Friday, October 30, 2015

Review # 302: Stop the Diet, I Want to Get Off! by Lisa Tillinger Johansen

Description: (book-jacket)

          The Paleo.  The Zone.  The Gluten-free.  Another day, another diet.  We’re caught in a never-ending merry-go-round of weight loss plans, fueled by celebrity endorsers, TV doctors and companies angling for a piece of a $60 billion industry.  But do these diets really work?  And how healthy are they?

          Registered Dietitian Lisa Tillinger Johansen examines dozens of the most wildly popular diets based on medical facts, not hype.  And along the way, she reveals tried-and-true weight loss strategies, relying on her years of hospital experience, weight-loss seminars and community outreach efforts.  With insight and humor, Stop The Diet, I Want To Get Off shows that the best answer is often not a trendy celebrity-endorsed diet, but easy-to-follow guidelines that are best for our health and our waistlines.

For More Information
  • Stop the Diet, I Want to Get Off! is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Review:

Will be up shortly!


Rating: On the Run! (4/5)

About the Author:

Lisa Tillinger Johansen, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian who counsels clients on a wide range of health issues. Her debut nutrition book, Fast Food Vindication, received the Discovery Award (sponsored by USA Today, Kirkus and The Huffington Post). She lives in Southern California.

Her latest book is the nonfiction/nutrition/health book, Stop the Diet, I Want To Get Off!
For More Information

Book Excerpt:

"The idea for this book began at a wedding.
Who doesn’t love a good wedding? The clothes, the flowers, the romance, the food…
Ah, the food. As we moved into the banquet hall, the culinary feast was on everyone’s minds. It was all anyone seemed talk about. But for some reason, guests weren’t conversing about the dishes being served; they were swapping stories of diets they had heard about from friends, magazine articles, even celebrities on talk shows.
I’m a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutritional science and years of clinical and health education experience. I’ve counseled thousands of patients and clients on all of these diets. But hearing the guests only momentarily distracted me from my horrible faux pas of wearing white (gasp!) to a friend’s wedding.
“I’m on the Blood Type Diet,” said a woman with an impossibly high bouffant hairdo. “You’ve heard of that, haven’t you? It’s the one where you choose your foods based on your blood type. I’m an AB, so I’ll be having the fish.”
“Really?” her friend replied. “I swear by the gluten-free diet. I’m on it, my daughter’s on it, and my granddaughter’s on it.”
I happened to know her granddaughter was six and didn’t have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
Then there was the stocky guy who was trying to impress one of the bridesmaids. “I’m a paleo man myself,” he said, piling his plate high with beef kebabs. “It gives me more stamina, know what I mean? It puts me in touch with my inner caveman. There’s a restaurant near my apartment that’s paleo friendly. Maybe we can grab a bite there sometime, or…Hey wait, where are you going?”
And there were three Weight Watchers sisters who typed furiously on their phones and argued over their meals’ point values. Apparently there was some discrepancy between their various apps, and the sisters’ discussion was becoming more heated by the moment.
I’m past the point of being surprised by the wide range of weight-loss strategies—
some worthless, some crazy, some quite reasonable—being tossed around. In the past few years, there has been a tidal wave of diets washing up on the shores of our nutritional consciousness. Celebrities prance across our screens, promoting a variety of weight-loss schemes on talk shows and infomercials. Medical doctors star in their own syndicated television programs, exposing millions to weight-loss techniques, often unsupported by medical research. Other diets get traction on the Internet, racing all over the globe in social media posts, YouTube videos, and annoying spam e-mails. It’s hard to walk past a shopping center vitamin store without being approached by salespeople trying to pitch the latest weight-loss supplements. It seems that everyone wants a piece of the pie; the American diet industry tops $60 billion annually.
It’s classic information overload. You can’t blame people for being confused by all the diets out there, even as crazy as some of them may sound. I didn’t speak up to my fellow wedding guests that day, but it occurred to me they would benefit from some hard facts about the diets they so ardently follow.
So during the toasts, I thought to myself, I should write a book.
I counsel clients on these matters each week, giving them information they need to make the best choices for their health and waistlines. I find that all too often there’s nothing to the diets that are presented to me in my counseling sessions and classes. They just plain don’t work, particularly over the long term. And some of them are harmful, even potentially lethal. But it’s also unhealthy to carry extra weight on our frames. So how do we separate good diets from the bad?
In the chapters to come, we’ll take a good, hard look at the various weight-loss plans out there. I’ll pull no punches in my professional evaluation of some of the most wildly popular diets, both bad and good, of the past few years. And along the way, I’ll explore tried-and-true strategies for losing weight, based on my years of hospital experience, weight-loss seminars, and community outreach efforts. More often than not, the best answer is not a trendy celebrity-endorsed diet, but instead a few easy-to-follow guidelines that I’ve seen work in literally thousands of cases.
Enough is enough. It’s time for the madness—and the diets—to stop..."


