Failures of American Medicine, The
by: Richard Jensen
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First Sentence:
To understand why conventional American medicine has failed to help tens of millions of Americans, you first need to know why this problem has not effectively been addressed in the first place.
From the Author
During my transition from adolescent to adult, I developed blood sugar swings, eye problems, asthma, and anxiety. Shockingly, when I went to various doctors for treatment of these problems, the usual response was "I can't help you". Fed up with both conventional and alternative medicine, I decided to do my own research on medical subjects that affect me and tens of millions of other Americans. The result is a unique and highly informative book that will help many American patients and physicians to properly deal with chronic illness.
Reviews:
Practical information and help for the chronically ill
This book would appear to be required reading for anyone who has a chronic medical condition (including psychiatric conditions), who is unsatisfied with how that condition is being managed, and who is willing to make the effort to self-educate and take control of his or her own health again (with continued appropriate medical consultation).
Jensen provides compelling evidence to support his suggestions that (to name a few): American medicine is the best in the world for emergencies (like a heart attack), but it falls short for chronic conditions (including psychiatric conditions) that affect the majority of patients. Funding for research is skewed toward investigating proprietary drugs that will make a profit, but not toward investigating the often powerful effects of vitamins or other substances that cannot provide high profits. Physicians are too conservative with respect to new treatments, and often more oriented by business considerations than scientific ones. At the same time there are a number of standard treatments that have great potential for harm. Pharmaceutical drugs can be very helpful, but should not be taken lightly, because they are the leading cause of drug-related deaths!
His book is filled with useful lists about medications and vitamins (e.g., potential problems from high intake of vitamins, potentially lethal or merely annoying side effects of prescription and over-the-counter drugs). He provides an introduction, three chapters on medications, natural drugs and vitamins, three chapters on chronic physical illness, and five chapters on chronic psychiatric problems.
Jensen leaves little doubt about what he thinks about key issues of American healthcare. Although not everyone will agree with some of the wide-ranging solutions he proposes (e.g., on pages 17-18 he suggests significant changes in the educational system), he provides clear rationales throughout his book. He cites the scientific evidence at length, and is well prepared to summarize that evidence, given his advanced degree in molecular biology.
This book is packed with hard-nosed scientific information that is a must-read for all doctors, both conventional and naturopathic. The benefits and drawbacks of both pharmaceutical and "natural" drug therapies are discussed in detail. The main topics include: chronic diet-related diseases, cancer, allergies/asthma, and anxiety/depression. With 540 references from reputable scientific journals, Jensen has blazed a trail into uncharted territory when it comes to pointing out the myriad of weaknesses in American medicine. Perhaps even more importantly, he goes into detail as to why or why not certain drugs should be taken, which can greatly help the average American patient choose between therapies. This book may be hard to read if the reader does not have a degree in science, but his common-sense approach helps a lot.