A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

Amazing that the original author's name is listed without the names of the editor and translator.

Author Carl Kohler died in 1876 near Nurnberg, Germany. His paintings and writings, upon which this particular reprint of a compilation are based, were previously published, intact, in German under the names "Die Trachten der Volker in Bild und Schnitt" and "Die Entwicklung der Tracht in Deutschland wahrend des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit", both in the late 1870s.

Emma Von Sichart, the editor of this publication, took it upon herself in the early 1920s to gather up Kohler's sketches, drawings, paintings, and writings, and put them together in a new book. During the process, she deleted almost all of Kohler's introductory or period descriptive writings, and replaced those words with either her own, or Max von Boehn's, another historian.

In addition, Emma Von Sichart added new, contemporary photographs and sketches to bring Kohler's work "up to date", at least as far as the very late 1920s. In many places she eliminated or changed Kohler's measurements, or interpretations of the cut of clothing, simply to make the work more "accessible" to the seamstress, costumer, or interested reader of the early 20th century.

Further, in order to bring the publication to English speaking markets, Emma Von Sichart's writing was translated by Alexander K. Dallas, M.A., which might have further changed the original content.

So, before we blame Kohler, who, in his time, was very highly regarded as a serious historian and quite the expert in period clothing, styles, customs, etc., we must first look to the likelihood of errors created by the editor Emma Von Sichart, and the translation errors of Alexander K. Dallas.

If by any chance you have the original German publications of the late 1870s, you do indeed have a spectacular rare treat of period costume history.

Just keep in mind that this particular book is a facsimile reprint of a translation of a heavily edited and recompiled selection of at least two originals.

The text of this book is dry, but very informative. There are many sketched and black and white illustrations, but not enough to fully support the text. (I recommend Boucher's 20,000 Years of Fashion as a companion). The patterns give a better idea of the construction of the clothes, but they are approximations and no tips are given for making your own. Make sure you refer to other sources before using his patterns. This book is most useful for its detailed descriptions of specific periods, including not just the cut and style of the period, but also material, shoes, hairstyles, accessories, and who wore what and how and on what occasions.

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This is a decent overview of costume history from the Ancients to the mid 19th century with authentic resources (statues, portraits, extant costumes, pictures) as well as some original illustrations (be cautious with those and cross-reference, especially with women's garments and periods where the shapes are linear and the sides and bust are flattened--Kohler tends to round things out and represent the bust in a more rounded, typically 1860's style). It also contains a few patterns that are minimally useful (lack or proportion or instruction, etc.) except to understand the anatomy of the garments and how the pieces might fit together. No color pictures, but enough illustrations and primary resources to contribute to an overall sense of a period in costume history.

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This is one of the first costume references I got when I began to study the subject in college. It remains one of the first references I pull out when I need costume historical information. If you have any interest in the subject you should have this book.

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This was somewhat helpful in my study of vintage clothing. It is not as helpful for my needs as The Dictionary of Costume and Fashion.

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Now Eat This! Diet & Now Eat This! 100 Quick Calorie Cuts At Home / On-the-Go

At first, there was an error in my order. I wanted Rocco's recipe for baked sweet potato fries on page 195. Well the "flip this book" version that I got at first is an index for his cookbook. Now I have the "Now eat This" cookbook and with it is my sweet potato fries recipe on page 195.

I love, love, love this book, just eat normally and know that you are counting calories because of a healthier preperation. My sweet potato fries before have 25 grams of fat and 500 calories. The same wonderful sweet potato fries with Rocco's recipe are 0.1 grams of fat and 58 calories and just as delicious if not more so because you know that you are saving your heart and your waistline.

Very helpful hints on how to cut calories from your daily meals including on the go tips. Small enough to carry with you when traveling.

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both of these have been very helpful and the recipes I've tried have been very good! thanks so much!Im amazed at how a few ingredient changes can make such a big difference in calories and the recipes still taste good! thanks Rocco!

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I love all of Rocco's books. He makes all of his recipes simple and easy to follow. A great book to help you reduce some

quick calories!

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Thank you Rocco Despirito ! The recipes I have tried so far are so delicious. My favorite being the chicken marsala, ( better that the old fattening way I used to make it ). I have also learned techniques to use on my favorite recipes to reduce fat and calories. Can't wait for your new Italian cookbook to come out.

