Say Good-Bye to Illness (3rd Edition) (Say Good-Bye To...),   ISBN:9780970434487

Customer Rating: 

Except for the first few chapters dealing with the theory of accupuncture(which are not well written), this book is a boring grocery list of ailments that are claimed to be cured by the author's techniques.
I have not gone for the accupuncture described in this book, so I can't speak to the effectiveness of these techniques.
Binding is cheap and pages are made of very think paper.

Customer Rating: 

I don't know what you other people's problems are. This NAET is the best invention ever! It's not some miracle fix -k- It takes time and hard work, but it does eliminate allergies permanently and in doing that NAET eliminates health problems. My nephews celiac is gone for good! He can eat anything he wants now without any problems. My mom is off her thyroid medication she's been on for as long as I can remember. She should be off a couple others soon. I'm not taking any medications now. This NAET stuff is truly a miracle! I am trying to tell everyone I know about it. I even put comments on facebook as my status everyday of health issues that can be fixed with NAET. I truly believe in it, and I stand by Devi 100%. But you can't expect your problems to go away in a few visits people! My friends son who got me interested in it in the first place was doing treatments for severe eczema. He had a bleeding, oozing rash from head to toe. At first with NAET he started to get worse. He had to go visit his daddy for a couple weeks, and when he came back, he was almost clear. Usually when we went with his daddy, he'd come back bleeding badly. After some time with his mom to get back off a few things he was still allergic to (hadn't got to them yet with NAET), his rash went away. He is eating yogurt that use to give him a rash, and when he does have a little rash, the yogurt now clears that up instead of causes it. But again, that was after hard work and continual visits. Some severe conditions you've had for a while can take up to 2 years, but they will go away, and you'll feel like a million bucks!

Customer Rating: 

Great book and NAET really works. I've lived with hundreds of allergies my whole life. Allergic to almost everything I've been tested for. Try finding things that don't have milk, sugar, eggs, chocolate, wheat, cheese, or additives in it. Then there is the whole trees, grass, flowers, animals, feathers, dust and pretty much everything outside that would effect me. After having NAET and bio-cranial treatments....ALL my allergies are gone. I was retested at the end and NOTHING...no allergies. This has been life changing!!! It's not crazy or weird. Research and read up on this treatment so you can see why it all makes sense. Think about it...does NAET sound crazy or does popping pills every day, getting shots every week and making the pharmaceutical companies rich sound crazy!!! Thank God for Dr. Nambudripad!!!

Customer Rating: 

All right.

Devi S. Nambudripad has written a book that SHOULD shake the medical world at its foundations if it's true, as well as make her billions of dollars. She claims to be able to cure allergies, which as of 2009, are not officially curable according to official organizations like the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology or the American Association of Immunologists.

In the introduction, she claims to be able to cure anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, shellfish, mushrooms, etc (XL). In order to be clear, she restates that she can cure `regular' allergies that produce Immunoglobulin type E (IgE) (XLI). She's not beating around the bush here. She claims to be able to do what no professional allergist or immunologist can do. She doesn't claim to "treat" or "improve". She claims to "cure", as in completely eradicate.

Nambudripad also claims to be able to cure the common cold, mental disorders, autism, high blood pressure, arthritis, tumors, etc. (XL). Okay? So now she's claiming to cure "mental disorders" (aka. ALL of them), autism, arthritis, etc. If this is true, I'm signing up and learning her techniques, because this one woman has bested all of modern medicine. Is this too good to be true?

Well, Nambudripad defines `allergy' as "A condition of unusual sensitivity of one individual to one or more substances...which may be harmless or even beneficial to the majority of other individuals" (XL). What causes allergies? She writes "Any imbalance in the Yin-Yang state causes disharmony. This disharmony is allergy" (2). She further explains "Energy blockages and imbalances caused in the body's energy circulation by various factors" (i.e. heredity, toxins, stress, malabsorption disorders, emotional factors, radiation) (XLI). And how do you know that you have these `allergies'? "If you experience any unusual physical, physiological, psychological or emotional symptoms in the presence of any of the above items, you can suspect an allergy" (XLII).

Wait a minute. Allergies are "a condition of unusual sensitivity" caused by "imbalance in the Yin-Yang state" and "blockages and imbalances caused in the body's energy circulation"? You likely have an allergy if you have a response (of any sort) to basically anything?