*** I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Good morning readers,

I have read and started reviewing several books that I was planning on posting this weekend, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I may not be able to post until Sunday. I must apologize to the authors, publicists, and readers who have been awaiting my reviews, but sometimes things happen that are out of one's control. Thanks for all the continued support!

-Allizabeth (TPP)

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Review # 301: The Rockstar Remedy by Dr. Gabrielle Francis

Description: (book-jacket)

          Known as the “Rock n’ Roll Doctor” to some of the most famous bands in the world, Dr. Gabrielle Francis shares her unique holistic prescription to achieving health and balance—even when you don’t live like a saint!

          As a Holistic Doctor to the music industry’s elite, Dr. Francis has helped rock stars repair, recover, and refuel from the demanding schedules and occasional overindulgences that come along with the rock star lifestyle. Being overscheduled, sleep-deprived, overeating, drinking and managing physical and mental stressors aren’t lifestyle habits unique to the music industry; they are the same challenges faced by all of us, every day.

          In The Rockstar Remedy, Dr. Francis shares her unique strategies designed to be incorporated into your hectic lifestyle. Her programs are customized to meet you where you are at, whether an experienced health enthusiast or a beginner. Completing the 21 day detox will give you a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm for life, while looking and feeling your personal best. She explains how health is not a destination, but exists on a spectrum, and the simple act of making better choices every day—even if they’re not the best choices—helps us achieve balance in both mind and body. With tips for improving energy levels, easy food guidelines and a simple no-starvation detox, Dr. Francis offers a simple, effective plan for staying healthy and happy amid the chaos of our daily lives. Her popular “Harm Reduction Techniques” and “90/10 Rule” make it easy to celebrate life with occasional indulgences while maintaining good health. This is not a temporary fix; this program brings long-lasting, life-changing results.

Now you can reach for the stars too!


Interested?

The Rockstar Remedy is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at the PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Review:

          It's not often that I get to review books about diet and health, (although health-based topics are a favorite of mine), so when I get the chance to read a book like The Rockstar Remedy by Dr. Gabrielle Francis, I usually jump at the chance. In addition to the cool, bright cover art, the bold title and the advance praise from doctors and musicians caught my interest immediately (as was the intention, of course), making me curious about the content. Was it going to be another dry, boring "self-help" manual for the masses, featuring new takes on old health practices? Or was it going to spin old and new trains of thought into something novel and useful? This question was easily answered after reading the table of contents and getting into the first couple of chapters. The Rockstar Remedy is not just for legitimate million dollar on-stage acts, but also for the rockstar that exists in all of us. It's a prescriptive framework that allows for the reader to examine and reevaluate different areas of their life in regards to being healthier and (in most cases) happier. Dr. Francis partitions the book into four sections: the RxStar Philosophy, Detox, Nourish/Revive, and Heal, RestoreRecover - all important topics for a busy, tired, overworked, overindulgent rockstar, but also important to anyone with a typical challenging day-to-day lifestyle (a.k.a. most people). I liked Dr. Francis' approach to getting people motivated and ramped up about their well being. Even if you aren't a rockstar, the ability to repair, recover, and recharge your "batteries" on a regular basis is an important step towards getting things together and finding a balance between home, work, school, band practice, extracurriculars, etc... Most of the content was easy to digest and fun to read, especially the quotes and the "Harm Reduction Techniques". It's great how accessible everything is. That being said, like with any "self-help" type book, I took a lot of good ideas and tips from it, but there were sections that did not impress me, specifically, parts of the detox, nourish, and revive sections. There were a few reasons why these sections did not meet my expectations, including: I am a scientist, so I often think that there should be more detail about certain items, especially where nutrition and ingredients are involved. Also, certain recipes/remedies had ingredients that my body cannot tolerate, so being unable to actually try any of the remedies hampered some of my enjoyment; like with any lifestyle programs these items are not the author's fault, just depends on the reader and their circumstances. Overall, I enjoyed reading The Rockstar Remedy, especially Dr. Francis' writing style and the overall "you can do it!" motivational tone. I was surprised how much I got out of it and recommend it to anyone who wants to recharge their life (and their inner rockstar)!  

