The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions (101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions and 99 More Un

I wrote and published this review in The Journal of Irreproducible Results, vol. 49, no. 6, November 2005:

Rube Goldberg founded the modern era of humorous inventions in the US, and Heath Robinson did the same in the UK, in the first half of the 1900s. Even now, "Rube Goldberg contraptions" call to mind not only his cartooning style but his inventive wit.

The genre simplified and expanded with Jacques Carelman's The Catalogue of Fantastic Inventions (St. Martins, 1984), and Steven M. Johnson's What the World Needs Now (Ten Speed, 2001). David E. H. Jones takes a decidedly more scientific, less cartooned approach in The Inventions of Dædalus (Freeman, 1982) and The Further Inventions of Dædalus (Oxford University Press, 1999).

When the genre twisted and turned to Japan, it developed into Chindogu. If a humorous invention serves a real, everyday purpose ... but not well; if it is actually made and photographed; if its humor is a byproduct of solving a problem ... then it may be "chindogu". See www.chindogu.com. A bento box is a multi-purpose lunchbox, but that concept is the merest appetizer for these.

200 inventions fill 300 pages in this charming full-color compendium. Many are in classes by themselves, such as the nail-polish dryer for 5 fingers at once. But certain issues recur:

* Attach mops to crawling babies, pets, and shoes.

* Portable signage allows you to unroll a zebra-crosswalk at a convenient place in the road; to put a women's-restroom sign over a men's; and to mark parking space lines around your car, wherever you leave it.

* An extra hand can cover your mouth politely; hold veggies perilously close to a cutting knife; and even help count fingers.

* Umbrellas could be supported from a hat or headbelt, or little ones attached to shoes or camera, or given full-length transparent sides to keep you dry all the way down.

* Just as a Swiss Army knife combines many hand tools, a giant handle could combine gardening tools; pockets in a necktie or hooks on a belt could hold office necessities; hooks on an apron could hold kitchen utensils; and each finger of a glove could be tipped with its own tool.

Shoes, crowded subways, and taking snapshots also come up often.

Sure enough, I found no use for any item in the whole book. But many motifs, several methods, and some attitudes look like I ought to be able to apply them somewhere or other, either for a laugh or for something (chindogu notwithstanding) actually useful.

By the way, while "humorous inventions" seems like a category, libraries haven't invented a single number to find them under. I found some in art (NC1429, NC1499, NK1125); in science at Q167, and in technology at T20 and this one at T27. In Dewey, check 741.5.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)I took one look at this amusing book and immediately understood why only the Japanese would revel in these wacky inventions which they call "chindogu". As a Japanese-American myself, I understand the high value placed on self-sufficiency and time-efficiency in their daily existences. After all, these are the people who came up with sleeping tubes and subway passenger pushers. Designer and author Kenji Kawakami and translator Dan Papia promote 200 of these funky devices that range from the conceivably helpful to the hysterically absurd. The humor comes from not only the devices but also the straight-faced photos of the devices in action and the accompanying text that captures the pure huckster cheese of an airline mail-order magazine. Kawakami provides the top ten tenets of chindogu to set the stage for what follows. He considers a chindogu a failure if it is slightly useful, a success if it captures the spirit of anarchy. They cannot be invented simply for humor. They must exist as a prototype but never be patented or sold. Kawakami understands that there is no gadget so unuseless that somebody out there would not buy it if offered, and in this regard, the Japanese have shown more discretion than Americans who would submit their patent applications on a dime.

Expect to giggle quite a bit perusing this book, and here are a few of my particular favorites:

* Diet dishes rice bowls cut in half with a mirror inserted to make them seem like full bowls, marketed with the tagline "Satisfy your hunger with a culinary optical illusion".

* Portable subway straps straps hung on a suction cup that you would place on the ceiling of a particularly crowded subway car. I could easily see using this on BART during rush hour.

* Hay fever hat a chin-strapped ring hat with a toilet paper dispenser mounted on top to allow you to sneeze without incident.

* Stormy sky tie an updated variation of the clip-on tie that doubles as a collapsible umbrella in front.

* Baby mops a sleep-suit quipped with mop-heads so that when the baby is on the floor, he/she can mop the floor at the same time. There are the similarly functional duster slippers for cats. Why not put your toddlers and pets to use on your household chores?

* Portable zebra crossing a rolled-up piece of plastic mimicking a crosswalk pattern so one has the inarguable right-of-way on busy streets.

* Self-portrait camera stick a 57-cm telescoping pole which allows young and apparently shy couples to take pictures of themselves without having to bother passing strangers. The only sacrifice is the constant appearance of the pole in every shot.

