Although I liked this book, I hope that this definitely isn't the definitive guide on MSM because the science of MSM is still really flimsy. This book doesn't change that at all, there's no research mentioned here that has been replicated several times (based on serious scientific double-blind studies with a significantly-sized test group) and has consistently shown MSM to be effective against any particular ailment.
I don't want to discount people's personal experiences but at this point their success using MSM is based on luck, not wisdom. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. But until there are a lot more double-blind scientific studies of the effectiveness of MSM for the wide range of ailments for which it is claimed to work, users of MSM simply don't know if they're throwing away their money or not. I am especially interested in MSM's effectiveness against allergies and asthma because I have a hunch (I use it myself) that it is effective against these ailments. Buy this book if you're interested but consider it another book on MSM. Also, this book makes the connection between sulfur -and the supposed sulfur deficiency we are supposed to suffer from- and the effectiveness of MSM. That is a testament to just how flimsy the science of MSM is because in the western world it is quite the opposite. Americans are eating way too much and consuming so much protein, the body's most important source of sulfur, that suggesting MSM combats a sulfur deficiency is ridiculous. Even for people who hardly consume any protein it is unlikely MSM will provide their bodies with the extra sulfur needed, several studies indicate only very little sulfur from MSM is actually absorbed. If MSM works it is extremely unlikely it works the way this book and other books suggest it works. The books would have received three stars if it didn't carry the superlative 'definitive' which is misleading.

I wrote this book. It is awkward to submit a review, but I think it is important that I respond to the previous reviewer and this is the only forum in which I can do so. The submission form required me to rate the book, which I obviously cannot do objectively. I gave it 5 stars, because... what am I going to do? Give my own book a negative review? It is far from perfect, but I remain confident that it is the "best" book on the topic.

The state of the science and the paucity of controlled clinical trials are openly discussed by the authors. We made an honest attempt to present the known information on MSM, and carefully avoided any misleading language. The book offers-in the absence of results from controlled clinical trials-a balanced look at the clinical evidence for MSM in the treatment of many health conditions. We included many case studies, which are a legitimate (if preliminary) form of scientific evidence. To say that the evidence for MSM is "flimsy" or that people's successes with it are based on "luck" is simply incorrect and not consistent with what evidence does exist.

Just because large double-blind trials have not been performed does not mean something doesn't work. (That is what the pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe.) The lack of double-blind trials only means that one type of objective evidence is lacking (one such trial is forthcoming, BTW). These studies take time and cost a lot of money. In the meantime, Dr. Jacob's experience treating more than 18,000 patients with MSM could hardly be considered "flimsy" nor should it be dismissed lightly in considering the efficacy of MSM. It is strong empirical evidence gathered over an entire career, and it deserves to be preserved for posterity, which was the purpose of this book.

I would also like to correct the previous reviewer on his point about sulfur: we never suggest that Americans are sulfur-deficient. This is an unfortunate marketing myth about MSM, which we answer with a sound theoretical consideration of the role of sulfur in the body. Were we supposed to ignore the sulfur in MSM? That would be like ignoring the oxygen in water or the iron in hemoglobin. MSM is 34% sulfur. It is undoubtedly important, we just don't know exactly why. Nutrients and drugs can have "physiological" effects and they can have "pharmacological" effects. Although I do not think one can reasonably argue that "physiological" amounts of sulfur from MSM are therapeutic, it is evident that giving sulfur in the form of MSM, above and beyond the amount needed to prevent or correct a deficiency (i.e., a "pharmacologic" dose), does have therapeutic effects.

The reviewer says that "several studies indicate only very little sulfur from MSM is actually absorbed." That is incorrect. Only one published study suggests that (Richmond, 1986.) He also states, "If MSM works it is extremely unlikely it works the way this book and other books suggest it works." We do not claim to know how MSM works. We present some theories, based on the known effects of DMSO. We would welcome any alternative theories as well as studies to demonstrate mechanisms of action. The fact remains that no one knows how MSM works. We know THAT it works, but science has yet to discover how. We agree with the reviewer that MSM probably also exerts effects via other mechanisms.

