The WellnessOptions Guide to Health: Integrating Western, Natural, and Oriental Approaches to Well-Being

Sarah Robertson is the editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual.

Author Lillian Chan is a cancer survivor and the founder of
WellnessOptions magazine. The WellnessOptions approach to health—the
subject of this lucidly written and elegantly designed book—is based
on the principal of integrating different medical disciplines and health
perspectives.

The WellnessOptions Guide to Health is divided into three parts. Part
1, “New Avenues to Wellness,” discusses the importance of developing
a “wellness mentality.” Part 2, “Everyday WellnessOptions for
Health Conditions,” focuses on five common “wellness conditions”
(body image, mood, aging, pain, and sleep), explaining each from
different medical perspectives and presenting Western, natural, and
Oriental treatment options. The three chapters in Part 3, “Forging
Your Own Path to Wellness: Healthy Lifestyle Practices,” deal with
food and nutrition, physical activity, and spiritual fitness. An
appendix offers valuable guidelines to help readers evaluate “the
masses of sometimes conflicting health and wellness information that is
available.” In addition to extensive endnotes, the guide includes a
well-constructed index and a generous selection of tables,
illustrations, and sidebars.

Chan’s book is an essential resource for WellnessOptions subscribers
and a great introduction for readers unfamiliar with that magazine.