Naturopathy Books

And I quote from this book: "this attitude about wellness comes from our basic naturopathic beliefs, based on principles of vitalism [p.020...] vitalism maintains that life is more than a complex series of chemical and physical reactions. It relies on the belief that there is a soul, that which makes us breathe, that coordinates and organizes these reactions. This force, or vitalism, allows an organism to develop, reproduce, and repair itself [p.021...] Dr. Hahnemann and the vital force. The term 'the healing power of nature' (vis medicatrix naturae) [...] more than any other healing art of naturopathic medicine, homeopathy is founded upon this philosophy [...] at the core of this philosophy is vitalism [...] the belief that there is an unknowable inner essence, an energy which animates everything we call life. It is the individualized spirit, the vital force, the soul. The soul is the force [p.051...] vitalism: a philosophy at the core of naturopathy and homeopathy, holding that life is more than a series of biochemical reactions; but rather life, and all of the reactions that sustain life, is coordinated and organized by a force or spirit [p.256]." The author is a graduate of Bastyr University, an institution that states naturopathy's vitalism and spiritism {and kind} are "science." Such a claim is patently untrue, thus my low rating.

I have always had a passion for studying the holistic approach to traditional medicine. Most of the books I find are a little to SciFi for me to enjoy. Dr. A. Sullivan, does it remarkably well, she let's you know that she is an average women who make the necessary changes to create her present goal. She's in touch with the human side. Because of her, for the first time after so many books on holistic care I have taken the step and what a difference it has made. Also thanks to Dr. Sullivan I am packing my bags for Bastyr in January. Go ahead buy it make the changes you'll be glad you did.

This an instructional book on fasting or raw foodism. It is a biography about Arnold Ehret. For those of you wanting to learn more about the man, his motivation, his challenges, this book shows you Ehret the man who became a legend and Father to the natural foods and alternative therapies movements.

Words fail. Ehret's other two books (The Mucusless Diet Healing System and Rational Fasting) are classics in the field, two of my favourite books. This book however, at least the half that I read, was incoherent, confused and gave the distinct impression that the author did not even know what he wanted to say in it. Is this book about fasting? Is it about Ehret himself? Or is it about some apparently inebriated old woman recalling her glory days in Enhret's company?

Definitely try his other two books. Avoid this one. You've been warned.

I found this to be a satisfactory book. Although the writing is somewhat dogmatic and awkward, the book provides a useful historical and theoretical background behind rhodiola rosea, a medicinal herb that is newly available on the nutritional supplement market.

The authors have the credentials needed to give an educated viewpoint and the book provides research references to support the information given. Incredibly, the authors do not give specifics about what kind of strength or standardization to look for when purchasing the herb (a definite oversight). They do however give a helpful list of companies that sell it. It should be noted that all three authors have a significant financial stake in the marketing of this particular herb.

The best part of this book is the topic. Several years from now, you WILL be hearing about this impressive new herb. Why wait to hear about it at a cocktail party? Get more accurate and timely information from this book.

Buyer Be Wise is a 93 page book intended to be a consumer's guide to buying quality nutritional supplements: vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements, hormonal products, homeopathic remedies and glandular extracts. (The description says 108 pages, so they must be counting the acknowledgements and forwards.) Four of the pages are either entirely blank or have only one quote on them, and many other pages have extremely wide margins occupying 1/3 of the page! The bulk of the book is interviews with experts in natural medicine who explain what to look for in nutrition supplements. Although the information on choosing vitamins and minerals, is good, it's incomplete, and not consolidated into an easy to use format, such as a bullet pointed checklist. There are also some omissions re. the other types of supplements, that I find irresponsible. Although the description lists Alan Gaby (a well respected holistic M.D.) as a co-author, he only wrote the forward.

The chapters are as follows:

Introduction - A 3 page lengthy explanation of the book, which could have been made in 3 paragraphs.

Chapter 1, "General Guidelines" - This awkwardly written chapter takes 4 pages to make the point that cheaper products are usually not the best quality products. However, there are several excellent quoted paragraphs from experts in the field explaining why this is so, and a good interview explaining label reading.

Chapter 2 "Building a Strong Foundation" - Scattered throughout this chapter is information on choosing quality multivitamins/minerals. While this information provides a basic foundation, one could follow all this advice, still be confused at the supplements counter, and still choose a poorly absorbed supplement. The important topic of choosing minerals that will be well absorbed is not addressed. The chapter also contains pretty good discussions of why supplements are necessary in the author's opinion, and natural vs. synthetic. However, while the reader is told to choose the natural forms of vitamins D and E, there's no mention of how the natural form of vitamin D is listed on the label.

Chapter 3 "Buying herbal supplements" - About half the chapter is an excellent discussion of the different forums of herbs such as tinctures, fluid extract, standardized extracts, capsules. However, there are several pages on what herbs are used for what conditions, which seem to be filler that's readily available in other books.

Chapter 4, "Buying hormonal supplements" is the largest chapter (20 pages), but doesn't give much information on how to buy these supplements, other than dosing. Furthermore, there's zero mention of the fact that hormonal supplements cause your body to down-regulate (decrease) production of the supplemented hormone. Instead, there are very gung ho discussions on the benefits of DHEA, progesterone, melatonin and other common hormonal supplements. Not once is it suggested to see a physician and get these hormonal levels tested before messing with one's endocrine system.

Chapter 5 discusses homeopathy and glandulars. If I hadn't read several books on homeopathy, I probably would have been confused by this chapter. There is not enough information in this chapter for one to choose the proper homeopathic remedy for their health condition. However, if a doctor prescribes a particular homeopathic remedy, say rhus tox for poison ivy, this chapter can help the patient choose from several rhus tox options. The discussion on glandulars is very pro-glandular, and makes no mention of the fact that these animal products can come from sick and contaminated carcasses.

Chapter 6 is a very brief chapter containing a good discussion distinguishing credible supplement literature from sales hype. The book also contains a glossary/index of terms. There's also a 2 page recommended reading list, mostly entire books on individual supplements. My favorite book on this topic (not on Gazella's list) is Michael Murray's "Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements."

Overall, this book is an overpriced mixed blessing with the best information in chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6. The book is worth checking out of the library or buying used at half price or less. I definitely do not recommend buying this book at full price.

Some good basic information on nutrition, but the recipes are not mainstream enough for a broad audience. I wanted the book for my 70-year-old mother in the heartland of Oklahoma, and she would not be familiar with recipe ingredients such as: pignolias, polenta, leeks, red kale, dulse flakes, miso and tofu.

it is not the best book

This book may be kinda outdated but it still has many interesting facts.

I was expecting a little more from this one. Not much to read other than what the title states: The words of a peruvian healer.

Compre este libro para regalarselo a mi padre que le fascina el estudio de los beneficios que contienen las frutas y hierbas. Creo que comparado con otros libros del mismo tema, este resulta aburrido ya que no contiene ejemplos visuales que suelen ayudar a la persona reconocer differentes hierbas cuando deciden usarlas.

The book is interesting, not quite what I expected. I will explore more on his work from the local library before purchasing another book.