Finally, this is not just another MSM book. It is a completely unique guide that presents a vast amount of never-before published information on MSM:
--It was originally written for doctors, and it provides many protocols for using MSM (including IV, oral, topical, subcutaneous, intravesicular) that appear nowhere else in the medical literature:
--It contains an unprecedented chapter on quality issues in the MSM manufacturing industry, which alerts consumers to vital elements of the manufacturing process that can affect supplement quality;
--It contains heretofore-unpublished information on MSM toxicity;
--It contains dozens of medical case histories (not testimonials) that had not been published to date;
--It includes an unprecedented chapter on the veterinary applications of MSM, with much previously unavailable information from a private collection of letters and articles donated by the estate of the eminent veterinarian, the late John W. Metcalf, DVM;
--It concludes with a critical examination of MSM myths, many of which are still circulating on the Internet and in various publications.

Our book is the most comprehensive collection of data on MSM yet made available, and it was purposely written without the hyperbole that discredits other discussions of MSM. Perhaps someone will write a better book on MSM some day. I hope they do. But until that happens, this is the definitive guide.
Dr. Jacob and I are proud of this book, and we are available to discuss it with interested readers.

If you can swallow the idea of an Elizabethan research team and accept the fact that his book deals much more with marital difficulties than murder, then you might--I repeat, might--enjoy this book, but it is definitely not as good as previous offerings in this series. Either Ms. Emerson is running out of ideas, or she's cranking them out to make money...in either case, the reader ultimately suffers.

The Spanish have pulled untold wealth from the Americas and have prevented the English from doing the same. In response, Queen Elizabeth has tasked Susanna, Lady Appleton and her friend Sir Walter Pendennis to lead a research team to discover some valid English claim to have discovered the Americas before Columbus. The pickings seem slim, but when one of the researchers is murdered, Susanna wonders whether the Spanish have discovered their mission--and have taken steps to prevent success.

Susanna and Walter investigate the unlikely suspects--a small group of aging scholars from Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Yet what possible motives would they have for murder, and why would any of them be interested in supporting the Spanish claims? Still, there is definitely something going on beneath the surface--one of the scholars has been sneaking out of the manor at night and another has a daughter who has ended up in places a young and single woman shouldn't go.

Author Kathy Lynn Emerson writes convincingly about this critical period in English history. Elizabeth holds the crown but is surrounded by enemies abroad and by Catholic and extreme protestant enemies at home. Emerson personalizes the mystery making both Susanna and Walter fully developed characters with conflicted desires and motivations that go far beyond simply solving a crime.

Unfortunately for the novel, Susanna and Walter's personal lives are more interesting than, and not especially connected to the mystery itself. Indeed, the solution to the mystery comes as something of an anticlimax, not resolving the fundamental issues or advancing the personal goals of either primary character. FACE DOWN ACROSS THE WESTERN SEA is a pleasant read and contains intriguing history and historical speculation. Pretty good.

Sir Walter Pendennis is at Priory House in Cornwall on a mission for the queen. With him is Susanna, Lady Appleton, the woman who turned down his marriage proposal s well as a host of England's best scholars. Their job is to find England's claim, if any, to the New World and a faster waterway to the Asian Markets. Susanna is glad to find something worthwhile to occupy her time since her lover Nick Baldwin, a member of the Merchant's Adventures, is in Hamburg to advance England's cause in that port.

When one of the scholars explains to Susanna that one of the documents is missing, she intends to help him look for it. She is distracted from her mission when Sir Walter's estranged wife arrives on the scene causing emotional turmoil. In the meantime, the scholar who lost the document has been killed and Sir Walter and Susanna must find out who did it since England's interests are involved in the matter. When a second scholar disappears and is presumed dead, Susanna is determined to find out what is going on.

Every Susanna, Lady Appleton novel is a joy to read. In an era when a powerful queen ruled England, a widowed noblewoman has much power, especially if she has enough money to back up her desires. Susanna is a person of sterling character who wants to make the world a better place. That is why readers love her and the plot of her latest tale, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE WESTERN SEA, enhances her desire to leave a positive mark while also enhancing the reputation of author Kathy Lynn Emerson

Harriet Klausner

This book, like so many others does NOT provide a single, complete, alphabetized list / directory of all foods that list the sugar content.( I would also like to have fat, calories and protein too....) I spent MORE time determining HOW they "organized" the foods they do have into categories than actually getting any good information! Why can't they just make one single list of ALL foods? Additionally,MOST ALL OF THE FOOD LISTED are prepackaged, brand names or fast foods etc. and I could NOT find anything simple like: the sugar content of 1/2 a graefruit! SAVE YOUR money on this one. This one is NOT a solution in the quest for good, well-organized information! .... Hope that this assists somone and saves them from buying this poorly designed, non-informative "Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter book!"

