Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the "scientific methods". Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, It will focus on the secondary metabolic compounds which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 focuses on the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.

From diagnosis through progression of breast cancer, patients have confided to their oncologist their fears, their hopes, the personal problems created by their illness, their way of coping or their inability to cope with the disease and its treatment. They discussed their options and throughout they managed to laugh but also did not hide their tears.

When Joanne B. Mulcahy first helped Mary Peterson -- a respected elder of the Akhiok community -- find a safe home away from the violence and alcoholism that had altered village life, she never imagined that they would meet again five years later and begin more than twelve years of interviews, letters, and visits that would transform the lives of both women.

Birth and Rebirth on an Alaskan Island offers the fascinating story of Mary's life, from her experience growing up within the traditional society of Akhiok to her work as a teacher, a Community Health Aide, a mother, a grandmother, and an Alutiiq midwife and healer. Through her story we discover a society that blended native Alutiiq culture with the Russian Orthodox teachings handed down from late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century colonists; that mixed modern education and employment with a subsistence lifestyle; that sanctioned arranged marriages but upheld civil divorce laws; and, above all, that recovered its confidence in traditional healing -- both of the body and of the community.

More than a personal story of survival, Birth and Rebirth on an Alaskan Island portrays, in Akhiok, a resilience formed through a return to a strong sense of community. As we become acquainted with the Kodiak world through Mary Peterson's story, we come to realize the strength of the native oral tradition and to see that knowing and healing are pivotal elements of the Alutiiq way -- particularly as they bring to light the previously unrecognized efforts, inspirations, and accomplishments of countless women healers.

This new clinical resource clearly explains how to approach integrated care in a way that combines Chinese herbal medicine with Western medicine to enhance and improve medical care for patients with cancer - without undermining or negatively impacting patients' medical treatment. Each chapter covers a different type of cancer, first introducing the conventional medical understanding of that cancer including its etiology, diagnosis, and treatment according to staging and type. The chapter then covers that cancer from the perspective of Oriental medicine. Case studies illustrate the integration of treatment for each cancer type, raising important issues and considerations associated with specific cancers and treatments. Formulas are presented within the context of conventional treatment, intended to enhance the effectiveness of treatment and/or treat side effects without undermining the treatment's function. Each formula is followed by a discussion of how and why the herbs are used, including classical Chinese theory and relevant pharmaceutical studies. Staging and the age and performance status of various patients is used as a means by which to explain how formulas are changed. Case studies explore issues related to the integration of treatment for each type of cancer.

This textbook is an outstanding addition to the world of Alternative Medicine in general and the world of acupuncture in particular. The acupuncture Microsystems have proven to be some of the most sophisticated tools used in acupuncture today. The hand acupuncture microsystem was introduced in the 1970s and has since gained wide popularity as an effective approach to pain and to other medical problems. While Koryo Hand Acupuncture (KHT) has presented practitioners with a simple somatotopy of the body organs and structures, this textbook presents the discovery of additional projections of the body organs and structures. This textbook provides a comprehensive comprehension to the inherit sophistication of the hand acupuncture microsystem. The three-phase system offers a new paradigm for understanding the patho-physiology of the living system. This new discovery will provide exciting and sophisticated ways to deal with all aspects of the pathology regardless of the duration and the intensity.

This handbook provides key information on the clinical use of nutraceuticals, an increasingly common practice grounded in an understanding of the pharmacological activities of natural compounds and clinical evidence of efficacy and safety. Each chapter examines the effects of nutraceuticals in different therapeutic contexts, including nutraceuticals active on the digestive system, heart, lipid and glucose metabolism, and immune system. The authors also address relevant concerns such as relative and absolute contraindications, range of tested doses (efficacious and safe), possible side effects and pharmacological interactions, and the scientific level of clinical evidence for each product. Despite the availability of a large number of nutraceuticals on the market, the same compound is often offered by different industries at different dosages and concentrations, with different titration and often with different suggestions of efficacy. Available academic books on nutraceuticals prioritize summarizing information or focus on the pharmacological aspects on cells or animals models rather than on proof in humans. The handbook takes a unique and practical approach intended to assist clinicians, pharmacologists, nutritionists, and dietitians considering prescribing nutraceuticals for therapeutic use. Renowned expert Professor Arrigo Cicero is known internationally for his work in nutraceuticals, and currently serves as President of the Italian Nutraceutical Society.