Well, right about here Nambudripad leave medicine and reason in the dust. Devi S. Nambudripad simply redefines "allergy" to be basically `any reaction to anything' and then claims to be able to heal anyone of her version of `allergies'. She outright admits that she's redefining terms, but attempts to justify things by saying:

"There is no specific definition for allergy that has been universally agreed upon. If medical researchers were willing to broaden their views on allergies to include hypersensitivity, intolerances, IgE mediated and non IgE mediated reactions, we would clearly recognize the overwhelming percentage of allergy sufferers going above 90%."

Well, that's technically true. There is no specific definition for allergy that has been universally agreed upon by EVERYONE (including plumbers), but there is a generally agreed upon definition of "allergy" by allergists and immunologists (i.e. medical doctors). It's a reaction to a substance that produces Immunoglobulin type E, which causes the "allergic" symptoms. That's why she has to say "If medical researchers were willing to broaden their views on allergies to include...". Nambudripad isn't stupid. She knows that there's not a whole lot of confusion among allergists and immunologists as to what allergies are. She also knows that likely 99% of her readers won't have a clue about that stuff. That's why on page 4 she covers her bum and says ""The activation of immunoglobulin type E (IgE) antibodies causes true allergies..."

That word "true" is significant. She wouldn't say that her version of "allergies" is false per say, but simply a broader definition of the term that had a widely agreed upon definition in the medical community.

So she redefines terms in order to make basically everything an allergy.

That's, uh, a significant strike on the first pitch. Some might say that's enough to end the game. Either way, a clock that's stopped is right twice a day. So how does she `cure' her version of allergies?

On pages 16-17, she talks about how her own "Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique" (NAET) uses Manual Muscle Test to test for allergies. The Manual Muscle Test is a technique that she's acquired from Applied/Behavioral Kinesiology. It's a way of interacting directly with the body (actually, on pages 75-76 she clarifies that she's interacting directly with the chi/prana/life energy itself...) to let the body communicate with the practitioner what's wrong and what needs to be done to remedy the situation. One basically pushes down on an extended arm or wrist while holding or touching a substance to see if the patient can resist the applied pressure. If the patient resists, the muscle tests strong and the body is saying "yes" to whatever the question is, or if there's allergy testing going on, the strong resistance shows that the body is not allergic to the substance. The opposite goes for a weak test/inability to resist.

So, to be clear, Nambudripad tests for her "alternative allergies" by talking directly to a person's "life energy" via pushing on their arm (or whatever appendage is being used).

Okay. So far, so clear.

Now what could you possibly be allergic to? Well, you might be allergic to the ink in your Sunday paper (51) or the tomato sauce on your favorite pizza (52) or the wood in your night stand beside your bed (52) or pollutants in the air or rain (53). Well, that sounds reasonable, right? What else does she suggest can be allergies? You can also be allergic to people (99) or their allergic reactions to you (99), your own emotions (103), viruses (103), bacteria (103), any sorts of fabrics, jewelry or metals (104), any and all foods (105), computer keyboards (105), radiation (105), one or more of your children (105), your spouse (349-350), etc.

You can literally be allergic to anything that exists. Anything at all, and the symptoms of your allergy can be anything from aches, pains and soreness to suicidal thoughts, feelings of loneliness, crying, etc. (104).

So you have an itch? Probably an allergy.
You are constipated? Probably an allergy.
You have arthritis? Probably an allergy.
You feel depressed? Probably an allergy.
You think you're one of Napoleon's marshals and march around your house in a kimono stabbing pillows that you think are attacking Belgians? Probably an allergy.
You're losing your hair due to exposure to plutonium? Probably an allergy (though I think most people have this one).

If you're still reading this, I think you get the picture.

How does she cure your allergies?

Well, you either change your diet, eliminate what you're allergic to, or do her version of immunotherapy where you learn to tolerate your allergens (like if it's your wife - 105). This can take dozens of sessions that are $100/hr or more, since it takes several sessions to successfully eradicate just one allergy, and you likely have dozens (or hundreds). I have friends who pay $150/hr for this kind of treatment. Let's just say that NAET practitioners don't buy no-name soup at the store.

