Page 68 - Spring2015

All Thumbs Book Reviews

Freedom from Fibromyalgia: That includes cosmetics, deodorants, shampoo,
7 Steps to Recovery soap, tattoos, chemicals in hot tubs, sunscreens,
Leah E. McCullough and anything you can’t pronounce.
For nutritional supplementation she recom-
Fibromyalgia is a serious condition that mends fermented cod liver oil and high-vitamin
leaves sufferers incapacitated by pain and ex- butter oil. Her ground rules for nutrition and
haustion. Medical doctors are not much help eating in general are fully Weston A. Price-
because there are no drugs that cure it or ef- compliant.
fectively suppress the symptoms. For those who Leah McCullough suffered severe fibro-
limit themselves to that option there is little hope. myalgia (diagnosed by a medical doctor) and by
Leah McCullough wisely found another way using her protocols is now free of all symptoms.
to overcome fibromyalgia with a multi-faceted Most people, including me, find it hard to argue
approach. One facet which is often overlooked with success. She was extremely overweight and
is the importance of a positive mindset. Just say has lost all excess weight and looks very healthy.
no to negativity. If you think your situation is She went from feeling like she was going to die to
hopeless, or you have bad genes and are doomed good health and having a healthy baby. There is
to a life of suffering, then you’re probably right. a current picture of her on the cover of the book.
McCullough spends several pages on gentle I have met the author so I know that picture is
detoxification protocols and gives specific rec- accurate and wasn’t brought to us by the magic
ommendations for the products that worked for of Photoshop. Her recommendations are based
her. Since toxins are often at least partly respon- on her experience and what worked for her. That
sible if not the root cause of illness, it stands to doesn’t guarantee it will work for everybody yet
reason that they should be avoided. A good rule may work for many. The thumb is UP.
of thumb pointed out by McCullough is not to Review by Tim Boyd
put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat.

FOOD: THE LIGHT MEAT, DARK MEAT AND THE WISHBONE
By Bill Hyde, PhD, Farmer

Many of you may remember Bill Hyde's wonderful article on the true cost of food in our Summer 2014 issue (westona-
price.org/health-topics/the-real-cost-of-real-food/). In it, he computed the real cost of a pastured egg, including a small
profit for the farmer, at twelve dollars a dozen. He also pointed out that food costs in the U.S. have gone from 17 percent
of the family budget to 8 percent; during the same time medical bills have gone from 7 percent of the family budget to 18
percent. So, in a truly viable, sustainable system, we either pony up to those dollar-a-piece eggs or face multi-thousand dollar
medical bills later (and sometimes earlier) in life, not to mention the devastation wrought by the kind of industrial farming
that brings us cheap eggs.
Hyde is an economist, and therefore looks at the economies (or lack thereof) of small-scale farming in this delightful
book of essays. He also explores life's persistent questions such as: Is it crazy to be a small farmer? Should we eat red meat?
Are goats easier to raise than cows (he didn't ask me, an owner of cows, before he bought his goats, which are the Houdi-
nis of ruminants)? What to do about the horrors of GMOs? How do we put real food instead of food-like substances into
our mouths? How do we distinguish between positive and negative externalities (between agriculture that builds soil and
improves the environment versus agriculture that extracts and pollutes)? How do we navigate the maze of doublespeak that
characterizes food labeling in America?
All this in a small package of very readable essays that are bound to elicit plenty of chuckles—except for the chapter
on GMOs. The thumb is UP. Review by Sally Fallon Morell

66 Wise Traditions SPRING 2015 Wise Traditions

150123_text.indd 66 3/27/15 2:59 AM