Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition

1. Do no harm: use safe, effective, natural therapies.
2. Nature has healing powers: the physician's job is to enhance the body's natural power to heal itself.
3. Identify and treat the cause: find the cause, rather than just suppress the symptoms.
4. Treat the whole person: administer to the patient's physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, and social sides.
5. The physician is a teacher: educate and motivate patients to take more responsibility for their health.
6. Prevention is the best cure: health-supporting life habits prevent disease.
7. Establish health and wellness: increase the patient's positive physical and mental state.

This book shows you how to improve your health through a positive mental attitude, healthy lifestyle, health-promoting diet, and supplements, with plenty of practical tips. Learn disease prevention through enhancing key body systems. The bulk of the book details natural remedies for treating more than 70 ailments. Each includes symptoms, description, therapeutic considerations (with discussion of studies), and a treatment summary, including nutritional supplements and botanical (herbal) medicines. If you have a disease, this book will give you a valuable perspective on natural treatments. If you're well, it will give you many pointers for maintaining and enhancing your health. --Joan Price

Yeah, I'm an M.D. and have been trained to treat my patients with chemicals (Allopathic Medicine), but I have been trying to expand my knowledge base about the practice of medicine and luckly stumbled on Dr. Murray's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.

I will integrate what I have and will learn about Natural Medicine in my everyday practice (and my own life!). I feel that, with certain exceptions, Natural Medicine should be tried first. Only when that fails or is inappropriate should Allopathic Medicine be used.

There is a growing trend for M.D.'s to use Natural Medicine in their practice. ...


Best Natural Medicine Reference   August 30, 2004
Susan Stewart (Toronto)
40 out of 41 found this review helpful

I have found this book to be the best source for natural medicine information bar none and use it in my practice as a registered nutritionist. The information is appropriately referenced and only included where supporting references exist. This make the information very trustworthy. I sincerely hope the authors will be producing a third edition. This is an important work in the field.


Excellent medical resource   November 9, 2002
M. Little (Seattle, WA USA)
31 out of 32 found this review helpful

If you are to own one basic medical reference book, this is it.
Contains the basics of medical ills/diseases, as well as the latest medical research for both standard therapies and alternative ones. I refer to it frequently. I just wish more doctors used it as a reference.


An informative text which will boost your health status!   July 31, 1998
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

As a student preparing to enter into the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine provides a wonderfully interesting, informative and easy-to-reference guide to natural medicines. What I enjoyed most was the fact that this book avoids giving a simple "run-down" of the natural treatments used for specific conditions. Instead, it teaches the reader the philosiphy behind how those natural treatments work (for example by promoting the healing power of our body), and therefore why they are used to treat certain conditions. The authors also do a great job of "backing-up" what is written with solid scientific evidence. This addresses a major concern readers have, namely, the validity of natural treatments. While there is still a multitude of research yet to be done, the authors utilize the available research and combine it nicely with the wisdom of centuries-old medical practices from various cultures around the wor! ld. Finally, the applicability of this book is widespread. It is a complete and comprehensive guide for both the everyday person as well as doctors and students (of both Traditional and Naturopathic/Complimentary Medicines).


Useful reference, well-researched   May 22, 2006
Primadogga (Topeka, KS United States)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

I am a physician (MD type) and find myself turning to this book often.

It does a good job of teaching patients about the medical problems at hand (sometimes quite thoroughly), and presents well-researched potential solutions to their problems.

My only complaint - where's a new edition (this one dates back to late 90's!)?