Rating: 
Summary: it's a little like a sponsored rant
Review: Aimed at the American market, this book at times resembles a sponsored rant. Buyer beware, if you don't like your facts sugar coated and dumbed down, you will be frustrated by this book; useful details, (like how to actually proceed with the programme) are present but well concealed in acres of anecdotal rubbish. Ahh, and then there's chapter 4- the testimonials-God may bless Dr Young (according to his success cases), but God help us that have to read such emotive drivel. I would not recommend buying this book- choose another title if you want to know about the acid alkaline diet
Rating:
Summary: Sick and Tired of pseudoscience
Review: Dr Roberts has a Ph.D. and D.Sc, reading his book I wonder in what field of science. The book endeavours to resurrect a nineteenth century of microbes and disease called the pleiomorphic theory -that microorganisms can spontaneously change their form and that microorganisms are a product not the cause of specific diseases. Ignoring 100 years of scientific evidence that the teory is wrong; he claims that a conspiracy - what else - of scientists starting with Pasteur buried the theory for their own ends. He claims that disease is caused solely by an imbalance of acidity in the body which causes mysterious elementary bodies -unobserved in 60 years of electron microscopy of the cell- to start changing form and evolving first into viruses then bacteria then fungi. Instead of a virus causing the common cold the common cold causes the virus! Amongst other disease conditions the fungi play a major role in the development of cancer. Perhaps unsuprisingly - Dr Roberts's own Inner Light Institute will sell you various curative preparations whose effectiveness is vouched for by unsolicited testimonials cited at length in the book!
The book is illustrated by many photographs which are either meaningless without information as to how they were produced or as with his photographs of 'yeast' in blood simply do not show what they claim to.
This book would harmless tosh but for the fact that its persuasive but nonsensical pseudoscience could lead vulnerable people to reject sound medical treatment for cancer or to leave themselves exposed to infectious disease by following Dr. Roberts's advice to reject immunisation.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellant but not "the" unifying theory
Review: First of all the book is excellant. The concept of acid/alkaline in the body and its central role has been around for a long time, however he has perhaps uniquely extended the concept as unifying theory of the health/disease continuum. Yet I have to say nice try, but the best unified theory of disease (or the disease/health continuum) resides with Dr.J.H. Tilden's concept of enervation/toxemia which predates you by 100 years or more. Acid/alkaline is not only controlled by specific foods but by (in general terms) all excesses of normally wholesome things (like sunlight, rest, food, exercise etc) and all insufficiencies of same and by emotions and toxin habits. Toxin habits would include some obvious ones like cigarette smoking, alcohol, drugs, etc plus indigestible food combinations.
Where Dr. Young emphacises the acids produced from foods and some of the stresses mentioned above, Dr.Tilden points out that as the body loses vitality through various bad habits of living and becomes enervated (exhausted) at least two large categories of body functions specifically excretions and secretions become impaired. The individual cell normally excretes CO2, ammonia, and other toxins which along with toxins produced from bacterial decay of food (due to impaired secretion) in the stomach do not get efficiently removed in an exhausted body. Thus impaired elimination through the lungs, kidneys, skin, and gastrointestinal tract result in acid waste buildup ie toxemia along with acid producing foods etc. that constitute Dr. Youngs acidity. Enervation ie lowered vitality and functioning power in a body would not only affect the physiological status of the body as a whole but the functioning power of the individual parts or organs, thus the increased acidity due to checked ellimination and retained waste. What makes Tildens theory the "grand classic unified theory of disease" is that it works with Dr. Youngs concepts as well as Hans Selya, Bechamp, Naesans, Issac Jennings, Russel Trall, Herbert Shelton and many others. You can explain the simplest diseases to mass epidemics without resorting to the pathetically failed germ theory of Pasteur. What are epidemics? Epidemics are result of mass enervating occurrances. For example mass poor sanitation(contaminated water and/or little or no waste removal), cold spells, drought, failure of food distribution, insufficient food, mass overeating and drinking (as in U.S.holidays), mass decay of food, mass emotional stress (due to war, famine, displacement), mass drugging (as in vaccination, fluoridation etc) or mass polluting etc,etc. Often times the above list occurs in groups of negative occurrances as in periods of war (example: after WWI and the great flu epidemic). Also
the interpretation that as Dr.Shelton stated "disease itself is the remedial process and not something that should be cured, killed, subdued, suppressed, or thwarted but is something that sould be allowed to complete its purification work" preferrably in wholesome conditions like complete rest, clean water, quite, warmth, and no food is "simplicity itself". Also obviously to correct mass sickness from continuing the mass causes have to be addressed. These concepts have been around but largely unrecognized since the 19th century when it was originally called the Hygienic System which today is known as Natural Hygiene. Some of the older authors such as Tilden, Trall, Jennings, Bechamp, Shelton et al can be obtained from various sites on the internet under Natural Hygiene or at www.healthresearchbooks.com.
