10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative, engaging and empowering, January 9, 2008
There is a curious 'mixed-bag' of reviews for 'Total Wellness' here, but I would ask those of you 'sitting on the fence' to at least observe that of the 6 reviews here (at the time of writing this), five of them give a full 5-stars and only one bucks this trend. That ratio, at the very least, surely speaks volumes. I feel it important to address this, not because I have any desire to enter into debate, but simply because I'd consider it very sad indeed if anyone passed this book by, simply because of a single, decidedly-negative, review. Anyone doing so would be missing out on a very positive book with a great deal to offer from a health-promoting standpoint and that, after all, was the author's primary aim.
While I respect everyone's right to express their opinions (and Amazon's policy to support free speech, with regard to reviews of products they sell), I consider Mr. Cullen's statement, "I regard naturopathy as 'an unethical pseudoscience'", in his review for this book, to be unsubstantiated. Orthodox Science may be a wonderful thing in many regards but, as a distinct discipline in the Western world, is perhaps only about 400years old. Furthermore, it has fragmented itself into specialities which means that forming a complete picture of something as mind-bogglingly complex as the interactions of foods and herbs on human physiology is nigh-on impossible, no matter how many microscopes you throw at the research effort. Consequently, even with the best will in the world, it is self-evidently incomplete. That Science has not YET confirmed (OR refuted) the findings of a tradition spanning literally thousands of years, and based on careful, repeated, and intricate, DIRECT observation of nature, is surely not sufficient justification to proclaim it 'pseudoscience', unless I misunderstood and this was intended as a compliment. The works of Einstein could just as easily have been labelled pseudoscience, profoundly theoretically-based as they were, up until the point where science did begin to find physical (and highly-bewildering) evidence supporting his theories. Although I support the standpoint of caution with regard to things that are considered unproven, it nonetheless seems to be a characteristic of humankind to proclaim everything nonsense until it is 'proven' correct, at which point it is proclaimed as 'obvious'. I would also question by what yardstick something is considered to be unproven. If, by unproven (which I take to be the intimation of the 'pseudoscience' remark), one means unproven by half a millenium of orthodox Science, then, well, perhaps, but only by that particular yardstick. I consider several thousand years of observation of consistent cause-and-effect to be as much proof as anyone could hope for, irrespective of whether a microscope or electronic measuring device was involved in the proceedings. Indeed, consistent observation of cause-and-effect, over a period of several thousand years (and thus with many thousands of samples) might very well be considered to be use of scientific methodology, even though it was not necessarily in a controlled environment, under double-blind research circumstances.
Quite what may be considered unethical about naturopathy, a tradition almost as old as mankind itself, I cannot imagine, although, of course, ANY tradition is open to abuse or incompetency, through no fault of its own. Even alopathic medicine, which, ~albeit-inadvertently~, has a shocking safety record, by virtue of incorrectly prescribed or administered drugs, or secondary complications arising therefrom, can nonetheless be considered to have a legitimate place in the healing arts, easy though it would be for someone to claim IT as 'unethical pseudoscience'. Surely, though none are 100% perfect, each and every healing modality has its place and has something positive to offer? I am an adherent of naturopathic principles but I still see my alopathic doctor from time to time, despite the tendency for alopathy to often focus upon suppression of symptoms rather than examination of underlying natural causes (to say nothing of the pharmaceutical industry's apparent attempts to apply commercial persuasion to those in alopathic practice).
Personally, I found Pizzorno's 'Total Wellness' to be an engaging and very informative book, with a very forthright approach to explaining underlying mechanisms of health and disease. There are many excellent books on the subject of naturopathic healing in the general marketplace (e.g. Dr. Bernard Jensen's, Ralph Golan's 'Optimal Wellness' etc.) but few really get 'under the hood' in the way that this book seeks to do and it is for this reason that I consider my purchase of this book to have been very worthwhile.
As always, not an outright replacement for the advice of a doctor (of whatever modality), on a firsthand basis, but an excellent and informative book on a subject the general public would do well to become better acquainted with.
