From Booklist
Integrative medicine is the blending of Eastern and other alternative approaches with Western conventional treatment. Phalen, a health reporter and writer, here surveys the development of the new hybrid over the last 20 to 30 years. She reviews and documents relevant recent research and programs utilizing the new model, such as treatment of cancer, AIDS, and addiction. Especially valuable is Phalen's detailed discussion of the obstacles to continued integration, including the lack of research, competing paradigms, economic considerations, differing state licensing laws, and long-held attitudes and prejudices. Individual chapters are devoted to Chinese medicine, the mind-body connection, herbal medicine, women's issues, energy medicine, and the interface between prayer, spirituality, and healing. What separates this review of the field from similar titles is its extensive interviews with both patients and the practitioners who practice the integrative approach. Their feelings and experiences reinforce the author's theme that healing is often not synonymous with cure. Penny Spokes
