Optimal Wellness: Where Mainstream and Alternative Medicine Meet by Ralph Golan M.D.

If you fall into the gray zone between health and disease but your physician can't find anything wrong ... if you have an illness for which modern medicine can offer no cure ... if your medical treatments are working, but you still don't feel healthy, then Optimal Wellness is just what the doctor ordered. This empowering self-care guide challenges the crisis/disease orientation of modern medicine -- prescription drugs, expensive surgery, and high-tech intervention -- and points the way to a more comprehensive system of health care that heals the whole person. Learn to identify and understand the Ten Common Denominators of illness that most frequently threaten optimal health. Take the Master Symptom Survey, which reveals the hidden conditions that are eroding your good health. Find a practical framework for identifying dietary hazards and creating your own optimal diet. Learn about recommended dosages for vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies --New age and age-old approaches to wellness, such as fasting, herbal medicine, and energy medicine. Read the guidelines for choosing and working more effectively with your doctor and other health professionals. And much, much more. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Prevention and self-care are the watchwords for this hefty health manual by a Seattle physician whose practice combines conventional and alternative medicine. Golan examines the underlying causes of chronic ailments, which he dubs the Ten Common Denominators of Illness. Dietary hazards and nutritional deficiencies receive the greatest attention; most of the other sources of illness he lists are also diet-related, e.g., toxic bowel, food allergies. In another section, he offers an alphabetical list of 100 common ailments from abscesses to water retention, identifying symptoms, common causes and suggested treatments and preventive measures for each. While approaches to wellness occasionally include conventional medical treatment, most are recommendations for dietary changes, herbal remedies and nutritional supplements. Although Golan, who teaches naturopathic medicine, slights other alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, chiropractic and massage, his holistic approach will appeal to those frustrated by the disease-oriented approach of conventional medicine. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Holistic physician Golan provides here a detailed compilation of self-care methods from both New Age and age-old approaches. His focus is on developing health rather than fixing disease. Chapters cover fasting, herbal therapies, acupuncture, homeopathy, natural immunity, improved diet, environmental health, and detoxification. Golan also includes a master symptom survey to identify conditions for which modern medicine has no cure, offering specific guidance in using alternative methods to create optimal wellness. This useful health reference is recommended for public libraries.?Valerie Vaughan, Hatfield P.L., Mass. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist By means of a mixture of commonsense advice, concise definitions, and comforting bromides, Golan melds New Age health strategies and practices with responsible conventional medical care. Probably more useful to true believers and those sympathetic to New Age culture, his big book may serve well as both a small library's one resource on wellness and a larger collection's most accessible book on the point where mainstream and alternative medicine meet. Including copious bibliographical references, many nice mnemonic touches, and plenty of handy tables and charts, the comprehensive tome is just the thing to help those seeking wellness avail themselves of it. Mike Tribby From the Publisher How many times have you left a doctor's office unsatisfied? It can be extremely frustrating trying to chase down a diagnosis, putting all your faith in a complete stranger to identify and cure your ailment. Optimal Wellness by Ralph Golan shows you how to take an active role in helping yourself get better. Optimal Wellness provides helpful and reader friendly tips to identify and treat a variety of symptoms naturally, without the added stress of trying to get an appointment with a specialist who probably isn't covered on your insurance plan anyway. From the Inside Flap into the gray zone between health and disease but your physician can't find anything wrong ... if you have an illness for which modern medicine can offer no cure ... if your medical treatments are working, but you still don't feel healthy, then Optimal Wellness is just what the doctor ordered. This empowering self-care guide challenges the crisis/disease orientation of modern medicine -- prescription drugs, expensive surgery, and high-tech intervention -- and points the way to a more comprehensive system of health care that heals the whole person. Learn to identify and understand the Ten Common Denominators of illness that most frequently threaten optimal health. Take the Master Symptom Survey, which reveals the hidden conditions that are eroding your good health. Find a practical framework for identifying dietary hazards and creating your own optimal diet. Learn about recommended dosages for vitamins, minerals, and herbal reme From the Back Cover If you fall into the gray zone between health and disease but your physician can't find anything wrong ... if you have an illness for which modern medicine can offer no cure ... if your medical treatments are working, but you still don't feel healthy, then Optimal Wellness is just what the doctor ordered. This empowering self-care guide challenges the crisis/disease orientation of modern medicine -- prescription drugs, expensive surgery, and high-tech intervention -- and points the way to a more comprehensive system of health care that heals the whole person. Learn to identify and understand the Ten Common Denominators of illness that most frequently threaten optimal health. Take the Master Symptom Survey, which reveals the hidden conditions that are eroding your good health. Find a practical framework for identifying dietary hazards and creating your own optimal diet. Learn about recommended dosages for vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies --New age and age-old approaches to wellness, such as fasting, herbal medicine, and energy medicine. Read the guidelines for choosing and working more effectively with your doctor and other health professionals. And much, much more. About the Author Dr. Ralph Golan specializes in Preventative and Wellness medicine. He lives and works in Seattle, Washington.