Lifestyle Notes

"The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances," warns L. Ron Hubbard in Clear Body Clear Mind: The Effective Purification Program (originally published in 1990). Hubbard outline a detoxification program aimed at eliminating the build-up of destructive chemicals in the body (including narcotics, prescription drugs, pesticides and preservatives). The program stresses exercises, sauna visits, vitamin supplements and plenty of water and fresh vegetables. The book also includes testimony from people who've successfully completed the program. (Bridge Publications, $14.95 paper 264p ISBN 1-57318-224-9; June)

Series editor Jack Challem and his associates have launched the User's Guide to Nutritional Supplements series of handy references designed to demystify the many items on the market. Martin Zucker's User's Guide to Coenzyme Q10 is their most recent. Relatively unknown, the editors posit, this vitamin-like substance produced by the body is engaged in energy production and is a strong antioxidant that may strengthen against disease and enliven tissues. Available over the counter, it's touted as aiding with heart disease, guarding against cancer and other illnesses, combating gum disease and working on the nervous system and brain disorders. Additional titles in the series cover Vitamins and Minerals, St. John's Wort, Chromium and Glucosamine & Chondroitin. (Basic Health, $5.95 paper 92p ISBN 1-59120-010-5; Jul.)