Rating: On the Run! (4/5)

About the Author:

          Dr. Gabrielle Francis has been practicing natural medicine for more than thirty years. She is a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, and Licensed Massage therapist. Dr. Francis currently practices in New York City as The Herban Alchemist.  She also operates Backstage Alternative, which is her natural medicine road show that provides chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, nutrition and herbal remedies to performing artists on tour.

          Dr. Francis received her formal medical training at National College of Chiropractic and at Bastyr University. She has extensive training in Alternative Cancer Therapies, Environmental Medicine, Functional Medicine, Mind-Body medicine, and Bio-Identical Hormone therapies. Following her formal medical education, Dr. Francis travelled extensively to various parts of the world studying medicine with indigenous healers in countries such as China, India, Thailand, Bali, Brazil, Morocco, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Belize, Mexico, Egypt, and Mali.

          Stacy Baker Masand is a health, fitness and lifestyle editor whose work has appeared in magazines such as In Style, Marie Claire, Self, Shape, Fitness, DuJour and Women’s Health. She’s co-author of New York Times bestseller Your Best Body Now. Stacy is currently developing projects for both small and big screen.Their latest book is the health/wellness/rocknroll book, The Rockstar Remedy.

Want to know more?

Visit Dr. Gabrielle Francis’ website.
Connect with Gabrielle on Facebook and Twitter.
Find out more about Gabrielle at Goodreads.
Connect with Gabrielle on Instagram.
Visit Gabrielle’s blog..
Contact Gabrielle.


Tour Schedule:

Tuesday, September 1: Interview at PUYB Virtual Book Club

Wednesday, September 2: Interview at C.A. Milson’s Blog

Thursday, September 3: First Chapter Reveal at Pump Up Your Book

Friday, September 4: Book Featured at Bound 2 Escape

Wednesday, September 9: Book Featured at Authors and Readers Book Corner

Thursday, September 10: Interview at Pinky’s Favorite Reads

Monday, September 14: Interview at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, September 15: Guest Blogging at Mythical Books

Wednesday, September 16: Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner

Monday, September 21: Interview at Examiner

Tuesday, September 22: Book Featured at Booklover Sue

Wednesday, September 23: Guest Blogging at Defending the Pen

Monday, September 28: Book Featured at 3 Partners in Shopping

Wednesday, September 30: Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Monday, October 5: Guest Blogging at The Writer’s Life

Tuesday, October 6: Interview at Review From Here

Wednesday, October 7: Book Featured at The Literary Nook

Thursday, October 8: Book Featured at Confessions of a Reader

Monday, October 12: Book Featured at CBY Book Club

Tuesday, October 13: Book Review at The Paperback Pursuer

Wednesday, October 14: Book Review at Confessions of the Perfect Mom

Thursday, October 15: Book Review at Book Babble

Monday, October 19: Guest Blogging at Beyond the Books

Tuesday, October 20: Book Review at Storeybook Reviews

Wednesday, October 21: Book Review at A Word At A Time

Monday, October 26: Guest Blogging at Literal Exposure

Tuesday, October 27: Book Review at Bound 4 Escape

Wednesday, October 28: Guest Blogging at As the Page Turns

Thursday, October 29: Guest Blogging at Mina’s Bookshelf

Friday, October 30: Book Review at My Life Loves and Passion

Monday, November 2: Book Review at The Literary Nook

Tuesday, November 3: Book Review at Deal Sharing Aunt

Wednesday, November 4: Guest Blogging at As the Pages Turn

Thursday, November 5: Interview at I’m Shelf-ish

Monday, November 9: Interview at The Book Rack

Tuesday, November 10: Interview at Blogcritics

Wednesday, November 11: Book Review at I’d Rather Be At The Beach

Thursday, November 12: Interview at Literarily Speaking

Monday, November 16: First Chapter Reveal at Read My First Chapter

Tuesday, November 17: Book Featured at Maureen’s Musings

Thursday, November 19: Book Review at Create With Joy

Tuesday, November 24: Interview at SheWrites

Wednesday, November 25: Book Review at Svetlana’s Books and Views

Friday, November 27: Book Tour Highlights at PUYB Virtual Book Club

*** I received this book from the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Update

Hello everyone!

