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I was too late to tell Leanne & Michael about this, but thanks Camilla. Australians may like to know that we here in the West (PAWA) and our national publications expert Peter McWilliam of Parkinson's NSW are both very keen to see an Australian edition of Kathrynne Holden's excellent book. We are talking to Kathrynne about this now, but as it may take a while to get the Oz edition out, I suggest you buy one directly from K - it is great as is. You may like to consider purchasing more than one copy if you are part of a support group, for example, or if you are connected to your state association, perhaps they may want to place a bulk order. Below I will put my review which is going in the next PAWA Newsletter. Sincerely Joy Graham PAWA (C/G Bob, 58, 8 yrs) .............................................................. EAT WELL STAY WELL WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A nutrition handbook for people with Parkinson's By Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD, Willman Productions, USA, 1998 Many of us had the pleasure of meeting Kathrynne Holden when she came to Perth to speak at the Fourth Australian Multi-Disciplinary Conference on Parkinson's Disease, in September of 1997. You will not be suprised then to know that Kathrynne has written a very thorough and useful handbook which, I am sure, will receive world-wide acclaim. What makes this book so good? Firstly, it is very user friendly, with a writing style which does not alienate the lay reader. The descriptions and instructions are easy to follow. The type is large (important for the elderly) and she has left generous spaces for additional notes. The spiral binding allows for easy opening and this is important when one is using the recipe section. In her introduction, Kathrynne has outlined the reasons why good nutrition is important for people with parkinson's (PWP). I know for a fact that Kathrynne did not get this information from a dry text book (although she has included an exhaustive list of references). She has been an avid participant in the Internet Parkinsn's (sic) List for several years and has been "talking" to those with PD and their carers about nutrition problems and following "cases" both on and off the List. She is active in counselling PWP and has befriended many PWP and their carers. She understands the particular problems of PWP such timing of medication, problems with swallowing, with weight loss and with the side effects of medication. Kathrynne's knowledge and special interest in the problems of gerontological nutrition provides an excellent framework for the overlapping problems which those aged PWP might expect. I particularly like the way she details why, for example fiber, fluids, B vitamins and calcium are important in the diet. This makes the book of interest to carers as well as those PWP. Kathrynne has pursued the all-important problem of drug/food interactions in PD. Her explanations of the levodopa/protein problem (and the 7:1 carbohydrate/protein diet), the detailed menu planning and recipes are exemplary. The shopping lists, appendices with useful products and ideas for overcoming the particular problems of PD such as "freezing" indicate a thorough understanding of PD and reflect her deep and sympathetic interest in PWP. Although this book is aimed at the lay person, it would also be extremely useful for any dietician/nutritionist who is treating PWP. Ideally, the book needs to have some changes made for use in Australia; for example the recipes need to be in metric, rather than imperial measures. Since this is the sort of handbook one needs for repeated referral, I hope that the text will be made available so that Parkinson's Associations throughout Australia can adapt the book for their local use. Despite this, the book is very useful, as is, and it can be purchased by sending USA$26 to: Willman Productions, PO Box 272345, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, USA. Discounts are available for bulk orders. (Note, these are the Australian/oversees costings - for details please email Kathrynne herself on [log in to unmask]) I am very proud to be mentioned on the "acknowledgements" page of this book. Review by Joy Graham * A reminder that Kathrynne's Conference address "Risk for Malnutrition and Bone Fracture in Parkinson's Disease" can be found in the Conference Book of Proceedings and the audio tape is available. Both can be purchased, or borrowed from the Parkinson's Association of Western Australia members library. You can email PAWA on [log in to unmask] for details.