CONCEPTS OF HEALTH & WELL-BEINGTO IMPROVE AND DETOXIFY CONTEMPORARY LIFE The insights, assessments and counsel of St Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen's Spiritual Remedies by Wighard Strelow. ISBN-13 : 9780892819850 Imprint : Healing Arts Press Format : Paperback Book Reviewed by Pieter Uys. Evidence accumulates for the increasing prevalence of auto-immune diseases in our time. Immune responses to self-antigens derive from a number of complex disorders of unknown etiology. The immune system functions according to an intricate and integrated control system vulnerable to disruption. The development of auto-immunity has a myriad causes based on the interactions between genetic and environmental factors. “In some cases, autoimmune diseases are three times more common now than they were several decades ago.” ~ Donna Jackson Nakazawa. These same afflictions were known and cured 850 years ago by the physician, poet, prophet, musician and mystic, Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179). Although today the ‘Sybil of the Rhine’ is celebrated primarily for her music, she was a polymath who excelled also as botanist, composer, herbalist and philosopher. In her treatises on healing, Hildegard anticipated a time when the earth and humankind would’ve become desperately ill and imbalanced. She provided specific remedies for individuals to reclaim their health, repair their collective home and restore the unity of mind, soul and body. Her works on medicine and natural history, Physica (The Book of Simple Medicine) comprising nine chapters, and Causae et Curae (The Book of Causes and Cures) also appear as one volume, titled The Subtleties of the Diverse Natures of Created Things. Physica represents an encyclopaedic description of the qualities of elements, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, plants, metals, precious stones and jewels. In its examination of the human body and its connections to the rest of the natural world, Causae et Curae inter alia describes 300 plants, and 47 diseases by etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Herbal medicine is often accompanied by magical procedures, rituals or incantations. For Hildegard, plants possessed powers far surpassing those associated with symptomatic relief. Her remedies and therapies encompass crystals, gemstones, herbs, flowers, meditation and the contemplation of scriptural passages. Herbs often feature as an ingredient in treatment protocols related to dream patterns. Based upon Hildegard's Book of Life’s Merits, this work by Dr Strehlow arranges her writings and insights according to her understanding of four healing modalities. They are: Physical healing by means of natural remedies and nutrition; Healing through the 35 spiritual forces of the soul; Healing with the power of the four cosmic elements, and Restoration through unity with the divine. Liber Vitae Meritorum (The Book of Life’s Merits) illumines the connection between physical illness and the sickness of the soul. The mind controls the body through the autonomic nervous system and others like the digestive and immune systems. This corresponds to contemporary healing theories like psycho-neuro-immunology. Hildegard identified physical symptoms as effects of negative thoughts and emotions. She linked the 35 vertebrae of the spinal cord to the same number of the body’s healing forces and their harmful opposites. Her steps to vibrant health hinder the vices whilst encouraging the virtues to restore the body. These 35 factors are discussed in chapters 3 - 7: The Eastman, The Westman, the Northman, The Southman and The New Elders' Ascent To The Summit, in the sections Crystal Therapy, Harmful Words, Healing Words, Organ Relationship and Spiritual Healing. Chapter 6 treats fasting as a way of discovering one's true personality. The importance of the unity of mind, soul and soul is a recurring theme of Hildegard’s words on health and healing. Holistic health flows forth from the harmonious interaction between the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual dimensions. In 'The Spiritual Remedies', Strehlow makes the wisdom, insight and knowledge of this extraordinary medieval visionary accessible in practical terms relevant to our age. Black and white illustrations, biographical notes on Hildegard and the author, plus an extensive bibliography and index, enhance this worthy tome.