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Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me: A unique guide to skin care and makeup products from t

How can one trust reviews of cosmetics written by someone who has her own product line? Yes, it defies logic, but come closer and let me tell you what happened to me.

I don't read women's magazines; I don't particularly like magazines. I don't watch daytime television, either, because I'm working. And I don't care for daytime television for the same reasons I don't like magazines: From one issue or episode to the next, they offer conflicting information. You know it's true, even if you do like the magazines and shows.

The library is my friend. Since I got my first library card, I have used the library to research anything I want to learn. In 2005 or 2006, I saw a copy of "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter without Me" on the shelf and checked it out. I wasn't expecting much, but it didn't cost me anything. I'd never heard of Paula Begoun, but I do try to be an informed consumer. I figured that book couldn't be any worse than other skin care books I'd read. I skipped over most of the beginning chapters and went straight for the reviews, and it hadn't really sunk in there might be a conflict of interest until I was convinced I'd found a worthy source of information. Finally!

We have, in this edition, a brief overview of Paula's rather checkered career and some chapters that discuss skin care and makeup industry claims, packaging, ingredients to avoid, ingredients to seek, and basic skin care regimes. These chapters are thorough but succinct. Then there is the good stuff: product reviews of many skin care and makeup lines. Not all of them, but a lot.

And it gets juicy. Paula doesn't want you to waste your money. She doesn't pan department store products altogether, nor gush over all drugstore products. In fact, whether you buy products from brick and mortar stores, or from television shopping networks, or that lady who rings your doorbell, you will find favorably and unfavorably reviewed products. And then it starts to make sense. You know that you have rarely or never liked every single product in a brand. You've purchased bad product thinking you were buying a good product because the other products were good. That's the way it is with makeup and skin care products. I know it happened to you, because I don't know anyone who hasn't gone through this frustration. I will tell you this: This book is worth its price simply because you can dump those products you have right now that are irritating your skin, or just don't do anything at all. You may become a bit irritated yourself, because like me, you think you are making informed decisions. Paula puts two indicators before each review. She uses smiley (or not) faces and rates products as BEST, GOOD, AVERAGE, and POOR. Make that three indicators because BEST products also get a check mark. There are about a gazillion reviews in this book. It's a big book! But the reviews are short. The rating and a brief explanation are what you'll find.

Paula and her team do not try every product personally. They are not human guinea pigs. Most of the reviews are based on ingredients lists. Paula has done her research, and continues to do so. She cites many sources that support her opinions. If she expounds on a topic, she doesn't just say "clinical studies indicate" and leave it at that. She says what study, or what publication she found that supports the information she offers. You can check this yourself and read the material she actually uses to determine yourself whether she's well-informed or off her rocker.

There is a condensed section at the end of the book that lists what Paula calls BEST products. Paula used to call the products she deemed most deserving "picks," but that's gone. You'll find a categorized list of best products at the end of the book, and finally a brief explanation of why Paula is passionate about her do's and don'ts.

The list of companies that use animal testing is absent from this edition, as is the cosmetics ingredient dictionary. You can consult her website for the ingredients dictionary. It would be a book on its own.

Now, let's go back to that conflict of interest thing, shall we? Paula does review her own products, and of course, they're BEST products. But you don't have to buy them. In fact, if Paula is new to you, just skip the reviews of her products. You will find favorable reviews for products from many, many sources. I don't think Paula's reviews are perfect, but they're pretty darn good. And I think providing consumers useful information about a wide range of products is still why she gets up in the morning. She could have stopped doing product reviews after she launched her own line, but she keeps pushing more and more information. In fact, you don't even have to buy this book to read what she has to say. You can go to her websites for free. I realize this doesn't seem rational, but that's the crux of the issue when it comes to buying any product. Humans are irrational beings. It isn't rational to sell cosmetics and review other lines and recommend someone else's products, but Paula is a human being.

OK, now you know I've drunk the Paula kool-aid. This book isn't my only source for product reviews because not all products are reviewed. There are also some excellent consumer reviews to be found on the internet. But DGTTCCWM is my reality check. It's completely worth it to me, using the guidance found here. Not every product I buy is wonderful, but I'm not buying clunkers any more. I am ever the skeptic, and still, I give this book my highest recommendation.

Thanks to this book, I was able to find economical products at the drug store which make my wrinkles go away. That alone is worth the price!

You might be tempted to just look up the best product in whatever category and go with it. But I'd encourage spending time with this book. There are too many well-rated products to simply use it as a source for quick lookups.

