Andrew Weil's basic premise in "Spontaneous Healing"-that that body can heal itself-is one of my own most cherished beliefs, and I have found the experience of reading Dr. Weil at a time when I am recovering from an illness to be particularly inspiring and informative. That is not to say that the book is for those who are currently ill; indeed, Dr. Weil focuses as much on prevention as healing. But for those who are ill this book can be an illumination. I have read Dr. Weil's "Health and Healing" so I was familiar with his ideas about healing and medicine, but the lucidity of his writing here eclipses that early book and brings his points home as clearly and simply as possible.

Dr. Weil believes that allopathic doctors need to pay more attention to nurturing the body's inherent ability to heal, instead of administering medicine. He argues again and again that allopathic medicine, while extremely valuable in certain illnesses, is, for the most part, not a very good solution to many types of illness. Often allopathic medicine is merely suppressive. This is definitely the case with medicines that treat autoimmune disorders and digestive disorders like ulcerative colitis-once the medicine is stopped, symptoms often return, sometimes worse. This is one of the reasons I refused to take Colozal for ulcerative colitis. According to my gastroenterologist, Colozal treats the symptoms of colitis efficiently, yet one has to stay on the medicine indefinitely for the "cure" to be effective. In fact this is not a cure at all. Real healing occurs when the body is given a chance to heal. To this end, Dr. Weil suggests alternatives to allopathic medicine: lifestyle changes, diets recommendations, and certain tonics. These alternatives do not merely combat specific germs or suppress symptoms, but rather work with the bodies natural defenses to promote healing.

People have treated themselves successfully with alternative remedies for years. Here, Dr. Weil gives numerous case examples. Indeed, testimonials form the basis of much of his knowledge of healing. He argues, lucidly, that testimonials should not be ignored but taken very seriously; they should even be studied. While Dr. Weil scrutinizes the stories he hears very carefully, and is reluctant to take every story of healing at face value, he understands that "testimonials are important pieces of evidence." He writes: "They are not necessarily testimony to the value of particular healers and products. Rather, they are testimony to the human capacity for healing. The evidence is incontrovertible that body is capable of healing itself."

Without the help of testimonials I would have never used Ayurvedic medication for my ulcerative colitis symptoms. Yet, I was convinced by the simple power of other's people's stories of healing. (One of Dr. Weil's "Seven Strategies of Successful Patients" is, "Seek out other who have been healed.") And now I can offer other people my own story of healing.

The sections on the role of spirit and mind in healing struck me as the most important in the book. Why has the medical profession abandoned the idea of psychosomatic illness? Dr. Weil cites several testimonials of people using the power of the mind and spirit to cure serious illness. He even mentions Dr, John Sarno, whose book "The Mindbody Prescription" helped me tremendously when I was first diagnosed with my own illness.

Simply put, this book is important. I recommend it highly.

Being a current college student I face various abuses in my life such as alcohol consumption, smoking and stress. I wanted a book that would give me a natural way to repair my body and at the same time change my bad lifestyle. Spontaneous Healing: Discover and Enhance Your Body's Natural Ability To Maintain and Heal Itself by Andrew Weil M.D., provides its readers with vital information to promote healing internally and externally. It is through natural alternatives, methods and remedies that keep the body consistently healthy or eradicating diseases from the body without harming the balance of it. Andrew Weil who exposes the reader to alternative methods that the conventional medical community has diagnosed without success. Everyone should know the various options available to them and the book is a phenomenal guide in exposing its readers to the natural way to a healthy life.
Andrew Weil M.D has compiled various testimonials from his associates, clients and friends and listed the various illnesses that people have suffered and the success they went through by changing their lifestyle and not accepting the negative end that the conventional medicine has placed upon them. The story that made an impact on me was the story of Mark M. He is a man infected with AIDS virus and was projected to die in two years yet he defied the doctors prognosis by following his instinct by changing his diet and lifestyle. Mark M. is an example of a man that took matters in his own hands. This made an impact to me because sometimes you have to be proactive in you health and never settle with one prognosis. Always remember that this is you life and that one should knows what works for them.
The book has given me an insight to find a center in my life. It has given me tips on ways of dealing with stress and one step at a time guide to gradually having a healthy diet. Cleansing both my internal and mental mind made my body more holistic and healthy. It made me more aware of the various factors that can affect one's body in a negative way like stress and pollutants. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a healthy life from now on and in the future.

I bought Spontaneous Healing to be a companion to my other books by Dr Weil. I had truly enjoyed both 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Natural Health, Natural Medicine. This is yet another excellent resource on how to integrate "alternative" medical practices with what you already know in order to achieve natural healing and wellness. Much of what he says are things that we already know: exercise is good, we need to eat more vegetables and fiber, get enough rest, and so on. But he also has new ideas presented here, as well as in his other books. I'm especially impressed with the breathing techniques. I was very skeptical that something as simple as breathing could have an impact on how I was feeling. But it really does make a difference! (The "waking up" technique saved me in college when I had no coffee).

My only criticism for this book is that the philosophy is "believe you'll be well, visualize being well, and it will happen." I agree that the mind plays a large role in our health, but I don't think that mind power alone will save you from all ailments. One example in the book is actually a woman who beat cancer without going through traditional treatments or chemotherapy. I find that wonderful and inspiring, but a bit unrealistic.

This book focuses on Healing in particular, so I would definitely take that into account when making a purchase. It talks about overcoming various health problems and has several good tips about health in general. But unless you're specifically looking for such a resource, I would recommed getting a book that covers health in a more general way such as Natural Health, Natural Medicine. If you're a pretty healthy person, this book really isn't really necessary.