believing your doctor can be fatal
922318
Tom Warren's doctors told him to go home and to prepare to die of Alzheimer's Disease.  Luckily Warren had the moxie to defy them, and the smarts to educate himself about likely causes of Alzheimer's, (in his case a heavy metal intoxication), and find a doctor willing to believe him.  He recovered, and the Witnesses of Aesculapius with whom he had been dealing, were so caught up in their dogmas that they were unable to fathom his recovery; one even accused him of forging an MRI scan.

This book is a must read because it describes an incredible accomplishment, in its right every bit the equal of the exploits of Lewis and Clark, and, more importantly, because it very effectively disabuses all but the dullest of readers of the today's widespread belief in the infallibility of the Gods in White Coats.
850424
When someone is hurt during medical treatment it is an understandable reaction to blame the doctor for the harm. However, the great majority of errors which occur in medicine are a simple consequence of conscientious doctors being fallible human beings just like the rest of us. Hospital systems are generally full of design faults which pre-dispose doctors to make mistakes. Blaming doctors for simply being human directs attention away from these design faults, reduces the chance that system improvements will be made, and makes it likely that the same error will repeat itself in the future - thus perpetuating patient harm. Human error cannot be avoided, but patient harm can, through better systems and procedures. Genuinely negligent acts do occur in medicine, but it is important that these are distinguished from the inevitable human errors of clinicians doing their best. This is a distinction which is also required in law to ensure fairness in both the prosecution of negligent doctors and the compensation of harmed patients. This book goes several steps beyond the Institute of Medicine Report ("To Err is Human") in identifying the mechanisms and nature of error within health care and in its detailed discussion of the intricacies of culpability, blame, violation, error, legal fairness, and patient safety.
3878881
Just read Lynn Moretti's book "The Final Count is 4". I cried thru the whole story. I hope the doctor who tried to kill you is no longer practicing medicine in the USA. I hope the nurse who can't count up to 4 is no longer in the operating room. And finally, I hope every medical professional in USA can read this book and learn from it. Thank you, Michael Moretti, Christina Moretti, and Jaime L Salinas for sharing your perspective in the book, as well.
3789496
This is a must read, if you think the medical industry is trying to kill you well you are right.
Dr.s only treat the symptoms and nothing else and why do you think that is?......
664984
It is very sad how the medical-pharmaceutical conglomerate has absconded with the health of our society.  Free will can only be exercised when the patient has "Informed Consent".  This cannot be accomplished when your physician has massively inadequate knowledge in numerous areas in which they feel competent (but are not).  This book, written by the scientist who discovered the PSA (prostate specific antigen molecule) exposes all that he has now learned regarding the misuse by doctors and surgeons of his discovery. Read it and learn. David Getoff, CCN, FAAIM
4041136
More than 50% of practicing physicians reported feeling burnt out. More than 20% of physicians reported plans to leave the practice of medicine in the next three years. Physicians commit suicide at the twice the rate seen in the general population. And more than 50% of adult Americans live with one or more chronic diseases. These signs points to an impending public health crisis, where there will not be enough physicians to care for the US population. Dr. Wible's book helps shed light on some of the reasons why so many physicians are feeling burnt out, why so many physicians are leaving the practice of medicine, why so many physicians have committed suicide, and why so many physicians, myself included, are advising their children to not enter the practice of medicine. Required reading for the spouse, parent, or partner of any physician, and for any student contemplating a career in medicine.
1979612
This book is excellent for elderly persons and for those with serious illnesses.  Kiernan's main point is that death in America is increasingly gradual rather than sudden, and is typically preceded by a long period of illness.  Yet most doctors have almost no training at all in the care of terminal patients.  The result is that patients frequently suffer unnecessarily.  Be warned that some of the stories Kiernan tells of patients' last days in ICUs are nothing short of horrifying.  I was stunned to find out that it is common practice for patients who are clearly already dead to have their clothes cut open and their hearts defibrillated and injected with adrenaline.

