Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine [Paperback]

Jeffrey S. Levin (Author), Jonas (Author), Wayne B. Jonas (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

Four out of ten patients visited a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner last year--Your Patients! Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine provides you with the information you need to understand this phenomenon. This practical source brings together today's leading CAM researchers and practitioners to offer the reader insights into the social and scientific foundations of CAM, the safety and efficacy of CAM products and practices, and overviews of 20 commonly used CAM modalities. Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine helps you inform, educate, and treat patients who are interested in or currently using CAM. Part I, Social and Scientific Foundations of CAM, discusses the history, ethics, and scientific study of CAM. Part II discusses the safety of many CAM products and practices, including herbs, dietary and nutritional products, and homeopathy. Part III provides overviews of 20 common CAM modalities, including Ayurvedic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Naturopathy. Today's health care practitioners need new knowledge and skills to effectively treat patients who are using or considering CAM. Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine is your indispensable source for understanding CAM and its impact on your practice. Recommended in the Brandon/Hill selected list of print books and journals for the small medical library - April 200

Product Details

• Paperback: 605 pages
• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068330674X
• ISBN-13: 978-0683306743
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,653,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of CAM systems, January 17, 2001

By 

Erin Harris, DO (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for the health care professional who is interested in learning about different Complementary and Alternative systems. Each chapter is written by a leader in the reviewed field and is quite comprehensive. I am an Osteopathic Pediatrician, and I found the description of Osteopathic Medicine one of the best that I have ever read. If you are looking for a book that includes specific treatments, however, this is not the book for you. It includes excellent chapters on History of CAM, ethics, how to evaluate the safety/efficacy of particular types of CAM, and overviews many types of CAM including Native American Medicine< Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Massage Therapy, Qigong, Orthomolecular Medicine, Meditation, Ayurveda, etc. There is also an appendix which includes suggested readings, organizations, an indications and precautions chart with clinical trials, and a glossary (which might be the shortcoming of the book - apitherapy is not defined, even though it is mentioned several times throughout the book, for example). All in all, a very comprehensive overview, and recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, January 17, 2001

By 

Leena Selvaraj (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Paperback)

This book is a good introduction to the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). I like that Dr. Jonas presents both the common features and differences between allopathic medicine and CAM. It's fascinating to see that healers have been effectively using CAM for thousands of years. The organization of the book is into three main parts is very good. The portion about safety is excellent. So many of our patients today use CAM, so it is important to know the affects. The chapter, "How to Practice Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" addressed many of these ideas. The overview of 20 specific disciplines of CAM was very informative and will be a good resource for medical students and practicing health professionals. The chapters on Ayurvedic Medicine and Medicinal Acupuncture where especially enjoyable.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have Resource, October 28, 2004

By 

Ali Hashemian "Ali Hashemian, Ph.D." (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Paperback)

This book will be appeal to anyone interested in all the alternative treatments available other than the traditional Western Medicine. It is written in simple, easy to understand language with tons of research references explaining each treatments and evidence for its effectiveness. It covers a diverse rang of alternative treatment options, including Bio-Feedback, Hypnosis, Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Nutritional biotherapy.
Ali Hashemian, Ph.D.