The Five Elements of Self-Healing: Using Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity, Wellness, and Health - Hardcover

Jason Elias; Katherine Ketcham

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517704870 ISBN 13: 9780517704875

Publisher: Harmony, 1998

Synopsis

The Five Elements of Self-Healing grows out of herbalist and acupuncturist Jason Elias's conviction that the nature of the illnesses that he has encountered in his patients has changed dramatically since he started practicing complementary medicine twenty-five years ago. Every week he sees patients with disorders that were much less common fifteen or twenty years ago: chronic allergies, adult-onset diabetes, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental illness, irritable bowel syndrome, lupus, and many different kinds of cancer.
        
Reflecting on the health crises now facing us and on the connection between the rise in chronic immune disorders and toxic environmental and lifestyle patterns, Elias and collaborator Katherine Ketcham looked to the 5,000-year-old account of Chinese medicine, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, to seek the clues for restoring the balance of body and mind and finding the pathway to health and harmony. The result is The Five Elements of Self-Healing, which shows readers how to use the preventive strategies and gentle, supportive remedies of traditional Chinese medicine to heal contemporary chronic illnesses and bolster immunity, wellness, and mind-body harmony.
        
The Five Elements of Self-Healing explores the Five Element System, the unique classification and diagnostic system that is the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. The first part of the book teaches readers how to identify which of the five elements--Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water--most directly influences their physical, emotional, and spiritual beings, and which imbalances in these energies can lead to particular physical, emotional, and spiritual disorders. The authors give detailed suggestions for restoring mind-body harmony and maintaining immunity and wellness, including stress- reduction techniques, dietary and exercise regimens, and the use of Chinese and Western herbs, nutritional supplements, and acupressure.
        
In the second part of the book, the authors outline the causes, symptoms, and treatments of the most common immune system disorders, from the relatively benign colds and flus to the more chronic and distressing problems of allergies, asthma, and chronic fatigue syndrome and the life-threatening diseases of diabetes and cancer.        
        
With step-by-step instructions for self-treatment, inspiring case studies of Elias's patients' recoveries, and engaging stories from diverse folk traditions, The Five Elements of Self-Healing creates a system of medicine that honors the whole person: body and mind and spirit. Shining the light of ancient wisdom into the shadows of modern disease, this book guides readers toward a broader understanding of the art of self-healing.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Praise for THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF SELF-HEALING

"A valuable guide to integrating the best of both Western and Oriental medicine, written by a rarity--a healer knowledgeable in both."
--Peter D'Adamo, B.Sc.N.D., author of Eat Right 4 Your Type

"Jason Elias and Katherine Ketcham have written a wonderfully lucid presentation on how Chinese medicine can affect your health. They have created a cutting-edge book which brings ancient wisdom into enlightened health care."
--Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D., Director, Medical Oncology, Strang Cancer Prevention Center; author of Healing Essence: A Cancer Doctor's Program for Hope and Recovery

"The most wonderful aspect of this book is the way Jason Elias translates this old Chinese medical approach into an easy-to-adopt methodology for the twenty-first century. It is a feast for the mind and soul. Thank you, Jason and Katherine, for the wisdom of your integrative knowledge and for the work you both did in making these ancient
concepts so readable and practical."
--Serafina Corsello, M.D., founder, The Corsello Centers for Nutritional-Complementary Medicine; host of "A Second Opinion," WOR 710 AM radio

"This work will help to guide the reader to an understanding of how to integrate traditional spiritual, psychological, and physical healing modalities such as lifestyle, diet, and Qigong exercises using the time-honored Chinese Five Elements as a guide. Highly recommended."
--Dr. Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D., author of The Way of Herbs and Planetary Herbology

Praise for Feminine Healing

"What a delight! It offers us all deep nourishment and profound healing. . . . Destined to be a classic."
--Susun Weed, author of Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way and Healing Wise

"Splendid . . . a sourcebook of women's wisdom that will uplift and inspire all who read it."
--Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom.

About the Author

Jason Elias, L.Ac., co-author of Feminine Healing (formerly titled In the House of the Moon) and Herbal Remedies, is a founder of the Integral Health Associates in New Paltz, New York. He is a licensed acupuncturist and trained practitioner of Western and Chinese herbal medicine. He lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

In addition to Feminine Healing, Katherine Ketcham has co-authored seven other books. She lives in Walla Walla, Washington.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harmony
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0517704870
• ISBN 13: 9780517704875
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 422