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Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook, Updated and Expanded
The most complete resource of its kind on alternative medicine• Herbal remedies, dietary supplements, and alternative therapiesTheir specific usesWhich ones really work (and which ones don’t)What to watch out for• Christian versus non-Christian approaches to holistic health• Clinically proven treatments versus unproven or quack treatments• Truths and fallacies about supernatural healing• Ancient medical the historical, cultural, and scientific facts• And much, much moreAlternative Medicine is the first comprehensive guidebook to nontraditional medicine written from a distinctively Christian perspective. Keeping pace with the latest developments and research in alternative medicine, this thoroughly revised edition combines the most current information with an easy-to-use format. University lecturer and researcher Dónal O’Mathúna, PhD, and national medical authority Walt Larimore, MD, provide detailed and balanced answers to your most pressing questions about alternative medicine―and to other questions you wouldn’t have thought to ask.Also includesTwo alphabetical reference therapiesHerbal remedies, vitamins, and dietary supplementsA description of each therapy and remedy, an analysis of claims, results of actual studies, cautions, recommendations, and further resourcesHandy cross-references linking health problems with various alternative therapies and herbal remedies reviewed in the book
512 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2001
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64 people want to read
About the author
Dónal P. O’Mathúna
10 booksDónal O’Mathúna, PhD, has degrees in pharmacy, medicinal chemistry, and theology (focused on bioethics). He is a lecturer in healthcare ethics in the School of Nursing at Dublin City University, Ireland. Dr. O’Mathúna’s long-time interest in alternative medicine has led to many publications in professional journals and the general media.
source: Amazon
Dónal O’Mathúna has research interests in both healthcare ethics and evidence-based practice (EBP). His ethics research focuses on disasters, pandemics and humanitarian crises, in particular examining ethical issues in One Health research. One Health is an increasingly important approach to global health at the intersection of human, animal and environmental factors that raise challenging ethical issues. He leads a number of funded research and training grants on One Health ethics and disaster bioethics and has contributed to ethics initiatives with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and other international agencies. He is a member of WHO’s Research Ethics Review Committee. His funded research seeks to develop practical tools and support strategies that facilitate reflection on ethical issues in humanitarian research (see below). He has spoken and published widely in bioethics, including co-editing a number of books on disaster bioethics and research ethics (see below).
O’Mathúna’s work in EBP primarily involves conducting Cochrane systematic reviews. He is the director of the Cochrane Affiliate at the Helene Fuld Institute for EBP through which he offers systematic review workshops. He was the inaugural director of Cochrane Ireland from 2014 to 2017 and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Cochrane US Network. He has co-authored six Cochrane systematic reviews and published peer-reviewed articles on evidence-based practice. A selection of these can be viewed at the links below.
source: The Ohio State University | College of Nursing
source: Amazon
Dónal O’Mathúna has research interests in both healthcare ethics and evidence-based practice (EBP). His ethics research focuses on disasters, pandemics and humanitarian crises, in particular examining ethical issues in One Health research. One Health is an increasingly important approach to global health at the intersection of human, animal and environmental factors that raise challenging ethical issues. He leads a number of funded research and training grants on One Health ethics and disaster bioethics and has contributed to ethics initiatives with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and other international agencies. He is a member of WHO’s Research Ethics Review Committee. His funded research seeks to develop practical tools and support strategies that facilitate reflection on ethical issues in humanitarian research (see below). He has spoken and published widely in bioethics, including co-editing a number of books on disaster bioethics and research ethics (see below).
O’Mathúna’s work in EBP primarily involves conducting Cochrane systematic reviews. He is the director of the Cochrane Affiliate at the Helene Fuld Institute for EBP through which he offers systematic review workshops. He was the inaugural director of Cochrane Ireland from 2014 to 2017 and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Cochrane US Network. He has co-authored six Cochrane systematic reviews and published peer-reviewed articles on evidence-based practice. A selection of these can be viewed at the links below.