After identifying the options that suit your skin type, age, etc., then comes the fun part you get to decide if you like the color and texture choices, packaging, and price. Maybe the top rated products aren't the ones to get if have a very particular beauty issue to correct. For example, if you are looking for a lipstick guaranteed not to feather, it's best to read through all the lipstick reviews to find those that are exceptional for that quality.

You might disagree with these reviews too, and this is another reason to read the the content see why something is rated well or not. For example, foundations lacking sunscreen are graded down in this book. I don't like sunscreen in my foundation, so I would ignore a bad rating in that case.

Thanks to this book I was able to advise my husband to stop using alcohol based aftershave, and lavender-scented anything, both of which have been scientifically proven to be bad for skin.

Finally, for mature ladies, I recommend another book in conjunction with this one: "Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45" by Christopher Hopkins. First use Paula's book as a consumer guide to select the kind of products that you want to have. Then use Hopkin's book for advice about makeup application along with color and aesthetic choices that work best for older women. The two books cover different topic areas for sure, but the complement each other quite well.

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I ALWAYS buy the current copy of this manual in paper and in kindle. There are some significant changes, mostly good. Here is what I saw.

Good stuff:

-She is relying on a team now to critique what is out there. The team approach is better, it avoids some of the one sided likes and dislikes. I appreciated the new reviews done by the team.

-She uses peer reviewed journals and respected dermatologists to base her critiques on as she always has done. She mentions when a dermatologist has funding from a company or when a company funded the research.

a little aside--if you as a reader want to know how something works on a larger number of people then I suggest balancing this book by ALSO reading the reviews on Makeup Alley, often written by more than a hundred different people who actually used it, and thought enough about it to write recommendations or warnings about the product. (down side to Makeup Alley? Often the reviewers are influenced by a pretty scent, or a pretty jar and don't account for the potential for harm or the costs involved) When you have over 4000 reviewers disliking something (Maybelline Great Lash) or over 3000 LOVING something (Maybelline Full N Soft) it is worth looking at. Often but not always, Paula and Makeup Alley agree. Revlon Fabulash which over 300 reviewed was an almost universal fail, while Paula gave it a top pick. I like to check BOTH Paula, AND Makeup Alley before buying anything.

-She looks at the chemistry and gives points and takes them away based on actual known reactions to ingredients. This is the ONLY place I've ever found where I can trust the chemistry knowledge on things like potential sensitizing chemicals. Over the years, I've been able to track down reactions to certain products thanks to her in depth discussions of why some things like DMDM Hydantoin or lavender essential oils are problems. DM. is a terrible sensitizer because it is a formaldehyde DONOR thus allowing the manufacturer to claim a formaldehyde free product, yet have reactions in the hapless helpless customer from, you guessed it FORMALDEHYDE! In the case of lavender she warns this common irritant isn't soothing to your skin AT ALL, despite the ad copy in such things as the purple version of Neutrogena makeup wipes. (you'd think Neutrogena would know better, and they do, but the dollar rules and it's buyer beware!)

-her "best of" lists at the back are MUCH better organized and far clearer to read and puzzle out where to start. She dropped quite a few, leaving a stripped down, easy to read "best of the best" list. To her great credit, Paula doesn't recommend you buy from her lists at the back. She would prefer you look at all the Best and Good rated stuff first, then make up your mind. Problems such as rosacea may mean a good product is better for YOU than a Best product. She will explain why.

-You will save MEGA BUCKS with this book, more than enough to buy the book, and get a kindle copy too, with money left over. My experience over the years has been that Paula really does tell you which of the drugstore products are the same or better than the expensive department store or mail order versions. For example Nivea is almost the exact same stuff as La Mer or La Prairie. None of which are as good as OLAY or NEUTROGENA top picks. If you want the anti aging arsenal of goodies, in a form that will keep well, then listen to Paula, buy her top picks, and use them. Listen to her explanation of why even these will not compare to the results you get from a laser or injections of filler. Paula will explain that if you buy a good skin cream for under 30$ you can save up for a procedure that really works rather than constantly buying top of the line Estee Lauder cream or La Prairie and spending more with little to show for it.

