This important new book addresses the vast array of treatments and philosophies that postulate supernatural phenomena as the key to health and disease. Jack Raso combines his own personal experience with alternative healthcare, in-depth research on the wide variety of methodologies, and an educational background in health science and nutrition to simplify the often confusing field of "alternative" healing techniques. Raso begins with an account of his personal odyssey from believer to skeptic, demonstrating how easily a person raised in a devoutly religious tradition accepts supernatural explanations and mystical approaches to physical ailments.
Raso examines the philosophical underpinnings of "alternative" medicine as well as such techniques as hands-on healing, Qigong, and faith healing. He shows that, whatever the specific philosophy, the common denominator is a rejection of the scientific approach of modern medicine in favour of a belief in paranormal forces that influence the well-being of mind and body. The final section is a firsthand account of Raso's many revealing visits to various "alternative" medical practitioners. The book concludes with an encyclopaedic glossary of "alternative" healthcare terminology that explains to the uninitiated the formidable jargon so often used by proponents of "alternative" treatments.
Jack Raso, M.S., R.D. (Maspeth, N.Y.) is a contributing editor for Nutrition Forum and is the author of numerous articles and books including Mystical Diets. He is the former chief dietitian at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
267 pages
ISBN 0-87975-891-0
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