Discover 50 common medicinal plants and how to use them for healing and self-care with this sumptuously illustrated card deck. Thanks to exceptional photographic plates showing detailed views of all parts of the fresh plant, you will quickly learn to recognise them when out foraging. For any plant lover or green witch, the beautiful photographs make this card deck an absolute treasure. Discover the fascinating history of these plants, their active components and therapeutic properties, and learn how to prepare safe herbal remedies including infusions, tinctures, oils and lotions. This journey into plant-based wellbeing is guided by a respected ethnobotanist and doctor of phytotherapy, meaning you can grow your knowledge of this natural science with complete confidence. The plants are ordered alphabetically, and each species has its own card packed with information. You'll find suggested treatments for nausea, coughs, colds and flu, acne, burns, bites and sprains, as well as ideas for pain relief, skincare and aids for digestion, stress, sleep and more. In the accompanying booklet, you'll find a practical guide for budding herbalists, featuring useful tips for picking and preserving plants while being an environmentally responsible picker, ensuring you always show respect to nature and its 'magical' healing powers. The healing properties referenced for each plant are explained and there's a glossary of botanical terms to ensure that everything is clear for complete beginners. This magnificent card deck will satisfy all your curiosities about healing plants and become your essential companion to herbal medicines and natural beauty products.

New in the popular For Health series, a guide to the affordable, all-natural healing, wellness, and beauty benefits of baking soda. Baking soda has been a kitchen staple for generations, but its uses extend far beyond cookie recipes and as refrigerator deodorizers. With its adsorptive and alkaline properties, baking soda is the perfect natural remedy for numerous health and beauty needs. Recent medical studies continue to reveal how baking soda contributes to good health by combatting chronic diseases, including cancer and kidney disease. It also provides all-natural relief for common ailments like the flu, coughs, sore throats, urinary tract infections, muscle pain and fatigue, stomach pain, and heartburn. Plus, baking soda can treat skin irritations, bug bites, and sunburn and naturally prevent body odor. Similar to apple cider vinegar, baking soda is an affordable, all-natural, non-toxic cure-all for body and home. Its all-natural beauty uses are renowned and widely celebrated and can whiten teeth, brighten and exfoliate skin, reduce acne, cleanse hair, treat split ends, soften feet, remove stains from fingernails, and more. With Baking Soda for Health, you will discover all the benefits this all-natural powder can bring-without dangerous chemicals or costly procedures.

This book provides a timely synthesis and discussion of recent developments in mindfulness research and practice within mental health and addiction domains. The book also discusses other Buddhist-derived interventions - such as loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation - that are gaining momentum in clinical settings. It will be an essential text for researchers and mental health practitioners wishing to keep up-to-date with developments in mindfulness clinical research, as well as any professionals wishing to equip themselves with the necessary theoretical and practical tools to effectively utilize mindfulness in mental health and addiction settings.

God wants us to have the life of our dreams. We just need to listen to the messages within. In Dear "Bonnie, My Life at Lake of the Ozarks," author Chris Goin shows how God speaks to us through our bodies. She shares information that has the ability to reveal the truth of God's extraordinary world, bring healing to those in pain, and bring families and couples closer together.

Using her personal journey to self-healing and rebirth as a guide, Goin describes several healing modalities, such as muscle testing to reveal the hidden aspects of ourselves, EFT to reprogram the subconscious, and Reiki for connecting with the divine. She discusses how our bodies are designed to heal fully and completely and give us clues to our strengths and weaknesses. By learning to listen to what the body says, we can learn to embrace our weaknesses so they don't hold us back.

Complete with simple exercises and experiments, "Dear Bonnie, My Life at the Lake of the Ozarks" shows different ways you can help yourself heal and live a more magnificent life. These techniques may hasten healing, amplify joy, and bring mental, physical, and emotional balance.

This important book fills a need in the developing area of Pain Medicine. It provides physicians with an up-to-date resource that details the current understanding about the basic science underlying the mechanism of action of the various CAM therapies used for pain. It summarizes the clinical evidence both for efficacy and safety, and finishes with practical guidelines about how such treatments could be successfully and safely integrated into a Pain practice.

Traditional medicinal knowledge, especially the use of ethnomedicinal plants in developing countries, has been passed down for generations. Today, however, scientists are poised to combine traditional medicinal plants and modern drug discoveries to further develop essential products that have followed the leads of indigenous cures used for centuries. Ethnomedicinal Plant Use and Practice in Traditional Medicine provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of indigenous knowledge and therapeutic potential within ethnobotany. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as drug discovery, traditional knowledge, and herbal medicine, this book is ideally designed for doctors, healers, medical professionals, ethnobotanists, naturalists, academicians, researchers, and students interested in current research on the medical use and applications of natural-based resources.

Written by the Director of the world-renowned Touch Research Institutes, this book examines the practical applications of important massage therapy research findings. Each chapter of this comprehensive resource provides a clear and authoritative review of what is reliably known about the effects of touch for a variety of clinical conditions such as depression, pain management, movement problems, and functioning of the immune system. Coverage also includes the benefits of massage to specific populations such as pregnant women, neonates, infants, and adolescents. This book is suitable for massage therapists (including Shiatsu practitioners), aromatherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists, and nurses.