-Save the money, listen to Paula. I got sucked into buying the calming line of Aveeno, and later reading her reviews AFTER finding that stuff actually made my redness worse not better. Reason? Feverfew --the main medicinal ingredient is a skin IRRITANT, not a redness reducer!!!! Although Aveeno claims their version of feverfew is stripped of the skin irritating part of the extract, it is interesting to see on Makeup Alley that a lot of people react to this product. (I got sucked in by a sale, and clever advertising, and it was before I had a Kindle--so I bought it BEFORE reading about it) (Please invest in a kindle and kindle copy of Paula to take with you to the mall or drugstore!!!)

--my biggest plus is the fact that many of these cosmetic companies wouldn't have changed much over the years without her constant badgering. Even now, Garnier Nutrisse's annoying insistence on including all the more irritating and sensitizing fragrances in their skin and hair care products persists, and then there is the covering up of Formaldehyde donors such as DM DM Hydantoin or the skimpy SPF that is less than a 15 and or doesn't protect from UVA rays at all.

A very current example, Maybelline persists in putting Methylisothiazolinone (Kathon)in products. It is in it's new BB cream for example which is NEVER supposed to stay on skin due to it's potent sensitizing action. It can create an allergy to itself or other ingredients in the product when left on skin for any length of time. And NEVER near the eyes! Hello, BB cream? You put it on and it stays there all day till you take it off. If you are good and remove makeup at bedtime religiously, and we all do that all the time right?

Unfortunately here in Canada, the new 9th kindle version isn't allowed to be sold yet but they did ok on my old 8th kindle edition with a few glitches in the table of contents. So rather than wait till it comes out here in Canada on the kindle, I bought a hard copy of the book. I'm glad I did, but I really wish they'd get it together about books available on the kindle in the states and make them available AT THE SAME TIME IN CANADA!!!!!

Due to the sheer size of the book, if Paula includes new stuff like the new reviews of Too Faced cosmetics, she has to make room, even if that means her coverage of a product line as popular as Cover Girl mascaras is curtailed. For example while Lash Blast is covered, Lash Exact is not, nor are half of the currently available CG Mascaras. But she can't cover it all in the book.

She assures you the reader, that more reviews, and fresher ones plus more product lines are on her site, Cosmetics Cop --follow her link there to BEAUTIPEDIA which is now free for right now at least and has all the extra reviews and material.

Huge new advances such as the BB creams are only partly covered in the book, with the promise that the rest of them are on her site. She gave a complete review of Estee Lauder's BB cream (expensive) while completely ignoring the Maybelline BB cream (cheap) in the book and it's my understanding that the Maybelline product launched about the same time. Nor did she give a best of list of BB creams, however her reviews of the ones she did cover explain her ambivalence towards them and her comment that for a list of all of them, you should go to her site where you have access to her gigantic data base of reviews which are also dated, so you can tell if they are fresh. It was on her SITE that I found out about the Kathon problem.

Things I'm neutral on: Yes Paula has her own line of skin care and cosmetics, and yes she gives them top marks, including them in all her best of lists at the back of the book. Most critics make a big mountain out of this molehill. As she points out, you don't expect her to not love her own line. I don't see this as a big issue. Many cosmetic companies are grumpy at her for that but honestly it makes little difference. I don't read a single one of her reviews of her own products, nor do I buy them basically because I can't be bothered with mail order over the border. I live in Canada and cross border shopping is expensive especially with taxes, shipping, duty and if you have to return something, even more shipping and taxes on the shipping. If I were interested in one of her products I'd look up the reviews on Makeup Alley (and her products are fairly well rated there, by a number of people who use her stuff faithfully).

But it is the REST of her reviews that are helpful, along with her comparisons of say Estee Lauder against Lancome or L'Oreal against Revlon or NYX against Rimmel. And the most valuable of all is her comments on how well the product stacks up against current health and safety standards.

BOTTOM LINE?

Buy this book--preferably on Kindle (see my comment below on why), AND join her website! The site has more detailed information, and now it's free. It's called Beautipedia, and you find the link on her cosmetics cop site. If she included the material in the book it would be the size of some encyclopedia collections!

You'll be supporting Paula's consumer advocacy and gaining her valuable opinion on the ingredients of a cosmetic or skin care product.

If you have an old copy of a previous edition HANG ONTO IT!!!! You can still look up current products in there, and her remarks and reviews DON'T change much from book to book if the product itself didn't. One exception, and I like her for this: she always compares the current ingredient list against the current wisdom available from dermatologists and peer reviewed research so when she does downgrade something that hasn't changed it is to reflect current standards and thinking. Good for Paula.

