Prevention Magazine's 30-Day Immune Power Program: How to Strengthen Your Cellular Defense System and Resist Disease

Breezy to a fault, this book tells us to think of the authors' immune system enhancement program as basic training for ``the cellular troops.'' Ah, if it were only so simple. Granted, it's hard for us to go wrong in taking some of their advice: the pitch for improved nutrition and other smart moves, such as avoiding pesticides, keeping out of the sun and exercising more often. But the actual program of 30 things we can do (an idea a day) is questionable; these include starting a journal, acting like a ``cockeyed optimist,'' and supercharging one's sex life. The writers suggest that imagery--as in sending a healing image to one's immune system--can bolster immune enhancement, but they do not provide enough evidence, much less discussion, of the facts, despite tidbits of information scattered throughout. These bits and pieces lead us on, but do not provide the basis of responsible decisions. Noticeably absent is a discussion of chronic fatigue syndrome, which many health care professionals believe is caused by, or causes, immune system dysfunction. The book also seems dated: when referring to Campylobacter pylori , an organism now believed to play an important role in gastritis and duodenal ulcers, the authors do not refer to it by its new name, Heliobactor pylori . (Oct.)