The last two actually reflect the Japanese tendency to "save face" by not intruding on others' lives for their own convenience. Consequently I don't think these would translate too well overseas. This is truly a big bento box of fun for those who enjoy the silliness that results from inventive minds focused on the immediacy of their own environments. However, the book also illustrates how close we are in realizing much of this type of seemingly trivial inventions with what we see in Sharper Image and Brookstone catalogs. That may be the primary allure of this pink tome, the fact that we end up laughing at ourselves for ideas we may not have been creative or motivated enough to make real.

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This book of chindogu features some of the most humorous and ingenious inventions ever, inventions so impractical yet addressing real world problems, that they are referred to as "unuseless." The inventions remind me of Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam's cartoons gone horribly awry. Editor Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explains the concept nicely in the foreword: all these inventions are real and have been manufactured, but to qualify as a real chindogu, the device must be completely impracticable in the real world. Readers are even invited to join and submit chindogu of their own to the International Chindogu Academy. (I am thinking of submitting a Marmoset Crauncher.)

The word "chindogu" was appropriated for these inventions as it is Japanese for "odd or distorted tool." That is a perfect description of these items. There are too many for me to list, but all are beautifully explained and illustrated. Some of my favorites include: "Duster Slippers For Cats," in which housecats don dustmops on their paws to assist with household chores (the illustration is priceless); "The Noodle Eater's Hair Guard," which is the silly pink contraption on the cover; "The Back Scratcher's T-Shirt" (which is not only funny, it borders on a good idea); the "Portable Subway Strap" (for those who enjoy holding onto a plunger affixed to the roof of a train); and the "Ear Extender," which gets my vote for best decorative headgear made from colanders.

This is a funny book, and is beautifully rendered in color throughout. The only warning I have is that if you read this in long sittings, eventually you may find yourself saying "Hey, that's a pretty good idea!" (I had this thought when looking at the "Butterstick.") I recommend this book to lovers of the odd and obscure everywhere.

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When my daughter invented a biofeedback-based antisnoring device (a stethoscope-like device with ear pieces and a sound-gathering tube taped beneath the nose) for a high school science fair, little did I realize that she had practiced Chindogu, or the art of creating an object that sounds useful and that almost satisfies a need... except for the fact that it fails in some essential way. Author Kenji Kawakami, whose International Chindogu Society promotes this wonderfully wacky art form, has compiled "The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions" to celebrate the best of Chindogu.

Each of the 200 inventions includes a description and one or more color photographs of someone modeling or demonstrating the product. How can I begin to list the many types of devices found in this off-the-wall collection? There are many items of apparel ranging from a backscratcher's T-shirt with an itch grid ("Could you please scratch my back at F6?") to training high heels with stabilizer wheels. For the workaholics, there are an office tie and tool belt, each with handy compartments to hold business cards, a calculator, telephone, pens, and other office essentials. There are many umbrella devices, such as the full-body umbrella, an umbrella golf club, and shoe umbrellas to avoid nasty rain puddle splashes. For dieters there are a magnifying fork and dishes that hold half the food they seem to through the use of mirrors. For the handyman there are Swiss army gloves and lawn mower sandals. For the water hater there's a bath body suit to keep you dry no matter how long you soak in the tub. For the claustrophobe, there are wide-angle glasses to make that cramped apartment look roomy. For the ultimate in personal hygiene there are a two-sided toothbrush that cuts brushing time in half and a pair of eye drop funnel glasses. I could go on and on... but I'll leave you with this final gem: the solar-powered flashlight. What would be more impractical than that?

These Chindogu do a masterful job at spoofing our insatiable need for gadgets. The deadpan photos of people using these items are hilarious. Not only will you laugh, but you might really crave a more refined version of some of these products. You might even be inspired to create an unuseless invention of your own. This book is a lot of fun!

Eileen Rieback

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This book is hysterically funny and so creative. A great gift.

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31 Days to Survival: A Complete Plan for Emergency Preparedness

This is a sensible plan for prepping. The book is divided into 31 projects designed to get your family ready for things like natural disasters, job loss and other real-world hardships. The author is right to point out that you don't have to make six figures to get your family better prepared. All you need is some direction. And this book provides good direction.

The projects include obvious things like how to purify water, how to build a food storage, how to put together a bug out bag, and how to build snares and traps. But the projects also include areas of prepping that the beginner may not have considered, such as taking a CPR and first-aid class, getting fit so you can carry your bug out bag and getting dental and medical checkups. What I liked best about the book is the sensible suggestions for getting your spouse on board with prepping.