Rating:
Summary: Bad propaganda
Review: First off, I agree with the Youngs that much of medical theory is off-base. However, it is a disservice to the public (not to mention petty and unreasonable) to point out only the mistakes others make. While it is very true that medical science relies too much on their model of disease, that in and of itself does not mean that it is never accurate. It is true that medical science too often ignores that internal factors result in disease. Yet, it is sheer nonsense to suggest that there are no external causes of disease as the Youngs do. The Youngs hope that their ad hominem attacks on conventional medicine will distract you from the holes in their own arguments. Their idea that cells in the body can morph into different life forms is utterly unfounded. After several chapters of trashing science, and then several more advancing pseudoscience, they come to the real reason for their book. This book is a piece of propganda for those already converted to the fundamentalist ideology of veganism. The anti-meat crusade is the real purpose behind this book and the justification for the outlandish theories it advances. They simply state that "if you eat meat, you acidify your blood snd crave more meat" without any supporting evidence. Their proposal of a radical vegan diet is unfounded, unnecessary, and dangerous. The Youngs propose to trade one unhealthy diet for an even more unhealthy diet. So, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Comments from an M.D. who wrote a textbook on pH balance
Review: I am an M.D. and the author of a textbook on acid-base balance (pH balance). I have also published several technical pieces in medical journals on the pH consequences of diet, and the relationship between dietary ash-acidity/alkalinity and bone disease. A friend who had just spent $400 getting a kit from Dr. Young's organization asked me to give her an opinion. I should also add that I am open-minded and have a special interest in nutrition and holistic medicine; I personally spend close to a thousand dollars a year on nutrients; I have studied chi kung and yoga; and I have much skepticism about aspects of modern medicine. I say all this to make clear that I am not opposed to nutritional or holistic approaches to health. I focused my attention on the parts of this book that pertain directly to pH balance, which is the center of Dr. Young's theory. I read with special care the part of the book that purports to explain the fundamentals of pH to the non-scientist. This section contains basic errors that suggest to me that Dr. Young is not very knowledgable about this area; his understanding of basic chemistry seems limited. His definitions of fundamental terms such as "hydrogen ion" are poor, and his explantion of what table salt (NaCl) is and how it dissociates in water is incorrect. He gives the same pH values for blood that comes from arteries and veins; in reality, venous blood is more acidic than arterial blood. The manner in which Dr. Young writes suggests a religious fervor that has nothing to do with science. I saw no footnotes that support his extreme views; in fact, judging by the titles of the journal articles he cites, I saw no citations in either this or another book by him that pertain specifically to the effect of pH on disease. Further, Dr. Young does not describe any of his own experiments that might lead one to think he has a valid scientific basis for his ideas. He makes many extreme statements without any supporting evidence. From what I can see, Dr. Young does not have any interest in actually *testing* whether his ideas are correct. For example, the simple way to test his assertions about the effects of pH on disease would be to give sick people a couple of teaspoons of baking soda per day mixed with water. Baking soda (NaHCO3) is a base and will alkalinize the person's blood at least as well as any of the dietary manipulations Dr. Young suggests. But he appears not to have done this, or even to have studied the medical literature to see if other's have. I also listened to Dr. Young on a marketing-oriented group phone call, which one of the distributors of his diet plans invinted me to listen in on. Dr. Young repeats the phrase "alkalinize and energize" like a mantra, many times; yet he provides no evidence that I can see that "alkalinizing" the blood through dietary or any other means actually increases energy. I have nothing against an ash-alkaline diet; in fact, I personally believe such a diet might have a positive impact on bone strength. But if someone is to make broad assertions about the benefits of an ash-alkaline diet, they should have persuasive evidence; but I didn't see any evidence for his claims. As Dr. Young correctly points out in his book, there is a long history of science and medicine making errors and going down the wrong paths; and sometimes these wrong turns are not identified for decades or perhaps even centuries (some surely have yet to be identified). However, what he seems to fail to recognize is that there is also a long (really, much longer) history of non-scientific healing going down the wrong paths. Both scientific and non-scientific healers have made mistakes, and these mistakes have sometimes gone uncorrected for long periods. The only way to catch these mistakes is to test one's ideas, to see if they actually work; this applies to both conventional medicine and holistic medicine. Dr. Young