health and to organize and plan my approach to staying healthy.
There is an excellent quote in the book:
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself; art cannot become manifest; strength cannot be exerted; wealth is useless, and reason is powerless.” — Heterophiles, the father of anatomy, 300 B.C.
A good reminder of why it’s worth spending time on your health. Here’s to your good health in 2011!
June 22, 2012
A patron at my library told me that his doctor suggested this book for him, and so I decided to read it for myself to see if this is a book I should be recommending to other patrons. I feel that the target audience is seniors, but I think that people in their 20s or 30s would benefit more from reading it. If the reader implements these lifestyle changes when they are still young, then they will likely lead longer and healthier lives. Rather than a 70 year old attempting to undo some of the damage and slow down the aging process. While it is never too late to get healthy, the earlier you start the better your results will surely be.
The 6 week plan does sound daunting and difficult. But the doctors say that even they don't follow it to a tee, and they don't expect anyone to. It is more of a guideline of suggestions to think about changing our lifestyles. Implement as many as you think you can handle, and by the end of the 6 weeks see how you feel. You will likely feel better in general, be physically and mentally healthier, and have lost some weight. Doctors Hyman and Liponis say that by the end of the 6 week plan you will likely feel so good that you will make these permanent changes.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to lose weight, eat healthier, and slow down the aging process. After all the best medicine is prevention.
The 6 week plan does sound daunting and difficult. But the doctors say that even they don't follow it to a tee, and they don't expect anyone to. It is more of a guideline of suggestions to think about changing our lifestyles. Implement as many as you think you can handle, and by the end of the 6 weeks see how you feel. You will likely feel better in general, be physically and mentally healthier, and have lost some weight. Doctors Hyman and Liponis say that by the end of the 6 week plan you will likely feel so good that you will make these permanent changes.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to lose weight, eat healthier, and slow down the aging process. After all the best medicine is prevention.
September 7, 2011
Ultraprevention largely confirms my suspicion that the American medical system is the best at providing acute care to problems that are definable and can be fixed. Thus, it also explains the reason why procedure oriented fields and fields where there is a magic pill that solves everything are compensated well while those in which complex mechanisms of action result in diseases are not compensated at all. I also believe that is what medicine should be as a way to treat problems that arise in the here and now that is Emergency Medicine, or Surgery, Radiation Oncology are the one that are the most useful in the medical field.
I also agree with their assessment that chronic diseases (diseases of civilization) which is in the purview of primary care physicians are best treated with an ultraprevention mindset instead of a pill-popping mindset that drug companies push to increase their profits.
The rest of the book talks about how ultraprevention cures the person instead of the disease and how pill-popping mindset for chronic disease actually leads to more pill-popping. In other words, I would go to these guys first if I had a chronic disease over main stream doctors which would prescribe a pill.
I also agree with their assessment that chronic diseases (diseases of civilization) which is in the purview of primary care physicians are best treated with an ultraprevention mindset instead of a pill-popping mindset that drug companies push to increase their profits.
The rest of the book talks about how ultraprevention cures the person instead of the disease and how pill-popping mindset for chronic disease actually leads to more pill-popping. In other words, I would go to these guys first if I had a chronic disease over main stream doctors which would prescribe a pill.
March 15, 2015
This book is quite interesting, albeit fairly dated, having been published in 2003. Some of the recommendations are inappropriate, for example, avoiding saturated fat, using canola oil, and limiting protein sources. It's possible, and I believe this is true, that Dr Hyman has probably changed those aspects of his diet plan in his newer books. I will find out when I read those soon.
However, most of the other recommendations are excellent. He addresses not just diet, like many health professionals, but also lifestyle, stress, environmental toxins, emotional and spiritual well-being. He stresses food, air, and water quality.
For people who have already done extensive reading on health and nutrition from the likes of Sidney Baker, Dr. Sears, Perlmutter, Kharazzian, Kresser, Ballantyne, Sisson, Rob Wolf, etc., the myths that Drs Hyman and Liponis dispel in the beginning if the book will be nothing new. However, to the majority of Ameticans who still take prescription medications daily for symptoms like heartburn, indigestion, blood pressure, blood sugar, depression, etc., the first 2 parts of the book will be very informative and hopefully convincing.
However, most of the other recommendations are excellent. He addresses not just diet, like many health professionals, but also lifestyle, stress, environmental toxins, emotional and spiritual well-being. He stresses food, air, and water quality.
For people who have already done extensive reading on health and nutrition from the likes of Sidney Baker, Dr. Sears, Perlmutter, Kharazzian, Kresser, Ballantyne, Sisson, Rob Wolf, etc., the myths that Drs Hyman and Liponis dispel in the beginning if the book will be nothing new. However, to the majority of Ameticans who still take prescription medications daily for symptoms like heartburn, indigestion, blood pressure, blood sugar, depression, etc., the first 2 parts of the book will be very informative and hopefully convincing.
February 26, 2012
*Proactively pursuing wellness,*
The first in the Ultra-series of books, _Ultra-Prevention_ models a refreshing approach to wellness which focuses on proactively pursuing wellness vs. reactively fighting illness. This health-centric plan (best summarized by the authors' urging that "You don't have to wait until you are sick to get well.") exposes the five "forces of illness" underlying the majority of disease: malnutrition, impaired metabolism, inflammation, impaired detoxification, and oxidative stress. In contrast to the standard diagnose-and-medicate medical model which revolves around smothering the smoke (i.e., acute symptom relief), the _Ultra-Prevention_ approach targets the sources of the fire. A great first step towards understanding and implementing a life-long plan for optimal health, _Ultra-Prevention_ is an ultra-essential read for those seeking to maximize the overlap between life-span and health-span.
