Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-to-Z Guide to Supplements (Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A-To-Z Guide to Supplements)

In Chapter One: Nutrition, Diet and Wellness, the author provides the basics of nutrition, from the 4 basic nutrients to the micronutrients plus guidelines for selecting and preparing foods. This section includes an interesting article on phytochemicals (biologically active substances in plants that give them their color and flavour).

The chapters that follow provides an overview of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and water, explaining their functions in the body and then providing a detailed discussion of the individual vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The chapter on water discusses various types like tap, artesian, bottled, sparkling, distilled and natural spring water.

The chapter on anti-oxidants looks at a wide spectrum of substances, from Alpha-Lipoic Acid to Zinc. The next chapter deals with enzymes, their role in the body and how they interact with foods. This includes a list of commercially available digestive enzymes.

Natural Food Supplements are discussed in detail, from Acidophilus to Yeast; this section includes entries on SAMe, Phosphatidylserine, MSM, Melatonin, Glucosamine, DHEA, CoQ10, Colloidal Silver, Creatine and Pregnenolone, providing the latest information.

The last chapter is devoted to herbs, including essential oils, extracts, teas, tinctures and wines. Here one can find information on anything from Acerola to Yucca, divided into the parts of the plant that is used, its phytochemical and nutrient content, its actions and uses and further comments on the plant.

The valuable and handy guide concludes with a thorough index. Another excellent guide to supplements is Earl Mindell's Supplement Bible. For a more thorough treatment of nutritional healing, I recommend James and Phyllis Balch's extensive work Prescription For Nutritional Healing.


Exceptional detailed information on all supplements.   October 16, 2002
Heidi Piccoli (SAN BERNARDINO, CA United States)
28 out of 30 found this review helpful

I have been buying these updated books for as long as I can remember. I found this book to be the queen bee on detailed info on all nutritional supplements. I learned an incredible amount of information on how important nutrition is to your body. Missing certain supplements in your body can cause all sorts of undesirable diseases and problems. It describes in detail what diseases/problems occur (most likely) when you are lacking certain supplements. This book has been truly helpful in the building of my site (parentingnaturally.net) and has shed a lot of light on nutrition.A must have!


Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Joseph S. Maresca   February 6, 2003
Joseph S. Maresca (Bronxville, New York USA)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful

This work is a superior rendition on specific modalities which
relates vitamins and nutrients to specific disease processes.
The beauty of the work is that specific dosages are quoted in
daily milligrams or international units. Nutrients are ranked from essential to important to helpful. There is good coverage
of the various antioxidants i.e. the ACES-Vitamin A,
Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Selenium
The book provides detailed recommendations and helpful
considerations on virtually every disease process. The author
provides a list of Health and Medical Organizations throughout
the USA, as well as a list of important manufacturers and
distributors of vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
This book is a good supplement to your existing vitamin and
nutrient regimen. In addition, it's a good literature source
to provide background information so that you can interface
intelligently with your own physicians and local medical
providers.The book is valuable in handling common health
problems; such as, osteoporosis, allergies, infectious
diseases and the more elusive cancers. The work is a worthy
investment for any personal library.


A Must Have For Any Supplement/Altern. Medicine Aficionado!   February 10, 2005
R. D. Seybold (Johnson Creek, WI)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I manage "Vitamin" store for a large, "Health" chain. In the past year and a half, I've learned so much about vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and food concentrates. I've used amazon.com to buy DOZENS of books that pertain to my job. But you know what? Not a day goes by where I don't pick up this book.

"Prescription for Nutritional Healing" has to be one of the most complete, detailed, and impressive supplemental references out there. The Balch's deserve two thumbs up for this great read!

Just a note: you will see common trends. For almost every ailment, ACES (Vitamin A or Beta Carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Selenium) are suggested (like one other reviewer mentioned). These may be mentioned for more than one reason. While ACES tend to be most studied in formal research, they have also shown to be incredibly safe and effective. Whether the suggested supplements are palliative or curative, The Balch's have done their research with overwhelming amounts of reputable sources.

If you like this book, and are interested in anti-aging medicine, I suggest adding "The Super Anti-Oxidants"
(James F. Balch). Also, a very easy read - there is great information on how we age, and what we can do to prevent it.


Great gift too   December 23, 2006
Carolyn Rampone (Plantation, FL USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Prescription for Nutritional Healing should be a staple in every home. These are the same reference books they use in the health food stores to help you choose what supplements to take for your particular ailment. Everything is listed by symptom which makes it very user friendly. There are listings for critical "must haves" and also some options for things that could be useful. I've used it many times and have found it to be the authority on wellness that might save you a trip or two to the doctor. I can't live without it.