One last comment:

KINDLE is a good way to haul Paula with you in your purse to look up a review fast BEFORE plunking down your hard earned dollars. I have her last one on my kindle and it's useful in the store when I'm thinking "do I buy this one, or that? What does Paula say?" If the kindle is too big for your clutch, stick a kindle app on your smart phone, and keep a copy of this book on it.

I want her book in my purse because she is giving the information the cosmetics companies DON'T want us to know, information that can prevent harm, and save mega bucks. Over the years, no matter what I've paid for this book, it's always paid it's own way in saving me money not to mention avoiding nasty reactions.

And while Makeup Alley reviews are great, sometimes there aren't enough people reviewing a product to glean useful information, or they fell in love with a pretty package, colour, or ad campaign and you will rarely if ever find useful comments on the safety of the ingredient list.

Paula will always give you the benefit of her opinion, and you can make up your mind from there. She encourages people to consider buying anything with a happy face and up and explains carefully why something is a good buy versus a best buy. She warns against shoddy or dangerous practices and in a BUYER BEWARE market, I'm always grateful for more information, not less.

So buy the book, kindle version preferably, and take it with you in your purse to the cosmetic counter and join her website for more reviews and more details which are free, and the website as an app available for smart phones which I just noticed today. I haven't tried that out, but it's another good thing from Paula.

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I love these books!

Why should I spend tons of money to try out products until I find one that does what its marketing folks say it does...?! Then, only to find that sometimes the least expensive lines are just as good.

Think of this as your consumer reports guide for cosmetics. I have yet to find a product line that she has not included except for one-off product here and there.

I highly recommend.

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I am a makeup artist in a regional area, I purchased this to try and gain some insight into products when I can't get to cosmetic counters to test them. Unfortunately I find that some of the reviews are very much a personal opinion and would also depend on where you are using them (such as some products I know to be fantastic in humid weather are reviewed as too drying etc). There aren't as many professional brands reviewed as I had hoped for (as it was recommended by fellow artists) so overall I would only really need 1/3 of the book.

Overall it is helpful as a consumer if you have no idea where to start but you are still best trying products yourself.

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The Hepatitis C Handbook

Mr. Dolan has written the most comprehensive book to date on Hep. C. He covers what is going on in the Medical community and the alternative medicine community. He has Hep C himself so comes at the issue with more understanding then the average author. It has helped me to better understand this disease and I highly reccomend it.

Matthew Dolan has created the best companion a person with HCV can have. GIven the severity of HCV it is astonishing that there are so few decent books on the disease. In fact, there are only two: Stephen Buhner's Herbs for Hepatitis C and Matthew Dolan's. The Hepatitis C Handbook is simply the best and most supportive overview of hepatitis C on the market. The depth of research is remarkable, the insights of its author remarkable as well. BUY THIS BOOK!

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This book is a must have for all who work with people with the hepatitis C, have Hepatitis C, or loves someone who has it. This book saves lives ! Thank you Mr. Dolan.

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It answered my questions in a way that I could understand. It even explained symptoms that I was having which my doctor seemed to have no concept of. It gave legitamacy to my symptoms, to my feelings, to my experience. I knew I was not alone. Brain fog! So that's what it's called! I had no idea other people were having this too. His book gave me confidence. I can not say enough about what it did for me emotionally to know I wasn't going crazy. I had real symptoms, perhaps ones not totally understood by science yet.

This book taught me what I needed to know about this disease to feel that I understand enough to face it. Knowledge truly is empowering and sometimes our best weapon. The book is a rational look at what Hep C is and it is the most comprehensive I have found. I also like the truly balanced way in which all available therapies (conventional and complimentary) are outlined. No bias, no bashing, no advocating this over that, just presenting all our options. This is what so many books don't do. That is what I loved the most about it. That is what I try to do on my website

http://www.healthyhepper.com

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This seems to be a well written book with a lot of research put into it but, is any of it worthwhile for someone who has had HCV for many years and now cannot tolerate medical industry treatments with Interferon? I read several pages online and checked the index for herbal treatments with mixed findings.

Liver Rescue 4: most of the ingredients in this product I found mentioned in the index.

Himalaya Liver Care: none of the herbal ingredients in this product were listed in the index.

Both of these products have good reviews by users so I was expecting to see mention of the herbs used in the index of this book.

