The Natural Medicine Guide to Addiction

By Stephanie Marohn

Book Overview

Medical journalist Stephanie Marohn eases the pain and trauma of addiction recovery in this guide, one in a series dealing with ailments such as anxiety and depression. In layman's terms she discusses how chemical imbalances in the brain create addiction and withdrawal symptoms, and how they can be restored. Suggestions include: amino acid supplements (to regulate sugar levels), herbs such as chamomile, valerian root (to relax the nervous system), acupuncture, aromatherapy, candle therapy, and so on. Marohn's view of addiction is clear enough to see the big picture, which encompasses everything from crippling drug addiction to minor, apparently harmless habits such as compulsive shopping. According to Marohn, addiction is a problem that effects over 100 million people every year, and needn't be seen as either freakish or a sign of "weakness." Furthermore, there is a way to recover that does not compromise a holistic lifestyle through pharmaceutical medicines, should one choose this path.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571742905
• ISBN13: 9781571742902
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
• Length: 225 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Nice holistic guide to understanding & healing addictions

Stephanie Marohn expands her efforts to educate the public about holistic approaches to health, especially in the mental health field. In this book she presents the same 5 levels of healing model described in some of her other books. Everything from orthomolecular and dietary issues to acupuncture, family systems, energy psychology, and shamanism are discussed. Descriptions of a variety of natural health approaches are included to offer a representative sample of available resources to address addiction issues. Most approaches to addressing addictions only focus on 1 or 2 of the levels in the holistic model shared by Marohn, so it is refreshing to see a book with depth of insight and variety of options explored. Conventional efforts to overcome addiction are often superficial and inadequate and this book offers insights as to why - and what approaches have been helpful for many people, including the clinical examples shared in this book. This book isn't comprehensive in outlining all the approaches currently available, but it is a good introduction to natural addiction recovery and presents a useful conceptualization of the subject.