Beautiful Medicine

In this inspiring look at the essence of health and healing, David Mercier offers a way of redefining, and often upending, many conventional notions that shape healthcare. He illustrates key ideas with stories from his life, including his years as a hippie and as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, of his personal struggles in childhood as well as his illness and depression in his twenties, and with poignant stories about his patients. Drawing upon the teachings of mystics, philosophers, and poets, he redefines health in surprising ways. The spiritual and the psychological elements of our lives must be included, he says, if we are to better understand our symptoms. If we uncover the human narrative underlying our symptoms, we often find the true diagnosis lying in unfinished emotional business, or in the values, priorities, and choices that shape dysfunctional lifestyles. By listening carefully, we can hear the voice of a profound evolutionary drive speaking to us through our symptoms. It encourages us to transform into the best human beings possible. In the end, the experience of love, meaning, and beauty moves us toward optimal wellness. A Beautiful Medicine helps show the way.