source: The Ohio State University | College of Nursing
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 27, 2023
A HELPFUL REFERENCE WORK ABOUT THE ‘PRO’S’ AND ‘CONS’ OF SUCH MEDICINE
Authors Donal O’Mathuna and Walt Larimore wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “We have written this book together because we share two deeply held beliefs---one involving faith, the other science… Our education and professional training give us different perspectives. But our lives have come to have a common purpose based on the relationship we each have with God… The second common belief that motivates us is the appreciation we have gained for science… What led us to start asking questions about alternative medicine? We saw patients taking herbal remedies and supplements about which very little information … was known… Patients and even health care professionals didn’t know where to get reliable information about alternative medicine… We decided to put together a single resource that combines the latest and most accurate information on alternative medicine from these two important perspectives---science and Christianity… Our goal in writing this book has been to examine the most popular alternative therapies, herbal remedies, vitamins, and dietary supplements… We describe the research that has been done on each therapy or product… We explain the spiritual issues that underlie some therapies, especially those contrary to Christian beliefs.”
They explain in the first chapter, “The simplest definition of an alternative therapy is any therapy that is not accepted y the dominant medical establishment in a given culture… Alternative therapies are those … that physicians and hospitals in the United States are unlikely to provide for their patients… Practitioners of alternative medicine generally stress their holistic approach to health care---treating the body, mind, and spirit… Much in alternative medicine has little quality scientific evidence to support its assertions of healing. However… some therapies have excellent scientific support… Our purpose in this book is to point out the benefits, explain the risks, anticipate your questions, and provide objective answers.” (Pg. 17-18)
They acknowledge, “When the truth comes out, that most alternative therapies have little or no compelling clinical evidence to support their effectiveness or safety, most of the people we talk to are stunned. The evidence that does exist is often ambiguous or based on seriously flawed studies… As soon as a new therapy begins to show some positive results in some people, reports in the popular media promote it as though it had been proven. The fact that … coincidence is more likely the reason for the positive result, is not mentioned. Instead, we see the touting of a cancer cure, a diabetes cure, or something similar based on very preliminary evidence and supposition.” (Pg. 22)
They point out, “Spirituality is an important concept in alternative medicine. Unfortunately, the word ‘spirituality’ may mean one thing to Christians and quite another to someone who practices traditional Chinese medicine or India’s Ayurvedic medicine… Each system … has a very distinct world view based on the religious ideas commonly accepted in those cultures. Some Christians have expressed the valid concern that some forms of alternative medicine may be vehicles for the promotion of … religious perspectives… opposed to Christianity… One of the central tenets … in the New Age movement is that all spirituality is good…Thus the ‘openness’ advocated by many in the alternative medicine community could expose people to spiritual… practices … [that could] lead them away from the loving Father.” (Pg. 24-25)
They add, “We must also evaluate remedies from [a] .. stewardship perspective. We are all limited in the amount of time and money available to us. We should not waste or squander our resources… For us as Christians, then, we must evaluate whether our pursuit of alternative medicine is motivated by the values of our culture or by godly reasons. This book is intended to help you make these decisions.” (Pg. 26)
They explain, “The clear teaching of the Old Testament is that good health depends on living one’s life according to God’s will… This … description of health is carried into the New Testament, which shows us different aspects of health in various contexts… Emotions are linked to health… The morality of our actions influences our health… Our spiritual vitality is linked to our health.” (Pg. 41) Later, they add, “The Bible doesn’t claim that sin always leads to illness. But where sin and sickness are explicitly connected, God is said to either ‘cause’ or ‘allow’ the specific illness.” (Pg. 47)
They argue, “We wish to make the case that healing achieved by inappropriate means is healing that is not good and… is healing that is not from God… We believe that certain therapies may have spiritual roots that make their pursuit inappropriate for Christians. Any type of healing that might occur via these therapies is not worth the spiritual cost.” But they add, “we must note that not all Christian theologians and health care providers agree with our interpretation of Scripture … We therefore believe it is essential that we explain our thinking and give the biblical basis for our reasoning.” (Pg. 70)
