"There is no question that the major BREAK in life is the current Medical System, which is at the very least the number 3 cause of death!  At least 85% of the time Complementary and Alternative approaches are far safer and more effective than drugs or surgery. UnBreak your Health provides a terrific source for those interested in real health!" 
    C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.
    www.normshealy.com

 

Impressively organized and presented By  Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) As the babyboom generation ages (as well as generations X, Y & Z, for that matter), personal health and physical fitness have become more than just fashionable -- they are recognized as fundamental to being able to enjoy life, pursue goals, and live longer. The rise in the popularity of what is described as Alternative Medicine has also taken place because of the shortcomings of traditional medicine to insure continued good health and/or speedy recovery from illness or injury. In "Unbreak Your Health: The Complete Guide To Complementary & Alternative Therapies", Alan E. Smith has compiled more than 300 entries on more than 135 alternative health subjects, providing both students of alternative medicine and non-specialist general readers with an interest in alternatives to what traditional medicine has to offer them with respect to basic health concepts. Impressively organized and presented with an alphabetized roster of therapies for the body, a section devoted to therapies for the mind; and an entire chapter of therapies applicable to the human 'spirit' or 'energy', "Unbreak Your Health" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' and accessible. Of special note are the chapters on Insurance, Alan Smith's conclusions, his recommendations, the resources list, bibliography for further reading, and a comprehensive index. "Unbreak Your Health" is very strongly recommended and fundamentally useful reading for students of Alternative Medicine, and would prove a popular addition to community library Health & Medicine reference collections.

June 2010 for the second edition of UnBreak Your Health by Vicki Landes Today more than ever, we are bombarded with stories of horrible drug side effects and greedy medical insurance companies. While we pay out the nose for health insurance, we spend hours in a waiting room and only get to talk to a doctor for a few minutes before he or she slaps you with a prescription and sends you out the door. Modern medicine, in all of its advances and breakthroughs, serves to treat the symptoms more so than the actual cause. As the system gets worse, more and more people are turning to alternatives; "How to UnBreak Your Health: Your Map to the World of Complementary and Alternative Therapies" hopes to guide those lost in today's medical maze towards hope and recovery. "How to UnBreak Your Health" is a comprehensive collection of the various complementary and alternative therapies available to the ailing. From well known practices such as massage, yoga, chiropractic, and acupuncture to lesser-known yet rather surprisingly effective techniques like Applied Kinesiology and Cold Laser Therapy. Author Alan E. Smith breaks down each and every method and gives just enough information to explain the concept without getting 'bogged down in the weeds.' The information he gives includes the background of each therapy, what they involve, who came up with the theory and technique, and what type of health issues they seem to work on best. Websites and other reference information are also presented for further research. "How to UnBreak Your Health" is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to take more control of their health. Since Smith gives only a short synopsis of each method, he maintains a manageable-sized book for the non-professional while including over 330 different complementary and alternative therapies in 150 categories. Further, he doesn't dissuade his readers from utilizing traditional medical avenues; instead he encourages using both traditional and alternative practices in tandem as to complement each other. In concluding his work, Smith gives some advice on questions to ask an insurance company regarding coverage of complementary and alternative therapies. As a self-labeled 'doubter,' I began reading "How to UnBreak Your Health" with plenty of skepticism. While I found just a few of the mind and spirit/energy therapies to be a bit "hokey", the majority of the methods presented made complete sense. Alan E. Smith speaks with intelligence while imparting enough enthusiasm on his readers to get them energized without going overboard. "How to UnBreak Your Health" has changed my opinion of complementary and alternative therapies!

PATIENT EMPOWERMENT This book provides a comprehensive path toward identifying the options available for health and wellness promotion, for mending broken perceptions and body parts, for uniting our spirit and energy with our minds and bodies. Alan provides a sensible approach to the personalized pathway to hope, healing, and wellness in non-technical language, empowering the reader of information and options about which he may not have been aware... (he) takes us on a personal expedition, providing a “map to better healthâ€� for which each of us may find an individualized path according to our specific inner GPS... Smith provides a roster of therapies and wide-ranging resource list from which we can begin our own course of healing and health betterment.             Reviewed 3/6/11 on About.com's PATIENT EMPOWERMENT