To me, this book has 3 extremely good selling points.
The first is, Dick Quinn has been through all of this firsthand; he is NOT a bystander. When congestive heart failure happened to him, it was not easy to find any information at ALL on the topic; there's a little more out there now. (But HIS book is one of the good ones out there!!! That's why he wrote his story, to get information out to people!) I find him to be a very admirable man in the way he cares about others who are coming after him! His story of what he went through is an eye opener!
Second, the herbs he recommends are healthy to your body; not poisons, as are many pharmaceutical products. Lily of the Valley helps arrythmias (as digitalis does), strengthens the heart muscle, strengthens blood vessels,and helps edema. So besides performing the function of digitalis, it is very good for your circulatory system and your heart. Digitalis, on the other hand, is a poison which collects in your body, is not released, and eventually poisons you. Lily of the Valley is not cumulative, as digitalis is. So which do YOU think sounds better? (Lily of the Valley has gotten a bum rap, which was not deserved. The people who feed you digitalis (a poison) have labeled Lily of the Valley a poison!!! This one is well worth researching the opinions of the herbal masters on, such as Dr. John Christopher. Many herbalists are afraid to say anything good about several herbs (which are all extremely good herbs, by the way) because they have gotten very bad and undeserved press by the FDA. So they are either afraid to come out in support of it (for OBVIOUS reasons) or they don't do research, and just go by what they hear. My father has LIVED on Lily of the Valley for the last few years. He does much better on that than he did on digitalis. Also, sometimes the herbs can be used WITH and reduce the AMOUNT of digitalis needed thus slowing the toxic buildup in the system.
Third, he gives a lot of very good researched information. His herb section is very well done, as is the section on drugs.
People must always bear in mind that everyone will respond differently to every herb and every medication. Peoples insides are all very different, as are their nutritional requirements. Some of these herbs may work better for you than for Dick Quinn, and some may not work as well. The good thing about it is, as you experiment with the herbs, you are not harming your body as you are when you experiment with different pharmaceutical products. My father, my sister and myself all have fun comparing the results we each have with different herbs. All of us, as well as many of my friends, have had outstanding results with different ones. (See "Biochemical Individuality" by Roger A. Williams for exciting and eyeopening information on the differences in each person.) It is also necessary to research anything you take, as well as the food you eat, to make sure you are giving your body things that are safe for you. When you research pharmaceutical products, do NOT use information from the manufacturers, the FDA, university studies (which are generally funded by pharmaceutical companies) or anyone who is affiliated or associated with them, or with associations who profit from conditions and diseases, in your research. These companies fund studies on drugs (to show how harmless they are) on herbs (to show how useless or harmful they are) and on foods (to show that they are indifferent to the conditions). Look for studies conducted by men of integrity who are looking for cures and who are financially independent of all these types of people, or your results will be just what the companies want them to be. DO NOT TRUST THE FDA! These people have okayed drugs that kill people every day. And they eventually get nice, cushy, WELL-paying jobs with the companies after they leave the agency.
It is important that you always take the responsibility of researching herbs before you use them, just in case you have a condition which makes it unwise for you to take a certain one. Pregnant women must be especially careful. Get good herb handbooks, such as the ones by Humberto Santillo, Jack Ritchason, Louise Tenney and John Christopher.
If you can find a good naturopath, osteopath, herbalist or doctor who will work with you, you are extremely lucky. We have had to do all our research and experiments on our own, just as Dick Quinn did. But we were luckier than he was. We had this wonderful book as a guide. (Not to MENTION Amazon.com!!!)
This book is just as timely today as when it was written in 1992. I also recommend Dick Quinn's sequel--"Death by Deception."
QUESTION OF THE DAY! Since the prognosis given by doctors for patients with congestive heart failure is death within 5 years (and usually much sooner) could that be because of the buildup of the digitalis? Is that how long it takes the stuff to reach the level where it will destroy a body?