Encyclopedia of Ailments and Diseases

This is the latest edition of a book that has sold more than 750,000 copies and is about 'how to heal conflicted feelings, emotions and thoughts at the root of illness.'

Its key contention is that every illness reflects emotional and psychological factors lodged in the subconscious, and therefore represents a message to be heeded. The keys to healing are acceptance and love. The book is offered as a complement to other approaches and a way of becoming more aware of the processes going on in one's life as a 'tool for understanding, investigation and transformation', integrating head and heart while activating information as a starting point by reading the corresponding entries. Readers can begin with the index to see what conditions apply specifically to them and find comprehensive corresponding cross-references. The experience is similar to consulting an Oracle, so that the reader needs to discern what is speaking directly to their condition. Take, for example, allergies, which are first defined clinically, then psychologically in relation to mental interpretation and emotional overreaction. This in turn represents 'animation of irritation or frustration that is associated with the product or situation to remind me that this ailment is something I must be aware of and integrate.' There is an incredible amount of detail, and it is a useful book to have on hand, even if the contents do not always speak to us. Appendices give a directory of the meaning of individual body parts in terms of capacities, and an overview of the meaning of the main of main ailments.