The author, M.D. Creekmore, is keenly aware that preppers come from all economic backgrounds. He gives suggestions for high income and middle class individuals as well as folks who are on a fixed income. The positive news is that each of us can get better prepared regardless of our financial resources. If you buy this book and do the work, you will honestly be able to say that you are better prepared today than you were yesterday. If you are serious about the safety and well being of your family, whether you are a beginner or a long-time prepper, this is a book you will not want to miss.

As other reviewers have already mentioned, this book contains a lot of good information on survival prepping. So I'm not going to reiterate all of that in this review.

What I do want to highlight is the one thing that was immediately apparent to me while skimming through the book. This is the ONLY book I've read thus far that breaks down lists of things to acquire for each various kit/stockpile/etc that doesn't seem to assume everyone has a seemingly unlimited budget.

I am fortunate in that I do have a pretty decent income, but even so I really appreciate the fact that for several, if not all, of these lists there are variations of each for different budgets. This alone is a great reason to buy the book.

Beyond that though, another good reason to buy this book is that it breaks things down into small manageable chunks. Despite the title, it would be unrealistic to think by the end of a month of following along the steps in this book you'll have all of the items and knowledge you need to survive the unforeseen emergency situation. However, it will get you organized, and I believe help prioritize your prepping and buying habits so that you spend less time studying and preparing to start preparing -and more time doing and actually preparing.

Procrastination has always been one of my weaknesses, but having things laid out in the way this book does so, will help me do an end run around my procrastination and focus on necessary items to address. Additionally, it will help me stay focused on each task so that I don't end up running in circles never sure if I've accomplished everything I should have.

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This a great book covering everything from assessing your skills, binder for information if electronics go down, storing food, solar cookers, 3 day kits, first aid, adding to your preps, shopping without breaking the bank, getting family on board, gardening, bug out bags, and more than I can put here. It is great information for the new prepper or the person who's been doing it their whole life. Its an asset to my library!

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From the author that brought you Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution, MD Creekmore has done it again. This book will teach you how you can be prepped and ready for most problems and disasters in as little as a month. Creekmore shows you how to assess your current skills and strengths, and gets you to explore where you may be lacking in skills and prep.

I've seen too many people who thought having a bit of food put back for an emergency is all they need to do, while that is a good thing to do, if you really want to survive, you are going to need to round out your preps, and that is more than food and water.

Survival, prepping, those are big buzz words right now in the era of reality TV shows, if you have watched very many of them, then you know that most of the people featured in those shows run the gamut from the outright silly, to the delusional nutter who probably has gone of their meds. You certainly cannot use most of what you "learn" from these shows to prep in real life. You need real instructions, you need a clear and concise guide book to take you from where you are right now, to someone who is ready for nearly any disaster, big or small. And you don't have to go to extremes to do it.

This is where Creekmore's book "31 Days to Survival" comes in. This book breaks it down into small, easy to digest steps that can be done by most everyone. Even if you are on a tight budget, you can still do this, Creekmore shows you how. He discusses things you might not think of as prepping for survival, things like your health, the healthier you are, the more likely you are to get through tough times. Also how to manage stress, if you are stressed out now, in your normal day to day life, how much more stressed out do you think you are going to get if/when things start going south? Start working on these things NOW, it will make it easier to get through the rough times later.

Even though this book is titled "31 Days...", you don't have to do this in 31 consecutive days, you can work on things as you are able, the important thing is to keep working at it, don't give up, with this book, you have a roadmap to how to be ready.

Many of the projects in this book are quite fun easy to do, like building a DIY water filter that is going to be very inexpensive (compared to the equivalent commercial models) and work every bit as well as the high dollar alternatives.

What is really good about this book is it isn't just about how to survive major disasters, it can be something like losing your job, or having your hours cut at work, how would you like to not have to choose between paying your rent/mortgage OR buying groceries? What if the power went out for more than just a day or two? What about being out on the road, are you ready for an emergency in your car? There are so many "what ifs" in this life, and more often than not, many of us aren't ready when life becomes bumpy. How much better would it be if you had your preps in order, and had a plan for just about any problem, big or small, that might come up in your life? This book will get you there, order it, read it, then DO IT, do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for those you care about in your life.

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M.D. Creekmore author of Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat: One Man's Solution has done it again in 31 Days to Survival: A Complete Plan for Emergency Preparedness. In the book he outlines how to prepare yourself and family for basic survival. Unlike other publications, Creekmore provides lists of certain items to put into an every day carry or bug out bag and even what to keep in your car as you travel.

