Kirkus Review

A health and wellness guide that mixes Western and Eastern healing philosophies.This follow-up from obstetrician, gynecologist, and acupuncturist Kurosu and medical doctor Kuhn (True Wellness, 2018)also melds medical practices from the East and the West, but it also sharpens its focus to problems of the mindfrom anxiety to sleep disorders to depression. The authors situate their latest book squarely in the hyper-connected, always-on modern world, with all its inherent strains: "The demands that modern society places upon us, and that we place upon ourselves," they write, "are creating a situation in which we can never fully succeed." It centers on how one's health may be affected by "the way you live your life day to day"; one's sleeping and eating habits, for example, can affect one's "ability to sustain all the physiological processes your body needs to stay healthy and in balance." The authors supply quick thumbnail sketches of the history of Western medicine and counterbalance it with an in-depth tour of the "powerful medical system" of Eastern thought. In it, readers receive introductions to subjects that some may find familiar, such as tai chi, herbal remedies, and acupuncture, and the ways that these and other approaches can influence the body's "bioelectromagnetic" energy. Some readers may be skeptical of some of the material here, as when the authors talk about the "phases of the universe" being "water, wood, fire, earth, and metal." It also necessarily obliges the authors to talk about the nature of the placebo effect, as mainstream Western medicine tends to dismiss the effectiveness of acupuncture, for example. However, the book is unquestionably correct in pointing out that the general-living concentration of Eastern philosophy can be something of a boon in the frenetic modern world they describeone in which pharmaceutical and surgical interventions may not be enough. Skeptics of practices described here won't find anything in these pages to convince them otherwise, but the faithful will be rewarded.A wide-ranging and enthusiastic wellness approach. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.