cover image The Empty Medicine Cabinet: The Pharmacist’s Guide to the Hidden Dangers of Drugs and the Healing Powers of Food

The Empty Medicine Cabinet: The Pharmacist’s Guide to the Hidden Dangers of Drugs and the Healing Powers of Food

Dustin Rudolph. Pursue a Healthy You (pursueahealthyyou.com), $16.95 trade paper (282p) ISBN 978-0-9915490-1-6

Pharmacist Rudolph cautions that while more than four billion prescriptions were filled in the U.S. in 2011, and nearly three-quarters of doctor visits involved drug therapy, Americans are “growing fatter and sicker by the day.” His solution to the the “pill trap” is healing via food. In part one, he examines heart health, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune and other diseases, citing research that shows how food can be used as medicine to prevent or reverse these health problems, without damaging side effects. Rudolph offers some convincing arguments as to why drugs don’t measure up; for example, he debunks the benefits from bisphosphonates as well as the use of statins for treating cardiovascular disease. In part two, Rudolph presents his Food for Health Program, which focusing on vegetables, fruit, legumes, grains, and seeds and nuts (with recipes provided in Part III) and is based on two simple principles: foods to include and foods to avoid. Meat and dairy (as well as eggs) and processed foods are among the latter. Readers concerned about pharmaceuticals may appreciate Rudolph’s critiques of Big Pharma and Big Agriculture, as well as his call to take control of health and spend grocery dollars proactively. (Sept.)