I'm not interested in reading 500 pages about the virus and it's small size. I have been living with extreme pain and fatigue for many years. I am looking for alternate treatments with herbs or anything that will improve my quality of life. I know that this virus will be the reason I leave this world if I don't get hit buy a car or some other accident first. I am going to hold off on this book for now and see what else is out there.

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Marriage Fitness: 4 Steps to Building & Maintaining Phenomenal Love

When I am giving premarital coaching to young couples, or marriage coaching to married couples, they often want to focus on their problems or potential problems. Of course these issues are of great concern to couples so its not always easy to direct their focus to the solutions, not the problems. Problems are unimportant. Solutions are what is important and with his book, MARRIAGE FITNESS, Mort Fertel has given a simple, yet effective four step plan to marital solutions.

I can't tell you how refreshing for me it has been to read a book by someone who understands and teaches what marriage is really all about. Love. I often use the analogy that love is like a fire. Even an out of control wildfire will eventually run out of fuel and burn itself out. To keep the fire of love alive, we must continually stoke the embers and feed it fuel. This book teaches it differently but essentially says the same thing, and shows couples how to provide the fuel their marriage must have to survive.

The book is very well written and contains some excellent projects for couples. Certainly intended for couples working together, there is also definite help here for one with an uncommitted spouse to help get things back on track.

Part 1, the first two chapters, give couples a deeper understanding of love. This may sound ridiculous, but most people confuse character traits with what I term "soul conscientiousness". Fertel deftly explains why character love makes you role mates, not soul mates. If you really want to take your marriage to a higher level, it is critical that you come to understand the differences between what I call outward love (loving the character traits of a person) and inward love (making the choice within your soul to love a person on the inside, regardless of their character traits). Once you fully understand this concept, your marriage (and innerhappiness) will be changed forever.

Part 2 is Fertel's 4 step program for building and maintaining love in your marriage, as well as his twenty exercises.

Mort Fertel has certainly given my some new ides on how couples can enrich their marriages and take them from ordinary to extraordinary. This is one of the best books you'll find on building a strong marriage. Highly recommended.

Pastor Monty Rainey

I would highly recommend reading the boook above listening to the cd's. Sometimes he repeats words over and over and it starts to feel like your being brainwashed. The information is overall pretty good I think. I've read quite a few books on divorce and marriage, and this rates near the top. It has some fresh new ideas. For people who have "normal" problems in marriage though. Does not deal with how to solve those problems. Only create love.

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What can I say about this book...it saved my marriage! My wife was threatening divorce. I heard about this book on the radio and bought it, did what the author said, and it really works. My wife became interested in me and our marriage again and wanted to read the book too. She did, and now we're both doing what it says. The threat of divorce is gone...and more than that we're feeling close again. if you're marriage is in trouble, buy this book.

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As someone who has read my fair share of self-help books, I will tell you that Mort Fertel has written an outstanding book-one that offers readers clear, concise, and practical ideas to improve their marriage. This book should be in the hands of every married person, as I believe it can enhance every marriage when things are going great and even when they are a bit rocky. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

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I've gone through his book and his tapes (same). Very practical advice and I like the positive approach, versus drudging up all the problems. He recommends that you concentrate on doing what made you get married origionally.

He hits it dead center when he puts the obligation on you to make the change. You are the only one you can control and you must be the catalyst for change.

I also enrolled in his tele-conference course with my wife. I've only had the first session so far, but it wasn't his best--the session was fuzzy over the phone. We'll see, but I need hope that his approach will work for us since we need to make this marriage better that it is now (5 younger kid's lives are at stake).

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Dr. Perricone's 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity: The Miracle of Cellular Rejuvenation

Despite having read all of his prior books, I was pleased to find that Perricone covers a lot of new ground in 7 Secrets, while recapping his core principles (avoid inflammatory foods, for one) in a fresh, streamlined manner salted heavily with new information.

I found the info on pheromones and caralluma (for weight control) very interesting, and liked the Anti-Aging Kitchen chapter...good info on oils and cookware, etc.

If you want to get started on a personal makeover, this is a good place to start...you'll understand the way diet influences everything, and the information on nutrition supplements is very sound...I've been in the technical end of the supplement industry for more than 20 years, know the research on most nutraceuticals, and can smell hype a mile away.

Perricone has inspired many me-toos, but he still's the best at presenting the core info on diet, aging factors, skin health, and weight control in a clear way.

