Positive Health Online

This 200-page gem will introduce you to websites that you never dreamed existed, it will blow away any self-deceptive delusions you might have been harbouring about your imagined mastery of the internet.

This book is a treasure trove of internet sites related to Alternative Health and General Well-Being (portals and references, magazines, practitioner listings, clinics and advice centres, treatments and therapies, food and nutrition), Personal Development (general resources, ezines and support, extending your boundaries, meditation and calm), Faith and Lifestyle Disciplines (general and portals, gurus & orders), Green Lifestsyles (general information, around the home, places to go, people to see) Holistic Exercise, Oracles and Divination (general, astrology, dowsing, ESP, palmistry, runes, tarot) and Enlightenment through Shopping (portals, supplements and remedies, remedies, books and household products).

I entirely endorse their statement in the Introduction "Even a cursory search for Mind Body Spirit websites will turn up more information than any individual could ever read, let alone act upon." I must have spent in excess of three hours just visiting and going through some of the internet sites in the first half of the book, covering health, personal development and faith and lifestyle sections without even getting to the more esoteric topics. The array of information, instruction, quizzes, audio-visual experiences available is truly awesome.

There is an incredible site about meditation, (www.calmcentre.com) whereby you can enter a number of rooms, choose the type of meditation you want (candle, sound, words, breath, blue sky, clouds), and spend 10-20 minutes doing the required exercise.

There is an almost 'perfect' site about lucid dreaming (www.LD4all.com), with an entirely lucid (no pun intended) explanation of lucid dreaming, with examples of signs that you may be approaching the state of lucid dreaming, and tips for how to progress onto lucid dreaming and how to know when you are experiencing a lucid dream.

Although I spend much of my time visiting internet sites, this book selected a completely acceptable and extensive list of sites relating to complementary medicine, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, Alexander Technique, Ayurvedic medicine, Bach Flowers, Bates, cancer, Chiropractic, colonic irrigation, craniosacral therapy, Hellerwork, homeopathy, iridology, kinesiology, massage, Metamorphic Technique, naturopathy, osteopathy, polarity therapy, radionics, reflexology, reiki, and zero balancing.

A brief description of each site is provided, along with a review of its strong features, mention of weak points, such as navigation, readability, comments about its character (serious, witty, whacky, whimsical, etc.) and content. I was delighted with the 5-star review provided Positive Health's website – www.positivehealth.com "bursting at the seams with articles, links and research on all areas of complementary medicine... it has an energy and rigour that is sadly lacking from many UK sites... for those with a serious interest in complementary medicine, and for practitioners of all hues, it is a must."

Several of the sites listed have already moved address, or have closed down, reflecting the lightning speed of life on the internet. I didn't always agree with the mainly favourable ratings given to most sites; however, as in most things in life, beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder. The index at the back is brilliant, enabling you to quickly find any great site you have just perused. This book is a massive tour de force and a must for anyone who wants to save themselves a huge amount of time in trying to re-discover the wheel. Buy it!