Rating: 
Summary: Hear Ye, Hear Ye
Review: If you do NOT have a medical doctor, you should read this book.
If you DO have a medical doctor, you should read this book.
If you INTEND to become a medical doctor, you should read this book.
If you ARE a medical doctor you should read this book.I have just re-read my copyrighted 1979 version of Confessions of a Medical Heretic. It's alarming to consider that, published 22 years ago, this book is as fresh a read as if it were published this week. Imagine the conditions that must exist today! I have read in alternative health for 40 years; own several hundred books ranging from acupuncture & chiropractic to iridology & kinesiology; have dated works that include the writings of Royal Lee and Weston Price; owned and operated a health food store for five years; taught the seriously ill that diabetes, CVD, even emphysema, cancer and AIDS, are all utterly curable. Dr. Mendelsohn's work is an inspiration. In a latter section of his book, he explains what today's doctor should--and could--be. And it makes me weep for all Americans trying to recoup their health, indeed weep for the people of those countries whose doctors come to America "to study, to learn." Why? It brings to mind the thousands of customers who came into my health shop spitting out venomous remarks about their doctors. Americans, by and large, dislike and distrust their doctors. On countless occasions I retorted: no one, NO ONE, worked harder than your doctor to get where he is. NO one wants more to help you than your doctor. When you and I were in high school, how did we spend Saturday night? You know darned well how. Your doctor, on the other hand, was burning the midnight oil--STARTING IN HIGH SCHOOL--to be at the top of the class, to get into the best college, to be accepted at the best med school, to nail the best internship and residency. He worked feverishly for 20 years before buying that Mercedes.
Please don't see him as the enemy. Help him. Take him a book. Take him a book on magnesium, vitamin C, CoQ10. Take him a book on iridology, on handwriting analysis, on reflexology. All the fuss over public education, all the money wasted on American schooling? Quit wasting time over trying to reform it...turn it over to the Catholics. All the fuss over medical education and treatment, all the money wasted on useless study? Quit wasting time trying to reform it...turn it over to Dr. Mendelsohn. Visualize the sickest nation in the world as healthy again.
Visualize the most awful diseases not as scary, but as cured.
Visualize Americans trim and vigorous again.
Visualize insurance premiums plummetting! Visualize a nation in love with its hard-working doctors. So many MDs have led the way for us in the field of alternative medicine. Dr. Mendelsohn is a hero to have bucked the system, and to have given this book--this shocking accounting of the American medical system--to his countrymen. Confessions of a Medical Heretic is a must read for any American under age 120---and for any foreigner whose MD "studied" in America.
Rating:
Summary: Take charge of your health
Review: This is a MUST READ book for every person who is interested in optimum health. Dr. Mendelsohn exposes the medical monopoly that limits our choices. This book is an excellent start because it reveals the manipulation and fear that is used by medical practioners. This book has the potential to open your mind and help you start questioning "procedures" and seek alternative choices. Dr. Mendelsohn, as a teacher in a medical school with excellent credentials, disarms the medical mystique. You also may want to read Male Practice by Robert Mendelsohn and What Doctor's Don't tell you by Lynne McTaggert.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging and Though-Provoking.
