Prescription for Nutritional Healing (Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd ed)

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Prescription for Nutritional Healing by nutritionist Phyllis A. Balch and James F. Balch, M.D., has long been considered one of the most trusted, comprehensive sources on the mind-boggling array of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplements now available. Working from the premise that a good diet promotes good health, this third edition of PNH still starts with the basics: consume fresh produce, grains, and lean meats; avoid foods that are processed or high in saturated fat; cook using glass, stainless steel, or iron--never aluminum; and drink filtered water. The authors also stand by their claim that the government-prescribed recommended daily allowances are ridiculously low, and that the book's optimal daily intake for nutrients should be followed instead.

So what's new in the third edition? Along with now-accepted remedies, like zinc and echinacea for the common cold, the Balches also explore many of the newer supplements to hit the market: SAMe (recommended for depression and joint pain), phosphatidyl serine (mental acuity), red yeast rice (cholesterol), and 5-HTP (weight loss, insomnia, depression). You'll also find an expanded chapter on alternative therapies that encompasses Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, along with a hefty section on pain control that offers a grab bag of options such as acupuncture, biofeedback, guided imagery, chiropractic care, and massage.

Still, the bulk of the book remains the more than 250 health conditions--from everyday problems such as insect bites and bad breath to serious diseases including bulimia, cancer, and AIDS--and the nutritional protocols the Balches recommend for treatment. Since any number of supplements can be taken for the same condition, the Balches make sifting through the glut of information a little easier by separating their nutrient recommendations into four categories: essential, very important, important, and helpful. And they take a lot of the guesswork out of buying supplements by listing the brands they know and trust. Once again, the authors have squeezed in an impressive amount of information, including valuable sidebars on topics such as the dangers of aspartame; how to choose a calcium supplement; common heart problems and procedures; cancer risk factors, diagnosis, and treatments; and sports nutrition. This is not relaxing reading, but it's enormously useful. While the material can be dense, the authors still manage to present it in a straightforward manner that's understandable even for readers without a medical degree. --Norine Dworkin..along with now-accepted remedies, like zinc and echinacea for the common cold, the Balches also explore many of the newer supplements to hit the market.

Reader Reviews:

I do like this book and follow a lot of what it has said. It has proven to be of great help to me in some cases, others, not as much. So, let it be known that I do value this book, I do appreciate the work put into collecting this data and making it available to the general public, and the idea of empowering people to make smart choices about their health. I have utilized some of the information in this book myself.

But I do have criticisms. I will focus more heavily on those than on the positives because the positives are mostly covered in others reviews, but remember, I am giving this 4 stars, not 2.

Someone pointed out that my criticisms were more geared toward the earlier edition, but I looked over the newest one and still found examples of what I was talking about.

Some of the upper limits (ULs) for supplements are highly questionable, or whether such high doses or necessary or provide any benefit at all. For example, in some conditions the book calls for 3 doses of Vitamin B-50 a day. 3 doses? I would not do that. You take 3 doses of B-50 a day and you're overdosing on B-6, you're probably overdosing on Folic Acid, and you're getting more B-3 (niacin) than I'm comfortable with. Moreover, riboflavin is reported to have no benefit at doses over 20 mg and doses over that may contribute to cataracts. Excessive riboflavin causes your urine to turn a neon green - that's wasted riboflavin passing through your urine. It's not doing you any good. Now, I'm a huge fan of pantothenic acid, B-12, and biotin, but 150 mg of the rest of the vitamins (or 1200 of Folic Acid) is too much. Every doctor I've talked to agrees. It's simply a wasted mega dose for most people. There's probably cases where it isn't, but I'll allow for that. I can't think of any case possible where you'd need 150 mg of B-6. It's kind of crazy.

The worst case of all is the author's love affair with doses of Retinol (Vitamin A) that make me cringe. I've seen him advocate some frighteningly high doses. Go talk to your doctor, and ask him if you need 10,000 IU or more of Retinol a day. He's going to say no. That much Retinol is asking for serious liver problems. It's almost scary he didn't put some kind of larger disclaimer in there, I wouldn't take that much even in this "emulsion" form he's so quick to tout. 5,000 IU of Retinol a day should be plenty. It's like if you've got 1st degree burns all over your body 5,000 IU of Retinol is going to leave you a mess and 10,000 IU won't. Some of this is oversimplified.

Some of the recommended doses of Vitamin C are preposterous. 10,000 mg of Vitamin C a day? I believe for some conditions he advocates even more. Many studies show your body can't use more than 500 mg of Vitamin C at a time. So the authors could do a better job explaining what they mean by divided doses. I could see, for some conditions, taking 500 mg of buffered Vitamin C with some food every 2 waking hours or so for maximum Vitamin C supplementation. But even that is too high for some doctors, one doctor says that anything over 2000 mg of Vitamin C a day produces a kind of toxin that attacks your system. I currently don't have the report handy that states the name of the toxin. 1500-3000 mg of Vitamin C seems to be the recommended amount for maximum Vitamin C supplementation, according to the experts and doctors. 10,000 mg (10 grams!) a day to me seems mind-boggling.

Some of the brand names he uses can be substituted, and this is not made clear. Kyolic Garlic is not the only quality garlic formula - the Imperial 6500 sold by Vitamin World and Puritan's Pride is a good value, which may be a nice alternative for people not willing to plunk down (...)for Kyolic's 30 day supply.

Lastly, some poor interactions might be better pointed out - the inadvisable situation of combining inorganic iron and Vitamin E, for example.

Some of the lists of vitamins and supplements to take are incredibly long - many doctors have expressed concern over the strain on your organs such as kidneys in processing 50 or more supplemental tablets, capsules, etc. a day.

My biggest criticism is the sometimes outrageous upper limits on vitamins, as I have stated above. DO OTHER RESEARCH. A LOT OF OTHER RESEARCH. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR. Don't just just quaffing down 150 mg of B-6 just because the book says so. And be sure you're aware of other supplements you might be taking without knowing it, like fortified cereals or breads. This is why I stop well short of ULs.

Just be safe and know what you are doing.
The most recent scientific study proved that echinacea have practically no effect on common cold (!!) In that respect "Nutritional Healing" is a little behind the science. Otherwise it is an "honest to God" big volume providing extensive information on most illnesses and ailments. A very good reference book, an excellent source of information on nutrition and beyond. I strongly recommend it for everyone. Another good reference book that I recommend is "Can We Live 150 Year?" This book is excellent and valuable for general knowledge of each diseases. You need not to take all supplements as mentioned in each topic, otherwise, too much costly to follow than conventional drugs, However, you should take some of them listed as very important to compensate what you are lacking and follow advice about other aspects how to eat , exercise, wisely.

So far, I did not find other books listed as many as health conditions as this book..
another book is Disease Prevention and Treatment (Hardcover)
by Life Extension Foundation (Editor)
List Price: $37.45 1535 pages 4th edition (June 1, 2003)
is more up-to-date version.
I think Balch's Book will be update soon.I use this book all the time for reference to which herbal supplement will work for which need I experience. The book tells you the parameters of safety for the herb, too. I never worry about the book's accuracy. I love it and have relied on it for years. If there is helpful information on an herb, this book includes it. I turn to this book for general info, but it leaves out a lot of herbs and supplements, and healing methods that are used widely today. It's good for reference, but not for specific instruction.
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