Product Description

The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine is an illustrated, accessible guide to understanding what works and what doesnt in the world of complementary and alternative medicine, and how to put this information to use in your everyday life. For the first time, leading medical experts at world-renown Mayo Clinic are publishing a book that surveys the most important and popular therapies, remedies, procedures and practices of natural medicine, delivering you the facts, based on clinical experience and current research and testing. From acupuncture to yoga, Echinacea to St. Johns wort, and meditation to healing touch, Mayo Clinic provides answers to the most pressing questions people have about the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine, and when its appropriate to use natural remedies in place of or in conjunction with traditional medicine. This guide also offers practical advice for treating common ailments and incorporating alternative treatments into yourand your familyslife. The book covers areas as diverse as simple products that can be worked into your daily menus (i.e. drinking green tea), to more specific natural practices like massage therapy and traditional Chinese medicine that can help address a specific health condition or improve your quality of life. This book explains how natural therapies and remedies, combined with traditional medicine, can provide you with the most well-rounded plan for dealing with your overall health and the health of your family.The Mayo Book of Alternative Medicine is your complete plan for safely and effectively incorporating natural remedies into your life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48534 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

The Wall Street Journal
One of my favorites. If you're interested in taking a holistic approach to your health... this book is for you.

Customer Reviews

Plain talk
Mayo Clinic book on alternative medicine should be on everyones book shelf. It contains down to earth information about many simple procedures for good health.

Misleading title, inaccurate information
I purchased this book because I have been so happy with PDR for Herbal Medicines, 4th ed. (Physician's Desk Reference (Pdr) for Herbal Medicines). Which is another mainstream book on natural medicine. Unfortunately, this book is nowhere near that quality of research. It is a simplistic, inaccurate, and critically judgmental review of numerous approaches to natural health.

They use a stop light as a visual aide to show you their opinion of that particular item, a red light means not to use the treatment, or use it with a doctor's close supervision. The doctor's close supervision is a constantly reoccurring theme. A yellow light means use with caution, and a green light means it is safe for most people to use.

They give the herb goldenseal a red light. The Herbal PDR states the goldenseal is 90% effective against malignant brain tumors. It is more effective than any chemotherapy available.

Niacin they give a green light, stating that it can effectively reduce cholesterol, but then they go on to say it should only be taken under a doctor's supervision. A medical doctor recently told me that niacin was medicine's "dirty little secret" because everybody knows it is much more effective than any cholesterol lowering drug. But, there's no money to be made in it, so no doctor will tell you about it. Another natural alternative to a prescription for high cholesterol is vitamin C, it is discussed in great detail in Putting It All Together: The New Orthomolecular Nutrition.

It gives magnesium a yellow light and says that it is uncommon for most Americans to be deficient in it. We need 300 mg. of magnesium a day, and most people only get 250 mg. so there is a gradual depletion of our magnesium levels. It is one of the main causes of constipation, it is called for in heart cases, and it greatly reduces the chances of having a mentally retarded baby; the list goes on and on. If you have a health problem, a magnesium deficiency will seriously aggravate it.

When it does give interesting information, it doesn't give you the details to use it. For instance, it says that a study showed that vitamin C, E, beta carotene and zinc showed that it reduced the advancement of macular degeneration. But it doesn't tell you the dosage or even site the study so that you can look it up.

It gives homeopathy a yellow light, and says that there is no research to support its use. There is an immense amount of research supporting the efficacy of homeopathy. One researcher said "Either double blind studies don't work, or homeopathy does." He obviously went into the study believing that homeopathy didn't work. Hence the need for double blind studies, so that the researcher can't influence the outcome.

It says that generic supplements are as effective as brand names, which is simply not true. Quality varies greatly by manufacturer in all things, including herbs and supplements.

If you are educated on the subject of natural health, this book will make you furious because it is so inaccurate and misleading. If you are just getting interested in natural health, I recommend you start with Chemistry of Man (Man Series, Second Edition) instead.

Nice Book
I was very happy with the book. It is in good condiltion, very readable, and came quickly. I wanted to give it as a gift for christmas, and was able to do so.