Integrated Practitioner

'Everything that exists, exists against a background. All of our experiences, beliefs andunderstandings of health practice derive from a living, organic and constantly moving context:whether scientific, philosophical, cultural, aesthetic, biological or spiritual. It is useful thereforeto spend a little time understanding and reflecting on these building blocks of who we are. As practitioners, we don t always have time to do this... It s a little luxury... not essential, buthopefully a bit nourishing. Like a fireside cup of cocoa. Justin AmeryThis extraordinary new series fills a void in practitioner development and well-being. The bookstake a reflective step back from the tick-box, target-driven and increasingly regulated worldof 21st century health practice; and invite us to revisit what health and health practice actuallyare. Building carefully on the science and philosophy of health, each book addresses the messy,complex and often chaotic world of real-life health practice and offers an ancient but now almostrevolutionary understanding for students and experienced practitioners alike: that health practiceis a fundamentally creative and compassionate activity. The series as a whole helps practitioners to redefine and recreate their daily practice in waysthat are healthier for both patients and practitioners. The books provide a welcome antidote todemoralisation and burn-out amongst practitioners, reversing cynicism and reviving our feelingof pride in, and our understanding of, health practice. By observing practice life through differentlenses, they encourage the development of efficiency, effectiveness and, above all, satisfaction. The fifth book in this series, The Integrated Practitioner: Food for Thought, is written forreaders who prefer a more academic and reflective understanding of the themes of books 1-4. It incorporates the theoretical background for each of the concepts discussed in the first fourworkbooks, giving context to, and providing an underpinning of, modern medical practice. Brilliantly written, practitioners, students and trainees and GP trainers will find the enlightening,witty, conversational style a joy to read.