Complementary-Therapy Books

This book was recommended to me by my mother, who researches everything thoroughly. I take various medications for various conditions and had no idea what other effects they were having on me until I read this book. What an eye-opener! Anyone who has been prescribed medications should review the information Dr. Cass has given. It will be a smoother ride to the management of and recovery from their illnesses.

This book is easy to read and very informative and helpful about common conditions for which most of us take medication. Really does tell you things your doctor doesn't know so you can make better choices for treating illnesses.

For every dollar we spend on prescription drugs, we spend a dollar to fix a complication. Understanding how nutritional supplements affect these drugs could make them safer and more effective.
--Mehmet Oz, M.D., Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and author of bestsellers YOU: The Owner's Manual and YOU: On A Diet

As Dr. Cass makes crystal clear, what you don't know can hurt you. In this age of pharmaceutical-based medicine, this book is a must-read for patients and physicians alike.
--Julian Whitaker, M.D., Founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute and author of the Health & Healing newsletter

Medications have been reported to kill over 200,000 Americans a year, with most physicians sadly being clueless about how to avoid this. Dr. Cass once again does an outstanding job teaching us how to reclaim our birthright of optimal health---easily and naturally!
--Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., Medical Director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and author of From Fatigued to Fantastic!

This subject is so timely and the implications so powerful, that Dr. Cass's new book deserves to be read by everybody taking prescription meds, and more importantly, by their doctors.
--Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., award-winning author of The Fat Flush Plan and Before the Change

Supplement Your Prescription breaks new ground in the previously unexplored terrain of how nutrients are depleted by prescriptive drugs and how to use them together wisely. A boon for both conventional and integrative medicine, this book eliminates the confusion and the guesswork. Both physician and patient will benefit tremendously from Dr. Cass's research, insight, and practical application.
--Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., heart surgeon, Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine Christiana Healthcare System and author of The Healing Diet


From a recognized leader in the field of integrative medicine, Supplement Your Prescription is a vital resource to help patients avoid drug-nutrient depletion, and even enhance the benefits of their drugs with synergistic nutrients. A must-read!
--Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D., Medical Director of the Hoffman Center and author of How to Talk with Your Doctor (about Complementary and Alternative Medicine)

If you are taking prescription medications, you must protect yourself, and Dr. Cass tells you how to do it.
--Stephen Sinatra M.D., F.A.C.C., Medical Director of the New England Heart & Longevity Center and co-author of Reverse Heart Disease Now

This book is a must-read for anyone who takes prescription drugs and doesn't want to suffer needless side effects.
--Marcus Laux N.D., author of Naturally Well Today newsletter

This book empowers people to take control of their health by knowing what their medications are really doing. It contains a huge amount of information, like an encyclopedia, but an easy read. A must read for everyone taking a medication!
--Dwight Lundell, M.D., heart surgeon and author of The Cure for Heart Disease.

This is a mandatory reading for people who want to know more about themselves, mainly regarding to spiritual aspect.Health professionals will get important orientations about how they wil can improve the relationship with their patients, using spirituality and religion. Christina M. Puchalski, through A Time for Listening an Caring:Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying have teaching us that patient's belief and faith, take fundamental role at the process of patient's recovery. The book content brings to us many researchs showing outcomes from using spirituality in health care.
I recommend this book.
Ademar Ribeiro
From Brazil

The importance of this book is reasonably judged by the fruits in the lives of the patients of Dr. Puchalski. She has been my primary care physician for four years and, by the quality of life which I enjoy as a result, she has every right, every reason to preach about what she practices.

The book is all about wholeness of life. The fact that she is dispensing that to her patients every day in her practice leaves one not surprised to find it defined, described and enthusiastically recommended in this book.

It is a book, not just for healthcare professionals -- although everyone in their care would benefit from their reading it -- it is also for all the rest of us who are healthcare practitioners. After all we practice caring for our health every time we choose a meal in a restaurant or walk to the store rather than drive. We can never receive too much encouragement to make the right decisions.

The subtitle "Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying" in the end describes all of us. It has been said that being born is a terminal illness. In my case it is easier to recognize as I am 85 with wandering blood pressure readings, skin cancers and prostate cancer.

Dr. Puchalski responds to these bumps on the road with sensitivity, humor and spiritual insights in addition to her professional competence. She dispenses quality of life as she breathes. While I may leave her office with all of the mixed bag I brought with me, the load has shifted because it is now more clearly shared. The book clearly demonstrates how everyone can both practice and enjoy better health and true wholeness of life.

