I was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis about a year ago and have since had about two completely pain-free days; in fact, I've realized recently that what I now consider a good day would have had me screaming in the past!

I've also come to realize that people in pain really will do pretty much anything to relieve it. Heavy-duty pain meds left me befuddled and still hurting. Most non-prescription stuff is only good for an hour or two. I've developed a sleep disorder because pain leaves me unable to sleep through the night.

So it was with considerable interest that I picked up this book. Author Dr. Sarah Brewer is known as "the natural health guru" in the U.K., and this book is packed with an amount of practical advice that left me aghast. There are exercises, diets, aromatherapy cures, home reflexology, resources for more information, discussions of supplements, superfoods, and more. Something, it would seem, for everyone.

Frankly, I'm not disciplined enough to everything that would be good for me, or even most things, but I'm encouraged that she provided good ideas and a time frame in which to know if they're working. I'm already planning on adding some supplements to my daily regimen, and returning to qi gong, not to mention some other ideas.

Since I became a librarian, I just don't buy books that often, but I'm glad I came across this one. It's recent enough to have fairly current scholarship, and not so woo-woo (that's a technical term!) to turn off skeptics. I guess the medical and pharmaceutical industries will never go out of business, but this book aims to make plenty of suggestions for not relying on them quite so much.

I'm sold! ( )