The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine [Paperback]

Thomas S. Cowan (Author), Sally Fallon (Author), Jaimen McMillan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

The Fourfold Path to Healing merges the wisdom of traditional societies, the most modern findings of western medicine and the esoteric teaching of the ancients. The fourfold approach includes: Nutrition using nutrient-dense traditional foods; therapeutics through a wide range of nontoxic remedies; Movement to heal and strengthen the emotions; and meditation to develop your powers of objective thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . an outstanding example of the naturopathic philososphy of medicine. . . joins an elite group of 'real' books on health. . . Highly recommended. (Irene Alleger )

About the Author

Dr. Thomas Cowan has been a practitioner of family medicine for over twenty years. He is trained not only in conventional medicine, but also in homeopathy, nutrition, herbal remedies and anthroposophical medicine.
Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions and president of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Jaimen McMillan is the founder of Spacial Dynamics, and a trainer in movement therapy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Newtrends Publishing, Inc. (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967089794
• ISBN-13: 978-0967089799
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 166 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Book, March 20, 2005

By 

Charles Andrew Wingard (Brunswick, ME) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine (Paperback)

This book is broken into three segments. The first is a nutrition chapter by Sally Fallon. It is short and sweet, and if you're looking for more definetly check out her "Nourishing Traditions" cookbook. Then there is a movement section by Jaimen McMillian. This is pretty good, but it's always hard to fully understand movement excersizes out of a book. Then Thomas Cowan explores a around a dozen of the most prominent dis eases of today. This is by far the best part of the book. His philosophy on healing is well founded in science, but is much more holistic and thorough than alleopathy. Instead of today's mentality of taking a pill or removing it if it doesn't work, Cowan explores the possibility that real healing can take place. One of my problems with this book is the cut and dry approach to dieting. For some of the dis eases they are very anti-green tea because of the caffiene, and with commercially grown green tea, the flouride used in the chemicals that are sprayed. Solution, buy organic green tea, and let it steep for two minutes or more. The tannins in the tea will eventually bind up the caffiene making it unusable to your body. Also, they say to give up white flour completely and only eat sprouted, soaked or soured grains. While I agree with these practices and do them regularly, they are not always necessary. My body reacts adversly to commercial white flower, but I have no problems with white organic spelt, and no problems with white organic pasta. If you do have to make diet changes make sure to really test them out and research, instead of just taking this book word for word. I would certainly reccommend this book to anyone who is interesting in the art of healing though.

93 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Redefines holistic medicine -- an instant classic!, December 13, 2004

By 

Victoria Bloch (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine (Paperback)

This is a beautifully written book that manages to be both a crystal clear health practitioner's guide and a fascinating philosophical discussion of the nature of disease and health.

The Fourfold Path to Healing offers a variety of very specific ways to restore balance to the human body, all of which are gentle, non-invasive, and sensible.

Four introductory chapters discuss the "paths" of the title -- nutrition, therapeutics (herbs and whole-food supplements), movement and meditation. Then Dr. Cowan applies these foundational principles to a variety of conditions, from arthritis to cancer to weight loss to heart disease.

He invites us to look at health conditions as more than collections of symptoms. He does so skillfully, drawing on the language of myth as well as botany, dreams, the work of Rudolf Steiner, and other insightful metaphors. Each discussion guides the reader into a broader understanding of the ways in which our health reflects our world view, our mental and emotional balance, and, of course how we care for our physical bodies.

The Fourfold Path to Healing invites deeper participation in our healing -- and in the maintenance and care of our good health, as well.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary and Inspiring, August 1, 2005

By 

Cathy Zimmerman (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Fourfold Path to Healing: Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine (Paperback)

Having just attended the Fourfold Path to Healing Conference in Oakland, CA, (www.fourfoldhealing.com) I feel absolutely inspired to spread the messages of this book. If you are looking for a new approach to health and well-being, yet not "new fad", if you believe in the wisdom of traditional peoples, and you want to help co-create a beautiful world of healthy individuals and societies, this is the book to read. It is very attractive, well-organized, and will definately introduce you to some new ways of perceiving our bodies and bringing them to wholeness.
I also recommend the other books by contributer Sally Fallon, especially Nourishing Traditions.