The Publisher has done an excellent job of editing and producing this fine book. It deserves a very wide audience who will benefit greatly from its many treasures.

Reproduced from the Newsletter and Bookshop of the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) at www.hospicecare.com

This is my Palliative Care Book of the Year!

`The relationships we form with our patients, clients, and colleagues are born out of a compassionate connection and call to service. From this connection and call comes forth the healing that is so necessary in all of our lives, whether we are currently ill or not. We are not mechanics, taking care of people's broken parts. We are partners with our patients in a therapeutic relationship from which brings forth potential for healing. That healing may manifest itself as a peacefulness, acceptance, better coping, happiness, or contentment. In the end, a life that may be shattered from illness and stress becomes whole again. By our presence, we serve others and walk with them in the midst of suffering and joy. This is why spirituality is essential to health care.'

This book explores all aspects of the spiritual dimensions of medicine in the management of patients who may be chronically ill or dying. Five of the 24 chapters were written by Puchalski, the others by experienced clinicians, chaplains, caregivers and educators. The first part of the book describes the role of spirituality in the healthcare of adults and children, the ethical aspects of integrating spirituality into the care of patients, and the spirituality of the caregiver. Part II describes the theological implications of spiritual care at the end of life from a number of different perspectives including Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. The third part is about practical tools that can be used in clinical practice--spiritual histories, honoring the patient's stories, grief and bereavement, and the role of art, music and dance. The chapter on music therapy is by Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin who created the wonderful Graceful Passages and Care for the Journey CDs that were reviewed here last year. The closing section presents the stories and reflections of two of Dr Puchalski's patients.

Anybody who works in palliative care will be enriched by reading this book. Although we nod and agree that spiritual care is an important and integral part of holistic palliative medicine, dealing with problems related to spirituality in more than the most superficial way is not easy for many palliative care workers, particularly if their job is busy. If you want to learn about all the other things you can or should be doing at the bedside, read this book. Being able to practice the spiritual dimensions of palliative care will be of benefit to your patients, more of whom will die in peace, with dignity. And it will quite probably enhance the professional satisfaction you get working with the dying.

Thank you, Dr Puchalski.


Roger Woodruff,
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia

Beata Bishop, a British journalist and author, received the dread diagnosis of widespread melanoma, normally a death sentence. Her surgeon offered her no hope for survival, nor did the grim statistics for "the black death" as it is called. Then Beata became aware of a nutritional therapy that was offered in Tijuana, Mexico, the Gerson Therapy. After speaking with several people who had succeeded on this therapy, Beata travelled to Mexico for the Gerson therapy. This book is the story of her odyssey of survival, recovery and rebirth into vibrant health using the natural processes of her own body to heal and defeat the cancer. It also details the psychological healing that accompanies the physical processes of recovery. Bishop is a sensitive, articulate writer, aware of and able to express the feelings of despair, hope and joy that she experienced. This book has been translated into German, Czech and Hungarian, and Bishop now lectures on her therapy, twenty years after her diagnosis of "terminal".

a very well written book from a respectable source validating the awesome benefits of The Gerson Therapy and telling her personal battle with the "black death". I told some friends about this book and about Dr. Max Gerson. They reported back that they couldn't imagine a paperback for $67. Well folks try the Gerson Institute web site and buy one or a hundred at $12.95. There is no short supply!!!

I would hope this book will help to make more people aware of the Gerson Therapy which is the best hope for all cancer patients and also for anyone with a degenerative disease. Beata Bishop's story is one that has been repeated many many times by other people who have used this therapy. She vividly recounts the stages of surprise, grief and then determination to get well and take control of her treatment that people who have gone on the Gerson Therapy have shown while they defeat the cancer that has temporarily taken them down. The USA medical community for the most part has hid its eyes from the most effective cancer treatment on the planet mostly out of self-interest and unwillingness to admit that large amounts of organic nutitrion, detoxification from the many sins of the typical American diet, some key supplements and avoidance of some key negative foods are what bring the body to a state where it can heal itself, rid itself of cancerous tumors and also heal other degenerative conditions and illnesses of the body. To this day over 20 years after her treatment on the Gerson Therapy Beata Bishop in London, England is promoting the Gerson Therapy to others and is also helping to heal people overcome their pyschological limitations to complete healing in her own private practice.
Please read this book and then explore the Gerson Therapy for yourself with the book, "The Gerson Therapy - The Amazing Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses" by Charlotte Gerson and Morton Walker, D.P.M. Read also the definitive original work on the Gerson Therapy called "A Cancer Therapy - Results of Fifty Cases & The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy" by Dr. Max Gerson, M.D. Videotapes by Charlotte Gerson are also available at the web site, www.gerson.org, and they help to explain the Gerson Therapy in more detail and how to do it yourself at home, although for very advanced cases of cancer or other advanced illness it is best to travel to their facilities in Mexico for on-site treatment. Also, please go to the web site, www.gerson miracle.org, to see a free 90 minute documentary film called "The Gerson Miracle" by Stephan H. Kroschel and screenplay by Howard Strauss, son of Charlotte Gerson, on the Gerson Therapy. This documentary film won first place at the Beverly Hill Film Festival in 2004. Howard Strauss was instrumental in getting it made and continues the hard work of spreading the good news about this therapy. You can also order the film's DVD at either site. If you can also please read "Cancer Winner" by Jacquie Davison although it is currently out of print. It is another very inspiring read by someone who cured herself of malignant melanoma (a skin cancer whose name literally means "black tumor") with the Gerson Therapy.
See for yourself why the famous Dr. Albert Schweitzer, M.D. said of Dr. Max Gerson, "I see in Dr. Gerson one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine." Dr. Max Gerson extended Dr. Albert Schweitzer's working life by approximately 15 years after treating him for advanced adult onset diabetes with the Gerson therapy when Dr. Albert Schweitzer was 75 years old. The inimitable Dr. Albert Schweitzer was cured and thereafter worked until past the age of 90.

Excellent insights on the nature of pain, sickness, healing, and treatment.
Anyone with interest in exploring symptoms, rather than supressing them; moving toward pain, rather than running from it.
Michael greenwood is a good writer with a lot of clinical experience which he shares in this book.
There are nice sections on five elemental acupuncture, meditations, and using breathwork to enter into an altered state of consciousness to allow for the possibility of transcendence and transformation.
I highly recommend to anyone studying TCM, or who has any interest in looking at chronic pain from a less common viewpoint.

Greenwood has an excellent grasp of the holistic and energetic nature of the human condition. His insights help to understand why health and healing is more than a physical phenomena.

This book presents a nice examination of the mind-body-spirit feedback system that is the nature of our life and existence, providing insights and many case studies to show how this model can help facilitate healing processes. Meditation, chakras, chi, 5 elements, archetypes, and other aspects of this system of consciousness-energy informing the perceived reality of form are addressed. While there is a strong Chinese medicine component to this text there is a broader look at insights from intuitive sources and modern research in physics, consciousness, and subtle energy fields. The author is thoughtful and expresses concepts clearly, presenting a paradigm for healing which supports the path toward wholeness and integration which is inherent in the essence of Consciousness/Awareness from which all things and realities arise. This is a very worthy contribution to the mind-body healing field and related areas of exploration.

This could've been featured in our Health Shelf section but many more readers will come across it under New Age sections of bookstores, so it's reviewed here, even though its focus is homeopathy and alternative health. PallasDowney founded the living Flower Essences company in Arizona, where she prepares tinctures and consults - and she holds a diploma in homeopathic Medicine. Her handbook tells how to make your own meditation and healing work with plant knowledge based on the chakra energy system. Theory and practice are reinforced by daily rituals throughout.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This could've been featured in our Health Shelf section but many more readers will come across it under New Age sections of bookstores, so it's reviewed here, even though its focus is homeopathy and alternative health. PallasDowney founded the living Flower Essences company in Arizona, where she prepares tinctures and consults - and she holds a diploma in homeopathic Medicine. Her handbook tells how to make your own meditation and healing work with plant knowledge based on the chakra energy system. Theory and practice are reinforced by daily rituals throughout.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This could've been featured in our Health Shelf section but many more readers will come across it under New Age sections of bookstores, so it's reviewed here, even though its focus is homeopathy and alternative health. PallasDowney founded the living Flower Essences company in Arizona, where she prepares tinctures and consults - and she holds a diploma in homeopathic Medicine. Her handbook tells how to make your own meditation and healing work with plant knowledge based on the chakra energy system. Theory and practice are reinforced by daily rituals throughout.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This book has profound meaning . In a time when shallow lives and superficiality are epidemic , this book leads us to the depth of heart that seem so missing,in our culture .

Dr Rachel Naomi Remen has years of experience as an accomplished physician, but I feel her greatest success is as a thoughtful observer of human nature. Struggling with Chrohn's disease and surviving long past predictions, she sees life from both sides of a medical question...patient and healer...and merges them for a brilliant perspective of how medicine should be practiced but seldom is.
It makes me wonder...if she had never gotten Chrohn's and married and had children...a very different path..we all may have missed her wisdom gained from a single dedicated life. Since I first read her 1996 Kitchen Table Wisdom, I have sent her telepathic blessings for her humor, insight, and the life she has led. All of her works are warm and touching memories from childhood through till today, as woman, teacher, and physician, and should be required reading for anyone in the health professions. I can't recommend her works highly enough. I bought this cd because I wanted to hear her voice...I wasn't disappointed.

I am a physician who sees the same mystery this woman speaks of. You will encounter it if you look for it. What a gift she has given to us to speak so eloquently about this topic.

Insomnia is the single most prevalent sleep disorder with an estimated ten percent of the American population having insomnia nightly. Yoga is a recognized exercise technique with established healing effects. Now Yoga has been applied to treating insomnia with a therapeutic regimen made accessible for the non-specialist general reader through the collaborative efforts of practicing primary care physician Peter Van Houten and Rich McCord, the worldwide director of Ananda Yoga, one of the largest schools of yoga in the United States today. Yoga Therapy For Overcoming Insomnia articulately discusses the types, causes, and treatments of insomnia, as well as providing expert instruction on creating good sleep habits. Extensive information is provided on how to use yoga postures as an aid in treating and preventing insomnia, along with useful conventional and alternative treatments to supplement the utilization of yoga in combating insomnia. Enhanced with a variety of additional "tips, techniques, and tools", Yoga Therapy For Overcoming Insomnia requires no prior knowledge of, or expertise with, yoga in order to quickly benefit from the advice and instruction provided. If you or a loved one is grappling with the problem of insomnia, whether chronic or intermittent, then give a careful reading to Yoga Therapy For Overcoming Insomnia.

I have had insomnia for years and have tried many different types of treatments like drugs, exercise, and diet. All have worked to varying degrees of success, but none like the yoga rountines offered in "Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia". Not only does this book offer a yoga practice for better sleep, but also a comprehensive medical backround of what insomnia is and how you can also make some simple lifestyle adjustments to sleep more soundly. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get a better night's sleep and improve their quality of life. -Phil Romano

Yoga Therapy is a revolutionary new approach to working with common physical and mental ailments. ~Peter Van Houten, M.D. & Gyandev Rich McCord, Ph.D.

There are many reasons people experience sleeplessness. The causes could range from emotional stress (anger, jealousy, worry, fear, insecurity, resentment, hurt), watching too much stressful TV before bed, pain in your body from injuries, anxiety, depression or drinking to many cups of coffee during the day. Insomnia can also be an age-related problem and it does seem that the older I get, the more difficult it is to get to sleep. Having a new kitten has taught me a lot about the joys of sleep and Meesa also seems to love sitting on the edge of my yoga mat while I do yoga.

I have noticed a direct correlation between emotional stress and a lack of sleep. When the mind is overly active trying to solve problems, it can be very difficult to fall into a restful sleep. Even answering e-mails later in the evening seems to keep me awake longer.

Yoga can magically alleviate emotional stress and give you a center of calm and a place to relax completely into the moment. It is a way of loving yourself and nurturing your body and soul. Yoga is very much about "time for you." It is a beautiful escape into your own personal power and into a place where you can feel complete peace and a sense of joy.

This book contains excellent advice from an acclaimed professional yoga teacher and an experienced medical doctor.

You will find information on the reasons people can't sleep, what the body does while we sleep, how sunlight and darkness affect sleep patterns, how to create good sleep habits, the secrets of a great night's sleep, relaxing Ananda Yoga Postures and affirmations, breathing exercises to lead you into sleep, what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night and want to go back to sleep and if you should consider a snack before bed and what type of snack?

So, if you are tired of taking sleep medications, give yoga a try. You can incorporate this into your regular exercise routine or daily routine. I like walking first to get the nervous energy out of my body. Walking also seems to make me happier and when I'm happier, I sleep better.

Yoga is a healing therapy that can truly help you to sleep. That is why I generally do relaxing yoga workouts in the evening. There are many different styles of yoga and you may find that one style invigorates your body, while a gentle practice will lead you to a place of complete joy and peaceful sleep. A cup of relaxing herbal tea and a quiet space with candles also seems essential to the process.

Gyandev McCord has also created videos to teach the Ananda Yoga routines. Look for Yoga for Busy People and Yoga to Awaken the Chakras. I found that imagining colors inside your body is actually very healing and relaxing. It might sound different, but it definitely works for me.

~The Rebecca Review

Also recommended:

The Metabolic Plan - Good advice for staying young and balancing your life.

Natural Health Magazine Complete Guide to Safe Herbs - Information on Valerian, Kava Kava and Chamomile.

Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind & Body - Hypnotic musical score.

Crunch Candlelight Yoga - Relaxing candles and soothing stretching poses.

Hemalaya Behl's Yoga for Urban Living - Evening Bath helps you relax completely.

Yoga Zone Flexibility & Stress Release - At the end of this workout I can truly say I enter a state of bliss.

This is a great book to learn about personality and health. Also great to keep on hand for reference. Superb!

This "must read" book is for everyone since we are all interested in unraveling the mystery of "What makes us ill?" or conversely, "What can we do to get well." As Dr. Ritberger shows, maintaining optimal health is an inside job. Dr. Carol Ritberger brillantly guides us on a healing journey. She teaches us to understand the human energy system embedded in the chakras, alog with knowing the color of our aura so we can intuitively know what keeps us healthy or what imbalances create dis-ease.

This book explained auras, personality and how these can affect health in a very simple and logical manner. Much has been written on auras, and I usually associate the topic of auras with books stores who sell incense... kind of "New Age". I think Ms. Ritberger, comes from a very intellectual, logical, almost scientific position. Everything she said made perfect sense to me, and was not "far out" or hard to believe. I am convinced, after reading this book, that my personality surely effects my health. I wouldn't be surprised if it had everything to do with health. At a time when much emphasis is placed on outer appearance, this book teaches one how to take care of the "inside", which obviously relates to the external, and not the other way around. If you truly care about accepting yourself, and want tools to help you love yourself more, this book is fantastic. I also think that those in health-related fields should strongly consider this book as a tool in helping patients take care of themselves.

This is a very well written book packed with invaluable information. It assists in choosing an appropriate Reiki treatment. Dissects the experience of a professional Reiki treatment. Guides you in the post-treatment. Your Reiki Treatment is a must-have for anyone considering Reiki. And thanks to the authors for "keeping it real".

I thought I knew all about Reiki however this books made me enthusiastic all over again. Using fresh ideas and simple logic the authors put their heart into it. Whether you are new to Reiki or just using this a a refresher I highly recommend you keep a copy in your Reiki library. I refer to "Your Reiki Treatment" on a regular basis. Thank you.

I found it very useful for a potential client. As a practioner, I found it even more useful for practioners. (I wish they taught in my area.)

Over the past several years of being exposed to Western style training, I was truly left feeling very empty and directionless. In many ways, I feel that the past several months of reading Bronwen's and Fran's books have begun to help refocus me. This latest book is VERY grounding, practical, realistic and helps describe what the client could expect. This is also good for the practioner...and what they can expect. In many ways, I feel that the Western style of training has different expectations, which in the past had left me directionless.

Initially, I thought the book was going to be about the classical "what a client can expect at a session". What I found though was that the book contained a lot of early Japanese Reiki wisdom that help tremendously to reshape my view of Reiki in a more healthy way.
The original tradition of Reiki has so much to offer...most of which that has gotten lost through time.

There are other herbals you can read leisurely in the back yard, while sipping home-grown herbal iced teas; this is a rugged little book to take with you to the bulk herbs bin or mail-order house, to round out your outdoors first-aid kit. Written by a well-grounded and well-versed EMT, this is also the book to pack into your first aid kit, with excellent on-the-spot "what do I do now" advice.
Highest regard, whether you want to be ready for anything that happens at a summer outdoors festival, camping trip, or in your own back yard.

I have friends who've been fortunate enough to stave off anything from heatstroke & dehydration to anaphylactic shock (from insect sting) thanks to this book.

It's NOT an herbal. There's not much for theory here -- and that's its strength, which sets it apart from everything else. The topic is pretty much confined to what you need to do, and the handful of items you ought to be carrying with you.

No long discourses to plow through, which just might save your life in an emergency. Whether you're into rafting or cycling, or NASCAR events, "20 Herbs" could be the best few dollars you've ever spent, and should be the first thing you pack when you leave the house.