I am scheduled to post reviews for several books this month, but I am a little behind schedule because of work. I apologize for any inconvenience and will try to get reviews up as soon as possible. Thanks for the support!

Monday, August 31, 2015

TPP Update

Hey everyone,

Just a heads up that I will be M.I.A. for the next month or so while I get used to my new job as a college professor! I am still reading and reviewing, but unfortunately have less time to do so. If you are an author/publisher I am reviewing for, I will try to get reviews up as soon as possible. Drop me an email if you would like an estimated review date. Thanks for all of your support readers and authors!!!

Monday, August 10, 2015

Review # 300: Let’s Talk About Tickling by Veronica Frances

Description:

          Let’s Talk About Tickling is an honest, straightforward discussion about tickling. Discover the many different aspects of tickling—the fantasies, the realities, the many paradoxes of the tickling fetish and how to come to terms with ones own sensuality.

          A refreshing and very welcome find, Let’s Talk About Tickling is for anyone who wishes to expand their awareness of tickling and other related fetishes. This book will be of great interest to anyone who wants to get in touch with their sensual self, whether they have a tickling fetish or not.

          Author Veronica Frances offers her readers the chance to improve their relationships in and out of the bedroom by shining a light on the powerful significance of tickling. She reminds us that tickling is not merely the whisper of a feather on the flesh. It is an echo that calls us from deep within, beckoning us to listen and respond.

Review:

          About two years ago, I decided to take a leap outside of my comfort zone and read Veronica Frances' Tickling Daphne H., my first foray into erotic tickling fiction. As I admitted in my review of Tickling Daphne H, I had never imagined that tickling was a turn-on, let alone a form of sexual pleasure and/or torture, but the way that Veronica's characters interacted and used tickling in various ways, even in their daily lives, opened my eyes to the adult uses of tickling; perhaps less innocent versions than my previous associations, but nonetheless intriguing. So when I heard about Veronica's Let's Talk About Tickling, a nonfiction heart-to-heart about tickling and its uses in and out of the bedroom, I figured that it might be interesting to learn more about tickling and why it is such a sensual and erotic mechanism for so many people. I was right. It is indeed interesting, especially because of the personal, down-to-earth, humorous, detailed, and easily readable way that Veronica discusses tickling. She presents topics in such a way that they seem natural, sensual, and doable, unlike books on similar topics where the thought of actually "taking action" is stress-inducing. I actually found myself relating to some of the material presented, particularly the sections about "tickling with words" and "tickling paradoxes", contemplating how tickling could potentially play a role in my own life. No, this book did not inspire me to run to the nearest craft store for a jumbo pack of multi-colored feathers, but it did tickle my curiosity. Overall, Let's Talk About Tickling was a great read, and I have already recommended it to several friends who would like to give the "tickling thing" a try.

Rating: On the Run! (4.5/5)

About the Author:

          Veronica Frances is the author of the gutsy, no-holds-barred novel,Tickling Daphne H.Her new non-fiction book Let’s Talk About Tickling sheds a refreshing new light on the subject. She is known as the TickleWriter in some circles.

          Veronica also writes under her real name, Stacey Handler. Stacey is the author of The Body Burden; Living In The Shadow Of Barbie. Her book was featured in Jump Magazine, Australian Women’s Weekly, The National Enquirer, and several other publications, radio shows and cable TV shows.

          Stacey excels at public speaking, singing, composing, and writing. She is a singer-songwriter, poet, and has written in many different styles. She has an album and several singles available, including her two popular anthems, Ain’t No Skinny Little Thing and Soap Opera Diva.

She lives in New York City, where she continues to write erotica, fiction, poetry and non-fiction.

For More Information:


Guestpost:
The Mind Rules Your Sensual Universe
by Veronica Frances

It is important to understand that true intimacy often begins in the mind. Yes, two people can feel arousal in their bodies and jump into bed. That is not the same thing. Real intimacy, which can include fetishes, various kinks, and the unraveling of certain defenses, must be mentally explored as much as physically. Otherwise, sex becomes like a tired stick of gum. It will lose its flavor eventually if two people cannot mentally connect and take the time to really learn about their partner and their partner’s needs.

