This book examines alternative healing practices in American popular culture. From traditional folk approaches to twenty-first century developments, this book discusses the rise and fall of more than 100 popular approaches to addressing both physical ailments and mental health needs. The author provides illuminating descriptions of popular treatments, describing their underlying philosophies, the historical impetus behind each, and their fate with consumers. The book casts a critical yet sympathetic historical eye on the development of numerous popular remedies and how they came to serve (or not) their users. It also looks at both notable "alternative" therapies and therapies that emerged or split off from the mainstream to address a different need of their audiences. This book explores treatments designed for healing the body, the mind, the spirit, and all three. -- adapted from Amazon.com description.

Pre-1900. Introduction ; Bloodletting and leeching ; Chinese traditional medicine ; Folk medicine ; Homeopathy ; Hydrotherapy ; Hysteria ; Medicine shows ; Mesmerism and hypnotherapy ; Moral treatment ; Native American traditional medicine ; Neurasthenia, or nervous exhaustion ; Patent medicines ; Phrenology ; Purgatives and emetics ; Sanatoriums ; Sanitation campaigns and public health ; Spas and mineral waters ; Spiritualism ; Witch trials and exorcisms -- 1900-1950s. Introduction ; Anthroposophic medicine ; Anxiety and its treatment ; Art and music therapy ; Behavior theories and therapies ; Chiropractic ; Client-centered therapy ; Depression and its treatment ; Dianetics ; Diet and exercise ; Dream interpretation ; Electroconvulsive therapy ; Faith healing and prayer ; Gestalt therapy ; Jung and Jungian analysis ; Lobotomy and other "psychosurgeries" ; Mental hospitals ; Orgone therapy ; Osteopathy ; Psychoanalysis ; Sex, sexology, and sex therapy ; 12-step programs -- 1960s-1970s. Introduction ; Acupuncture ; Alternative diagnostics ; Aromatherapy and essential oils ; Astrology ; Ayurvedic medicine ; Biofeedback ; Craniosacral therapy ; Dance therapy ; Encounter groups ; Est and other "human potential" therapies ; Existential psychotherapy ; Feldenkrais method ; Herbal remedies ; Macrobiotics ; Magnet therapy ; Meditation and mindfulness ; Milieu therapy and therapeutic community ; Primal therapy and feeling therapy ; Reflexology ; Rolfing ; Vegetarianism ; Voodoo and santeria ; Yoga -- 1980s-2000. Introduction ; Aging prevention, or "successful aging" ; Anger and anger management ; Antioxidants ; Codependency counseling ; Crystals ; Detox diets ; Diet pills and metabolism boosters ; Guided imagery, or visualization ; Health and wellness gurus ; Infomercials and wellness promotion ; Juice and juicing ; Mind-body medicine ; Naturopathic medicine ; Past life regression therapy ; Recovered memory therapy, "split personality," and Satanism ; Recovery movement ; Reiki and therapeutic touch ; Self-help ; Shamanism and neo-shamanism ; Shiatsu ; Stress and stress management ; Sweat lodges and saunas ; Tai chi and qigong ; Vitamins and minerals ; Walking and jogging -- 2000-present. Introduction ; Bottled water ; Breathwork ; Cupping ; Deep brain stimulation ; Drama therapy ; Eating organic ; Fat and obesity surgery - and other weight-loss methods ; Narrative therapy and writing therapy ; Neurodiversity ; Paleo diet ; Pet therapy ; Psychedelic drugs.