Complementary-Therapy Books

As a Tui Na practitioner and healer, I find this book to be accurate and easy to navigate through. It's more of a beginner's book. There's a lot of theory and history, which I don't mind at this point, but don't need.
However, you will find helpful techniques and key points to remember when you're doing bodywork.
I've never seen a Tui Na book that kept me enthused. It has to come from a passion for the art and the experience of the power of Tui Na over western massage. Honestly, Tui Na massage can do what Swedish and Relaxation massage can do in 1/4 of the time, don't take my word for it. Go to a genuine TCM doctor and get bodywork. The science of meridians is well beyond the science of blood, nerve and tissue used in most clinics.
You'll believe it when you feel it.
Then you can read this book the whole way through.
Bless

Chinese Tui Na Massage: The Essential Guide To Treating Injuries, Improving Health & Balancing Qi is a straightforward teaching guide by Xiangcai Xu to the ancient art of Tui Na massage. An excellent, technically detailed reference, Chinese Tui Na Massa introduces an eastern physical therapy, which is a preventive health care regime utilizing acupoints, common Tui Na manipulations, and the practice of using Tui Na to treat a wide spectrum of diseases and conditions ranging from colds and headaches, to carpal tunnel syndrome and acute lumbar sprain. Chinese Tui Na Massage is a highly recommended addition to Eastern Medicine and Martial Arts reference collections and reading lists.

A well researched, very accurate and informative reference/text book which is essential for any chiropractor who sees more than about 1 kid per year. Would enlighten most MD's, paediatricians, nurses and physiotherastics taking care of children on a regular basis.

Neil Davies has written a fantastic pediatric book for chiropractic. He uses the current literature to support chiropractic treatment for children. He has involved a wide range of professionals and discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy child. I highly recommend this book and it is definitely one that you will always refer to...keep it handy!

One of the problems in the natural medicines industry is the lack of peer reviewed, clinically proven information. The book is an excellent reference for anyone working in the natural medicines field. We find it especially useful in cutting down research time.

This is one large book (870 pages!), filled with massive amounts of information regarding vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients, and their effect on various diseases. Keep in mind this is a reference guide, primarily for clinicians, so it is not a book one would read through cover-to-cover.

The first section consists of nutrients, listed in alphabetical order. After each nutrient Null lists different diseases that a particular nutrient treats, backed by summaries of various scientific studies. He also provides the references, so one can easily look up the studies for him or herself. The studies come directly from scientific journals. For instance, looking under Zinc, we find that Zinc is beneficial for acne, and Zinc Sulfate and Vitamin A "significantly reduced" the number of papules, pustules, and infiltrates within 4 weeks. This is from a 1977 study found in "Arch Dermatol," i.e. the "Archives of Dermatology" journal.

The next four sections are: Herbal Superstars (well-known herbs), Additional Herbs, Therapeutic Amino Acids, and Essential Amino Acids. These are laid out just like the first section.

The next section consists of various fruits and vegetables and their phytochemical content. For instance, cabbage has over three pages worth of chemicals listed, from 1-cyano-2,3-epithiopropane to Zirconium (at anywhere from 1.4 to 203 ppm). Then Null lists each phytochemical alphabetically referenced to its therapeutic properties. Then he lists different herbal properties (such as "antiviral") followed by herbs that fall under that category.

Appendix A lists anti-aging nutrients (listed in the same manner as section one). Appendix B consists of recommended dosages of various nutrients and herbs. Finally appendix C consists of studies showing the potential misuse of supplements, and what overdoses might look like.

Overall, this book will be useful primarily to the clinician, but others may be interested as well. I am not a clinician, but interested in alternative medicine and the science behind it. No other health book has satisfied my interest as well as this book. My only complaint is that Null sometimes overlooks negative studies, but appendix C does remedy this to some degree.

Review from the Integrative Medicine Consult: In this compact and lively analysis, Michael Cohen sums up the history and current status of the legal underpinnings of complementary and alternative medicine vis-a-vis conventional medicine. His language is moderate, falling into neither the caricature of the strident establishment nor the dreaded flowerchild-like New Age interlopers. Cohen covers the areas of regulation, scope of practice, informed consent and malpractice, and describes some of the more widespread alternative providers and treatment. A comprehensive notes section gives the inquisitive reader an in-depth resource of case studies and related literature. Cohen argues that the challenge to the court system is to regulate providers of medicine and healing treatments, protecting patients from unscrupulous practitioners, and yet giving enough leeway to preserve an individual's freedom of choice. Laws and regulatory bodies governing medicine in the United States are geared to the reigning biomedical model, which views the human body as an elaborate machine that operates with many distinct functioning parts. Alternative medicine adopts a broader definition of disease, one that is more holistic. Rules now in place tend to favor conventional medicine and punish other healing practices. Cohen describes what he understands as the inevitable bias of the law toward biomedicine: these laws and this view of medicine evolved together. Slowly the laws are changing in response to the integration of a new medical paradigm. But it will be some time, Cohen points out, before the legal structure can fully adjust, expand the definitions to encompass other forms of healing, and still safeguard the patient population.

