Books like The UltraMind Solution

As I read “The Ultra-mind Solution,” I was continuously reminded of a joke a friend and I used to tell in the 80’s anytime a certain commercial for a Home Remedy book would come on television: “Have cancer? Try a banana!” Only in this author’s case, it’s more like “Have autism? Try a glutten-free diet in combination with eliminating all sugar and caffeine and all food additives, and don’t get within two feet of mercury!” I almost hate to give this book such a low rating, because there is a great deal of good advice to be found within it. The problem is that the good advice is mixed up with so much misinformation, nutritional extremism, misapplication of statistics, self-promotion, and redundant writing that I cannot allow myself to increase the rating. I think this author makes a number of valid criticisms of the way we do medicine, particularly psychiatric medicine, today. But he ventures too far into the realm of pseudo-science and greatly discounts the value of pharmaceuticals. The primary problem is that there is no way to scientifically verify his assertions, since in his view the prescription varies so widely from person to person and involves a web of dietary, behavioral, and environmental changes that are entirely specific to the individual and that cannot heal the person’s mind-body problems unless made all in conjunction with each other. This is more like divination than science. (No wonder he charges his patients a $2,000 consulting fee--or so I've heard.) Despite Dr. Hyman's criticism of a one-size fits all approach to medicine (Have this disorder? Take this pill!), he takes the same approach to nutrition at times: EVERYONE should IMMEDIATELY eliminate “any form of sugar” from their diet. Really? Everyone? Immediately? ANY form? Yes, of course, for sugar is a “toxin.” Yes, it’s probably a good idea for just about everyone to reduce their intake of sugar to more moderate amounts. It’s not such a good idea to shout that the sky is falling and it’s made of toxins. Sometimes this guy is unintentionally funny, such as here: “So the next time you’re stressed out, think about how you’re killing your brain cells and take a deep breath.” Because whatever I was already worried about wasn’t enough…Hyman’s book includes a series of self-tests you can take to determine from which nutritional deficiencies you suffer (and these deficiencies are certainly causing any medical or psychiatric problems you may have). Then you can buy the supplements from which he profits to make up for those deficiencies. Here’s how a typical test goes (I’ve crafted this as a partial parody, but it’s not far from what he actually writes): VITAMIN BS QUIZ Check all that apply and then total your score. 1. I feel like I have more energy after I drink coffee. 2. I have autism, ADHD, depression, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, indigestion, allergies, asthma, PMS, frequent colds, OR headaches. 3. I drink three or more alcoholic beverages a week. 4. My nails are brittle or soft. 5. I feel tired in the morning when I wake up. 6. I sleep less than nine hours a night. 7. I want sex less often than I used to when I was young and it new and exciting 8. I drink tap water or bottled water. 0-2 points: You may have a mild BS deficiency. Follow my six-week program religiously. 2-4 points: You may have a moderate BS deficiency. Follow my six week program religiously and supplement with BS rich foods (outlined in Chapter 23) and the BS supplements I sell. 6+ points: You may have a severe BS deficiency. See your doctor and talk to him about my book and my supplements. If you didn’t already have a mental disorder, you might develop one thinking about how all those various “toxins” such as gluten and sugar and food additives you’ve been consuming for years are slowly killing you and trying to figure out which six or seven vitamins or nutrients you are deficient in and adding them to your diet and then figuring out what nine or ten foods or chemicals are contributing to your health and mental problems and then entirely eliminating them from your diet and environment. I mean, it’s hard enough dealing with a proven, tested nut allergy. Before I end this review, I’d like to leave you with a prime example of Dr. Hyman’s use of statistics. “Recent research has found that homicide mortality in the UK increased dramatically with the increase in concentration of linoleic acid from soy. The same thing happened in the U.S., Australia…” COME ON! Soy oil is responsible for the increased murder rate? I mean, I agree they put too much soy in everything (and, since my daughter has a soy allergy – a tested one, mind you – I’m well aware of how many things unnecessarily have soy in them), but, really – have you ever heard the adage “Correlation does not necessarily imply causation”? Might there have been one or two or three OTHER factors contributing to the increased murder rate, and isn’t it possible soil oil had, well, absolutely nothing to do with it? I think it may be time to give up on these health books. There is such a web of contradiction in the advice of doctors and nutritionists. Too much meat is killing you. Too little meat is killing you. Carbohydrates are bad. You need carbohydrates to feed your brain. Gluten is the source of all of our modern medical evils. You need more whole wheat in your diet. Soy is altering our hormones and causing problems. Soy is a great source of nutrition. Here’s all I know for sure: it’s better if I exercise more than I currently do and to eat fewer sweets and treats and fried foods.