The idea of taking charge of our own health is still a foreign and perhaps anarchistic notion to most Americans. It’s so much simpler to let a physician prescribe pills to mask the symptoms, isn’t it? And besides – few insurance companies cover alternative treatment or preventive care.

Naturopathy, in contrast to the allopathic methods of medication and surgery, employs not only nature-based remedies and personal responsibility for maintaining health, but also an entirely different concept of disease. The purpose of Christopher Vasey’s book The Naturopathic Way “…is to present the different aspects of naturopathy by revealing the foundations on which it is based… and by describing the means it uses to bring relief to the sufferers of illness….” Vasey succeeds mightily in his goal, and he does it in just over 100 pages.

Explaining that every illness stems from a single cause (“the congested state of the biological terrain”), Vasey lays out the naturopathic theory of disease and health in simple and sensible terms. He details how everything we consume and experience influences our well-being and discusses the importance of listening to the body’s wisdom for self healing. The emphasis here is on awareness. Naturopathy requires the individual to recognize that illness is not an isolated incident that springs from nowhere, but rather is the inevitable outcome of a series of factors that are, for the most part, under our control. Diet, detoxification, and general lifestyle all come into play, and each is a vital component of the health plan that we create for ourselves.

Christopher Vasey is a naturopathic doctor and the bestselling author of The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health, among other titles. In The Naturopathic Way, he reveals the theory and research behind detoxification therapy, the interconnection of mind and body in achieving optimum health, and the “six basic rules for recovering and maintaining health.” The naturopathic methods he outlines are not complex, but they do require some effort on behalf of the individual who is seeking better health. In particular, the acid-alkaline balancing act takes a good bit of self-discipline, but no particular previous training.

Every word in this slim volume is carefully chosen, making it a lean yet comprehensive introduction to naturopathy and traditional healing methods. Inexpensive and informative, The Naturopathic Way is an excellent resource for those who want to change the way we approach health and healing for the better.