Books

In 1975 began a unique partnership between Dr. Hugh Riordan, a psychiatrist committed to a holistic approach to health, and Olive Garvey, the octogenarian businesswoman willing to back his vision. Their combined efforts resulted in the creation of the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning, which pioneered its alternative approach to medicine despite fierce criticism within the medical profession, staunch resistance from the insurance industry, and outright skepticism from the public.

This is the story of the first quarter century of that work, written in anticipation of the Center’s 25th anniversary in the year 2000 by Kansas historian Craig Miner. His research included poring over years of correspondence and newsletters and conducting hours of interviews with Dr. Riordan, Mrs. Garvey, and the Center staff. Death claimed Olive Garvey in 1993, Hugh Riordan in 2005, and Craig Miner in 2010. The families of all three agree that the story should be shared, as intended, and this book is the result.

The Center lives on as the Riordan Clinic, continuing the mission, the name, and the vision of its founding director and honoring the memory of its most loyal and generous supporter. The latest news on the programs and services offered by the Clinic may be found on its website.

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This book could just as accurately have been titled “One person can make a difference” or “Burn him at the stake and use damp straw.”

Often reviled by their contemporaries but revered by subsequent generations, these medical mavericks blazed the trail of scientific progress. These tales of discovery, personal hardship, court intrigues, and hardball professional rivalry make for fascinating reading.

This is the perfect book for medical professionals, history buffs, and anyone who just wants to be entertained with incredible anecdotes about pioneers in the field of medicine.

Medical Mavericks will raise the eyebrows of most, make others chuckle, and bring a sense of relief to contemporary mavericks, who can take comfort in the thought that at least they aren’t being burned at the stake.

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Medical Mavericks, Volume Two will continue what Volume One started. It will raise the eyebrows of most, make others chuckle, and bring a sense of relief to contemporary mavericks, who can take comfort in the thought that even the concept that physicians need to wash their hands was ridiculed.

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Prior to his unexpected and sudden death in January of 2005, Dr. Riordan had practiced clinical medicine for nearly 50 years. Having served as a consultant to the Executive Vice President of the American Medical Association for more than five years, and as President of the American Holistic Medical Association for two years, he brought a unique perspective to the world of medicine. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and The University of Wisconsin Medical School, Dr. Riordan believed that his Medical Mavericks books fill a significant void in what we need to know about those who have blazed the trail of scientific and medical progress.

Medical Mavericks, Volume Three, is the third volume in Dr. Riordan’s trilogy of vignettes about these fascinating trailblazers. It also marks Dr. Riordan’s final publication.

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Schizophrenia is a syndrome, not a single disease. It is a collection of diseases characterized by two main sets of symptoms and signs: perceptual and thinking disorders. Carl Pfeiffer and his colleagues properly emphasize the plurality by use of The Schizophrenias. This conclusion is accepted by orthomolecular psychiatrists who base treatment using this concept, and by most research psychiatrists even when they insist on treating them all with similar tranquilizers. For a new approach to the schizophrenias we must credit the senior author of this book.

This impressive volume contains the observations and theories about the schizophrenias gathered by Carl Pfeiffer and colleagues over more than twenty years.

Health and happiness cuts across the age, sex, color, and creed boundaries. It almost seems as if there is no rhyme or reason to health and happiness. But there is…and it’s lifestyle. Those who seem to be well are characterized largely by positive social habits (pluses). The unhealthy and unhappy are more often than not laden with poor lifestyles (minuses). Would you believe…it’s just that simple! And within these pages you will find the simple techniques for measuring your own way of life.

Doctor Cheraskin, traditionally trained in medicine and dentistry, became interested in lifestyle as a solution to many killing and crippling medical problems. This led to studies in nutrition eventuating in the publication of Psycho Dietetics, Diet and Disease, and most recently The Vitamin C Connection. This book, The Vitamin C Controversy: Questions and Answers, is intended to respond to the fifty most commonly asked questions dealing with Doctor Cheraskin’s vitamin C studies.

Developing and maintaining a healthy bodily mechanism is a lifelong endeavor. There is no stage in life at which we can safely neglect the problem of proper maintenance. If you are fifteen years old, you will be interested in the optimal growth and development of your own internal machinery. If you are twenty, growth may be almost complete but development and maintenance are still taking place. If you are thirty, your interest in healthful development will probably have expanded to include your own children. If you are forty or older, the story is the same, with variations. As long as you have life, you can hope for better days, a better life, and better health.