alternative medicine

This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it for anyone who's dealing with any sort of physical challenge. I had an orthopedic condition that dominated my life for several years, and Siegel's book taught me valuable lessons in dealing with my condition.

The first lesson is the importance of the patients asserting themselves in the doctor-patient relationship - not in a negative sense, but more as establishing a partnership in fighting the condition. One disappointment of mine is that Siegel's teachings haven't had more of an impact on the medical community. In fact, with the onset of managed care, medicine has gone even further in the opposite direction, and patients have to work harder than ever to become a "partner" in their treatment.

The second lesson is the overiding importance of love for your health - both in increasing your chances of recovery and reducing the chances of getting sick to begin with. His message can easily be lost in today's analytical world of medicine, but it's crucial.

The message in this book really applies to everyone - regardless of their health.

I loved this book when I first read it. The healing stories, the practical advice, the positive outlook all resonated with me. I used some of Dr. Siegel's ideas in my book The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness.

But I kept encountering people who felt Love, Medicine and Miracles had hurt them or their loved ones who were struggling with cancer. Dr. Siegel states that "happy people don't get sick," and makes other statements that imply that illness is mostly our fault. He has tremendous compassion for the sufferers, but says that they could get better if they got their attitude adjusted.

This healing from within may often be possible. But the physical and emotional conditions of people's lives can make such changes very difficult. And some diseases are so strong that all the change in the world may help, but will not cure.

So I was very careful in writing Art of Getting Well to make clear that health conditions are not our fault. But it is still our responsibility to do the best we can with them. And we can often do very well indeed, and Dr. Siegel's book can help us.

David Spero RN www.art-of-getting-well.com

Dr. Bernie is a godsend. It's been a few years since I read this, right after "Peace, Love and Healing" and felt more at peace with my diabetes than ever. His wisdom is spot on, but not always easy to follow, as many people with chronic or terminal illnesses are accustomed to living with a negative outlook.

This book will help you believe what most doctors won't tell you...that your illness needn't be the be all and end all, and you can feel confident and at peace.
Bless you, Bernie!