Alternative Medicine and American Religious Life

by Robert C. Fuller

The late 1980s have seen an explosion of interest in an unconventional, and sometimes bizarre, set of practices and beliefs commonly called the New Age movement. Led by such visible figures as Shirley MacLaine, thousands of Americans have turned to a wide range of self-help methods and philosophies geared toward spiritual fulfillment and, particularly, healing of the body, including acupuncture, channeling, and crystals. What all these methods seem...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195057759
• ISBN13: 9780195057751
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

WHAT CAME BEFORE "NEW AGE HEALING"? THIS BOOK EXPLAINS...

Robert Fuller is a professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Bradley University. This book is a fascinating and informative history (published in 1989, at the crest of the "New Age" movement in popular culture), beginning in the early 19th century, of alternative health movements. Beginning with movements such as Mesmerism and Swedenborgianism, and proceeding to figures such as Samuel Thomson (the "father of American herbalism," who "surmised that there was only one cause of disease, cold, and one cure, heat"), and then covering the early practices of Hydropathy (originated in Austria by Vincent Priessnitz), which was first strongly advocated in this country by Joel Shew. Fuller also covers briefly the influence of Ellen G. White (the "prophetess" of the Seventh-Day Adventist movement) in the field. Extensive treatment is given to Daniel David Palmer (founder of Chiropractic), with Fuller observing that "Today's chiropractor is well aware that there is no single cause of disease." He also covers Andrew Taylor Still and Osteopathy, noting that "There is... strong evidence suggesting that Palmer borrowed freely from Still's teachings in the development of his own system." The book finishes with a section on "New Age and Crystal Healing." This book is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Alternative Healing, New Age Healing, and particularly the history of such practices.