Rating: 
Summary: Biobalance
Review: A physicist, the author of this book doesn't get to the diet until page 133 of a 172-page book. You'll find the actual diet in the Appendix! What is the rest of the book devoted to? Expounding on the evils of other diets and psychotherapy. It's not that the author is wrong in his stipulation that pH balance in the body may be the most important aspect of health and nutrition; however, 1.) he takes a very narrow view of a large picture, and 2.) he doesn't help you gain an understanding of balancing pH in your body. (Plus he wastes a lot of the reader's time trying to convince you about the value of his diet based on his anecdotal experiences.) If you want to learn the basic principles involved (which explain why some of this author's recommendations might actually make sense), read Sang Whang's "Reverse Aging." The book is also a much more pleasant read lacking the harranging and condescension of Dr. Wiley's book.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: Dr. Rudolf A. Wiley's book (BIOBALANCE: Using Acid/Alkaline Nutrition to Solve the Food-Mood-Health Puzzle) is nothing short of revolutionary. It deconflicts virtually all of the contradictory advice being dispensed to the public by the nutritional community; advice which promotes nutritional regimens ranging from low fat/high fiber vegetarianism at one extreme, to high protein/high meat fare at the other.As this review is being written (May 2000), the debate among the so-called nutrition experts rages. Characteristically, it has been forced to fever pitch by the recent clash between Dr. Richard Adkins (an advocate of the high protein diet), and much of the mainstream dietary community (advocating low fat, high complex carbohydrate fare). As illustrated in his book, Dr. Wiley has resolved this debate in addition to others being waged within the nutritional community by demonstrating that different individuals metabolize foods in different fashion. Specifically, he has shown that while some individuals will thrive on regimens similar to the regimen advocated by Dr. Adkins, other individuals will require low fat, high complex carbohydrate fare. (For biochemical reasons made clear in his book, Dr. Wiley classifies the former and latter as acid and alkaline metabolic types respectively.) Conversely, Dr. Wiley has demonstrated that each of these regimens can be catastrophic to both physical and mental health when inappropriately applied. Hence, metabolic compatibility is the key to matching or pairing each individual with his or her biocompatible nutritional regimen in the quest for optimal performance. Dr. Wiley has gone on to show that some individuals (most notably, some premenopausal women) metabolize in different fashion at different times during a monthly cycle. These individuals require not 1, but 2 different nutritional regimens (each at a different time of month) to sustain optimal metabolic performance. Dr. Wiley concludes that this metabolic variability over time, is genetically driven, is not the result "deep-seated psychological trauma" or "stress," and (if untreated) is largely responsible for the severe and often icapacitating distress which accompanies menstrual disorders. In fact, Dr. Wiley's research concludes that many disorders currently classified as "psychological" or "mental" (including chronic fatigue syndrome) are instead the result of metabolic or acid/alkaline biochemical imbalances, and will thus not lend themselves to "talking things over with a sensitive mental health expert." Equally remarkable is the fact that Dr. Wiley has been able to accurately reduce metabolic identification to one simple test, namely caffeine tolerance. Specifically, he has shown that individuals who report a favorable response to caffeine will generally thrive on low fat, high carbohydrate fare, while individuals who are caffeine-intolerant must limit their carbohydrate intake, and must increase their intake of proteins, in particular nucleoproteins which are found in specific meats, fish and vegetables. (Ironically, these proteins have largely been ignored by the so-called nutrition experts irrespective of their dietary recommendations.) In essence, Dr. Wiley has rigorously demonstrated what you have suspected all along, but have been unable to articulate as part of a coherent food-mood-health plan, namely that one size does not fit all. Dr. Wiley's analysis of the chaos sweeping the nutritional and health care communities today is best summarized in his remarkable book as follows. Today's nutrition experts are akin to the wise but blind men in the children's fable, "The Blind Men and the Elephant." Because each wise man is blind, he misunderstands the nature of the elephant, despite repeatedly touching one part of the animal. Consequently, after touching the elephant's tail, one sage insists that the elephant is very much like a snake. After touching its leg, another sage insists that the elephant is not at all like a snake, but instead resembles a tree. After touching its tusk, a third sage insists that the elephant is neither like a snake or tree, but more closely resembles a spear, etc.. Consequently, because each nutrition expert has unwittingly encountered notable success in treating one and only one metabolic type, he or she has tragically generalized this success to everyone. (Failed cases are of course dismissed, and shuffled off to psychotherapy, or stress management therapy.) Sadly, these generalizations in turn form the root of the chaos, confusion and contradictory advice dispensed by the nutritional community. Dr, Wiley rigorously argues that absent an understanding of the metabolic diversity which characterizes the human species (a diversity which forms the cornerstone of BioBalance Therapy), little if any progress will be made in the nutritional treatment of disease. In summary, Dr. Wiley's book will show you how you can quickly and non-invasively determine your metabolic type, and thereby self-administer one or more nutritional regimens which will allow you to maintain optimal psychophysiological performance. In conclusion, Dr. Wiley's book is a must read for anyone who is either a serious student of the food-mood-health connection, or for anyone interested in ridding himself or herself of any illness which has either been classified as "psychological," or which has persistently eluded medical diagnosis.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read. Although incomplete, it's really worthy
Review: First, sorry for my bad English.