I highly recommend this book and would also recommend prospective purchasers to add the aforementioned 'Optimal Wellness', by Ralph Golan, to their shopping cart, alongside Pizzorno's text. Between the two of them, they offer a very clear and accessible understanding of naturopathic principles and empower readers to take more control over their healthcare rather than passively submitting themselves to the oft-unchallenged will of the alopathic medical 'industry'. I'd also like to remind anyone seeking to improve their health naturally that exercises such as Yoga or Qigong can also be PROFOUNDLY beneficial as an adjunct to naturopathic principles, and it is CRITICALLY important never to focus on any single aspect of healing, to the detriment of others. The body needs movement every bit as much as it needs correct diet etc.
If you are trying to make changes in your life and begin a healthier way of living, then I would recommend, in addition to the naturopathic books, the following:
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way (Dr. Robert Maurer) This diminutive little book (also available as a CD course) explains how to make changes to your life without slipping back into old behaviour patterns. A great key to moving your life forwards.
As far as Yoga is concerned, an excellent way to begin a sustainable practice that won't bore or intimidate you would be to learn 'The 5 Tibetan Rites' - see:
The Five Tibetans: Five Dynamic Exercises for Health, Energy, and Personal Power (Christopher S. Kilham)
or:
Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 2 (Peter Kelder)
Alternatively, another simple but excellent Yoga practice is 'Surya Namaskara' - see:
Surya Namaskara (Swami Satyananda Saraswati)
Do not underestimate how profoundly-beneficial The 5 Tibetan Rites and Surya Namaskara can be. Neither of them is intimidating to learn and neither of them takes long to do (as little as 10 minutes, if you choose).
Also highly health-promoting is the practise of Qigong, and one of the best places to start is with The 8 Pieces of Brocade, a classic sequence of moves, with heritage at least 1000 years old. YMAA produce some astonishingly clear, detailed, and generous instructional DVDs and they offer one on the 8 Pieces:
Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The Eight (8) Pieces of Brocade (YMAA) DVD (Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming)
Both Yoga & Qigong are profoundly relaxing and serve to gently tone tendons & musculature, increase bone density, and (perhaps most important for all, as far as healthful vitality is concerned) massage the internal organs, thus aiding removal of stored toxins and improving organ function. The lymphatic system is also stimulated and cleared of long-standing toxic deposits.
ALL of the above items are available right here on Amazon.
You don't need to do yoga AND Qigong (though they are compatible and doing both would work superbly). My advice is choose which you like the look of and practise a little every day, without trying to do too much (Dr. Robert Maurer's Kaizen book will tell you why!). Also, avoid the temptation to be distracted by the multitude of other exercise options - this is a common tactic of the mind to avoid change and keep you on an intellectual chase rather than get down to actually forming a regular physical exercise practice. Just reading about a thousand different exercises will never improve your health - it is in the physical DOING that real physical results are achieved. Learn to take time to relax, to appreciate your blessings with a heart-felt feeling-tone, to truly love yourself (not in a narcisistic manner!) and to nurture your own wellbeing. It is amazing how much motivation can spring from learning to do these things.
In just the same manner as naturopathy, the above exercise systems are time-proven, refined over a period of hundreds of years, with known benefits on human physiology and health. They are the distilled wisdom of generations, not some re-hash for commercial purposes by the latest media celebrity. Yoga, in particular has been re-hashed a thousand times, in the past couple of decades, with no benefit except to the bank balances of those doing the re-hashing. Stick to the original practices - they've lasted for generations for a very good reason - they WORK.
The key to success, be it with exercise, diet, or any other positive life changes, is that you need to keep it simple, clear, focused and not too demanding. That way, it won't be a chore and after a few weeks you'll realise it has become a positive habit and you are feeling better for it. Add that to the naturopathic principles you have learned from Pizzorno's and Golan's books and you'll be in the top percentage of health in next to no time!
...Just remember - IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU ACTUALLY *DO* IT!
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