Alan E. Smith

OMG. I can't believe there's a market for this kind of thing. It's nothing more than an e-directory for the lazy or the technologically inept. Call it Googling for Luddites. I received this book through Early Reviewers and to say I was disappointed doesn’t even come close.

This is less a book than a poorly-organized compilation of second-hand material culled mostly from public websites. There is no attempt to historically situate the rise and development of alternative health therapies, nor show more place them in any kind of coherent context. Now that would have been an interesting read. Given there is precious little medical evidence in support of even the most conservative of such treatment modalities, one would hope that a book claiming to be the “complete guide to complementary and alternative therapies” ranging from “the newest technology to ancient therapies” would provide readers with some meaningful analysis of their relative worth and hopefully steer them clear of bad medicine. But instead of taking this approach, Alan E. Smith presents a hodgepodge assortment of claims and suppositions, each more ridiculous than the next. Like the worst New Age drivel, Smith tries to rationalize his hyped-up claims by invoking science while simultaneously evading notions like, oh, evidentiary proof, declaring that because these practices (very loosely defined) “are based on a completely different paradigm (energy) they operate on different principles than the standard chemical model of the human body. . .[meaning they] can’t be studied using the same methodology. . .and cannot be examined piece by piece. Much like [God help us] quantum physics.”

Smith tries to paint those who uphold conventional scientific medical practice as nothing more than pawns of profit-driven corporations, misguided souls who passively rely on pharmaceutical or surgical interventions that address symptoms at the expense of a holistic cure. All the tired clichés are trotted out about people "taking personal responsibility for their lives" by taking matters into their own hands. There are many valid points that Smith could have made about the limits of traditional medical authority or expertise and what patients can do to become active agents of their health and well-being. Things like educating themselves about what ails them so that, armed with a deeper appreciation of their condition and having sufficiently researched available options, they can take some informed next steps either within or outside the scope of recognized practice. Within these pages, however, readers are simply urged to break free of mainstream medicine wherein "doctors are trained to see the human body as a bag of chemicals" and take charge of their health by plunging headlong into this brave new world of DIY alternatives. But that may be giving Smith too much credit as an author, because there’s not a whole lot of theorizing --- compelling or otherwise --- going on. The sum total of his position is contained in a 4-page Introduction and 2-page Conclusion. Legal disclaimers aside, the remainder consists entirely of information about various “therapies” largely gleaned from websites and wikis (much is cut and pasted directly from sponsor sites), and arranged haphazardly under the headings of Body, Mind and Spirit. A few passages describe familiar and, dare I say, respectable techniques like acupuncture, massage and chiropractic. Others are hardly therapies in any sense of the word (e.g., spirituality, nutrition) and suffer from being presented in such an abbreviated manner. But the majority are questionable at best, downright quackery at worst, including spirit channelling, chakra cleansing and distance healing. Even placebos (!!!) are offered up as "a powerful healing process." The good, the bad and the truly bizarre are all described in value-neutral terms, although much space is devoted to glowing testimonials from anonymous users, including the ubiquitous miraculous cancer cure performed by a Brazilian shaman.

Interested in diagnosing the cellular "energy frequency" of your disease? Telephone consultants are standing by for your call --- at the low, low price of $8.33 per minute. If this is the type of "healing" you're after, this book's for you. One user spent 30 minutes in a single session undergoing the above "treatment." You do the math. It's a lucrative field for charlatans banking on people's gullibility or desperation. I actually visited the above organization's website and took a close look at their legal riders. Beneath the expected pseudobabble ("[This treatment] is not about disease or illness—rather, its focus is on healing and wellness") is some refreshingly straightforward prose: "[Statements] on the web site, manuals and products represent working theory rather than accepted science. . . Medical authorities do not recognize this work as “medicine”. We agree." So should you.

This book should come with a giant “buyer beware” label --- preferably over the laughable BEST BOOKS AWARD FINALIST! blurb on the cover, since it is a shining example of hucksterism and gullible boosterism at its best . . . or do I mean worst? Avoid at all costs. show less

Today, the reality is that we need to start taking responsibility for our health. If we think we can swallow a pill for every ailment we have, we are still living in the dark ages. Granted, it's not easy learning about alternative health care and distinguishing what is valid and what is not among the conflicting viewpoints of the medical world. Which is why I really appreciated Unbreak Your Health.

