Did you know that when your grandmother prescribed cod liver oil for "whatever ailed ya" she was right-on? Cod liver oil helps in the prevention of coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, stroke, adult onset diabetes and insulin resistance, and helps to improve brain function, memory, bone health, stress response, immune response, allergies, asthma, and learning and behavioral disorders, including bipolar syndrome and manic-depression.

Yes, you are reading the correct article. This is the weekly book review from the Scottsbluff Public Library.

In "Take Back Your Body" by Susan E. Mead, M.H., (daughter of area resident Shirley Mead) readers are treated to an owner’s manual for a well-rounded and healthy life experience. According to Christiane Northrup, M.D., renowned author on women’s health issues, "Take Back Your Body" is loaded with accurate, actionable information that will help anyone grab the reins of their own healthcare for the better!!"

Susan E. Mead, M.H., will be doing a program and book signing at the Scottsbluff Public Library on Tuesday, April 21^st, at 2:00 p.m. in the meeting room. Susan’s book is full of common sense advice and easy solutions to help anyone regain or maintain their health. By Susan’s own admission, she is not a scientist or a guru, but a premenopausal woman, herbalist, mom, yoga teacher, spouse and recovering workaholic.

Often times it is a matter of eating your health back with the right foods for the situation. The first chapter of "Take Back Your Body" deals with food as medicine. We have to eat anyway, so why not get the most out of our eating experience by gaining healing benefits as well? For instance, to be heart healthy we have been told to reduce saturated fat from our diet and go with low fat margarine and polyunsaturated fats. However, according to Susan’s book, a Medical Research Council Survey showed that men eating butter ran half the risk of developing heart disease as those using margarine. In this first section, along with good food advice, readers are also treated to some tasty recipes like "The Best Broccoli Ever". I tried it and it lives up to its title.

In chapter two, Susan deals with exercise. I know - I know! You don’t have time to exercise. Susan insists that everybody can "give up" five minutes a day to take a walk. That five minutes a day over a period of time will have lasting health benefits. Besides, that five minutes will probably increase to ten minutes and then maybe fifteen, and so on, and so on. How about cranking up the stereo, and singing and dancing when vacuuming? (If you have a large house, this could become aerobic exercise.) If time still presents a problem, in chapter seven Susan deals with Time Savers – such as grocery shopping in half the time! I suggest stealing that five minutes you save grocery shopping and take a walk!

I was especially interested in the section on herbs for healing and prevention. Being a Master Herbalist, Susan has great insight on the proper use of herbs for their health benefits. After reading this section, I have decided that I need to become a tea drinker and make some teas out of the herbs that will help me the most. I am especially looking at licorice (yes, it is an herb) for my symptoms. You’ll want to pick up Susan’s book to see which herbs would benefit you the most.

Another chapter deals with handling stress. If you have a black belt in worry, you might want to try what Susan calls the Worry Journal. This tool could add years to your life, so you worry-warts out there will definitely want to check out this chapter.

In the section on Special Issues for Women, many health concerns are addressed but the very first topic in this chapter is entitled "Superwoman Is Dead". For those of you that are saddened by this revelation, try reading this chapter so you can rejoice instead of mourn.

I love the subtitle in Susan’s chapter on Special Issues for Men – "Ask for Directions – Or Why Men Die Sooner".

As mentioned before, "Take Back Your Body" is an owner’s manual for a happy, healthy forever after. If this sounds interesting to you, please join us at the Scottsbluff Public Library for what I assure you will be an entertaining and enlightening program.

Susan’s books will be available at a reduced price of $25.00 with 5% of the purchase price going toward the Library Building Fund. Healthy refreshments will be served, minus the cod liver oil, of course. However, if you want the benefits listed in the first paragraph of this article, Susan says cod liver oil is available with lemon flavoring and a "little-dab’ll-do-ya".

Take Back Your Body by Susan E. Mead, M.H.

Program and Book Signing

Tuesday, April 21^st, 2:00 p.m.

Scottsbluff Public Library

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