Book excerpt: The Wisdom of Healing, by David Simon, M.D., is an engaging, thoroughly practical guide to the many benefits of mind body medicine, in particular those derived from the ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, David Simon has found a system based on individuality--on our unique responses to food, exercise, stress, medicine, surgery, and a wide range of external factors. By using the mind body questionnaire that begins on page 51 of The Wisdom of Healing, you can establish your own mind body type and find a daily routine that is ideally suited to creating optimal health for you. In these pages you will also learn how to use food as medicine; relaxation techniques; healing breath and neuromuscular exercises; techniques for detoxification, purification, and rejuvenation; and strategies for addressing such specific conditions as reproduction and pregnancy, aging, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain. Intermingled with medical advice is the story of the author's journey as a young medical student, his disappointment with the traditional emphasis on the mechanics of disease and diagnosis, and his discovery of a medical science that focuses on the patient in its strategies for achieving and maintaining optimal health. By integrating this book's information into your life you will become as nature intended--restored to optimal health in body, mind, and spirit, free to experience the joy in every moment.