On the contrary to the last review of Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter, I found the book very well organized. All I needed to do was look in the index and find fruit. I turned to page 133 and looked under fruit and ther was 1/2 a grapefruit. The book is called Sugar Counter, not fat and protein. Dr. Appleton gives the protein size, calories, carbohydrates, sugars (in grams and teaspoons). I find many whole foods under dairy, fruit and vegetables and others. What I like best about this book is that it lists the products sold by most fast food restaurants. Candy bars have their have ingredients on their packages unlike Big Macs who do not. Dr. Appleton has exposed the incredible amounts of sugar in our fast foods and this I believe, is a blessing. I give this book 4 stars.

This counter is just what is needed to track the sugar in our foods-especially in the fast food department. Excess sugar was the culprit in my pre-osteoporosis, teeth problems & acidity of the stomach. I feel so much better since I have cut down on sugar. This book is the only one I have found that counts sugar in grams & teaspoons.

The questions are obsolete and dated. The product format does not reflect the current exam format at all and for the number of questions I think it is over priced. There is far better software CD's available out there to help train people who are taking CBT - USMLE exams.

I bought this CD-ROM as it was meant to play on a Mac computer, however, it only works with Operating Systems 7.1 to 8.1 so if you have a newer Mac it will not play on your system.

This CD ROM was helpful in that you could start practicing for the new computer based testing. They do have explanations for why the answer is right, but do not explain why the wrong answer is wrong. Otherwise, questions were good, picture questions were also just as good. I have tried other step 2 software, and this is definitely the better of them. It's worth it to get practice.

A&L do publish individual question books that have pretty good questions. But THESE are dreadful. They are not at all representative of the style, distribution, or difficulty of the questions on the actual test. So why bother? You don't need to be this desperate: the test isn't that hard. Have you ever heard of the "rule of twos"? . . for Step I, two weeks; for Step II, two days; and for Step III, a number 2 pencil! I did something like that (2 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days) and I did particularly "well". But the point is, I scored EXACTLY the same on all three parts! So get a copy of "Ace the Boards" and maybe Swanson's book, and go get some exercise; it's good for the brain! (Unless you've never practiced in the US; then I'd sign up for a Board Review Course like the one offered by NMSR) Good luck!

I purchased this book to review for the Step 3. I am a resident in IM. I found the book useful overall, but it lacks many subjects that I thought were important. Its Surgery and Peds sections are especially poor. It does come with 400 review questions but these are mediocre too. Plus, the explanations of the answers are sometimes poor, for example, "This is the correct answer." -- I'm not kidding. Unfortunately, there isn't much competition for Step 3 review. You might try the Pre-test series instead. Their questions are tougher (too tough in Ob/Gyn) but more comprehensive.

Although not representative of Step III's degree of difficulty, this book is a good way to practice for the exam especially for the lack of better sample tests for Step III. I used the 1997 edition, watch for the 2000 edition for updates.

I will admit that I have not read the 4th edition yet, but I will say that the 3rd edition has grammatical, spelling, and even FACTUAL errors that make the book less uesful than others I have found. I would advise anyone to purchase the 4th edition with caution.

This book highlights only on things that are important. To the point and accurate. This book may not be the right kind if you are looking for detail manual of surgery but if are looking for a quick review of the subject in a fruitful way for scoring good in exams, this IS the book.

For those of you who have read the original Tom Swifts and the Tom Swift Juniors, read something else. The only resemblance to the originals and the Juniors is the name of the characters.

This is a drivel pseudoadventure novel, with none of the futuristic science and engineering proposed in the original two series. I read this with high hopes of continuing the adventure, and found nothing but disappointment.

This new series of Tom Swift books is by far my favorite. Tom is cool, smart; a great role model for teens.

It is good in the sense that reviews every major system in medicine.But at the same time contains information not very relavant or important for the exam.Good if you have time but does not contain high yield material if you need a concise review.

The only reason to write this is to spare sobody`s disapoitment.

If you want to get experience in taking computer based tests this review is OK. But: Questions are far from Step 3 format, level of difficulty is highly variable, some explanations are outdated. If I had to choose again I would pick something different.

Not user friendly. Not so useful.