Other sections cover basic trapping materials and how to set trap sets, how to cook in a thermos, what to consider purchasing at a hardware or gun store, getting medical checkups, medical training and many other common sense preparation activities. For the price this book would be a valuable addition to any library but you need to follow the instructions and start. Putting it on a shelf won't serve any purpose other than taking up space and gathering dust.

I recommend the book for a beginner or even an experienced prepper. For beginners not knowing how or where to start, this book provides a foundation on which to build and begin your preparations. From bug out bags to basic survival skills, there is something for everyone in this book. He doesn't go into nauseating detail on outfitting with firearms as other publications do. Instead he focuses on basic firearms to consider and some to avoid. He does encourage firearm and hunter safety training in the book which make sense for anyone.

You may not be able financially or logistically to complete an entire plan in 31 days but as he states in the book you need to get started somewhere. He has the book in 31 chapters, each chapter is designed to be one activity for each day during the month. The planning is simple and very easy to follow as long as you use it and begin.

If you fail to plan then you plan to fail!

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Living Young: 32 Habits of Ageless People

This inaugural publication from Andy Troy combines facts from years of research with extremely useful personal experience for leading a healthy, fulfilling life. Not only does Andy help with how you can stay and look younger, but there is a wealth of simple tips to get the most out of life, from meditating to optimzing your sex life. Some of these tips are so simple that we take them for granted, and this publication serves as a reminder for both professionals (psychologists/psychiatrists/trainers) and the lay person that we can lead a physically and mentally healthier, more productive lifestyle by choosing a positive attitude, including more humor and sleep, consuming less alcohol as well as providing an exercise and dietary plan. There are also some useful behavioral tips to help one worry less and get the most out of life. A nice read and also a good reference to keep on the shelf. Meng Law MD, MBBS, FRACR

Shakespeare's immortal line: "To Thine Own Self Be True", is exemplified by Andy Troy, in his recently published book: "Living Young 32 Habits of Ageless People".

Troy, a nationally-certified fitness and health expert, writes candidly and honestly about the reality that we mortals must all face: the accumulation of birthdays, and the challenges that the body, mind and spirit must face as we move through the stages of the life cycle. However, his is not a tome advocating acceptance and complacency in aging. He outlines, clearly delineates and supportively encourages the reader to take up arms (and legs, and stomach, and torsos, etc...) in the fight against the decline that many persons erroneously accept as the natural process of getting older.

This superior book, which is the best I've read in the last decade on health and well-being, does not deny that aging occurs. Instead, what it does brilliantly is provide the reader with transcendent insights, techniques and tools to make a difference. Troy eloquently provides the information that every man and woman needs to get much more out of life as they grow older, and to stop the decline of health and fitness if it has begun.

Troy's book takes a "holistic" path in addressing the human body, mind and spirit. And while he outlines his expertly developed exercises and workout routines to strengthen, restore and rejuvenate the body, he does not stop at the corporeal. Sections include avenues for optimal meditation, posture and breathing to rejuvenate consciousness. His eclectic approach includes sections on hydration, aromatherapy, vitamins, the delights when you "learn something new", the therapeutics of music, and even the panache provided by a "revised" wardrobe.

This informative book even contains recipes for a healthier life, including "Sue's Grilled Chicken & Broccoli in red sauce", a savory dish which I have already made a staple of my culinary repertoire.

Troy, who epitomizes the concept of "do as I do, AND as I say", is a wonderful guide through the myriad challenges faced by an individual who wants to feel better and happier. His narrative is supportive but uncompromising. He understands that if you are reading this book, you want to do something; you don't just want a pat on the back, you want a firm hand up, a plan that can help you live a better, healthier life.

I've read the book several times, and continue to glean new and inspired ways to improve my condition. This book has helped me recommit to exercise, a better diet, and a more rewarding approach to my daily challenges.

But all work and no play makes for a dull existence, and Andy encourages us to enjoy the delicacies and decadences around us. And while he points out the health benefits of one or two glasses of wine, he also gives a nod to the Socrates principal of "moderation".

Troy's book is a revelation, with so many fine recommendations and lessons, and even more insights and delights. "Living Young 32 Habits of Ageless People" is a cornucopia of useful information and practical and practicable exercises. And that is just one part of this great book. As the Bard had Hamlet say, "There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy".

Andy Troy's book, of which I am a proud owner, is guaranteed to change your philosophy about health, exercise, well-being, and aging.

