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October 25, 2002/Cheshvan 19 5763, Vol. 55, No. 9
Help yourself at the JCC Book Fair
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
Books can open worlds to us - or open us to the world. A number of books featured at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center Book Fair, Nov. 4-15, at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, seek to do both. Following, three to consider from nearly two dozen titles featured and available for sale.
"Renewal of Body... Renewal of Spirit," (Sage-Brush Publications, $12.95 paperback) by local author Barbara Mark Dreyfuss, chronicles Dreyfuss' struggle to overcome debilitating illness and take control of her life. Misdiagnosed in 1996, Dreyfuss suffered devastating symptoms that diminished her energy and stamina and undermined her ability to function. Doctors were stymied.
"Nobody could help me," she recalled during a recent interview. "I was such a take-charge person but when you are that sick you can't take charge."
Ultimately, after seeing a raft of medical professionals and concluding that her immune system was in disarray, Dreyfuss realized that she had to heal herself.
Her approach combines nutritional, physical and spiritual components. She is careful to stress that she is not a medical professional and that her suggestions are based on her own personal experience.
"You have to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive in all the areas of your life," said Dreyfuss. "And you have to have the determination to be consistent and patient in bringing new methods into your life to solve old problems."
Dreyfuss discovered that acupuncture treatment was beneficial, as was eliminating certain foods from her diet. Exercise became a key factor in her recovery, starting slowly and gradually increasing to her current daily 50-minute walk. She also found that nurturing her spiritual connections helped. She attended sessions at the Shalom Center for Healing, overcoming an initial hesitancy.
Sharing her pain with others allowed her to open herself up.
"I listened to speakers and found that each one had something to say that helped me," she said. "It became a haven - I could let my guard down."
She began attending Shabbat services at Phoenix's Temple Chai regularly and began work on her book.
"I did not realize that there was anything missing in my life," she said. "But I did realize that I had to find avenues to recover."
Her book seeks to help others discover those avenues for recovery themselves.
In a similar vein, a book by two medical professionals brings the subject of complementary and alternative medicine to the reading public. Mary Herring, R.N., and Molly Roberts, M.D., dispel myths about complementary and alternative medicine with a thorough discussion in "Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Fast Facts for Medical Practice," (Blackwell Science Inc., $22.95 paperback). The book, geared for medical personnel but accessible to an interested reading public, provides concise information on 15 of the most common therapies. It provides overviews on the political, economic and regulatory issues related to complementary and alternative medicine. Herring and Roberts edited the slim volume comprised of chapters written by individual medical professionals.
They note in the foreword the need for more research in the area but suggest that the growing number of patients who are turning to alternative medicine increases the need for information.
"The consumer is not waiting," they write.
"Tastes of Jewish Tradition, Recipes, Activities & Stories for the Whole Family," (Wimmer Cookbooks, $26.95 hardcover) by Jody Hirsh, Idy Goodman, Aggie Goldenhoz and Susan Roth, with a foreword by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, offers families a raft of ways to open their homes - and themselves - to yiddishkeit. Organized in two parts, the first is a compendium of Jewish holidays, rich in historical and religious detail and replete with myriad ideas for hands-on activities. The second is a delightful potpourri of holiday recipes, from Carrot Kugel to Passover Caramel Pecan Squares. In the back, a handy appendix of holiday blessings.
Want to know how to make a Torah cover for Simchat Torah? Or a layered sand menorah for Hanukkah? Or a burning bush centerpiece for Pesach? Check out this attractive, easy-to-read guide. And help support family and Jewish education at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Milwaukee. All proceeds go to the center.
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