This book is the best of its kind in describing the new terrain covered by the intersection of modern medicine and complementary therapies from a variety of traditions. It should be on the bookshelf of every doc and every CAM provider.

If you are diagnosed with Epilepsy, this IS the book to read, especially if you do not want to be on medication the rest of your life or if you do not want seizures (and who does?). There is a wealth of information in this book that has not been published before. Especially the work of Donna J. Andrews is worth considering, since she has a 80% successrate with lowering the amount of seizures in her patients. But there are others. Biofeedback is a great tool as well for some. A friend of mine got her seizures way down with this method. She had many a day, now she has none. I am so proud of her because she refused to be on meds from day one. It is invaluable to know you can do something about epilepsy by understanding and working with your triggers. There is a lesson here to be understood. You can improve the quality of your life. And there are many options. Read this book and find out. This book is worth every penny!

I am a physician with a personal interest in epilepsy. To read about complementary and alternative therapies for epilepsy in a medical text that is edited by recognized experts has been a real joy. They have done us all a great service by presenting the information in a respectful but scientifically critical manner.
This book should be on every neurologist's shelf. It should also be on the shelf of all other physician practitioners that treat epilepsy. Drs. Devinsky, Schachter and Pacia have produced a work that is long overdue.
Treating epilepsy can be frustrating since traditional medicine is not always successful in delivering the ideal result (no seizures and no side effects). Patients in desperation are looking for something that will work. Some patients may just want another option because of any one of a number of reasons including fear of potential long-term side effects of medications, or because they harbor a general mistrust of modern medicine for example.
With the advent of the Internet, patients and their families are discovering that there are options available which their physicians have not told them about. Some of the options may have merit and some may not. Most patients do not have the medical sophistication to tell the difference. Many doctors do not have the time or the interest to find out. The problem is that when patients go to their physicians with their new-found knowledge, and they are met with total ignorance, indifference or worse yet, arrogance, the physicians immediately lose credibility with their patients.
By reading and understanding this book that covers a broad range of "alternative and complementary therapies for epilepsy," physicians will be able to better understand what their patients are talking about and will be able to speak with knowledge and credibility when these ideas are brought up by patients. Having this knowledge will also prompt physicians during the intake interviews to ask if any of these alternative approaches are being used. That information may help with drug dosages (some herbs or supplements can affect enzyme induction) and help to explain treatment failure.
Medical practices that serve many well informed patients may see increasing numbers of people asking about these things. That type of patient is expecting more than just a prescription refill and a follow-up in 3-6 months. It could be that some physicians will suggest some of these ideas on their own if they seem right for a particular patient. Spending the extra time and effort may be hard to do because physicians are pushed harder and harder to do more and more in less time, and most practices don't have time during a visit to do more than just the basics. Just the same some people are expecting more.
The chapters are generally concise and mostly well referenced and are organized in a very interesting fashion; an expert that champions a particular form of alternative or complementary therapy writes the chapter, and the editors in a very respectful fashion make comments on the ideas presented. They often point out how well the available scientific evidence may or may not support the assertions of the chapter authors. The editors' comments range from very encouraging to highly doubtful, especially when judged by the standard of the double-blind study.
Chapter contents include: 1) Relation of Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Epilepsy to Western Medicine, 2) The standards for clinical trials to prove effectiveness of a therapy (the Double Blind trial), 3 Treating epilepsy with stress reduction, 4) The neurobehavioral approach, 5) Self control, eliminating triggers etc., 6) Neurofeedback, 7) Autogenic training, 8) Massage, 9) Aromatherapy and Hypnosis, 10) Meditation, 11) Exercise and Yoga, 12) Ayurveda, 13) Herbal therapy, 14) Phytotherapy (more herbal therapy), 15) Homeopathy, 16) Naturopathic Medicine, 17) Traditional Chinese Medicine, 18) Acupuncture, 19) Nutrition, 20) Fatty acids in the diet, 21) The Ketogenic diet, 22) Hormonal therapy, 23) Trancranial magnetic stimulation, 24) Hyperbaric oxygen, 25) Rebreathing to use CO2 to dilate cerebral vessels to increase cerebral oxygen delivery, 26) Chiropractic, 27) Osteopathic Approach, 28) Craniosacral Therapy, 29) Music Therapy, 30) Art Therapy, 31) Pet Therapy
Particularly enlightening chapters are numbers12-22, where herbs, vitamins, food supplements and other nutritional approaches are described rather nicely. Two somewhat disturbing chapters for me are the ones on Naturopathic Medicine (16), and the Osteopathic approach in children (27). The part of the naturopathic medicine chapter that disturbs me the most is the philosophy that epilepsy is possibly a result of lifestyle, diet or habits of the individual and can be cured if the practitioner can find the correct cause and effect a change. Fully subscribing to such an approach could lead to spending big bucks on food supplements and other things that have no proven value or could actually complicate standard medical treatment. In spite of that problem, naturopaths have many fascinating ideas that are worthy of further investigation. The Osteopathic chapter is largely anecdotal. The references are quite dated as well. From modalities that purport to be scientifically oriented I expected better.
The greatest value of the book for me is, understanding how others besides those in mainstream medicine think about epilepsy. I highly recommend this book.