It's a reference guide that lists and briefly explains complementary and alternative therapies. show more I thought I knew a thing or two about this topic but I discovered, not one, not two, but many therapies I never heard before. I have to admit, some I am still sceptical about, most are growing in popularity and some are downright fascinating.

Smith organizes these therapies into three categories: Body, Mind and Energy/Spirit. For each therapy listed, Smith includes the web site URL so the reader can do added research, a summary of what each therapy involves with a brief history of its beginnings, and user comments or testimonials.

What I enjoyed most as I read through this book is that I learned what new technology is discovering about looking at the whole person versus just the symptoms in curing illnesses. Right in his introduction, Smith states: “The explosion of research in neuroscience is changing the meaning of the expression 'It's all in your head' because technology is showing how the mind is related to and controls the body. We're moving quickly from simple correlation of the mind-body connection to discovering the actual mechanism of interaction.”

That's exciting news! Here's an example of this. Under the heading of Energy Medicine, it speaks about the medical breakthrough of Dr. Bjorn E.W. Nordenstrom whose discovery that the electrical circuit that transports ions and electrons throughout the body helps maintain the body's equilibrium and healing processes by influencing cellular structure and function. This led to the successful treatment of cancer patients with electrochemical therapy (EchT) using Dr, Nordenstrom's BCEC concepts.

Unbreak Your Health opens your eyes to the possibility of better health, and may even help you discover a therapy that is just right for you and will heal you. There are other options to conventional medicine. You want to know what they are? This is the perfect reference. It's easy to read, well organized, and a smart addition to any home library. show less

I had a hard time getting through this book and reviewing it, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it is pretty densely packed with information. It covers, in 4 main sections, hundreds of complementary and alternative therapies and variations. This is not light reading. There is anywhere from a paragraph to several pages on each of the therapies listed, with websites or other sources and often user comments on the therapy. Without making claims, the author gives a brief show more rundown on each, including (if applicable) who developed it and when. There is not room for a lot of information on each of the individual therapies, but there are links on where to look for more information. There is also information (mostly geared to the US) on coverage and acceptance by insurance and health care providers. There is an index, but I found it wasn't always reliable. On the whole, this seems a pretty comprehensive guide, and worth checking out if you have health problems, or are interested in health alternatives.

I have to add an extra note - I lent this book to a good friend who is a registered massage therapist. She has personal experience with many of the therapies listed, and training in a number of them. She was very impressed with this book, and wants her own copy. show less

This book is good for those that want to try and find alternatives to the basic premise that to cure a problem you must go to your MD and work with drugs and surgery. There are many treatments, available all over the world, dealing with natural healing techniques that most of us do not even realize are out there. Most of these techniques work at healing from a total body standpoint where some work using mind over body control, herbal remedies or natural compounds, touch, relaxation and show more diet.
If you feel that our medical system is over-prescribed and quick to jump to surgical intervention this book is a great place to start. Most healing beliefs brought up in the book are that of curing the root of the problem and not working with each individual problem presenting itself in your body. For example, I am having back pain. It could be something else entirely that is causing the manifestation of pain in my back and not a problem with my back at all.
I wanted to be chosen to review this book because I have always believed that you need to find the root of the problems plaguing you and curing the whole being. I have found this book to be a wealth of information on types of healing I didn't know existed. I have never been one to sit back and allow any doctor to have free reign in my health care. I am always front and center and asking questions and I feel that this book gives more opportunities of self help.
On a slightly lesser level, I think that the book is not for those wanting quick fixes or quick finds. The book is laid out in a way that you must look at each chapter and therapy to see if it would be something you would like to look further into or feel that you could find help through. Although I acknowledge previous reviews that the book's content can be directly obtained from the internet, I appreciate having all of the information in one place. The author has combined an overview of alternative therapies, testimonials and where to get more information so that I don't have to go in search of each individual therapy, I can just open the book. show less