They also admit, “Alternative therapies are practiced in different ways by different people. When… a Christian … practices Therapeutic Touch… and asks [God] to bring about healing… Yet many others trained in the same technique call upon a universal life energy to bring healing. Meditation can be practiced as a way to get general spiritual guidance… or to contact spiritual guides. Meditation is taught by both practitioners of the occult and by the Bible! How are we to discern which is which?.... Scripture gives us some clear principles to rely on when making decisions in these areas. First… passages condemning occult practices… The second general principle … is that Christians were to have no involvement whatsoever in sacrifices made to idols or demons… Any alternative therapy involving contact with any spirit other than God is forbidden. Shamanism, Reki, channeling, divination, and any other ‘therapy’ which attempts to bring knowledge or healing from other spirits or spirit guides should be avoided.” (Pg. 75)
They assert, “[Deepak] Chopra’s approach to health contradicts the biblical approach… Both cannot be right.” (Pg. 99) “[Larry] Dossey’s books on prayer have done much to stimulate discussion, research, and interest in prayer for healing. As such, his contributions are welcome. However, Christians cannot welcome his … beliefs about prayer, [which] as he himself admits, are based on completely different views of reality, people, and God… While rejecting the God of the Bible, he still wants us to hold on to a ’god’ who has many of the attributes of God.” (Pg. 103)
They also advise, “[we] can sometimes go too far in ascribing to God that which is of man. Such is often the case with what are being called ‘Christian alternative therapies.’ … Christian therapies are frequently based on personal experience of the experience of individuals close to the proponent of the therapy… Rarely can anyone question that a healing did occur… These Christian therapies are said to be biblically justified… Unfortunately some are not medically sound… It is one thing to rejoice with the person who has received renewed health…. But it is quite another matter to promote the therapy that developed out of that experience.” (Pg. 107-108)
They observe, “Some scholars believe [Gen 1:29] can be correctly interpreted to mean that humanity, at least in the Garden of Eden, was designed to be vegetarian… [and that] God still intends for people to eat only plant-based food. But… In Genesis 4 we learn that Abel was a keeper of livestock. In Genesis 9 God gave meat for food… Furthermore, Jesus ate more than just plant foods ((i.e., fish) and gave them to those he loved… Why would Jesus give his apostles fish to eat if he wanted everyone to be vegetarian?” (Pg. 108-109)
The remainder of the book is an alphabetical series of analyses of various types of alternative medicine (from Acupressure to Zinc).
Authors Donal O’Mathuna and Walt Larimore wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book, “We have written this book together because we share two deeply held beliefs---one involving faith, the other science… Our education and professional training give us different perspectives. But our lives have come to have a common purpose based on the relationship we each have with God… The second common belief that motivates us is the appreciation we have gained for science… What led us to start asking questions about alternative medicine? We saw patients taking herbal remedies and supplements about which very little information … was known… Patients and even health care professionals didn’t know where to get reliable information about alternative medicine… We decided to put together a single resource that combines the latest and most accurate information on alternative medicine from these two important perspectives---science and Christianity… Our goal in writing this book has been to examine the most popular alternative therapies, herbal remedies, vitamins, and dietary supplements… We describe the research that has been done on each therapy or product… We explain the spiritual issues that underlie some therapies, especially those contrary to Christian beliefs.”
They explain in the first chapter, “The simplest definition of an alternative therapy is any therapy that is not accepted y the dominant medical establishment in a given culture… Alternative therapies are those … that physicians and hospitals in the United States are unlikely to provide for their patients… Practitioners of alternative medicine generally stress their holistic approach to health care---treating the body, mind, and spirit… Much in alternative medicine has little quality scientific evidence to support its assertions of healing. However… some therapies have excellent scientific support… Our purpose in this book is to point out the benefits, explain the risks, anticipate your questions, and provide objective answers.” (Pg. 17-18)
They acknowledge, “When the truth comes out, that most alternative therapies have little or no compelling clinical evidence to support their effectiveness or safety, most of the people we talk to are stunned. The evidence that does exist is often ambiguous or based on seriously flawed studies… As soon as a new therapy begins to show some positive results in some people, reports in the popular media promote it as though it had been proven. The fact that … coincidence is more likely the reason for the positive result, is not mentioned. Instead, we see the touting of a cancer cure, a diabetes cure, or something similar based on very preliminary evidence and supposition.” (Pg. 22)