If you want to know about chinese medicine, this is the book you need. This is not necessarily a pocket guide, but it is very comprehensive and complete.You may need to get simpler texts to break down individual topics, but this is the book you need in your library!

This book is a great way to get introduced to Chinese medicine. It's able to cover a lot of ground yet not being too vague or general. Usually books like this tend to be too techincal, but I found it surprisingly accessible. Definitely a great starting place if you want to learn about chinese medicine.

After 4+ years of studying to become a homeopath, selecting remedies for acute illness is still difficult as all the remedies start to look the same. My library has a full shelf of books for "common illnesses" but Dr. Dennis Chernin's book has become my "go to" book. The book is easy to follow as it is organized by illness. This makes it easy to look up a specific illness and find the best remedy to fit the scenario. The remedy descriptions are excellent and include some great "Strange, Rare, and Peculiar" symptoms not found in other books. I also love the DVD - great bonus! I recommend this book to all the people I help with homeopathy as one of the best choices to help select a remedy for acute illnesses.

I love dennis chernin's new book. it's very helpful.
his other books (meditation and holistic) are also wonderful

You will find beatiful picutures with no-bs descriptions, recipes, an overview of bodily systems and how to heal them, and quite a bit more - all in an easy-to-read and to-the-point manner. In comparison with other authors on herbs I would have to give Hofmann major credit for this book alone (he's written many other books on herbs). Buy this book if you're exploring herbs. You definitely will not be let down imo.

I bought an earlier version of this book probably 10 years ago and have found it to be indispensible. I, however, did want a better updated version (newer herbs gleaned from research, etc) so I bought this latest edition. I am very pleased with the book, as it offers advice on preparation, harvesting, keeping all systems of the body healthy, just like the old book. It does have some improvements, though, too. This book is in color throughout, and beautifully laid out. Each herbal entry has a photo either of the plant itself or of the root. The information is very well laid out for each entry, noting each herb's properties, uses, harvesting tips, and so on. The only real quirk that bothered me at first, was that the herbs were not listed by common name, but rather by botanical name. But in the long run I'm growing to like this, as it's forcing me to better learn the Latin names, and I think it's a good safety feature, too, since the Latin name is really the only accurate one, with all the varied names gleaned from folklore, etc. Ultimately it makes finding the right plant easier and makes it safer since you're less likely to make an error in finding the right herb for a particular ailment or condition.

Kinda like a PDR for the top 50 herbs but better.
Since it is only 50 and does not include homeopathic remedies it is not
the perfect , 'bible' alternative book but it is very much worth the price and worth owning, especially for novices.It is good for anyone as it does give side effects, interactions etc.etc.
Along with this you need Prescriptions for Natural Cures by Balch and you will be quite pleased with all the helpful info you have at your fingertips.
I really do use both frequently, and wouldn't want to be w/out either.

This well researched guide presents fifty popular herbs used for medicinal purposes. The herbs are profiled in an A-Z format (from alfafa to willow) and each entry presents a thumbnail sketch which covers common uses, active constituents, adverse effects, cautions and contraindications, drug interactions, and doses. This is followed by more in depth information covering the description, parts of the plant used, traditional use and current medicinal use and a lengthy analysis of the scientific research that has been conducted on the particular herb. This latter section is referenced and the source materials can be found in the back of the book. The authors, who are licensed pharmacists, are also objective in their statements so the reader is sometimes provided with conflicting research and can make informed decisions. A handy list located in the front of the book, "Medicinal Herbs for Health Conditions" allows the reader to see in a glance which herbs can be used for particular ailments. This is an excellent reference source for healthcare professionals. The casual user will also find much useful information here although the scientific research sections may be a tad too scholarly.

This is a great book.........easy to follow format.....easy to understand.....easy to find what you are looking for. This is a great addition to ones reference library.

We try to use more natural remedies in our day to day life to help alleviate colds, anxiety, and to complement western medicine.
This book gives an easy-to-use, comprehensive, interesting guide to natural remedies and homeopathy.
I enjoyed reading it from top to bottom because it gives a nice review of each of the alternative medicine fields, but at the same time it's also just easy to look up specific problems and their treatments for a quick refference when you don't have time to read the whole chapter.
I think this is a great buy for those who are interested in learning more about how to integrate alternative medicine in their life.