Lay Technical Books-Please?

[Guest guest]

Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 14:16:41 -0000

From: " ashton2442 " <a.braithwaite@...>

Subject: Lay Technical Books - Please?

So, I've been doing CR for about 3 months, and want to understand

more about the biology, the chemistry, and the experiments that will

form the basis of my health decisions. My background is in

management and computer technologies, so I am a lay person in this

field.

1. Can someone recommend some good books to help a lay person

understand these areas? I'm not talking about CR books, so much as

material that will give me a background in the human body chemistry

and biology that will allow me to evaluate the articles and

experiments that I read.

2. If I want to see more than an abstract from PubMed, what is the

best, most cost effective way, to view the publication

-------------------

Ashton--

To answer your second question, the fastest way to view an entire

Medline (PubMed) article is to pay for it online. The least

expensive way is to write down the journal name, date, authors,

pages, etc., and then go to a local medical library and copy the

article. The library will not charge you for this, other than the

price per page for the copy machine (usually 10 cents per page at

medical libraries). You can also purchase online subscriptions to

the journals that interest you, but that can get expensive.

Good books to help give you a background in " the human body chemistry

and biology. "

Go to the bookstore of a Community College or University.

Purchase a basic nutrition textbook. Or, better yet, take a basic

nutrition class at a Community College or University to get you

started. You could call a Nutrition Professor at the nearest

University and ask for specific book recommendations. There is a lot

of relevant chemistry presented in good nutrition textbooks.

Instead of " biology, " you would do better with human physiology.

You can do the same as above regarding the subject of human

physiology.

Reading a biochemistry text or taking a biochemistry class would be

very valuable for you; but, the class would have other chemistry

classes as prerequisites. You should choose a very basic

biochemistry text, definitely at the Community College level, or it

would be too much for someone without a science background.

Another suggestion is to take Dr. Walford's Beyond the 120-yr Diet

book, read it very carefully, and then start reading the referenced

articles that interest you (by getting the articles at a medical

library).

I recommend a subscription to the Nutrition Health Letter, put out by

a very reputable organization, the CSPI: Center For Science in the

Public Interest. It's inexpensive, and every month you will be

presented with excellent scientific information written for the lay

person.

You will also find in reading the daily CR e-mails that sometimes

full text articles will be offered: this is an excellent opportunity

to read full articles that are of interest to you.

The internet is also superb, IF you select very carefully what you

read. The Linus ing Institute is composed of some of the best

scientists in the country, and puts out a great deal of information

on their website. You can also join their organization and receive

some things by mail.

You want to learn all about carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins,

minerals, phytochemicals (basic nutrition), and basic human

physiology of all the body systems.

Well, that certainly would be an excellent start.

rjb112@...

bob bessen