Alex Maurice, Adjunct Professor CUNY

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It has been a while since I have felt compelled to express my joy at a worthwhile, and actually helpful commodity. On the mostly rare occasions, when I find a product that I feel can improve the quality of life, I do feel bound to promote or inform about my find. Two years ago, I offered a review of a health DVD by this author, and so, recently, when I saw that Andy Troy published a book, well, it had to be explored.

Living Young: 32 Habits of Ageless People, turns out to be an informative and practical book of advice about maintaining health into old age. Mr. Troy, CSCS, has written an organized, concise, and user friendly guide to taking care of yourself, once and for all! He takes you through a daily regiment that sometimes requires a little time and planning, yet each step is manageable, with some thought. Although I believe that I do, and have, taken basic care of myself, this book empowers and enables me to clearly prioritize my activities for greatest impact. The book allows me to re-think my habits in a clear fashion so I can make decisions on how to improve and maximize my day to day routines which do impact my health. His suggestions are very worthwhile, and those not in my present repertoire will be slowly and thoughtfully included, down to his recipes and suggestions for dining!

This is a good and quick read with long term benefits for everyone. I strongly and highly recommend this book for all!

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The genius of this book is that it packs lots of extremely valuable information into a relatively short 288 pages. The writing is perfectly straightforward and to-the-point. If you are looking for a practical book packed with workable advice which will enable you to live better and longer, this is it.

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Finally---an anti-aging book that really gets down to what we need to know and follow. The 32 habit solution explains the "what" and "why" things are happening to us as we age. How we look and feel is not just about genetics, but more importantly how we care for ourselves day to day. The book provides a clear chapter by chapter road map on simple ways to a better life through a better life style. My thanks to Andy Troy (the author)for writing such a great book. I look forward to your next book!

Eric

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Birth Emergency Skills Training: Manual for Out -of- Hospital Midwives

I was expecting a book on how to deal with emergencies outside of a hospital setting, instead, this book was very medicalized. There is some good information in this book, but you need to know that the tone of the book is "expect the worst," and if that doesn't happen, then maybe you are okay with having an out of hospital birth.

An example is how third stage is handled. This book recommends managed third stage with chord traction and pitocin for ALL births. I believe others will be interested in knowing this before purchasing this book.

If you provide maternity care for mothers and babies you must read this book. The information is presented in a very user friendly way, complete with many mnemonics to help you quickly recall vital information in an emergency. Thoroughly researched and cited, this book is chock full of information and helpful hints. The differential diagnoses are particularly welcome, especially when trying to assess the etiology of pain. Highly recommended.

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BEST is just that the best book for midwives. I have just finished the BEST course using the PDF version. BEST is comprehensive and yet applicable for midwives of all stripes. Well worth your time and $.

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There a few books written by and for home birth practitioners and even fewer that cover what to do in emergencies. This one is not only both but it is superbly done. Bonnie's book is comprehensive, well organized, clearly written and full of great information. She does an excellent job with differential diagnosis as well as thought process in an emergency. No matter how long you have been in practice there is something to be learned in this book.

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This book is fantastic-totally comprehensive and timely; the material is well-presented and written in a concise manner. I noticed the negative review, and I thought it was odd... as though the author didn't cover the subject matter, but the book is "Emergency Skills Training" which is exactly what the book is about-BIRTHING EMERGENCIES.

Uterine rupture, blocked airways, cord prolapse, transport plans-the focus is on how to make sure the mother and the baby SURVIVE and I really thought the subject was covered well.

I thought the writing was comprehensive, easy to read, and the book is well edited and super-professional all around. I thought the title could have been better-I really think this book would be helpful for all emergency personnel, and I hope the author expands in the next edition to make the book available to all medical professionals who deal with emergency birthing procedures.

I'm a pretty picky reviewer, and I feel that it takes a lot to impress me, but I was impressed by the quality of this book. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

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Jeff May's Healthy Home Tips: A Workbook for Detecting, Diagnosing, and Eliminating Pesky Pests, Sti

I bought this book thinking it would be a useful tool for doing things around the house, it was not all I thought would be.

I'm a big fan of all of Jeff May's books (Healthy Home Tips, reviewed here; My House is Killing Me; and Mold Survival Guide). Each fills a niche, but I've found Healthy Home Tips to be broadly useful, with information that is succinct and accessible. It has helped me understand and fix a variety of problems, focusing primarily on moisture and indoor air quality. I recommend it.

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I like the book I received, I have gained a bunch of ideas from this book for my apartment.

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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!

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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.

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

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.

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

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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