Effortless Healing by Joseph Mercola presents nine principles to help your body heal itself. Mercola was trained in the traditional methods of health care and now emphasizes alternative medicine. Here are the nine healing principles he describes,

Drink pure water
Eat your veggies
Burn fat for fuel
Exercise less and gain more benefits
Enjoy the sun and get your vitamin D
Let your gut flourish
Clean your brain with sleep
Go barefoot – and other ways to stay grounded
Avoid these six “health foods”

Mercola defines effortless healing as, “getting out of your body’s way and letting it naturally do what it’s meant to do” (p. 20). He claims the benefits of effortless healing enable you to add years to your lifespan and gain more energy (p. 21). The emphasis throughout the book is on the importance of healthy eating and exercise to promote one’s health.

Mercola points out the value of a healthy diet and peak fitness. He describes peak fitness as high intensity interval-type training. “Peak Fitness also boosts the hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (p. 118).

In addition to the well-documented practices of a healthy diet and exercise he also posits some alternative medicine practices. Some of the practices that he describes that have mixed reviews are the benefits of structured water, grounding or earthing, and  Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Some people believe these techniques are helpful whereas others view them as pseudo science bordering on consumer fraud.

The title of the book may be somewhat of a misnomer. If your lifestyle does not incorporate a healthy diet and exercise then it will take some effort to incorporate these practices into your life. The author has a included a chapter helping you to develop these principles into you daily routine.

Overall, Mercola has written a helpful book and even though you may not agree with all of his advice, you will find helpful information. (I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review).

RickAssociate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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