Let’s face it, natural medicine still has a tiny bit of folk lore attached to it’s storied remedies and cures for certain ailments. There is also plenty of misinformation.

I remember reading a website for the Master Cleanse a year or so ago and the website owner noted the possibility of hot bowel movements. He explained the added “heat” as toxins, quoting that “toxins contain a large amount of heat as they leave the body.”

I have to admit, I nearly laughed myself out of my chair with this one. His version of the Master Cleanse contained cayenne pepper. Far more likely to cause the extra burn than the “toxins”.

UltraPrevention is an experience of real world results. That’s what is most refreshing about this book. Mark Hyman and Mark Liponis do an incredible job of citation as well as explaining examples of when their treatments worked and for what illnesses and symptoms.

UltraPrevention is based around the common natural health ideal that symptoms are a cause of deficiency. This is caused by 5 different factors, malnutrition, burnout, inflammation, impaired detoxification, and oxidative stress.

The book mainly focuses on what you can do if you find yourself dealing with one of these factors.

Personal stress, poor diet, lack of exercise and environmental toxins are the main cause of the body being overtaxed and demonstrating this with symptoms. Hyman and Liponis give very specific explanations of what supplements and foods to take to eliminate them.

UltraPrevention also brings to light the challenges with the conventional model with facts and figures from various studies. For instance, in a statement about the care a doctor can give their patient, they site a Jan. 1999 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association that concluded the average interaction between doctor and patient lasts twenty-three seconds before an interruption.

Also discussed is the need of a diagnosis for the insurance company to pay. If doctor’s can’t make a diagnosis, there’s no reimbursement. This creates a need for the doctor to put something on paper to make sure their business stays in the black.

There are far too many case studies and recommendations to cite here in this review, but here are some other quick facts from Hyman and Liponis’s book UltraPrevention that I thought were worth noting…

• High homocystine levels are due to a functional deficiency in B vitamins – high homocystine levels are a great warning factor for heart disease

• A Scandinavian study of 44,000 pairs of twins, found that less than 10% of cancer was genetic.

• In 1999, a 46 month study in France looked at 605 people who had heart attacks. Some were told to eat a Mediterranean diet, others the American Heart Association heart disease prevention diet. There were 50-70% fewer heart attacks for those who ate the Mediterranean diet.

• Omega 3 oils may hold the key to unlocking depression and other ailments. The optimal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 oils is 1:2 – 1:4.

• 75% of the world’s population doesn’t drink milk except during infancy. Most African women ingest 300-500 mg a day and rarely get osteoporosis.

• Calcium Citrate is a better source than calcium carbonate.

• Sulfur containing foods for detoxification such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, bok choy, garlic, onion.

• If tested, your homocystine levels should be under 9 and your triglycerides should be under 150 or a triglyceride to HDL ratio greater than 4.3.

• Hair analysis is not accurate for general nutrition but can detect heavy metals in the system.

• Watch out for contact lens solution containing thimerosol. This contains mercury.

• Selenium for inactive thyroid as well as sea vegetables.

I think UltraPrevention – The 6-Week Plan that Will Make You Healthy for Life is a great book for the beginner and the seasoned practitioner or health renegade. It’s a quick read and will provide some added insight into the clinical application of natural medicine or “functional” medicine that is needed to provide the best health to the people we care about.

For more information on how get UltraPrevention – The 6-Week Plan that Will Make You Healthy for Life by Dr. Mark Hyman and Mark Liponis please click here. I also recommend the 5 Forces of Wellness which you can also find there! You can also find his books and products on Amazon.com.