Until now, trial and error has been the way most of us experiment with alternative healing techniques like vitamins, herbal supplements, and acupuncture. Other books offer encyclopedic information on different therapies. But, it is possible to create a personalized, holistic plan that works. Only Getting Whole, Getting Well shows you how to choose and use the ones that are right for you. No guesswork. No wandering in the wilderness. If you've been disappointed in your results or confused about the multitude of options available, learn how to adopt the total healing mindset necessary for optimal results; choose the alternative therapies that work best for you and your health issues; and avoid the No. 1 mistake most people make when using alternative therapies. Read this book if you have suffered with any chronic condition, including asthma, arthritis, cancer, chronic fatigue, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, irritable bowel, migraine headache, or multiple sclerosis.

What are the most effective therapies in complementary and alternative medicine? How can they be used to prevent illness and enhance the quality of life? What is the scientific evidence of their safety and effectiveness? And finally, for which medical conditions do they work best? Faced with an overwhelming availability of treatments and an even more bewildering array of claims and counterclaims, every American health consumer and practitioner needs guidelines he or she can trust.

Based on an enormous body of research, including new research funded by the National Institutes of Health, "The Best Alternative Medicine" is the first book to provide authoritative, scientifically based answers to these questions. Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, Director of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program at the Stanford University School of Medicine, rigorously evaluates the most common forms of alternative medicine and delivers research-based evidence about hundreds of individual treatments, organized both by therapeutic discipline and specific illness and disease. Easy to understand and free of jargon, "The Best Alternative Medicine" offers definitions, background, and examples of specific treatments from a multitude of therapies, including Mind/Body Medicine, European Herbs, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Spiritual Healing, Acupuncture, Dietary and Nutritional Supplements, and Ayurvedic -- East Indian -- Medicine.

Dr. Pelletier's assessment of a particular approach is threefold, beginning with "What Works," progressing to "What Does Not Work," and concluding with "What's in the Works," where he cites the most promising unpublished and ongoing research in that field.

For readers who wish to address a specific medical illness or condition, but have no idea what remedies they can rely on, "The Best Alternative Medicine" also includes a major section organized by condition, with bulleted points of brief, clear, researched information. Alphabetically arranged, this section provides recommendations for prevention and treatment, as well as references to further resources for everything from acne to ear infections, bronchitis to heart disease, and headaches to Parkinson's disease.

Now, more than ever, as alternative medicine moves to the forefront of medical advances, people need the facts to inform their health decisions. Whether you are interested in prevention or are considering treatment for yourself, your patients, or your family, "The Best Alternative Medicine" will help you make the best choices about complementary and alternative medicine based on the latest researched, essential information.

The Best Alternative Medicine is the only book available today that both evaluates the major areas of alternative medicine and addresses how they can be used to treat specific conditions. Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier explains such popular therapies as mind/body medicine, herbal and homeopathic remedies, spiritual healing, and traditional Chinese systems, discussing their effectiveness, the ailments each is most appropriate for, and how they can help prevent illness. In the second part of the book, which is organized alphabetically, he draws on the latest National Institute of Health (NIH)-sponsored research to present clear recommendations for the prevention and treatment of health concerns ranging from acne to menopause to ulcers.

Combining valuable guidance about alternative treatments with definitive health advice, The Best Alternative Medicine will be the standard reference for the increasing number of people integrating alternative medicine into their personal and organizational heath-care programs.

In this dramatic new approach to understanding personal health, Dr. Pelletier shows how lifelong good health is far more dependent on a positive, purposeful life orientation than on aerobic workouts and rigid low-fat diets. He challenges the medical community's long-accepted focus on the "disease model" and proposes a positive new health paradigm.

Sound Mind, Sound Body examines the lives of people who are rarely ill, who manage aging successfully, or who cope extremely well with both acute and chronic illness -- and describes how they do it. Among Dr. Pelletier's fascinating findings:
-- People who overcome serious illness or physical trauma in childhood are often actually strengthened -- not debilitated -- by the experience.
-- People who enjoy a sense of belonging and a real connection with others generally pass through periods of intense stress and remain untouched by illness.
-- Altruistic work is closely related to the ability to overcome life-threatening crises and disease.
-- There is a healthy way of being ill, which can help a person manage such chronic problems as arthritis and heart disease.

In addition, Sound Mind, Sound Body offers practical, effective techniques to help anyone achieve physical, mental, and emotional equilibrium and enjoy a lifetime of optimal health.