Syndrome X, or the metabolic syndrome, affects up to 70 million Americans. It is the variable combination of obesity, high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, linked by the presence of insulin resistance. Stephen Holt, M.D. expands the concepts of Syndrome X to Syndrome X, Y and Z in a novel and elegant manner. He provides practical advice on how to combat this killer constellation of problems, which causes cardiovascular disease and increases the probability of death from many illnesses.

The information in the book is simplified by necessity, so its messages can be within the reach of everyone, including our beloved youngsters. Health care-?givers have grappled with the problems of changing behaviors towards a healthy lifestyle, but changing the dietary preferences of a nation is a monumental task. The good news is the “small” but positive corrections of adverse lifestyle can have major benefits on public health. Well conducted, scientific studies show the large-scale health benefits of small, positive changes from “bad” to “good” lifestyle, e.g., reduction in cigarette smoking, weight control, etc.

The book gives advice on both what individuals can do or what they can avoid to improve cardiovascular health by developing a specific combat plan against Syndrome X. It may tell a reader what they do not want to hear, especially when it comes to weight loss tactics. While the emphasis is on natural options, the judicious application of drugs or other conventional medication options are not rejected.

Health care givers and patients will gain a different perspective on the use of “combined” approaches involving allopathic medicine and nutrition to tackle humankind’s number one enemy, namely Syndrome X, Y and Z… and its ensuing diseases.