In a climate where alternative medicine has become increasingly popular, Dr Coker's substantially revised version of her 1995 books seeks to explain the range of therapies that now exist and to suggest ways to handle patients and relatives who may request advice on such issues.

A good overview analyses the different practices critically, both from medical and Christian perspectives, and the level makes it extremely accessible to non-medics. There are discussion points at the end of each chapter that could be used in small groups (work- or church-based) and an invaluable A-Z chapter which outlines the basic principles of a number of available therapies – very useful when a patient asks your opinion on a therapy you have never even heard of!

A variety of case studies is included, which help us as doctors to consider how we would respond to different scenarios. The book is a very flexible and useful resource, especially for those in general practice, providing practical information and also helping us to think through some of the issues before being confronted with them in surgery. It could easily be shared with interested patients and church members.