No More Fears

A physician and author of No More Cravings, Hunt presents a nutritional approach to conquering a variety of fears, ranging from the common anxiety of a dental visit to debilitating agoraphobia. He describes the anatomy of anxiety and phobia, asserting that they have physiologicalnot psychologicalcauses, and he recommends, therefore, a biological treatment with improved nutrition and specific combinations of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The work is replete with fascinating information about the relationships between nutrition and psychological well-being, with an explanation on how food and chemical allergies contribute to fears and how alcoholism, eating disorders and premenstrual syndrome are linked to phobias. However, the work's central tenetthat nutrition is the key to controlling fearand its criticism of psychoanalysis and drug therapy are ultimately diluted by the coping techniques, such as relaxation, which Hunt offers and his admission that ""in order to complete the job of controlling anxiety, it is necessary to do some personal growing'' and that ``in severe cases, drugs are necessary as a first step.'' (March)