Like all "allergy cure" books (there are many), Nambudripad includes the standard "don't try this if you're going into anaphylactic shock" disclaimer on page 195. After you use your epi-pen to save your life, Nambudripad advises:

"After you overcome your immediate emergency situation using this method, please make an appointment with your doctor and have him/her manage the rest of your problems. Please do not take the responsibility on yourself to continue to treat your allergies without the help of a trained practitioner. Pease to not forget that these medical practitioners have sacrificed thousands of hours in their medical schools to learn how to help you and provide you with a comfortable journey towards wellness. You cannot expect to replace their knowledge with this book."

Why does she say that? I wonder. It doesn't take a rocket scientist.

Also, if I should go to medical practitioners and I cannot "replace their knowledge with this book", then why do I waste time with the book?

Oh dear.

Critical thinking meltdown.

Finally, what proof does Devi S. Nambudripad offer that her system works? Well, she refers to ONE clinical study of the reliability of the Manual Muscle Test on page 17, and refers in passing to how Kirlian photography and radioactive tracer isotopes have mapped out the energy pathways in the human body (76). The first one is laughable seeing the dozens of counter studies done that consistently find the Manual Muscle Test equal to or less reliable than random chance, and the second is simply a mystery, since no source is given and everything I've ever read on Applied Kinesiology, Kirlian photography and radioactive tracer isotopes suggest that nobody has ever mapped out the energy pathways of the human body. Everything I've read says something along the lines of "maybe one day someone will..." I submit that Nambudripad is simply filling in the blanks in her research with her imagination.

All other "evidence" in the book consists of testimonial evidence. There's literally hundreds of "I was so sick with (whatever) and NAET turned me into the ubermensch" stories. Alternative medicine and snake oil sales utilize testimony, which isn't concrete proof of anything. All people can say is "I went to a NAET practitioner, I changed a bunch of things in my life, and these positive changes occurred which MAY or MAY NOT be the result of the NAET visit". When we're talking about changing diet, getting counseling, and overall getting a lifestyle overhaul, nobody can claim "this did that" without any sort of confidence unless they have a means of knowing which changes respond to which other changes.

Sorry...that's too much critical thinking for this.

So let's recap:

1. Devi S. Nambudripad redefines `allergy' from the common definition recognized by allergists and immunologists to be so broad that basically everything you experience is a possible allergic reaction and everything in your life (including yourself and your emotions) are allergens.
2. Devi S. Nambudripad discerns your `allergies' by talking to your energy (chi/prana/etc.) via the Manual Muscle Test.
3. You cure your allergies by giving Devi S. Nambudripad (or your local NAET practitioner) thousands of dollars for dozens of sessions at outrageous prices.

So should you read this book?

Sure. It's entertaining and definitely stimulates thought.

Is it well written?

Actually, yeah. It's a gripping read.

Should you go to a NAET practitioner when you next get sick?

Well, Devi S. Nambudripad thinks so, but I disagree and I feel pretty safe siding with all of Western Medicine.

Customer Rating: 

I would VERY highly recommend this book and this method because when I was 21 I developed Interstitial Cystitis, a bladder condition where food allergies cause irritation to lining of the bladder. It took about a year and a half of NAET treatments with a very excellent provider, but I got better and better. I've been doing great for several years now, and at age 26 I no longer really 'need' NAET treatments (although I return on rare occasion to get treated for non-bladder related allergies... like my mild seasonal allergies, for instance... went back last year to get treated for pet allergies). As for food, now I eat and drink whatever I want, although I do try to adhere to an all natural/organic diet b/c being so ill for so long really motivates you to take care of yourself. I also started exercising once I became able, which I think helps a lot with boosting the immune system and flushing out toxins.
I think NAET works but it's extremely important to find a practitioner who adheres to (i.e., and I emphasize, does not deviate from!) the methods in this book. A big thing is doing the first ten treatments in order. A friend of mine went to a different practitioner and did not have same results as me b/c his practitioner treated him for a sensitivity to sugar, first, instead of doing the treatments in order. My practitioner said she's seen that happen before.
Also, when you're as sick as I was, it takes time. I treated for one item a week until I was out of pain and back to 'normal.' Could I afford it, financially? Honestly, no. But it was the best money I ever spent, and I couldn't have afforded NOT to.
I hope this helps someone.