The first in the Ultra-series of books, _Ultra-Prevention_ models a refreshing approach to wellness which focuses on proactively pursuing wellness vs. reactively fighting illness. This health-centric plan (best summarized by the authors' urging that "You don't have to wait until you are sick to get well.") exposes the five "forces of illness" underlying the majority of disease: malnutrition, impaired metabolism, inflammation, impaired detoxification, and oxidative stress. In contrast to the standard diagnose-and-medicate medical model which revolves around smothering the smoke (i.e., acute symptom relief), the _Ultra-Prevention_ approach targets the sources of the fire. A great first step towards understanding and implementing a life-long plan for optimal health, _Ultra-Prevention_ is an ultra-essential read for those seeking to maximize the overlap between life-span and health-span.
January 17, 2008
I will probably never finish this book. Lots of bs, but I picked it up because it's supposed to help you "rid you body of allergens"...and I'll read anything if it suggests I might be able to avoid sneezing 76 times in a row (especially since I paid $2 for the book--what is there to lose?). While I'm all for a healthy lifestyle and even believe in the relief you can get from alternative medicine, we just can't know everything about the mainstream medical world, or the alternative. These guys claim they have the answers...we'll see.
August 16, 2009
This the ultimate good nutrition book...I really needed a crash course on the human body and what different vitamins are good for, and what natural food sources they are found in. I even took notes so that I would remember. I'm not the best at living the nutrition guidelines it lays out, but I agree with a lot of what this book talks about. That we can prevent a lot of problems that our bodies encounter by monitoring what we eat and having a good exercise program. Overwhelming for some, inspiring for me.
June 22, 2011
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be as healthy as possible (both with existing conditions and avoiding problems in the future). Along with tips on supplementation, eating healthy, exercising, and maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle it also gives an interesting look at how much traditional modern/western medicine fails its patients. For instance, in China doctors get paid for keeping their patients HEALTHY, not prescribing them drugs to cover up symptoms of underlying illness they don't understand. Food for thought.
March 5, 2009
If you're like my college roommates Jamie and Bonnie, you already know this stuff. This book claims to be able to prevent and even reverse almost all diseases, and I have no doubt it can. After reading it, I understand why people who have a testimony of the gospel don't join the Church. Who wants to exchange chocolate for cauliflower, even if it will help your health last as long as your life?
May 21, 2009
Best book on health I have read in a long time. Written by M.D.s who back up their statements with scholarly sources. They say some of the same things my pediatrician (Dr. Leila Denmark, who is still alive at 111) used to tell me; lay off the milk, no sugar, take your vitamins, don't eat a lot of meat... and much more. They add to common sense with recent research, focusing on the whole body and not separating during diagnosis. If you want to be healthy, read this book and follow the advice.
July 26, 2017
Listened to the audio book. I certainly learned the importance of always getting a second opinion when you are diagnosed. I also learned that there are two kinds of doctors; those that diagnose illness and disease, and then those who work hard so that you stay healthy (like these two doctors). Best that you have both type in your Contacts and bounce them off each other to retain and regain your health.
July 14, 2007
I read this book for my class "asian religions and medical systems". It explains the myths of modern medicine, and how to understand what's really right for your body. Warning: it will make you slightly paranoid about toxins everywhere! (theyre lurking.....)
July 31, 2008
It's so hard to know how nutrition really affects the body, but Hyman and Liponis seem to have a decent idea about how to approach things. And their prescription doesn't have you just eating avocados and sucking lemon juice.
January 15, 2010
Functional Medicine (Audio book)
Great eduction on various functions of the Human body that promote health or disease. Myths of modern medicine, use of Drugs, role of Human genes, misconceptions about 'Fat', use of vitamins and supplements.
Great eduction on various functions of the Human body that promote health or disease. Myths of modern medicine, use of Drugs, role of Human genes, misconceptions about 'Fat', use of vitamins and supplements.
February 10, 2010
Very interesting! I loved the stories about so many people with so many problems that were solved by following common sense health plans. Makes you think about a lot of things you've always taken for granted that you knew about health and doctors.
August 2, 2011
Lots of good ideas...so why did I go out and buy potato chips when I had $.50 cents left on a groupon? I'll have to see it in writing before I actually try any of the detoxifying habits, except chewing 50 times. I can remember that.
August 14, 2012
Excellent book. Great information about health! I've found it to be useful and will probably read it again, just to reinforce the newly gained knowledge I gained from this book. Helpful if you are wanting to improve your health.
May 6, 2013
A brilliant read of medical and emotional sources of the most common diseases -from cancer to diabetes, stroke and Alzheimer's.
Worth a re-read to identify and remove toxins from the body, boosting the immune system and lowering your risk of inflammation from the most simplest sources.
Worth a re-read to identify and remove toxins from the body, boosting the immune system and lowering your risk of inflammation from the most simplest sources.
January 29, 2014
Mostly good info - some outdated (use a full service gas station?? Are there any left?) - info is overwhelming as you are not going to be able to do all the things they say. If you have read about or know about healthy living a lot of info you know, some is contradictory.
August 27, 2015
recommended to me by a cowoworker, one of the first books I read on holistic health about 10 years ago. i enjoyed the beginning of the book- very informative. the second part, or the "plan" was not the focus for me but folks may find it helpful
January 24, 2008
I love the way these doctors write about getting the rust out! The guidelines for detoxifying are pretty straight forward and easy to follow....
April 6, 2008
Amazing simple things we can do to improve our own health!
May 5, 2008
I asked a very healthy friend who is a book nut what to read on this topic, and this was recommended. I did enjoy the book and found it insightful.
September 15, 2008
slow at first with too many case studies but interesting in the 2nd and 3rd parts of the book... one of the better brief health books i've read lately
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