The American medical system is presently in a state of ever-diminishing returns.  Costs keep rising, but health is not substantially improved; in fact, in many cases health is worsened by the aggressive medical interventions so common today.  My husband and I spend a substantial chunk of our incomes on insurance for ourselves and our son.  Are we getting our money's worth?  I don't think so.  Kiernan's book makes clear that a large part of the reason is that doctors are too cowardly to face a patient and admit that there isn't much more they can do. The fact is, though, that everyone dies sooner or later.  I certainly hope that when my own time comes, I will die pain-free in peaceful surroundings, with music playing and someone there to hold my hand.

As a lawyer myself, I felt that Kiernan had too little to say on the contribution of lawyers to the problem of terminal illness and quality of care at the end of life.  I think that one important change that needs to be made is a simple state or federal law that forbids suing a doctor for malpractice if he chooses not to implement certain treatments.  I would propose that this list include: all forms of open-heart surgery, including cardiac bypass; heart defibrillation after cardiac arrest; CT and MRI scans; chemotherapy for persons who are over age 70 or who have other serious illnesses; and ICU treatment for persons over age 70 or who are terminally ill.  Doctors would still be free to order these treatments if they felt that they were clinically necessary or desirable, but they would no longer have to live in fear of being sued if they don't take every step imaginable.

If you are considering surgery or other high-tech medical treatment, I would suggest pairing this book with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Last-Well-Person-How-to-Stay-Well-Despite-the-Health-Care-System/dp/0773532544/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Last Well Person: How to Stay Well Despite the Health-Care System</a>.
3212496
Remember the apocryphal story told of first day of medical school in years past.  "Look at the person to the left of you," intones the Dean, "look at the person to the right.  One of the three of you will not be here by the end of the year."  Those days are thankfully over.  But, a more current and prescient observation would conclude, "Two of you are going to get sued for malpractice!"  We all know the best defenses against lawsuits: empathy and thoroughness.  However, medicine isn't easy under the best of circumstances, and the overly busy, complicated, fast-paced, slam-bam atmosphere of an emergency department creates even more room for error, even for the thoughtful and skilled.

Weinstock, et al, takes us through ten mystery cases, each engagingly described and accompanied by actual chart notes, detailed recollections of patient, families and physicians as well as verbatim court transcripts.  Almost as chilling as the bad outcome is the very real cross-examination of the defendant physician.  More importantly, each case is analyzed as an ongoing journey through land-mined territory.  If you're a physician in training this is a wonderful, easily read, teaching tool.  For those more seasoned, it's guaranteed to put the hairs up on the back of your neck.