Dr. Perricone, you are welcome in my house anytime! Thanks to you, I have an "anti-aging kitchen" exactly as you advised in the book. This big change caused quite a stir in my house. You inspired me to go through the cabinets, pantry and refrigerator and throw out everything that was not good for me. It wasn't easy but all those cans, boxes and jars of food with horrendous ingredients are gone, gone, gone, and most of what I now eat is fresh, fresh, fresh! I am an active, high-achieving boomer who doesn't look my age and I would love to stay active, healthy and productive (I am never retiring!) into my 90s and beyond. (Well, why not!)

I have read and loved all your books, but this last one, "7 Secrets of Beauty, Health and Longevity," is the one that really took hold. I am following every suggestion of yours to the letter---foods, supplements and physical exercise included. Already, and it hasn't been all that long, I look and feel much better. I also feel more, well, peaceful. Joyful might be too strong, life being the roller coaster that it is. But, thank you for the warm, sage advice. By the way, my mitochondria are happier too -those "energizer bunnies" inside our cells. I love the way the book makes even the most complex medical, scientific and nutraceutical concepts accessible to a lay person like me.

My assessment is that this is the right book for anyone who reaches a certain age (anywhere over 40) and wants to hold onto his or her energy, health, spirit, and youthful looks. Those under 40 need to read the book too, I think, so they won't be a mess by time they reach my age, which too many people are these days. Wish I had had this book 20 years ago, but I am seriously grateful I have it now, to inspire me to take better care of myself for the rest of my life. PS I am loving my oat pilaf and all those other delicious foods in the book that I never even knew existed! Bravo Dr. P!

Buy Dr. Perricone's 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity: The Miracle of Cellular Rejuvenation Now

Perricone's "secrets" amount to good nutrition, moderate exercise, and widely available and widely used anti-oxidant supplements. I see Perricone lecturing on PBS and people taking notes furiously as if it were some sort or revolutionary science he is promoting. It is not. It is a milidly intriguing Linus Pauling-esque theory that inflammation is the driving factor behind cellular aging and consequently that nutritional supplements can suppress the inflammation and stop the aging process. I don't fault him for promoting his theory, I just wonder why more people who should know better don't hear little warning bells going off when they read his very strong claims that could potentially be supported with real research but are not. They are not presented as theories in most of this work, they are presented as marketing claims for selling supplements.

The popularity of this material is not hard to explain. Perricone is not originally a vitamin peddler who was trying to build scientific credibility, he is a doctor who already had some credibility, presumably, then became a vitamin peddler. We are all impressed by a doctor who seems to be getting past drugs and surgery to look at health and wellness in a scientific way. Especially when he does a good job promoting a rosy vision of a future where aging is understood and life is prolonged. I give him credit for this just as so many others seem to do. But I am also not finding as much substance when I look more deeply at the details. I already knew a lot of the cellular chemistry about metabolism, so his discussions did not particulary hold me in awe as they seem to his PBS audiences. I was able to look more specifically at what what supposed to be his unique ideas.

Personally, when I examined his specific claims, I found this material to have very little technical depth, and that his use of biochemistry and cellular chemistry jargon throughout and constantly referring obscurely to this research or that study just clouds the fact that his most critical substantive claims are not directly supported anywhere.

There is no evidence that people live better orlonger lives when taking his expensive supplements, much less the more widely used versions of the same supplements, and yet there are a lot of veiled claims about him "doing research" and "reading research" and so on that supports his claims. None of it is actually presented in any of his work that I can find. He seems to have published two papers on topical glycolic acid which have nothing to do with nutrition or aging. The rest is all anecdote and speculation dressed in a slick lab coat manner.

There is a lot of advanced high school level cellular biology and biochemistry slanted slightly to make his inflammation theory of aging seem more plausible. That aspect of his writing is better than average for the self-help genre. I commend Dr. Perricone for not talking down to his audience as do most self-help authors.

On balance, there is a lot of good common sense advice here about nutrition that I can find little fault with. Most of his general recommendations about anti-oxidant supplements are not unreasonable from my perspective. There is a fair amount of reasonably good popular science writing about health. That much makes this a better self-help book than most.