I believe it is important to take full advantage of a rich fantasy life, if you happen to be lucky enough to have one. Fantasies are a healthy way for the mind to travel to sensual places. It is important to include your partner as much as possible in these travels. Airfare is free. There are no limits to where the mind can go when immersed in a fantasy.

It is perfectly fine to fantasize on your own, without sharing your fantasies with anybody. After all, they are your fantasies. You own them. Nobody can take them away from you. I am merely suggesting that sharing your deep inner fantasies with your partner will give them a front row glimpse into your own sensual projection room. Your partner will have the pleasure of sharing your personal fantasies with you. They will also have a better idea as to what turns you on and what your sexual triggers are. Tickling is an amazing and very powerful sexual trigger for some people.

Sexual triggers are often fetishes, or as I discussed in a previous chapter, phrases that add to a sexual experience. In certain fantasies about tickling, verbal triggers are often used and can sometimes be a fabulous precursor to the actual tickling that takes place.

Here is a scenario that I find very sexy. This is a very typical fantasy for somebody who loves tickling.

I am sitting in a restaurant with the guy of my dreams. He keeps staring at me, undressing me with his eyes. Perhaps he notices I am a bit moody. He reaches under the table and lightly caresses my knee, knowing that it will tickle slightly and elicit a little blush and a giggle.

Then he uses the trigger phrase:

“Does that tickle?”

I begin to feel a warm flush all over my body. Perhaps the white wine is adding to this sensation, making it increasingly difficult for me to remain composed. I start to laugh out of pure embarrassment. My loss of control is making me hotter and hotter between my thighs. I am afraid the whole restaurant will hear me laughing and that everybody in the room will know that my partner is tickling me under the table. My fetish will be exposed and I will be unable to control how turned on I’m becoming.

My partner leans forward and speaks to me in a very sexy, sultry tone.

“When we get home, I am going to tickle the crap out of you. There will be no discussion in the matter. I am going to strip you down, tie your arms up over your head and tickle you for as long as I please.”

I can’t wait for him to get the check, so we can hurry home for my tickle session. He makes me wait, flirting with me shamelessly for the next hour or so. I suddenly become a bit terrified of him getting the check. Excitement is permeating throughout my entire body. My panty crotch is soaked. My face is beet red and my heart is pounding with delicious anticipation.

He gets the check and chuckles, as I gasp quietly. He takes me home and then, well you can imagine the rest.

I just shared one of my fantasies. What are your fantasies? What fantasies lie deep inside of you and do you feel sometimes like sharing them with a trusted partner? The fantasy I just shared is definitely something I would want to share with a partner.

It is important to have a partner who wants to hear your fantasies and help fulfill them. Your partner should also learn all your trigger phrases and use them generously, as you should also do with your partner. I would not settle for anything less and neither should you. The more you and your partner understand each other’s needs and desires, the more sexually fulfilling your relationship will be. Most tickle lovers know that the best tickling often begins in the mind. The mind is an extremely important vehicle to a happy and fulfilling sex life.

Links:

*** I received this book from the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Review # 299: No Bull Information: A Humorous Practical Guide to Help Americans Adapt to the Information Age by John Gamble

Description: (book jacket)

          How can even active, informed citizens keep up with, understand, and evaluate the mass of information bombarding us as we move through the 21st century? There are practical steps Americans can take that make it easier to spot information that is worth considering---hence the title of the book---“No Bull Information” or NBI. This NBI crusade has many aspects including deceptive words (encore performance), confusing numbers (a stunning 30% increase in inflation), evasion from politicians (I really hope the Senate will pass the bill). NBI explains tactics used to sneak grossly inaccurate information past even intelligent, well-informed people. NBI is a brief, humorous book with a character, Arnbi, everyone can identify with. NBI first provides ways to spot bogus information and then explains tangible actions you can take, actions that fit your individual situation.