seems to have an almost paranoid skepticism about many aspects of accepted medical practice, yet he is entirely credulous about much that falls outside of the mainstream. He seems to be entirely credulous about his own ideas. I accepted my friend's request to check out Dr. Young's ideas thinking that he might have something interesting to say. I didn't expect perfection, but I did at least expect enough evidence that one might think he has framed a plausible hypothesis, an idea that is interesting and worth exploring further. But I did not find even that. Instead I found an almost religious fervor, an inadequate grasp of the fundamentals of the very field that is central to his ideas (pH balance), and no evidence that he has any real interest in testing his ideas to see if they actually work. To say this, however, is not to rule out the possibility that some of the particular dietary or nutritional interventions he recommends might be beneficial. For instance, he seems to recommend a low-carbohydrate diet (a la Atkins), various nutrients (which are supported by some valid studies), and the like. Some of these things might actually be good for a person. Perhaps doing many of them together will be even better for a person. But the point is this: Dr. Young believes and claims that these things all work through a common pathway: that they work *because* they alkalinize the body. For example, the low-refined carbohydrate diet is not effective, Dr. Young seems to believe, because it prevents rapid release of insulin, etc.; he believes the diet is effective because it (allegedly) alkalinizes the body. This emphasis on pH and alkalinization as the supposed common pathway behind a seemingly unrelated group of nutritional strategies lies at the core of Dr. Young's ideas. It is this emphasis that differentiates his approach from the approaches of many others who focus on nutrition. Yet it is precisely this aspect of his theory that appears to be almost entirely unsupported by evidence.
Rating:
Summary: Read the book more than once to get the point.
Review: I have read " Sick and Tired " 23 times and gave a public talk about the book. Most of the people in the class didn't get the point. I think most people don't want to change the way they eat and thats ok. When your old and tired and are wondering why your falling apart please remember one thing...... It was what you ate. Please read the book and read it again and again and enjoy your health and when old age comes your mind will still be with you and you will be able to think.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall a great book
Review: I read this book because: I've been into vegetarianism and raw foods for the past four years, and I've heard about it from Tony Robbins. At first I must say I was quite impressed. Dr. Young offers us a new Biology and new way to look at health and disease. According to him, diseases come from imbalances inside of us, not from outside ennemies in the form of germs and viruses. He has been observing people's blood for years and came up with the following theory: terrain (as he calls it) imbalances arise from the acidification of the body. This leads to the DEGENERATION of the cells which MUTATE into fungus, bacteria, and, later on, mold. He calls it polyphorphism and, apparently, it can be observed when one studies live blood. These fungus produce their own acids, which further acidifies the body, leading to a vicious circle of imbalances. Diseases are manifestations of this imbalance. The diet recommended by the author to come out of disease and stay health is a totally vegan, vegetable-based diet. It looks like a anti-candida diet but stricter. Vegetables, raw and fresh, are the basis of it. He says that fruit is actually acid-forming because of its sugar content, which is absolutely wrong in my opinion. I tried his diet for a few weeks and it made me feel... sick and tired! However it would be a major improvement for most people. But I pefer my hygienic diet of fruits and vegetables with little oil and no condiments. My overall feel is that a lot of information in this book makes sense, except for the diet recommendations. Also, the importance of living foods, although emphasized in the book, is in my opinion of greater significance. Overall a great book full of controversial information.
Rating:
Summary: Sick and Tired? from a Cancer Perspective
Review: My perspective of this book is related to cancer. I am the webmaster of "cancertutor" and I was not going to write a comment about this book on Amazon, but when I saw several people give this book one star, I had to write something.
"Sick and Tired?" is a **SUPERB** book. I have studied more than 200 alternative cancer treatments and have pondered dozens of different theories about what causes cancer. This book provides the best foundation for understanding and linking together many of these diverse theories. It literally describes the common thread that passes through all of the best cancer theories.
Understand also that there is an intense, brutal war between orthodox medicine and alternative medicine. And yes, there really is a conspiracy that is funded with billions of dollars from Big Pharma!! If you don't understand the sophisticated tactics used by Big Pharma in this war then you need to read my article: "Introduction to Alternative Cancer Treatments". This article will open your eyes as to what is really going on.