Review: With alternative medicine and treatments gaining popularity, many are writing off the medical profession as a whole, opting for naturopathic and homeopathic treatments instead of the standard "treat it with a pill" mentality that the medical profession thrives off of. For these people, Dr. Mendelsohn's "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is a must read. "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is obviously more of an opinionated piece rather than a hard, scientific study, though Dr. Mendelsohn has plenty of statistics in his arsenal to fire at the reader. He compares the medical establishment to a church ("The Church of Modern Medicine"), where patients go religiously and on blind faith, trusting whatever is told to them about their health. A good checkup from a doctor is like the sacraments of the church. He warns that a lot of medication is unnecessary, and often more harmful considering that the side effects of medication are often more severe than the illness it is being used to treat. He also preaches that most surgery is unnecessary, visiting the doctor on a regular basis is unnecessary, and trusting what the doctor tells you could be hazardous to your health. Even if you don't buy into this as you read, he makes a good point that we are our own best judges, in terms of health. We should question what the doctors are doing to us, and we should know all the risks. He also expands on the common belief that the medical profession is moved by money, and that the patients needs are often secondary. Even the merits of things like hospital rules (visiting hours) and the use of tools like the X-ray machine and the stethoscope are called into question. It makes for some interesting reading, but like all things, you should take it with a grain of salt. Dr. Mendelsohn does keep in mind contingencies where medical treatment is essential, like accident or gunshot victims, but he does go overboard with encouraging all people to avoid doctors and hospitals. Maybe this is hard for me to swallow, being raised with blind faith in the "Church of Modern Medicine". I see a strong need for doctors, and going to the doctor to ensure that my blood pressure, cholesterol, and organ function is all in check is essential to my well being. I cannot take Dr. Mendelsohn at his word and just give it up. But I liked the fact that the book made me think harder about the medical establishment that I have subscribed to my entire life. I guess in that respect Dr. Mendelsohn succeeded in getting his message across to me. One flaw that I feel plagued "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is the lack of footnoting. He gives some very specific numbers and statistics to back up his points, but he does not quote his sources. In the bibliography, he mentions that his reason is that a) he didn't want to ruin the pace of the book, and b) he wanted his points to be taken as common sense. When presenting hard data, it would be nice to know the source. Not to include footnoting when quoting or giving data is sloppy structuring. Overall, I enjoyed "Confessions of a Medical Heretic". It is engaging and well written, and is sure to provoke though and stimulate conversation. As with most books of this kind, I do take it with a grain of salt and I am not about to put anything Dr. Mendelsohn says into practice. But this is a book that will give the reader a new perspective on the medical establishment.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and Though-Provoking.
Review: With alternative medicine and treatments gaining popularity, many are writing off the medical profession as a whole, opting for naturopathic and homeopathic treatments instead of the standard "treat it with a pill" mentality that the medical profession thrives off of. For these people, Dr. Mendelsohn's "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is a must read. "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is obviously more of an opinionated piece rather than a hard, scientific study, though Dr. Mendelsohn has plenty of statistics in his arsenal to fire at the reader. He compares the medical establishment to a church ("The Church of Modern Medicine"), where patients go religiously and on blind faith, trusting whatever is told to them about their health. A good checkup from a doctor is like the sacraments of the church. He warns that a lot of medication is unnecessary, and often more harmful considering that the side effects of medication are often more severe than the illness it is being used to treat. He also preaches that most surgery is unnecessary, visiting the doctor on a regular basis is unnecessary, and trusting what the doctor tells you could be hazardous to your health. Even if you don't buy into this as you read, he makes a good point that we are our own best judges, in terms of health. We should question what the doctors are doing to us, and we should know all the risks. He also expands on the common belief that the medical profession is moved by money, and that the patients needs are often secondary. Even the merits of things like hospital rules (visiting hours) and the use of tools like the X-ray machine and the stethoscope are called into question. It makes for some interesting reading, but like all things, you should take it with a grain of salt. Dr. Mendelsohn does keep in mind contingencies where medical treatment is essential, like accident or gunshot victims, but he does go overboard with encouraging all people to avoid doctors and hospitals. Maybe this is hard for me to swallow, being raised with blind faith in the "Church of Modern Medicine". I see a strong need for doctors, and going to the doctor to ensure that my blood pressure, cholesterol, and organ function is all in check is essential to my well being. I cannot take Dr. Mendelsohn at his word and just give it up. But I liked the fact that the book made me think harder about the medical establishment that I have subscribed to my entire life. I guess in that respect Dr. Mendelsohn succeeded in getting his message across to me. One flaw that I feel plagued "Confessions of a Medical Heretic" is the lack of footnoting. He gives some very specific numbers and statistics to back up his points, but he does not quote his sources. In the bibliography, he mentions that his reason is that a) he didn't want to ruin the pace of the book, and b) he wanted his points to be taken as common sense. When presenting hard data, it would be nice to know the source. Not to include footnoting when quoting or giving data is sloppy structuring. Overall, I enjoyed "Confessions of a Medical Heretic". It is engaging and well written, and is sure to provoke though and stimulate conversation. As with most books of this kind, I do take it with a grain of salt and I am not about to put anything Dr. Mendelsohn says into practice. But this is a book that will give the reader a new perspective on the medical establishment.
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