This post was previously written for another blog but now sits perfectly within this one.

While chatting to people on internet forums I find myself repeatedly banging on about two particular books, so I figured I’d write an explanation as to why I have this particular OCD and put a link to it from my signature.  Please note that I gain nothing from promoting these books other than the hope that I will have passed on something invaluable to as many people as possible.

Actually, I say invaluable … the first book, Why Do You Overeat When All You Want Is To Be Slim by Zoe Harcombe cost me over two hundred pounds! …

I was exhibiting at a trade show in London and needed some painkillers.  I wandered into what was a very strange pharmacy by northern standards … it appeared to sell just about everything from handbags to postcards and terribly tacky tourist gifts to fruit and vegetables! … it did however have a fairly substantial alternative health and vitamin section which had some really unusual products most of which I’d never heard of.

The Pharmacist spotted my interest and duly accosted me.  She appeared to be somewhat of an expert and diagnosed me with all manner of weird and wonderful ailments I had no idea even existed, let alone ailed me  … things like “an overgrowth of yeast”, which was apparently making my stomach bloated.  Anyway, she started prescribing all these supplements, vitamins, teas and tinctures.  Well I thought, it had to be worth a try as a lot of what she had said made some kind of sense.  I nearly dropped dead when she handed me the small carrier bag in exchange for well over £200! … luckily it was pre credit-crunch and I could put it on one of several pieces of plastic in my wallet.

As part of the deal she GAVE me a copy of the book by Zoe Harcombe.  It appeared that this mega saleswoman rip off merchant was also a cheeky sod to boot! … I mean I was only a size 12 at the time!

Whilst I didn’t know it at the time, it was probably the best £200 I’ve ever invested in my life and it really was an investment in my life.  You of course can get second hand copies of the book for two or three pounds which surely means it has to be worth a punt just to see why I won’t stop banging on about it 😀

Zoe’s website strapline simply says it all …

Zoe Harcombe – Because everything you think you know about obesity is wrong

The book can be previewed here and with a contents list that includes such headings as:

• Pure, White and Deadly – Sugar, the more accessible heroin
• Eating Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat – Fat is NOT the enemy
• Calorie Counting Makes You Fat
• Fat Bank Accounts Slim Progress – Why has obesity got worse as we have developed as nations
• I’m Pat and I’m An Alcoholic – How Candida, Food Intolerance and Hypoglycaemia explain Alcoholism

It really opens your eyes as to how our bodies function and how by eating processed and refined foods we are actively destroying our bodies simply in order to line the pockets of those involved in the convenience food and slimming monopolies.

In fact type Zoe Harcombe into your search engine of choice and find out just how hard this one woman has lobbied to dispel the myths and lies we are fed on a daily basis.

So thanks to Zoe (and a strange London pharmacist of course) I am now totally aware and educated about what I choose to put into my body.  Of course whilst I can control what I put into my body and thereby control some of my bodies own chemicals, I am unable by diet alone to control another set of chemicals …  the stress chemicals.  This brings me onto the second of my two must  have books …

Finding Serenity In The Age of Anxiety by Robert Gerzon

The following text is taken from his website as above:

It’s everything from that irritating hum in the background of our existence to total panic. We often call it “stress” or “fear.” According to author and psychotherapist Robert Gerzon, it’s really anxiety.

Anxiety is America’s number one mental health problem. This anxiety epidemic, spawned by the relentless pace and mounting strains of modern life, has gone largely unrecognized, undiagnosed and untreated. Now Robert Gerzon’s groundbreaking book Finding Serenity in the Age of Anxiety, defies the cultural taboo against acknowledging anxiety and exposes the tragic toll it takes on our health, our relationships, our lives and on society as a whole.

Reaching beyond psychology, Gerzon draws upon science, myth, spirituality and mindbody medicine to bring much-needed clarity to the classic human dilemma of anxiety. Finding Serenity in the Age of Anxiety dispels the myth that all anxiety is bad and reveals its long-hidden secret: There are actually three distinct, yet related, types of anxiety. As he skillfully unravels anxiety’s tangled knot, Gerzon reveals the three different strands — Toxic, Natural and Sacred Anxiety:

• Toxic Anxiety, the dreaded and destructive overreaction, may result in worry, unrealistic fear, self-sabotage, relationship problems, addiction, illness, depression, panic and other symptoms. It can be transformed into emotional healing and personal growth.
• Natural Anxiety, the healthy arousal that warns us of real dangers and alerts us to new opportunities, provides energy that can be harnessed to attain our goals and achieve peak performance. This anxiety can actually feel positive and enlivening as we convert it into excitement and passion.
• Sacred Anxiety, the spiritual and existential aspect, represents our soul’s deepest yearning for love and meaning, our dread of death and our sense of awe and wonder at the miracle of life. When embraced, it leads us to discover our life purpose and to experience unshakable serenity amidst life’s ever-changing circumstances.

An Anxiety Personality Quiz enables you to identify your anxiety reaction style (Worrier, Distracter, Internalizer, Externalizer, Controller and Helper). Gerzon discusses the different ways men and women have been conditioned to respond to anxiety and how awareness of anxiety’s role in relationships can open up greater passion and intimacy. Practical techniques such as positive Inner Talk and the A+ Formula help you change your “inner worrier” into an “inner warrior” that can help you meet the challenges of life. Breathing, body awareness and meditation provide additional mindbody methods of self-calming.

This inspirational and engaging book provides a provocative new way to change anxiety from an annoying pest or terrifying monster into a guiding angel.

I particularly liked the bit where he explains the fight or flight mechanism by using your boss or your bank manager who likes to say no as the bear … it’s the bit where he says something along the lines of “you can neither run away nor punch him in the face” LOL!

I also found the anxiety type quiz fantastically illuminating and could begin to understand more fully, all of the relationships both in my work and my private life … past, present and of course future.  The lessons and knowledge in these two books should be taught as part of the national curriculum.

By the way after I ran out of the 1 month supply of strange supplements I stopped taking them … in all honesty I don’t know whether any of them would have worked or not in the long term but even then I wasn’t about to spend over £200 a month to find out.

I hope these two books prove to be as invaluable to you and yours as they have been to me and mine.

Always With Love … Denise xxx