Author: Susan M. Lark, M.D. and James A. Richards, M.B.A.

ISBN: 1579595014

The following review was contributed by:  Helen Kaut: To read more of Helen Kaut’s Reviews Click HERE

Loads of books have been written on how to achieve a long healthy life. Finding a new angle on the subject is tricky.  “Chemistry of Success” pursues a new approach. At its heart lies the question: Why and how do some successful people like businessmen, actors, politicians and top athletes manage to be extremely fit and energetic, even under demanding circumstances, and achieve a long life whilst sometimes ignoring the basic rules of good health? 

Dr. Susan Lark and her husband James Richards identify eight traits found in peak performers which include: physical vitality and stamina, mental clarity and acuity and resistance to illness. They also identify six chemical functions which are crucial for the support of these traits. These include amongst others the ability to regulate the body’s acid /alkaline balance and to oxygenate cells and tissues. 

The reader learns how over acidity can have a very negative effect on the body, how to achieve a healthy ph, why oxygen is so important for staying healthy and how to restore his or her digestive enzymes. Some of the advice comes as a surprise, for example, the use of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to neutralize acidity and ward off colds or how to obtain alkaline water.

The book is densely packed with scientific information and references to international studies which makes it sometimes hard to read, but it is often interesting as, for example, the chapter on oxygenation which explores ozone treatments used for conditions such as cancer. This was new to me. 

“Chemistry of Success” is not intended to be read from cover to cover, but to be used as a reference book the reader can dip into. The authors take the reader by the hand and guide him/her through each of the 6 functions by giving him/her the choice to read or skip chapters. Each chapter starts with an  introduction, lists  the benefits of each function and provides a checklist for the reader to fill in and where applicable tells the reader how to do a self-test.  It is then divided into different sections giving a scientific background and explanation, discusses how lifestyle can affect each function and explains how each of the functions relate to peak performance. It then gives advice on how to achieve each of 6 key secrets and summarizes the main points. As the reader can pick and choose what to read first the authors repeat themselves occasionally.

Case studies are provided by Dr. Susan Lark, who has been practicing as a GP for over 24 years.  

This book is a great source of information. The only slight criticism I have is that the advice given, which includes eating organic foods, supplementing, alternative therapies  and sometimes even investing in expensive devices, seems to be mainly targeted at people who are well off, but is unaffordable by those on a low income.