Review:

          Dr. John Gamble’s No Bull Information -  A Humorous Practical Guide to Help Americans Adapt to the Information Age, began with a single quote: “Too bad, but “simple” is a square peg that seldom fits into the round hole that is our modern world”; an important reminder that not everything is one sided or without its flaws. In this case, information (on a national scale) is not what it seems due to serious problems in the way that information is presented, understood, and used, especially when it comes to misinformation. In the 21st century, people demand “fast, brief, and simple” access to information at all times, often via social media, texting, computers, TV, or by cell phone, so it’s no great surprise that much of that information is shoddy and/or used to carry an agenda of its own. Sure, getting some bad information may not have massive consequences, but in some cases, getting the wrong idea about something can be a life-or-death situation. This is why Dr. Gamble proposes the No Bull Information (NBI) method, to better equip American citizens to be able to evaluate the information around them in order to make safe/ smart decisions. Clearer, less ambiguous information can lead to an improved government, economy, and quality of living, limiting the number of communication and political breakdowns we see today. According to the book, NBI’s overarching goal is not only to provide the real facts, but to make sure that they are understood in the correct context, because the world is a complex place nowadays. Information is no longer held to the high standards it once was, causing people to question the information they receive; in a sense, becoming indecisive and misanthropic. This is why NBI is needed, to “cut the crap” and allow for real consideration and decision making. I am actually quite surprised by how much I enjoyed Dr. Gamble’s humorous and straight to the point approach. His clever use of Arnbi to express the most important aspects of NBI works well with the chapter-based self-help format, providing ARNBisms, rules, and comic relief. Chapters deal with a vast array of misinformation sources (oversimplification, gray areas, the thinking process, numbers/ statistics, deceptive samplings and rankings, double-meanings, gimmicks, pitch-people, etcetera…), as well as techniques to put NBI into national practice. The book is easy-to-read and understand, with well-researched, supported, and referenced concepts and examples (as footnotes) throughout the book. I like how Dr. Gamble promotes common sense - something that people tend to overlook, especially when they are pressured or stressed. The Survey CARDS are also a really great idea, solidifying each chapter’s biggest points. Overall, I agree with a great deal of what NBI is all about, and will definitely be recommending No Bull Information to other readers who suffer from information overload.

Rating: On the Run (4/5)

Excerpt

" Introductions to books are difficult, especially when writing about a topic as broad as information. This is true for me. I have been a college professor for more than 30 years. I am convinced there are serious problems with the way information is presented and understood. This affects all Americans. I am writing for and to them.

At the most basic level, this book is about facts, basic units of information. I explain how facts are the building blocks of information and understanding. "Fact traps" are everywhere, many very subtle. As you'll see, understanding facts and what to do with them involves far more than recognizing and discarding misinformation. Often that is the easy part. Far more important is understanding facts, where they fit, and what to do with them.

On March 2, 1962, a basketball player scored 100 points in a single game. On the face of it, this seems like quite a big deal. But we must go further and put the fact into context. We need to know this was in the NBA, the premier professional basketball league in the world. The player, Wilt Chamberlain, was one of the greatest players who ever lived. This record has never been matched. It’s only in the context of this additional information that we can truly appreciate what an achievement Chamberlain accomplished in that game.

Americans need to be better equipped to evaluate the massive amounts of information bombarding us. A new type of information literacy must be developed for the Internet age. This is essential to the operation of our democracy and our free market economic system. We need a more astute citizenry, able to make more intelligent judgments if not to leap tall buildings in a single bound. If we don’t achieve this, competition in business will not work properly, election choices will be shortsighted, and our government will not be able to make tough decisions.

Thousands if not millions of people can participate in what I hope will become a mass movement that I call NBI—No-Bull Information. This will reduce the chances of bank bailouts, oil spills, elected officials who ignore scientific proof, and anonymous billionaires who spend obscene amounts of money on election campaigns. My goals might seem unrealistic and naïve. Once you read a bit further, I am confident you’ll see this can work and you can be a part of it. The average American is smarter and more analytic than politicians, credit card companies, supermarkets, Super PACs, and TV shows seem to believe. "


About the Author


          Dr. John Gamble is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Law at Penn State’s Behrend College in Erie and Director of Honors Programs. He is the author of approximately 100 publications and recently won Penn State’s most prestigious award for teaching, the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching.

          Dr. Gamble has stuttered all of his life. As a result, he believes words are precious and should not be taken for granted; this motivated him to write NO BULL INFORMATION. His dream for the book is that parents and grandparents will teach their children and grandchildren NBI techniques and demand clear, concise information from political leaders and service and product providers.

For More Information:
Connect with Dr. Gamble on Facebook.
Find out more about Dr. Gamble at Goodreads.



*** I received this book from the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Review # 298: Overcoming Anxiety by David John Berndt, PhD

Description:


          Psychologist David Berndt, Ph.D., in Overcoming Anxiety, outlines several self-help methods for relief from anxiety and worry. In clear language and a conversational style. Dr. Berndt talks with the reader like he might in a therapy session, and he shares what he has learned from his clients about how to make techniques for anxiety management more effective and helpful..
You will be able to learn:

  • A Self-hypnosis grounding technique in the Ericksonian tradition.
  • Box Breathing, Seven Eleven and similar breathing techniques for anxiety relief.
  • How to stop or interrupt toxic thoughts that keep you locked in anxiety.
  • How to harness and utilize your worries, so they work for you.
  • Relief from anxiety through desensitization and exposure therapy.

          Designed to be used alone as self-help or in conjunction with professional treatment, Dr. Berndt draws upon his experience as a clinician and academic researcher to give accessible help to the reader who wants to understand and manage their anxiety.


Review:


       Overcoming Anxiety by David Berndt is a short self-help guidebook that offers readers an array of anxiety relief strategies based on novel therapeutic and cognitive behavioral techniques used by psychologists. It focuses on using proven techniques to overcome anxiety, panic, and dread, without the use of anti-anxiety medications, allowing readers to begin understanding the biological and social aspects of anxiety as a disorder. Topics include: “Managing Anxiety by Coming to Your Senses”, “Breathing Easy”, “Worries That Work”, “Defusing Fears and Anxiety”, “Thinking Clearly”, and “All in Your Head? Physiological Factors in Anxiety, Stress and Panic”; covering both mental and physical facets of the disorder. The format is well-structured and easy-to-understand, but certain areas include more psychological jargon than entirely necessary. That said, the material is still very accessible and can be easily implemented/ modified by readers and/or therapists. Overall, I found this guidebook to be a good resource for people with mild to severe anxiety issues. I myself tend to become anxious at times, and the 54321 technique definitely helped me to relax and focus on other objects (not the stressor), especially when presenting projects at work. Overcoming Anxiety indeed holds a lot of worthy information in its forty-five pages, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for relief from anxiety and associated feelings.

Rating: Bounty's Out (3.75/5)

Excerpt:


          “...so I am teaching you my version. My modifications of the 54321 grounding technique have been improved and changed by my clients, to fit their needs. I would be pleased if you chose to change the technique somewhat, so that the skill rightly belongs very much to you. 
In fact, I hope you can forget that I taught it to you, and instead give yourself the entire credit. If you do the 54321 senses technique right, it will be yours. You will be comforted not only by your skills, but by the knowledge that there is so much relief available right inside you. 

How and When the Technique Works 

          Before we start, I want to explain a little bit about how it works. This technique is a good way to learn to manage or change any strong feeling. It not only works with anxiety, but with anger as well – in fact it can help with any feeling that is too strong. However, it is not really suited to dealing with sadness, a feeling for which we typically will use other methods. But the five sense technique really has the potential to work like a charm when you are anxious, fearful or worried. 
          This method does not aim to rid you of your anxiety or fear, and it does not - and should not - entirely stop the worry or fretting, or solve all your pressing problems.  What it can do is shrink the troubling feeling so it can be a lot smaller, and not feel so strong and compelling.  
          You don’t necessarily want to lose your feelings of fear or anxiety, because these feelings can be useful. Let me explain why. 
          Anxiety is a signal that something is either already wrong, or about to become a problem, or so you believe. It is like a red or yellow light, at a traffic signal. It tells you, “wait a second, something is up!” When you are afraid, you usually have a good idea about what it is you are afraid of, but with anxiety you don’t even really know what it is. 
          In either case, you don’t necessarily want to get rid of the signal, you just want to make it smaller, and more manageable. The signal is supposed to be useful, and in response to a signal, you are supposed to do something, right? That is what anxiety is – anxiety signals for you to do something. If something frightens you or makes you mad, you will probably want to fix it.
          If you bend your leg too far one direction, you feel pain, and that signal tells you stop bending it. If you cut yourself, you may use the pain signal to remember to clean a wound, and maybe even to get a bandage. But if the pain is too big, then it is not so useful. You need enough of the pain to get the message, but not so much that it will drive you crazy or keep you awake.
The same thing holds true with anxiety. A problem that is worrying you - or that you are afraid of, or dreading - probably needs your attention. But if there is too much anxiety or fear, or too many worries, then you are likely to get overwhelmed and not make use of the anxiety signal to make the needed changes.
          To go back to the traffic light metaphor, if you make use of the yellow light at the signal, then you will likely change your speed - slow down or speed up - in order to avoid a collision. But if the light was so bright that you couldn’t see the intersection well, then that signal is not of much use. It might even cause you to crash, or sit there frozen until someone coming through the intersection hits you.
          So the problem with controlling anxious feelings lies in learning how to shrink - but not get rid of - that big feeling of anxiety. The technique I intend to teach you uses your body’s five senses. It “grounds” the strong feelings in your body, in much the same manner as an electrical ground releases the pent up electrical charge that it drains off. 
          This technique is one method you can use to do neutralize your big unmanageable feelings. It is derived from several different approaches to managing feelings. One approach that is utilized, as part of the 54321 Technique, is self-hypnosis; it is easy to do, and easy to learn just from reading this chapter. As such, the 54321 Technique makes use of some principals from Ericksonian hypnosis, indeed most credit that technique to Milton Erickson's wide Betty. More about that later.
Distraction is another approach I draw upon with the 54321 Technique. The mindfulness literature provides a context that is important as a third body of knowledge I drew upon in refining this technique.

Distraction as Way to Manage Anxiety 

          Think back to the last time you saw a child throwing a temper tantrum. What can you as an adult do that can make the child stop? If your six year old nephew is along on your shopping trip, and he gets it in his head that he wants some extra candy or that chocolate-coated cereal, what can you do?
          Distracting him is one approach that works fairly well. You can distract the child with a serious threat and a loud voice, or maybe with some tickling, but a more pleasant and effective way is to just get them thinking about something else. If your child or nephew is a fan of Disney, you can get them talking about the trip the family has planned for next week to Disneyland. If your eight year old is into collecting coins, you can pull out a pocketful, and soon he will be inspecting your change for their latest treasure. 
          Adults do not have as many temper tantrums, but distraction works as well with their version of these affective storms. Indeed, one of the classic techniques of anxiety management uses distraction at the core of it - you simply find a distraction from the feeling of anxiety and run with it. The idea is this:  if you can find a way to distract yourself - or have someone else distract you - then that distraction takes your mind off the anxiety. Of course something distracting works best when you find the distraction sufficiently interesting, so that it can easily hold your attention. 
          If your child is into Disney, or coin collecting, then that will probably work to divert them from a tantrum. The distraction has to be something they like, are interested in, or that they find compelling for some other reason. It has to be at least as interesting – ideally more so – than the thing causing the tantrum.
          So, too, you will need something quite interesting to divert your anxiety. If you can use distraction to overcome a child's tantrum in the supermarket, surely you can find a way to use the same principal on yourself, if you want to manage your own out of control feelings. The 54321 technique as I teach it uses this principal of distraction, as a core feature, and it teaches you cool ways to distract yourself from your anxiety.
          Using the 54321 technique, you can get really good at finding ways to distract yourself from your anxiety, and that is only one third of the recipe I am preparing for you. 
Mindfulness- Embracing the NOW
          For the purposes of teaching the technique, I will be asking you to get distracted by noticing your world around you, in the here and now, using your five senses. While there are plenty of things you and I can think of that could capture the imagination even more completely, we are all interested in what we see, hear, feel, smell and taste. It is certainly  a lot easier to teach this method if I use something everybody experiences, so I am utilizing these five senses. It just so happens that this is making use of another area of psychology- the mindfulness literature.
          Mindfulness research has shown that paying attention in the here and now to what your senses are experiencing can be a very powerful way to bring your feelings under control...”

About the Author:


          David John Berndt received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, and was on the faculty at the University Of Chicago Department Of Psychiatry. Berndt has published or presented over 80 papers professionally before moving more recently to Charleston, South Carolina.

          In addition to his professional writing, Doctor Berndt maintains the Psychology Knowledge web site, blogs, and he sees clients in his psychotherapy and marriage counseling practice in his downtown Charleston, SC psychologist office. He recently published a book Overcoming Anxiety.


*** I received this book from the author/ publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.