Gaye Mack, MA
10-Digit ISBN: 1905398077
13 Digit ISBN: 9781905398072
64 Pages
Photographs throughout
Paperback
$14.95

There any many reasons for seeking to supplement conventional treatment, but the massive array of complementary therapies is bewildering. This is a book designed to make the choice of complementary therapy simpler, and to enrich the patient-healer relationship.

It begins by outlining the fundamental truths on which most therapies are based. One thing that all complementary therapies have in common is a much greater involvement in our own recovery. Most of them return to levels of doctor-patient involvement that have been lost.

The main classes of treatment are broken down into four 'families': the Chinese system, which includes acupuncture and herbal medicine; the Indian or Ayurvedic system, ranging from nutrition to yoga; Western 'subtle' systems such as homeopathy; and communicators between body, mind and spirit like the flower essences.

MAKING Complementary THERAPIES WORK FOR YOU is also a vital aid for physicians wishing to introduce patients to new treatments and for therapists seeking to reassure their clients and aid their recovery. It is not however a directory so much as a simple guide to participation. This book will help any user of complementary therapies to understand them better. The individual's response to the therapy will be more in tune with the body's own intelligence.

About the Author

Gaye Mack's own speciality is the Bach Flower Remedies, but her Masters thesis was on the treatment of eating disorders, so she understands well both the viewpoint of the medical profession and that of the complementary practitioner. She is the author of another Polair title, IGNITING SOUL FIRE.

For anyone wanting an overview of alternative medicine this book provides an excellent explanation of natural health. It portrays the whole ethos behind complementary medicine and how the body has the ability to heal itself in the right circumstances.

It also makes the case for the fact that every facet of a human being is intertwined and that the holistic approach takes this into account. Gaye Mack says, ‘Any disharmony that exists in our external lives may be mirrored in our emotional and physical selves. Examining this helps us understand the connection between mind, body and spirit and states of harmony and disharmony.’

There is an individual chapter on the philosophy of Chinese medicine with a thorough explanation of the word ‘Chi’ or energy that is fundamental to acupuncture and all Chinese medicine. The Asian medical system Ayurveda is also spelt out and the ‘doshas’ or individual characters detailed.

How homeopathy works and how the remedies are made are the subject of another chapter providing an insight to anyone with a little or no knowledge about it. She also focuses on Bach Flower Remedies, how they are made and how they can help emotional imbalances.

Understanding the word ‘energy’ in the natural health sense is often a difficult concept for scientific people to grasp. Gaye Mack makes an excellent connection between energy in all living things including humans and the way complementary therapies can help to balance and revitalise energy.

This is a very thorough and interesting book both for people who want to know more about how to heal themselves naturally or who are keen to find out about specific therapies.