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Distributed for Reaktion Books

The Medieval Guide to Healthy Living

A fresh look at medieval wellness that echoes modern healthy living concerns.
 
We often think of medieval medicine as strange, unhygienic, and unscientific, but The Medieval Guide to Healthy Living reveals a far richer story. Long before modern wellness trends, people in the Middle Ages were actively thinking about how to live well. They followed detailed health regimens, balanced diet with exercise, considered the effects of emotions, and sought to avoid illness through environmental awareness and routine care. This book sheds light on the practical and surprisingly relatable ways medieval individuals cared for body and mind. Drawing from historical sources that echo today’s wellness concerns, it offers a fresh, thoughtful view of a misunderstood era. In understanding their world, we might see our own in a new, more connected light.

336 pages | 25 halftones | 6.14 x 9.21 | © 2026

History: European History

Medieval Studies


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Reviews

"In The Medieval Guide to Healthy Living, Harvey offers a clearly written, lively exposé of medieval ideas about, and practices for, health and wellness that challenge our modern misconceptions of the era. At times serious but often infused with humor, Harvey’s work reminds us that concern for our health, and taking action to protect it, is part of what makes us human, even if our understanding of how the body works has changed over the centuries."

Lori Jones, adjunct professor, University of Ottawa, and author of "Patterns of Plague: Changing Ideas about Plague in England and France, 1348–1750"

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