Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine

This book gets three stars as there are some excelent tips on living a healthy lifestyle and tips on how natural solutions may be used to treat or aleviate some common problems.


Worth its weight in gold   October 25, 2003
4 out of 8 found this review helpful

One of those rare books that you will hang on to through hell and high water .


Comprehensive and authoritative   September 9, 2002
21 out of 21 found this review helpful

This is by far the most comprehensive and authoratitive book on Natural Medicine I have ever laid hands on. With close to 1000 pages, it covers a huge range of ailments and conditions, as well as looking at general issues such as "what is a healthy life style". The depth of information makes it an invaluable source of information for complementary health professionals, and it pulls together vast amounts of respected scientific evidence, giving a well balanced view. It is also of use to the interested lay-man. A wide range of natural/complementary therapies are drawn upon. It is big, and it is expensive, but if you only had one natural/complementary medicine book in your possession this one would cover everything you're likely to ever want to know!

Although some of the in-depth information might be rather daunting for the casual reader, the "summaries of treatment" can be dipped into with ease... but it's true value is in the "full picture" given - the reasons why certain treatments are appropriate, and the importance of a "wholistic" approach. This is the kind of book which can be read at whatever level of knowledge you have.


A valuable resource for natural therapies   October 10, 2000
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

The first part of the book gives general information on how to avoid illness in the first place. Detailed information is given on the immune system, stress and diet.

The second part of the book is an A-Z of ailments and their natural treatments, including common conditions such as asthma and migraines.

The strength of the book as far as the scientific mind is concerned is its extensive collection of references. The authors are careful to give a proper reference to a medical journal for every statement they make - if you don't believe them, look it up! This is more heavily referenced than some medical textbooks.

If you suffer from some recurring condition, you could do worse than look it up here and try a treatment that will target the *cause* of the problem, not the symptoms.