"AIM AND SCOPE OF THE BOOK: The aim of this dictionary is to provide a quick and user friendly, reference guide to the common terms used within Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). In light of the continued growth in use and popularity of CAM, it is the authors intention to use this guide as a, “resource for improving communication among practitioners of various disciplines and between patients using those practice and their conventional health care providers.” At first sight this may present itself as an ambitious task, due to the universal magnitude and diversity of the field of CAM. However, the authors make no claims to be fully comprehensive in their inclusion of terms within the dictionary. Instead they attempt to provide, “those terms most commonly used in CAM practices, in the CAM literature, and also by patients in areas of the world where conventional medicine predominates.” Therefore, from the outset a non-standard dictionary format can be expected in which descriptive information regarding CAM terms and practices are often favoured. SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS: The dictionary contains approximately 6600 definitions that cover the five areas of CAM as outlined by the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) being; alternative health care systems, mind-body interventions, biologically-based therapies, energy therapies, manipulative and body-based healing methods. These definitions encompass not only CAM interventions, but also include, amongst others, many medical, legal, ethical, anatomy & physiology terms. Over 500 illustrations are used to support and visually illustrate the definitions discussed. Standard expanded pronunciations and synonyms are also included. In addition, the dictionary offers 24 appendices exploring the history, theory and practice of a number of CAM interventions/systems. CRITIQUE: Aesthetically this dictionary is pleasing, with the information clearly presented, and, with useful and appropriate illustrations. The dictionary sets out to be universal, however, there is clearly bias within the text towards CAM within the USA, in terms of the criteria for inclusion and the description of definitions. However, in terms of the main scope of the dictionary the information is clearly applicable to users outside of the USA, due to the generic nature of many of the definitions included. This dictionary is highly appropriate for use by those outside the CAM field as a quick reference tool, in order to introduce new ideas, concepts, words and common themes used within CAM. As it is also appropriate for use by those within the CAM field as a valuable present resource that can contribute towards professional practice. This dictionary should therefore be read in the context of the point of time and the professional boundaries of CAM – both in its depth and breadth. One would hope that this is the beginning of a series of editions and that future editions continue to be fully revised in order to continue to meet the aims of the dictionary and to document the changes in CAM care. As CAM continues to evolve, developing its own language, its own skills and competencies this dictionary can only serve to benefit communication and understanding between CAM practitioners, conventional health care providers and patients. "