I'm vegetarian since more than 20 years and my wife and children are. I'm sure we don't have all the same necessities as the book explains. The criteria for determining acidifying and alcalinysing foods makes very much sense and it makes me think I'm in the category of people who feels good eating meet and fat. I won't never do it in spite of the book advises because I'm a professional danser who looks at least 12 years younger than most of the people of my age, so I cannot be that wrong. But I eat spontaneously a vegetarian variation with lots of avocados, nuts and soforth and what is good for me is not good for my wife and we know it. My family and I choose to be vegan (no dairy, eggs or meat) for human, economical and environmental reasons. Also all these animal products are expensive to consume and are plenty of hormones, pesticides, antibiotiques, vaccines etc.. We didn't stop meat, eggs and dairy products because of health problems. But we feel even better.
I'm sure that using the same acid/alcaline criteria described in this book there can be found enough foods and suplements that are not from animal origin. I bet that this new knowledge will improve also our health in spite of been vegan. I understand better why the very different needs in my family.
By the way, my family and I eat just raw food and I'm sure that makes also a difference. Each of us has an improved instinct for his particular needs after our tastes were acostumed to "living fods".
As I said. This discovery of the venous PH exposed here is one of the most important discoveries that I have read about and that's why I recomend it.
I just say that Wiley's research is not deep enough to be totaly usefull. I read it just yesterday and I'll make my own research about it and I suggest "acidics" to look for alternatives to eating meat at every meal. If it's about protein or aminoacids I'm sure there is another way. Maybe "miso" or "tempeh", which are usualy thought to be alcalising and are very high in proteins would be good enough, or the contrary, or coconuts, which have much saturated fats, or sprouted lentils etc. but they are not in his too short list of foods so we have to test them. When we eat raw, we need much less proteins which are very much used to synthesize enzimes. Then the rules aplying to rawfoodists can't be the same. The absorbtion of nutrients is increased tens of times after a while. There is a rawfoodist I know that makes hours of exercise with just an orange as meal.
I'm also sure the diet with plenty of animal products is very poor in enzimes and other nutrients.
For exemple, he doesn't tell the difference between eating raw and cooked tomatoes and I'm sure there is. Especially in a midium term. It doesn't make the difference between cheap salt and raw sea salt etc.
For me, just not to feel sick is not enough. Age normaly is not enough either.
This book doesn't describe the non-plus-ultra of nutrition. It's too incomplete but I haven't found it's valuable complementary information elsewhere so BUY IT!!. Also buy books about raw food such as the Boutenko family's books.
Rating:
Summary: Bio Balance
Review: I am a chiropractor so I have read a number of different "diet" books. This book does a great job of telling you why certain diets work for certain people. The great part about the book is the fact that you can do a "trial and error" approach to find out which foods work best for you without any expensive tests. One of my friends began eating according to Biobalance for him..which included red meat and whole milk, and saw amazing changes in his health. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL BOOK
Review: I was overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of Dr. Wiley's knowledge. After having read so much in the field of health, nutrition and metabolism, it's clear that Dr. Wiley is at least 1 generation ahead of others in this field. His work is based upon hard clinical evidence and first principles of biochemistry. The implications of his work are far-reaching. It's such a shame that the media have paid no attention to BioBalance, but have paid and continue to pay so much attention to the usual so-called experts who have so little to offer. But then again, I suppose that other great discoveries in the medical arts have been treated in similar fashion; either rejected or allowed to die the death of benign neglect. It would be wonderful if the public at large simply by-passed all of the experts, read Dr. Wiley's book, and implemented BioBalance as I did. We would all be much healthier and happier for it.
