Focusing on emerging therapies and those best supported by clinical trials and scientific evidence, Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine describes some of the most prevalent and the fastest-growing CAM therapies in use today. Prominent author Dr. Marc Micozzi provides a complete overview of CAM, creating a solid foundation and context for therapies in current practice. Coverage of systems and therapies includes mind, body, and spirit; traditional Western healing; and traditional ethnomedical systems from around the world. Discussions include homeopathy, massage and manual therapies, chiropractic, a revised chapter on osteopathy, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, naturopathic medicine, and nutrition and hydration. With its wide range of topics, this is the ideal CAM reference for both students and practitioners!
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I purchased this book for a college course called Culture, Health, and Healing. This book was not suggested nor “gifted” to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: N/A
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: N/A
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: N/A
4. Strong Minor Characters: N/A
5. The Plot: N/A
6. The Setting: N/A
7. The Dialogue: N/A
8. Engaging Surprises: N/A
9. Climax: N/A
10. Emotional Response: N/A
11. Ending: N/A
12. The Writing: The style of all of the authors are very different. Each chapter is compiled by different authors, who collectively write the chapter together. I distinctly remember the chapter about Humor and how that particular chapter was the best written one in the entire book. It was a fantastic mix of layman’s language and technical. In this way, the chapter was very enjoyable to read. However, some of the chapters were quite dry and in an entirely textbook manner. Since this is a textbook, I cannot fault it with being dry. In fact, it is one of the best textbooks that I have ever read. The editors really did a great job with little errors left, while other textbooks I have read have been littered with errors of every kind imaginable. 5 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: The cover is very professional, but does not encourage excitement about the matter. A nice picture could really snazz the book up some. 2 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: The genre has been represented rightfully as a textbook. 5 out of 5 stars
15. Title: It is a classic textbook title that could not be improved upon. It tells the reader exactly what the textbook will be about. 5 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give this textbook 4.25 out of 5 stars. As textbooks go this one is the most interesting one you will ever find.
It was a bit academic, but still, it gives an overview of thought that influence the perspectives that are held about health systems and the beliefs that support the success of these systems.
I think it makes a good case for accepting all systems equally, not as inferior 'alternnatives' to 'conventional' western medicine.
Really interesting information and a lot of nest areas covered. Not a huge fan of the fact that some of the chapters were written with very obvious bias, but if you can keep that in mind it was actually enjoyable to read.