Reading well: learn how to take charge of your health.

"You live and learn. Or you don't live long." Or so wrote Stranger in a Strange Land science fiction author Robert Heinlein, who lived well into his 80s. He had a point about the life-enhancing potential of acquiring knowledge--one that may explain why many health food retailers stock an array of books in their inventories.

Whether the topic is body, mind or spirit, these books provide information that can help you understand your own health and make informed decisions. "We carry books so our customers will always have access to information about alternative medicine or other health-related topics," says Alex Ragland of Crystal Lake Health Food Store in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

From East Coast to West, we asked BN retailers around the country which books they like best--and which are the most popular with their customers. The titles vary by store, and they run the gamut from reference works to cookbooks, disease prevention to illness treatment, children's health to intuitive healing.

So the next time you're walking the aisles of your local natural products store, take a moment to check out the bookshelves. Here are a few recommendations to get you started.

special picks

How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine by Michael Murray (Riverhead Books, $25.95). Here's a fact to consider: Only 15 percent of cancers are genetic in origin. The remaining 85 percent are influenced by diet, lifestyle and environment, according to the author. A naturopathic physician, author Murray has culled the best information from some 10,000 cancer studies to give solid advice on ways to increase your chances of having a healthy life. And, he says, the most powerful preventives are on the shelves of your natural foods store. His suggestions include five to ten daily servings from a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, omega-3 oils found in fish and these "extras": a high-potency vitamin and mineral supplement--one that contains a balance of antioxidants--a greens drink and a probiotic. The book also features sections on the prevention and treatment of the most common cancers: breast, colon and prostate.

Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing: 5 Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness by Judith Orloff, MD (Three Rivers Press, $7.95). Orloff, both a psychiatrist and a medical intuitive, brings a potent mix of traditional knowledge and alternative wisdom to staying well physically, mentally and spiritually. She explains how intuition can provide essential tools for ...