Comprehensive to its core, this text brings relevant aspects of alternative medicine to the forefront and ties it into allopathic healthcare as it pertains to understanding the whole individual. More importantly, Johnston presents a shift in mindset toward illness—from battling it to embracing it. Throughout, topics such as cosmic consciousness (utilized at length in Eastern medicine by yogis), chronic inflammation, and a need for greater patient empowerment are explored in depth. The author paints broad strokes on the medical landscape by providing a glimpse into earlier times, when typhoid and diphtheria almost certainly meant a death sentence, and a foray into the advent of numerous medical specialties, from psychiatry to emergency medicine.

Fittingly titled, the metaphor of the eagle navigating through the storms is juxtaposed with the human being who faces dark storms of depression and despair but learns to soar by embracing and fully understanding the darkness holistically. Johnston uses this comparison to communicate how one should approach healthcare’s storms effectively. Perhaps the most intriguing is the paradigm shift on addictions and weight loss, which is often predicated on perception rather than an evaluation of how one is actually feeling, skinny or otherwise.

Unlike other books on healthcare, what sets this one apart is its ability to unpack complex topics with ease. This uncanny skillset is never more evident than in Johnston’s discussion of forgiveness, where he uses Donald Trump as exhibit one. Later, he dedicates an entire section to the Covid-19 pandemic and the dichotomy between approaching one’s situation with love versus fear. The root of healthcare, Johnston suggests, is to learn to be happy regardless of the outcome and explore within one’s spirit.

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