But I also have to withold some favor for this book because it fails to ever connect the science writing with the claims it makes about aging and inflammation or empirical research regarding the specific claims being made in the book. The claims are made plausible not by supporting them with data but by trying to awe the audience with detailed technical explanations and the vague veneer of science through terms like "personal research" and "various studies" and so on that admit to no specifics that can be verified. Even if Perricone's ideas about inflammation being the cause of aging are true, nearly all of his suggestions are things that many people have already been doing for decades, and are still being refined through health, sports, and fitness research.

I admit that I like this guy's more subtle arguments and mostly reasonable way of presenting his "revolution" a lot more than Dr. Atkins' excesses and technical obfuscations. But then I have to put them in a similar category of people who have interesting things to say but then get a bit carried away to an annoying degree with their over-marketing of their own ideas seemingly mostly to prove the doubters wrong. In the final analysis, afterall, in spite of the impression he sometimes seems to give, Perricone isn't actually doing published research regarding inflammation and aging (at least hasn't so far), he is selling books and supplements and giving PBS fundraising lectures.

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I really enjoy the books of Dr. Perricone. I think that he knows what he's talking about. This book continues the philosophy of his other publications: chronic inflammation (or the love of pro-inflammatory foods) is the root of all physiological evil. This book focuses on cellular rejuvenation, in particular, the need to protect the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell and site for ATP production, as we all learned years ago in high school biology) from extensive and lethal DNA damage.

Dr. Denham Harman's free-radical theory of aging is now universally accepted to the point that food marketers have picked up on the hype of "antioxidants" (molecules that lend an electron to an excited free oxygen radical, thus stabilizing it and preventing oxidative damage to cells). In all the years my family has purchased boxes of Lipton black tea, we had never been informed until recently that we are in fact drinking in 105mg of Protective Antioxidants per serving. Dr. Perricone worked with Dr. Harman's free-radical theory and related it to his hypothesis that inflammation is the underlying cause of disease and aging.

I think that Dr. Perricone and Dr. Harman are far-sighted scientists/physicians, and now the rest of the medical world is backpedaling and accepting the free-radical and inflammation-underlying-disease theories. Dr. Perricone says that Dr. Harman's work went unnoticed and unappreciated for decades. Fortunately, Dr. Perricone had the foresight to evaluate and later champion this free-radical theory before it became common knowledge.

Another theme that Dr. Perricone comes back to time and time again is the need to control blood sugar levels, even if you are not diabetic. A diet high in refined, simple sugars will upset insulin levels and cause glycation (AKA cross-linking, sugar molecules attach to protein molecules, especially collagen, which in turn causes the previously flexible collagen to become rigid). Dr. Perricone recommends supplementing with cinnamon and niacin-bound chromium to regulate blood sugar levels. He gives us a scientific overview as to why these two supplements, one a spice we all love and the other a trace mineral, help our bodies maintain proper insulin function and normal blood sugar levels.

I try to follow his dietary and supplemental guidelines as much as my budget will allow. I am hardly in an economic position to spend several hundred dollars on supplements every month and eat completely organic. Thankfully, organic food is becoming more available to the point that Meijers (a major supermarket/retailer in the Midwest) has its own organic food line that is reasonably priced. (I hope this in no way means that organic standards are being watered down.) Dr. Perricone's own line of supplements is way out of my budget, but other vitamin companies offer similar products at a third or so of the price. His skin products are for the wealthy and A-list celebrities only. Fortunately, Reviva Labs offers its skin care version of the Perricone Trio (alpha lipoic acid, Vitamin C Ester, and DMAE) and peptides. Jason Organic has some great products too--I love Jason's Vitamin E oil blend as a moisurizer for both my skin and hair (used sparingly). I've been using EMU oil after reading rave Internet reviews of the stuff (Thunder Ridge). It's great for dry skin, joints, and sore muscles. My point being--you can take the essence of Dr. Perricone's advice and guidelines, but shop around for comparable products if you can't afford a huge investment in the Perricone Store.

Dr. Perricone differentiates cookware in the 7 Secrets, recommending porcelain-enameled cast iron and stainless steel while eschewing nonstick synthetic coating, Teflon, and aluminum cookware. I don't remember a discussion of cookware in his previous books. He devotes the remaining pages of his 7 Secrets to delicious-sounding recipes; a comprehensive list of foods that comprise the "Anti-Aging Kitchen;" food, supplements, and skin care resources; and references.

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I originally bought this book for the reference to the T-Tapp exercise program, but have found that the insight provided into diet, exercise, stress management, cooking and environmental factors have made this book a true joy to read and one that I will recommend and share with everyone I know.

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