They point out, “Spirituality is an important concept in alternative medicine. Unfortunately, the word ‘spirituality’ may mean one thing to Christians and quite another to someone who practices traditional Chinese medicine or India’s Ayurvedic medicine… Each system … has a very distinct world view based on the religious ideas commonly accepted in those cultures. Some Christians have expressed the valid concern that some forms of alternative medicine may be vehicles for the promotion of … religious perspectives… opposed to Christianity… One of the central tenets … in the New Age movement is that all spirituality is good…Thus the ‘openness’ advocated by many in the alternative medicine community could expose people to spiritual… practices … [that could] lead them away from the loving Father.” (Pg. 24-25)
They add, “We must also evaluate remedies from [a] .. stewardship perspective. We are all limited in the amount of time and money available to us. We should not waste or squander our resources… For us as Christians, then, we must evaluate whether our pursuit of alternative medicine is motivated by the values of our culture or by godly reasons. This book is intended to help you make these decisions.” (Pg. 26)
They explain, “The clear teaching of the Old Testament is that good health depends on living one’s life according to God’s will… This … description of health is carried into the New Testament, which shows us different aspects of health in various contexts… Emotions are linked to health… The morality of our actions influences our health… Our spiritual vitality is linked to our health.” (Pg. 41) Later, they add, “The Bible doesn’t claim that sin always leads to illness. But where sin and sickness are explicitly connected, God is said to either ‘cause’ or ‘allow’ the specific illness.” (Pg. 47)
They argue, “We wish to make the case that healing achieved by inappropriate means is healing that is not good and… is healing that is not from God… We believe that certain therapies may have spiritual roots that make their pursuit inappropriate for Christians. Any type of healing that might occur via these therapies is not worth the spiritual cost.” But they add, “we must note that not all Christian theologians and health care providers agree with our interpretation of Scripture … We therefore believe it is essential that we explain our thinking and give the biblical basis for our reasoning.” (Pg. 70)
They also admit, “Alternative therapies are practiced in different ways by different people. When… a Christian … practices Therapeutic Touch… and asks [God] to bring about healing… Yet many others trained in the same technique call upon a universal life energy to bring healing. Meditation can be practiced as a way to get general spiritual guidance… or to contact spiritual guides. Meditation is taught by both practitioners of the occult and by the Bible! How are we to discern which is which?.... Scripture gives us some clear principles to rely on when making decisions in these areas. First… passages condemning occult practices… The second general principle … is that Christians were to have no involvement whatsoever in sacrifices made to idols or demons… Any alternative therapy involving contact with any spirit other than God is forbidden. Shamanism, Reki, channeling, divination, and any other ‘therapy’ which attempts to bring knowledge or healing from other spirits or spirit guides should be avoided.” (Pg. 75)
They assert, “[Deepak] Chopra’s approach to health contradicts the biblical approach… Both cannot be right.” (Pg. 99) “[Larry] Dossey’s books on prayer have done much to stimulate discussion, research, and interest in prayer for healing. As such, his contributions are welcome. However, Christians cannot welcome his … beliefs about prayer, [which] as he himself admits, are based on completely different views of reality, people, and God… While rejecting the God of the Bible, he still wants us to hold on to a ’god’ who has many of the attributes of God.” (Pg. 103)
They also advise, “[we] can sometimes go too far in ascribing to God that which is of man. Such is often the case with what are being called ‘Christian alternative therapies.’ … Christian therapies are frequently based on personal experience of the experience of individuals close to the proponent of the therapy… Rarely can anyone question that a healing did occur… These Christian therapies are said to be biblically justified… Unfortunately some are not medically sound… It is one thing to rejoice with the person who has received renewed health…. But it is quite another matter to promote the therapy that developed out of that experience.” (Pg. 107-108)
They observe, “Some scholars believe [Gen 1:29] can be correctly interpreted to mean that humanity, at least in the Garden of Eden, was designed to be vegetarian… [and that] God still intends for people to eat only plant-based food. But… In Genesis 4 we learn that Abel was a keeper of livestock. In Genesis 9 God gave meat for food… Furthermore, Jesus ate more than just plant foods ((i.e., fish) and gave them to those he loved… Why would Jesus give his apostles fish to eat if he wanted everyone to be vegetarian?” (Pg. 108-109)
The remainder of the book is an alphabetical series of analyses of various types of alternative medicine (from Acupressure to Zinc).
August 17, 2023
May add this book to my personal library.
May 28, 2008
like that it's from a christian perspective.
June 22, 2012
Interesting. Combining Alternative Medicine with Biblical reflections on our physical and mental well being.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews