I have a degree in Chinese herbs and at least 50 books on herbs. This is one of the best.

The author reviews Chinese, Western and Ayurvedic herbs. He includes research and little known facts about the herbs.

There are chapters on different diseases and the herbs that will treat them, including HIV, cancer, diabetes and thyroid problems.

There is a great explanation of the immune system, with each component explained very clearly, along with herbs that have been proven to affect that specific function. Which herbs boost interferon and which ones boost NK cells? What is tumor necrosis factor and what herbs stimulate it?

There is a seamless integration of Naturopathic and allopathic.

For example: Cases of hyperthyroidism and of hypothyroidism were confirmed via blood test. Hyperthyroidism correlated with a yin deficiency diagnosis and hypothyroidism with a yang deficiency diagnosis. As would be expected.

Everyone who loves herbs should have a copy of this book!!!!

This book is amazing. It offers in-depth, well-referenced information. The contents are priceless!

This is a truly remarkable book.In a sense it is an encyclopedic treatment of herbology for the layman, and a reference book for the specialist. One correctly gets the impression that the author and his two co-authors really know what they are talking about. The book is based on an extensive knowledge about herbs, and considerable clinical experience. It covers the area of herbal treatment comprehensively. The content is well organized and information is clearly presented.The index is lengthy and detailed. The Appendix conveniently lists herbs, according to their physiological action, by their common and Latin names. The Resource Guide. is unusually comprehensive. It is a pleasure to recommend this book.

Albert Schatz, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Temple University.

I had a near-debilitating eye burn accident a month ago and I went through a series of opthamologists who couldn't answer a majority of my questions regarding the recovery of my eyesight. To complicate matters I had LASIK surgery that was affected by the burn accident and no-one could tell me anything. Until I read this book; this book provided me with holistic and scientific approach to treating and supplementing my treatment. From supplements to herbs, this book provided me a complete approach to the healing process. I am now near 90% visual acuity and because I can now read, I've began a lifelong process of eye health care that will help me in the future.

***************************************************************** BACKGROUND

I am a 32-year old chemistry Ph.D. student who this past fall was told that retinas in both eyes had detached.

I underwent surgery and got the "best possible" surgical result; however, this is not the same as what my vision had been before. At that point, I was told that since they didn't know why this (retinal detachment) happened that there was no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again.

I am extremely lucky that I stumbled upon Dr. Abel's book by accident in a local bookstore -- it has profoundly changed my life for the better. I am now at (...) to buy extra copies for friends and relatives.

ONE OF THE BEST HEALTH BOOKS EVER!

This is one of three of the most important health books I have run across in my life. (The other two are nutritionally-related -- "Entering the Zone" by Barry Sears,Ph.D., and "The Formula" by Gene & Joyce Daoust, and provide information on how to use diet to minimize illness and maximize longevity. These books well-complement this book and are of a similar holistic mindset.)

Dr. Abel, a U.S.-trained ophthalmologist (M.D.), has embraced the wisdom of non-Western medicine in his search to find ways to treat eye problems that Western medicine claims are "untreatable" and by so doing HAS FOUND SOLUTIONS TO MOST COMMON EYE PROBLEMS, WHICH HE HAS SHARED IN THIS BOOK.

Also typical of a non-Western approach, this book takes a holistic view -- showing that several other conditions can also accompany eye problems.

For example, before reading this book, I never recognized that arthritis and dry eyes commonly occur together (they are both collagen "diseases" which, in retrospect, makes a lot of sense) and that successfully treating one will also help lessen the severity of the other.

MOST EYE PROBLEMS ARE DUE TO INADEQUATE DIET & SO PREVENTABLE

The core message of this book is that most eye problems are the result of nutritional (specifically, vitamin/supplement) deficiencies.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

A general background on the eye if first given to provide a foundation to the layman, clearly explaining eye structure and basic function. (This background would probably be accessible to the average person who doesn't have a scientific background.)

Successive chapters build on this foundation as they each address one of the most common eye diseases, e.g. glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eyes, etc. At the end of each chapter is given a summary of what vitamins you can take to prevent/halt the progression of that particular eye problem.

The vitamins/supplements recommended are mostly available in your local grocery store's vitamin aisle -- you don't have to make a special trip to someplace exotic. (Also, a lot are common enough that there are generic versions available, which makes this easier for people on a limited budget.)

HOW THIS BOOK WAS USEFUL TO ME (& HOW IT COULD BE USEFUL TO YOU TOO)

Although the final step leading to my retinas detaching was the mechanical tearing of the retina, this book made me realize that the precursor was the weakening of the collagen in both my blood vessels and in the eye structure itself and that these were to vitamin deficiencies. (This book calls retinopathy "scurvy of the retina".)

Some of the solutions recommended in the book for this, e.g. bilberry and vitamin C, are vitamins/supplements known to strengthen collagen and other tissues.

I have taken multivitamins everyday and so would not have initially guessed that I have had a vitamin deficiency. But, after comparing the amounts in the multivitamin to the amounts recommended, I see that I did have one. (Remember you use up a lot of vitamins when you are under stress! :-) )

THIS BOOK IS EMPOWERING!

After reading this book, I realize that I have the power to prevent my eye condition from worsening just by taking a few more vitamins and supplements a day. This is a very easy way to significantly improve the quality of your life.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Abel for writing this book and giving me the ability to take back my life again.

ONE SMALL CRITICISM: WHY NOT A LARGE-PRINT EDITION?

My only possible complaint is that a book on eye problems needs to be available in a large-print edition so that the bulk of people who need this book might actually be able to read it themselves.

Dr. Abels book brings a wealth of information on how to prevent and sometimes reverse common eye problems like cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma and others. Losing vision can be one of the most frightening of experiences. Few people realize that 13 million people lose their eyesight from macular degeneration, and their ophthalmologists tell them nothing can be done except laser surgery.

I have known Dr. Abel personally for over 10 years, and I have seen with my own eyes a young girl of 18 facing blindness who now can now drive, and another woman with glaucoma resistent to eye drops have her eye pressures go down to safe ranges. I know for a fact that Dr. Abel has flown to India to perform free eye surgery in remote villages, helped found the first eye banks in several third world countries, and is not afraid to get down on the floor to show young children how much fun it is to put in eye drops. That is the man. Dr. Abel is an encyclopedia of useful medical wisdom, and his book is a true reflection of his knowledge-based desire to prevent blindness no matter what.

I began presenting an intro course on environmental topics, for which there is a mound of ordinary texts. It was hard to choose, and I doubted if much would be retained from set reading. McConnell and Abel's Environmental Issues, when I found it, proved to be the best choice. Though not comprehensive it sets achievable tasks for my students, gets them busy and both links several skills together and hones them. Since adopting it, I see definite improvements in interest, attention and achievement. It has even given me confidence to start adding modules from my own areas of interest, so clear is the design.

This book has helped me become a stronger person spiritually and given me more confidence in myself and relationships with others.

My two year old daughter begs me to read this over and over again. She likes the touch and feel stuff, and giggles when you open the page to see the animals. My 9 month old son also coos and giggles over it. This book got me through a very long three hour plane ride with two babies, I highly recommend it!

I began reading this book to my son when he was 5 months old and it quickly became one of his favorites. He's now 9 months old and loves feeling the textures as well as opening the pages to see which animal the texture belongs to. I have hidden the book in various places in his bookcase and he will always find it right away. We read it at least once a day and my son enjoys it every time.

Okay, first of all let me start by stating that I was born and for the most part raised in Gadsden, Alabama. Abel Streight & Nathan Bedford Forrest practically stomped through my back yard while riding toward Rome, GA. What's odd about this is that most people from that area are only aware of Emma Sansom and her role. She was the brave 16-year-old girl who kept Forrest and his Calvary on the heels of Streight and his Mule Brigade. Most of us grew up seeing that statue of Emma Sansom right on the edge of the Coosa River Bridge at the end of Broad Street. This mislead me for years to believe it was the Coosa she helped Forrest cross - it was actually Black Creek that she helped him cross. As a teenager, I would go hunting and see "John Wisdom Trail" signs on old rural roads. For some reason... I never thought to ask, "Who is John Wisdom?" Of course all this was before the Internet. Now I know that John Wisdom is the "Paul Revere of the South" and rode farther, faster and longer than Paul Revere actually did. These are just a few of the interesting elements of Streight's Raid. A Google search sparked my curiosity and led me to this book. This is the only comprehensive work on Streight's Raid. Simply put, this story sells itself. Streight was a righteous and decent man who believed in his cause. Forrest was noble and brilliant... who also believed in his cause. I have read far too few books on the Civil War to offer a serious book review, but I will give you a few thoughts.

I feel as though it was a fair representation of both Union and Confederate point of views. The acute attention to detail and first hand accounts were beneficial to the storyline. I am not an avid reader of military battles, so this next comment should be taken with a grain of salt. I found some portions of the book to be a little confusing. On more than one occasion, I had to back up a page and read it again. Someone more educated in regard to the Civil War might have zipped through these sections with ease. This is the only reason I subtracted a star from the review. I strongly suggest this book to anyone who is a "Civil War Buff". If this were a movie, no one would believe it was non-fiction.

Robert L. Willett conducted his own raid into previously uninhabited territory, and for this I commend him. There were no major battles fought in Alabama during the Civil War. Maybe it is for this reason that Streight's Raid is rarely written about. Maybe it's because the outcome of Streight's Raid somewhat glorifies Nathan Bedford Forrest. It may be too taboo in today's politically correct environment to glorify the founder of the Ku Klux Klan - whose military tactics were admired and studied by Nazi General Erwin Rommel. The significance of Forrest's "victory" is strongly debated. Could this be the most overlooked raid of the Civil War? Not anymore...

At the same time that Benjamin Grierson was making his remarkable raid through Mississippi and on to Baton Rouge, another raid took place in the opposite direction. Poorly equiped and badly scouted, Colonel Abel Sleight's raid across northern Alabama could have been successful with better scouting and being better equipt.

Robert Willett has written an interesting story based on eyewitness accounts and regimental histories. This work, which is well cited, is the only in depth work on this raid. Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of this work is that it will not gain the attention it deserves since it was not published by an academic press or written by an academic scholar. So much the loss.

I'm a great history student on Nathan Bedford Forrest myself. When I heard about this book, "The Lightning Mule Brigade" I immediately had to have it because I knew that NBF was involved in deterring Streight's Raid into Alabama. Bob Willett has done an outstanding job at pulling all the reference resources together into a great book about the raid. It has a lots of factual accounts that make for excellent reading about Forrest and Streight alike.

Robert Pinget's short, little play is about two actors deciding how best to stage a production that can grab an audience. Should they tell the story in a conventional narrative arc or do something a la Calvino, i.e., a series of false starts? Should they include an orgy to hold the audience's attention or would a meditation on death be more appropriate? Pinget's delightful play, written almost thirty years ago, portends the nasty notion of "test audiences" and is more than relevant today.