This book outlines the benefits and dangers of alternative medicine,drawing on scientific research to show which treatments work, which don’t, and how to use them. Itoffers a balanced, unbiased perspective backed by science.

21st Century Science Collection.

The best evidence-based guide to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for practicing physicians! This new resource provides the comprehensive guidance on CAM therapies physicians need to responsibly counsel their patients and integrate these techniques into their own practices. Features:

Written by a health journalist who is also an experienced alternative medicine user, this book thoroughly guide readers through all the alternative medicine options. Includes a glossary and checklists.

Explains why people may choose alternative remedies and how to know they are effective or dangerous, and explores products and methods including mineral supplements, acupuncture, and meditation.

Overview of the five licensed systems of alternative treatment: naturopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, chiropractic, traditional Chinese medicine, and M.D.'s as alternative practitioners.

Today, certain health conditions are not always best served by conventional medicine. Learn the ins and outs of integrative medicine with this comprehensive guide from the internal medicine experts at the Mayo Clinic. Once believed to be an alternative approach to patient care, recent studies have shown that integrative medicine is a valid option for reducing chronic pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, as well as overall wellness. In fact, 1 in 3 American adults uses integrative medicine to boost their physical health. Whether utilized on its own or in combination with a conventional treatment plan, integrative medicine can be a natural, noninvasive way for patients to take charge of their health and wellbeing. In Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine, experts from the Mayo Clinic break down dozens of the most common integrative therapies used today. From meditation and various spiritual practices, to spa treatments and medicinal herbs, readers can learn the ins and outs of popular integrative therapies, and ultimately decide if integrative medicine is right for them. Additionally, each type of integrative therapy is assigned a green light, yellow light, or red light illustration, to show which therapies come highly recommended from medical professionals, which therapies should be used with caution and guidance from a primary care physician, and which therapies should be avoided. Written with the everyday consumer in mind, Mayo Clinic Guide to Integrative Medicine is a digestible, easy-to-use guide for understanding and implementing holistic health practices in your daily routine.

The burgeoning popularity of alternative medicine has created a growing need for professionally trained practitioners. This indispensable guide for prospective students is packed with resources, schools, and other educational opportunities in areas from Chinese medicine and massage therapy to chiropractic and applied kinesiology.

Here, at long last, is an unbiased look at alternative medicine by a distinguished and experienced clinician with an open mind. Ignoring the name-calling and turf wars among various health care factions, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, a professor of clinical medicine and author of several bestselling books (including Doctor, What Should I Eat? and The Best Treatment), turns his erudition to examining the field of alternative medicine. Based on in-depth research, and written with his trademark wit and candor, Dr. Rosenfeld reviews the track records of dozens of the most widely-used alternative therapies. He discusses such diverse approaches as hypnosis, acupuncture, chelation, homeopathy, reflexology, aromatherapy, applied kinesiology, hydrotherapy, oxygen therapy, fasting, Ayurvedic medicine, use of medicinal herbs, craniosacral therapy -- and more. For each approach, Dr. Rosenfeld describes how it is used, the theories on which it is based, how much scientific evidence exists to support claims for it, and, most important for the health consumer, whether it actually works. Dr. Rosenfeld calls it as it is, including a delicious description of how to tell a quack from a legitimate practitioner. This is an eye-opening and entertaining approach to a controversial subject of vital interest to everyone. You will find many surprises in these pages. Read the excerpt for just some of the ways alternative medicine can and cannot work for you.