Those who gave this book one star have absolutely no clue what has been going on in alternative medicine over the past 100 years. Their articles remind me of the articles on the quackwatch, ACS, WebMD, NCI, B.C. Cancer Agency, etc. websites. The goal of these websites is to destroy alternative medicine. They pretend to be experts and pretend to be "open-minded," but in fact they are distracting your attention from the important issues, such as what *really* causes most cases of cancer. The answer starts with the acidic soil, then to food processing, then to an acidic diet, then to the pleomorphic parasites, etc.
While there are many excellent books on the theory of cancer (e.g. "Choose Life or Death," "The Body Electric," etc.) and while there are many excellent books that discuss large chunks of the same things Dr. Young talks about (e.g. "The Cancer Microbe," "Cancer - Cause, Cure and Cover-up," "The Germ that Causes Cancer," etc.), "Sick and Tired?" is the best book on the theory of what truly causes cancer and a host of other diseases - because of its completeness and accuracy. It is the best theoretical biology book on the planet with regards to disease!! To deny this is to deny the brilliant research of Royal Rife, Hulda Clark, Gaston Naessens, Claude Bernard, and others.
The major weakness of this book (from a cancer perspective) is that its discussion on supplements (Chapter 6) and his proposed treatment plan (Appendix A) are slightly too generic for *some* cancer patients (his book is not specific to cancer, but it is still the best cancer book there is!). His discussions on cancer theory (the whole book) and cancer diet (Chapter 7), however, are superb for any cancer patient.
But as a generic book on what causes most of the major diseases, no book can match this book for its accuracy and completeness of biological theory. However, if you are looking for a treatment book, specific to cancer, incorporate the Hulda Clark cancer books with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Some VERY GOOD !! (and some not so good....)
Review: Some VERY GOOD !! (and some not so good....) This book was for me, a lesson in patience. The main dietary ideas put forth I have found to be insightful and of real benefit to me physically. However, I found some of the philosophy and appendix material a bit discrediting at times (of course we all have our own opinions about what's credible). Some Very Good: Central to Dr. Young's approach to health is the philosophy that your inner terrain (i.e. the health of your cells) determines to the quality of your overall health. So, if you examine your blood and have acidic and parasitic constituents present, it is likely that you have a breeding ground for disease. I think this is an enlightened view, considering the cause of problems rather than just treating the symptoms of an already developed disease condition. His green-based alkalizing diet, and his justification for it, seem rational and well considered to me. I have lost weight, gained overall stamina and resisted colds and flu DRAMATICALLY, compared to my past history, and to my family (who are not on the plan)... and I am what anyone would call "a skeptic". The explanation of the pH balance of my blood and its effect on my body were compelling, and the tables and recipes made the application of the theory fairly easy. Some Not So Good: Just a few points about the book that at times, taxed my patience. I think that Dr. Young has solid scientific evidence indicating the effectiveness of his recommended diet plan, however he alludes to, at times, spiritual connections which I find distracting. Everyone has unique spiritual perspectives, so when Dr. Young alludes to his own in conjunction with the scientific material, I find it unnecessary and inappropriate. In an interview, Dr. Young indicated thoughts and music (acid rock) can be acid producing. I certainly think emotional stress contributes to disease, but music ? Music and emotion are linked by association, if Mozart were playing when some tragedy occurred in your life then it's more likely that it will be more of an emotional contributor to stress than Born to Be Wild... the type of music is irrelevant, and while this seems obvious to me, it puzzles me why so obvious a fact seemed to escape Dr. Young. The Case Studies are really patient testimonials, I would rather have prefered a larger number of cases with more scientific data. In the appendix material of the book, some of the "resource" material presented was of doubtful value in my opinion: Biomagnetics, Geopathic Stress (and professional dowsers of all things !), etc. OVERALL - I think the book is extremely valuable. If I had a family member with a serious illness I would be sure to put them on this diet, the material is that compelling. Of course Dr. Young's whole point is that if you live according to the plan, it will be comparatively unlikely that you will contract serious illness...he really makes a very compelling case. I would also add that Dr. Young comes across to me as a deeply caring and committed researcher, and not someone who 's primary interest is to sell me something for their own profit. I would be very interested in buying a follow on book by Dr. Young detailing (not in patient's testimonials, but scientifically), case studies.. with some successes (and even some failures). I recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: Magnifico - Incredibile - Stupefacente
Review: We Italianos love our vegetables and we say bravo to Dr. Young for his magnifico research. Chow - Mila
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