Healing Powers

The personal testimony of individuals engaged in healing practices and the opposing voices of orthodox and alternative medicines are the center of Healing Powers. Focusing on medical norms and practices and on competing philosophies of the mind, the body, reality, and rationality across radically different "belief systems", Fred Frohock clarifies the social and legal dilemmas represented by "scientific medicine" and "alternative care." "Frohock goes beyond the often irreconcilable differences between scientific biomedicine and alternative care by clarifying the social and legal dilemmas they present. . . . A noteworthy contribution forcing us to rethink what medical care is all about."—Jeffrey Michael Clare, Journal of the American Medical Association "The book does more and better than simply provide a social-scientific proposal. It also gives not only a hearing but a voice to those who follow alternative therapies. . . . Frohock's accounts of their stories—along with the stories of the medical professionals—are eloquent and fascinating."—Allen Verhey, Medical Humanities Review "Contains a storehouse of valuable information about the historical, philosophical, and psychological bases of alternative approaches to healing."—Marshall B. Kapp, New England Journal of Medicine "Frohock introduces us to the scientific naturopaths and to physicians who believe in the mind's power to heal, to charismatics who believe in but cannot explain their powers, to those who test God and those who merely accept. He writes so well that I felt I had met these people."—Arthur W. Frank, Christian Century

People around the world are seeking for new healing methods, and they do so not in isolation but in global interaction. This publication provides new perspectives by combining essays from ritual specialists and scientists active in spiritual healing practices worldwide.

Boost your immune system with antioxidants, lower your risk for the flu, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more—with ordinary everyday ingredients you can find at home—and make healthy green choices in today’s fast-changing world! “This book is a wake-up call to show coffee, an emerging ancient remedy, is now the ‘newest’ health food”—includes recipes and cures! (Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D.) Java facts you didn’t know . . . According to legend, an Ethiopian goat herder was the first to discover the energizing benefits of the coffee bean plant centuries ago. Drinking freshly ground coffee from whole beans can help lower the risk of heart disease, cancer (including breast, prostate and skin), cirrhosis, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease! Coffee is the number #1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet. Coffee can relieve a host of ailments, including asthma, dental woes, gallstones, headaches, short term memory loss, muscle pain, as well as help you slim down and shape up! Percolating with information about the world’s favorite superfood, as well as interviews with medical doctors, researchers, and coffee roasters, this intriguing book (with a jolt of past and present coffee culture) describes coffee types and blends, and flavored varieties (both regular and decaf), like chocolate, fruits, nuts, and spices. Discover why this potent elixir has gone from vice to virtue and how to incorporate coffee in Mediterranean-style, healthful recipes like Cappuccino Biscotti, Thai Coffee Spice Chicken Sates, Coffee Cheesecake and Maple Espresso Pudding (plus DIY espresso drinks). Also included are more than 50 home cures that fight seasonal affective disorder to fatigue, plus beauty and anti-aging treatments, and eco-friendly household uses—all made with coffee’s magical beans! “A cup or two of Joe every day is a good way to boost mood, energy and overall health.” —Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute

By combining both an Eastern and Western approach to healing and medicine, renowned medical expert Dr Zhi Gang Sha has created a remarkable and accessible guide for unlocking the body′s potential to heal itself. Power Healing draws on fascinating case histories to show how harnessing our natural ability to heal can not only lead to a greater day-to-day vitality but can help cure life-threatening diseases, severe trauma, and chronic pain. In this revolutionary guide, internationally renowned healer, teacher and speaker Dr Sha translates ancient healing practices for contemporary readers by combining four simple techniques - gentle stretching, breathing exercises, self-applied massage, and meditation - to release the body′s incredible self-healing powers for immediate results.

In The Healing Power of the Drum psychotherapist and drum facilitator, Robert Lawrence Friedman weaves an extraordinary tapestry of personal experience, fascinating anecdotes, and compelling research, demonstrating the hand drum's capacity to provide significant health benefits for everyone. This breakthrough book examines the use of hand drums in treating at-risk adolescents, stress-out employees, veterans, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism and more. Find joy and self-expression in The Healing Power of the Drum.

This practical guide to understanding the cranial nerves as the key to our psychological and physical well-being builds on Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory—one of the most important recent developments in human neurobiology. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience as a craniosacral therapist and Rolfer, Stanley Rosenberg explores the crucial role that the vagus nerve plays in determining our psychological and emotional states and explains that a myriad of common psychological and physical symptoms—from anxiety and depression to migraines and back pain—indicates a lack of proper functioning in the vagus nerve. Through a series of easy self-help exercises, the book illustrates the simple ways we can regulate the vagus nerve in order to initiate deep relaxation, improve sleep, and recover from injury and trauma. Additionally, by exploring the link between a well-regulated vagus nerve and social functioning, Rosenberg’s findings and methods offer new hope that by improving social behavior it is possible to alleviate some of the symptoms at the core of many cases of autism spectrum disorders. Useful for psychotherapists, doctors, bodyworkers, and caregivers, as well as anyone who experiences the symptoms of chronic stress and depression, this book shows how we can optimize autonomic functioning in ourselves and others, and bring the body into the state of safety that activates its innate capacity to heal.

Boost your immune system with antioxidants, lower your risk for the flu, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more—with ordinary everyday ingredients you can find at home—and make healthy green choices in today’s fast-changing world! Revised and updated, this comprehensive book draws on the latest scientific studies and interviews with top health researchers and functional medicine practitioners to reveal how apple cider and red wine vinegars—as well as balsamic, fruit, rice, and herb-infused vinegars—can help you stay healthy. Boost your immune system with antioxidants, and lower your risk for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, bone loss, and more. You’ll also find proven home health cures, innovative cosmetic and cooking secrets, lively anecdotes, and environmentally friendly household hints—from cleaning up after kids and pets to killing bacteria, viruses, and antibiotic-resistant superbugs. You can even make those countertops sparkle. Vinegar even holds the key to helping combat symptoms of allergies, arthritis, toothaches, sunburn, swimmer’s ear, sore throats, and other pesky ailments. Looking to slim down, shape up, and enhance longevity? Learn the keys to health in this latest revised and updated edition of a homeopathic classic. “A practical, health-oriented book that everyone who wants to stay healthy and live longer should read.” —Patricia Bragg, ND, PhD, author of Apple Cider Vinegar “The essential book on vinegar—the number one superfood of all time!” —Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, author of The Fat Flush Plan

What is the current state of traditional healing practices in contemporary Asian societies? How are their practitioners faring in the encounter with Western science and its biomedical approach? How are traditional healing practices being transformed by the politics of health within the modern nation-state and by the processes of commodification typical of modern economies? How do patients in Asian societies see the various healing options now open to them? The authors, all of whom are anthropologists, observe the clashes and complementarities between traditional therapies and biomedicine, which, in its many manifestations, is the dominant form of medicine supported by national governments, and is emblematic of the modernity to which they aspire. Some of the medical traditions, such as the sophisticated herbal-humoral systems of Tibetan medicine and Indian Ayurveda, are becoming well known in the West, both through scholarly study and through their increasing popularity with Western patients interested in their healing potential. This book adds a new dimension to their study, being focused unlike most previous writing on practice rather than textual tradition.