Rating:
Summary: Speaks for itself
Review: If only Western medicine could catch up with this truly fasinating, scientific approach to health! I use this book as my bible to food intake. The approach to each type(acidic,alkaline, or mixed) is simple although a bit tougher for females (due to menstruation). I had a feeling that I was acidic just based on the food that I prefer and from a test used from another acid/alkaline book, "The Acid Alkaline Balnce Diet" by Felicia Kliment(using niacin on an empty stomach). Since commencing this approach (11/02) I have not been sick and have maintained a lean muscle mass throughout. I supplement this with consumption of alkaline water, take chlorella/spirulina with each meal, and have MSM and coral calcium twice a day (do your own research). Living this way isn't exactly cheap but the benefits outweigh the cost.
I've never trusted the American approach to healthcare so this book opened my eyes. I truly feel for Dr. Wiley and his frustration with the establishment and hope my epiphany will be shared by others in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Unbalanced Book
Review: It wasn't until page 133 out of 198 internal pages did I finally get useful information on how the plan works. Prior to page 133 it was filled with repetitive comments on how Dr. Wiley funded his own research and has no more money. It also contained detailed drawbacks to other programs such as Fit for Life, Pritikin, and many more. His message was harsh and not well written.
I am well-read and have been told by those with a master's degree in nutrition that I understand the chemical process of nutrition better than they do. I say this to help the reader of this review understand that I was expecting a detailed book on 'The Acid/Alkaline solution to the Food-Mood-Health Puzzle" not a book on how bad other programs are and that more research isn't possible because the Dr. ran out of money. This is the first negative review I've ever written as well. I will continue looking to find a book that addresses the acid/alkaline issue.
Rating:
Summary: Epilepsy and Biobalance !!!
Review: My daughter had Epilepsy. Five years I searched for answers, where-ever and however there seemed to be a connection, I searched.
It was heartbreaking to see my daughter's mind deteriorate with conventional drug therapy. There must be a better way, somehow !
There seemed to be an pH imbalance, digestive problems, allergies,etc.etc. I looked at the ketogenic diet and decided it was to dangerous and unhealthy. Using the principles of Biobalance from this book for Alcaline types, and a few supplements I cured my child. Dr Wiley I can not thank you enough for this wonderful book. It did something conventional doctors could not. My daughter went from a special needs child, to an honor roll student! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Rating: 
Summary: Extra star for individualizing the diet, but poor otherwise
Review: We're all unique and need a diet to suit our own needs. That's the bottom line of this book. It's true. To recommend everyone eat the same way is insanity. Books that are written like that should be banned from ever being published. This book preaches individuality. So we're off to a good start. Other than the concept, this book is lousy. The author doesn't really go into detail about how to individualize your diet accordingly. Sure, he lists simple tests you can do, but I don't think suggesting drinking black coffee is a valid way of determining your body type. This book has food lists of what is safe to eat for the three body types mentioned. This section is good, gives you a good idea of what foods to eat if you're a fast or slow oxidizer. But the author suggests eating fatty cuts of meat, drinking black coffee, and some other pretty unhealthy ways of "balancing" yourself. To suggest something harmful to "balance" yourself is pretty insane. I don't recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Reasons why this book never caught on...
Review: While well intentioned, this book is a mess. As another reviewer mentioned, his main point, that what works for one person could be very harmful for someone else, is what everyone should remember. It applies to this book as well. Clearly, it has helped some. Nevertheless, a reviewer asked "Why hasn't the press made BioBalance a household word?" Perhaps because it's so poorly written, organized and confusing. The INDEX alone is a disaster: A couple of readers mention a caffeine test, or how you can determine your profile by your tolerance to caffeine. Caffeine isn't even listed in the index, and coffee, even though the word can be found on at least a dozen pages, is listed as being on page 124. Look on 124, and it is nowhere to be found. "Krebs Cycle" is listed as being found on page 113. It is not there. "Dogs", yes DOGS is listed in the index, as being discussed (why?) on page 135. Again, not there. These errors are INEXCUSABLE, and the reason why this book did not catch on. As others have mentioned, he spends way too much time with verbose, complicated case histories, spends 75 pages trashing other's books, when he should be succinctly explaining the details of his program. The author claims you can quickly and easily determine your metabolic profile. Again, not from checking the index. And his list of foods to lower ones acidity includes hot dogs, french fries, heavy cream, fried chicken. Do those sound like alkaline foods to anyone? I was going to resell my copy, but I thought that would be cruel and unusual punishment for the buyer. There has to be better books on the subject.
|
