One Spirit Medicine: Ancient Ways to Ultimate Wellness

UPDATE: Three months later and I'm down another 15 pounds, but BEST OF ALL, my LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are well within normal ranges and my average blood sugar level has dropped. I do not miss carbs or sugars, but I do not deprive myself on special occasions if I feel like a little cake and ice cream. Frequently, people I have not seen in a while ask me how I did it – I cannot recommend this book enough!....I don’t often read this genre, but I was strongly motivated after my doctor gave me some pretty depressing news – at 64, I was 30 pounds overweight, pre-diabetic, and my cholesterol was higher than ever, despite being on two kinds of statins. A dear friend listened to my tale of woe and lent me an advance copy of One Spirit Medicine she had just received. That was two months ago.Some things come into your life at the exact moment you are most receptive. I started Dr. Villoldo’s 14-day detox and eliminated bread, pasta, grains, sugar and other unhealthy foods. I started drinking fresh “green juice” for breakfast (not nearly as bad as it sounds!) and eating nuts, seeds, fresh caught fish (mostly salmon, not a big fan of seafood) and fibrous veggies. I cut back on fruit (that was hard) and root vegetables (high in sugar – who knew?), and increased my water intake.By the end of the detox, I was amazed to find that my “brain fog” had lifted. I honestly thought it was early onset Alzheimer’s, so the relief was enormous. My clothes felt looser, so I could tell I had dropped some weight.That motivated me to keep at it. I am not a creative cook, and One Spirit Medicine is not a diet book with lots of recipes, so I googled “no carb, gluten-free recipes” and found a LOT of good ideas on the Internet. Following the broad guidelines in the book, I added quinoa (yum), avocado, coconut oil, and food supplements to my diet. Two months later, I have dropped at least 15 pounds and feel more energetic than I have in years. I have a sense of joy and peace that I realize has been missing from my life for a long time.I have learned so much from this book about how the body functions, and that has helped a lot as well – I have a better understanding of why I need to stick with the program. I’m also getting back in touch with my long-neglected spiritual side, though this is taking a little more effort than the dietary changes. But the focus on shamanism and energy medicine is interesting, and some of the spiritual exercises have been mind-opening.I am looking forward to my follow-up visit to the doctor and am certain my blood sugar levels have dropped. Keeping my fingers crossed on the cholesterol as well, despite a genetic predisposition. I feel so much better, I can’t imagine going back to my old eating habits.So, corny as it sounds, I can honestly say this book has changed my life. And for that I am grateful. I hope this review motives others to make changes in their lifestyle as well.

What I love about One Spirit Medicine is that it offers readers a full-circle view of wellness that is rarely seen in most books about health and healing. There are surely lots of great books out there on the value of detox and good nutrition, and perhaps a few that offer good info on how that connects with optimal brain function, achieving longevity and living with a greater happiness quotient in life. But there isn't much I've seen out there in book or program form that connects the ENTIRE spectrum of healing from its physical/psychological aspects to the mythic and essential facets that flesh-out the whole experience of human life.That is why this book is a stand-out.Ancient cultures have understood and preserved the wisdom of practices such as mythic story-telling, and journeying beyond death as key for self and tribe. They know that it is essential not only to survival, but of thriving. Alberto Villoldo has brought his experience of this knowledge into an easy-to access and simple-to-experience form in One Spirit Medicine and woven it with the developing science and mythic story-making in our contemporary world.For the reader who is ready to absorb what is presented in this volume and apply it deeply, there is time-tested truth behind what this author brings. I daresay at a time when we all need it. Do yourself and your world a favor: read this book and extrapolate it out. It is not only a book about "medicine" that is good for YOUR optimal wellness....but I believe it provides a template for how to create a well-world for ALL OF US. Great job, Alberto Villoldo.

Our bodies are capable of healing themselves and this book delves into that and although I’m not finished reading it I feel that anyone seeking an alternative to healing this book is worth getting.

Excellent read so far! Alberto Villoldo is authentic, seasoned, and captivating withOne Spirit wisdom.

I am loving this book. Alberto Villoldo does an excellent job of introducing us to some of the fundamentals of Functional Medicine (a much improved approach to wellness over conventional medicine) so that we can reset our physical and mental health in ways not thought possible until fairly recently. Then he takes us into the depths, once again, of the wisdom traditions. I'm currently reading the chapter Embracing a New Mythology and also wanted to recommend The Shamanic Astrology Handbook as an excellent tool for digging into one's Personal Mythology - the story the Cosmos wants to tell through YOU. This is not your ordinary astrological paradigm, in fact it's not predictive in any way. These two books work together to powerfully shift one into a new mythology and open the doors to its full expression at a time when each of us is asked to bring our best to the edge of evolution.

This book is a powerful one! If you are a lover of nutrition, holistic living, and/or spirituality, this is the book for you. Dr. Billfolds has experience with indigenous people of the Amazon working to become connected to the earth the way they have been for millennia.

When I picked up this book I didn't know what to expect. Within the very first pages, I found the message to be simple and clear. Dr. Alberto is an outstanding man, I struggle to find the words to describe him and his work. The One Spirit Medicine diet is delicious, my acne is clearing, my affinity for alcohol greatly decreased and my appetite for learning and serving and walking in my truth matches my actions. Very fast reading, it took me only 1 week and I was able to begin implementing most of what is suggested. Begin with yes.

I read many,and this book is one of my favorites

If you care about your body, and want to ensure it is working at its optimal level, read this book. It was an eye-opener for me. I knew some of the points made, but to understand the science behind it all made for a fascinating read.

If you only ever read one book, let it be this one. Essential in every healers’ toolbox. Thank you, Alberto.

Libro che sarebbe particolarmente interessante alle persone molto razionali e scientifiche. Ho trovato particolarmente interessanti i consigli sulle cose da mangiare e evitare, onde avere una dieta sana.

On y trouve plein d'informations de pointe sur la nutrition, le métabolisme, et comment favoriser le bon fonctionnement du corps et du cerveau en général. J'ai trouvé le tout très ludique et j'ai gardé pas mal de recommandations à mettre en pratique. Rien que pour ça je le recommande vivement au personnes intéressées par le sujet de la nutrition et les méthodes naturelles de santé.Cependant je dois avouer que jusqu'au dernier chapitre j'attendais de savoir enfin ce que c'était concrètement que la "one spirit medecin", ayant l'impression que l'auteur n'en venait pas aux faits. Un peu frustrant donc, meme si au dernier chapitre on a enfin des recommandations pour mettre en place soi meme un rituel périodique de quelques jours pour remettre le corps d'aplomb; et puis l'idée que la 'one spirit médecin' en cas de besoin il vaut mieux quand meme faire appel à un professionnel car c'est un peu un art (ou une science?) à part, et qui n'est pas à la portée du commun des mortels :p