Rob Crane, MD
4001072
This was a good read. As a hospital patient we will always assume we are putting our life in the hands of a caring and competent professional-it is a given. But what if that provider is not competent, or worse malevolent? What a scary concept! As a health care provider, the book was very good-I did enjoy it and would recommend to others.
3081763
We all (or at least I) have gone to the doctor and sometimes wondered if we're getting the whole (and accurate) truth about our health.  Sometimes, I feel like I've been rushed out with only given a small window for discussion or questions.  Dr. Miya's wisdom is something that I think we all should pay attention to!  Before you're next visit, check out his book.
178982
This book does not provide all the facts on the education of non MD advanced practice providers who are safe and sometimes safer than an MD or DO who are able to take a test/exam to get through medical school but are poor practitioners.  Anyone using the medical system these days should examine their medical/healthcare provider to the fullest regardless of the credentials after their name.  This includes malpractice judgments, lawsuits, bad ratings or evaluations on the internet which are now available, additionally word of mouth from local area providers is valuable.  It appears that this author may have a bit of bias due to a personal bad outcome or experience.  My education, experience and 28 professional years as a healthcare provider have me agreeing on some of this information, however extremely opposed on much of the misleading and incorrect information regarding advance practice nurses and physician assistants.
Cheryl Schosky CRNA, MSN
3892383
This is a wonderful insight into the life of a  Doctor who cares so much for his patients .
I liked the part where just doing your best really isn't good enough!
To survive Mortality is to arrive at the end in the most comfortable and meanigful way possible, and we can see how that can be helped greatly with the aid of a good and caring Doctor.
As an added attraction,the author weaves in his exciting and thought provoking experiences serving on a nuclear Submarine as it barely survives near misseis in the metal crushing dark depths of the ocean.
 Lots of real life experiences of this fascinating doctor make for a great read.!
3547925
Diagnosis Death by Richard L. Mabry Ph. D. is the third book in the Prescription for Trouble medical thriller series. Dr. Elena Gardner is still grieving the death of her husband Mark, who died after a cerebral hemorrhage left him brain dead. The circumstances of his actual death are under suspicion because while Elena doesn't remember turning off his ventilator, she can't swear that she didn't do it either. She's only a few weeks away from the end of her residency when a patient, in similar condition to Mark, dies after his ventilator is turned off, and someone has forged Elena's signature on his medical file. Coupled with strange phone calls every Tuesday night at midnight from a sobbing woman, make Elena a bit relieved to leave her position early and take up her new position helping out a pregnant doctor in Dainger, Texas. She hopes that the distance will give her time to recover from her grief and repair her reputation as a doctor, but it seems as though she can't run from them, no matter where she goes. While this is the third book in the series, readers don't need to be familiar with the previous volumes to dive right into this thrilling story. Mabry uses medical detail to raise the tension without ever becoming overly technical. Elena is a sympathetic character, but readers will occasionally want to give her a good shake when she insists on taking some not-so-bright moves. The ending was a bit contrived, I can't say much without giving it away, but it took a bit more suspension of disbelief to accept the identity of the villain(s). Still, Mabry does a good job of selling it, and his ability to ratchet up the tension while adding twists and turns makes him a writer to follow. This reviewer's prescription is to sit back and enjoy the ride.
1814733
The author is very knowledgeable about the challenges facing medical practitioners in general and physicians in particular. I found the cautionary tales most helpful since what better way to learn than from other people's mistakes. Just avoiding those mistakes could go a long way in preserving our harder-and-harder-earned money. I am a clinical pharmacist by the way.
1012762
This book has many thought provoking ideas. The first is that physician need to learn to
listen to and tell stories. If the physician cannot listen to the patient's story, the patient
cannot trust the physician. That is a key element why physicians will lose public support
as they abandon treating people and focus on treating the disease they specialize in.
The second item to appreciate is that all the statistics and abstract computaitons
used by the bureaucrats to control medicine can be undermined by good stories
that reflect the experience of patients. Remember that the story of the Good
Samaritan is powerful. The talking heads who think that they can deceive people
with statistics and then condemn Americans as being stupid, deserve to be outcasts.
Medicine must have humanity in the hands of physicians.
3246494
Life and death and cancer and a doctor and a patient. Great read.
972854
Far too many people these days are blindly trusting everything that their medical doctors are sharing with them about how to best manage the disease and so-called diseases of our time. Take "high cholesterol," for example. Rather than examining what impact this is having on health, doctors have become convinced by pharmaceutical companies to just automatically prescribe statin drugs to artificially "lower" cholesterol rates despite the fact that there have been no studies showing a correlation between taking this risky and dangerous medication and lower heart attacks. And for women, NO research has been conducted on them at all. Just as many people have a heart attack who are taking a statin like Lipitor or Crestor as those who are not. We don't have a statin drug deficiency...we have a nutritional deficiency that Dr. Niraj Nijhawan so brilliantly points out in this book.

He's on a mission to start what he describes as a "healthcare revolution" where people take back control of their own health. Because whether we'd like to admit it or not, this isn't about Obamacare or any other kind of government-structured healthcare system. It's about YOU making better choices about your own health and taking responsibility for such. The sooner we stop being lemmings to every little thing our doctors are saying about health (NEWSFLASH: they are pill pushers first and don't always understand the ramifications of what they are telling patients to do), the sooner we can resolve the health crisis that has befallen us.

MODERN MEDICINE IS KILLING YOU is meant to incite anger at the current system while also encouraging you to do your part to make sure you don't fall victim to it. I wish everyone on Capitol Hill, the White House, members of the American Medical Association, and medical school students were required to read this book. It would radically change the future direction of the health of Americans if they did.