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Summary: Medical Dogma
Review: Clearly, this is a spokesman for the medical profession who is continuing the age-old attack on anything but traditional medicine, either out of ignorance or malice. That maybe harsh for those who give the book a quick read and let the humor brush over the misleading information. For anyone interested in a overall views of alternative medicines you need to read books by individuals not on the complete other side of alternative medicine. The book does do a good job of introducing common alternative methods but is very limited on todays specifics procedures.
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Summary: Disrespect takes away from author's credibility
Review: Dr. Rosenfeld, despite his grandfatherly appearance on the cover of this book, has a sharp wit which often degenerates to outright sarcasm in the course of this work. I did find Dr. Rosenfeld's review of "traditional" scientific studies that have been conducted around alternative medical theories informative. His emphasis on the double-blind, placebo study does have its limitations, however, and like many traditional Western doctors, Dr. Rosenfeld considers "anecdotal evidence" to be of significantly less scientific relevance because of its inability to take into account the numerous additional variables encountered. Even those therapies without Western science to back them up get reviewed by the author and he makes a point of saying, even if he completely discounts any theory behind the methodology, what possible dangers a therapy might hold for people with various conditions or whether the therapy really isn't capable of hurting anyone if they really want to try it. The most disturbing and off-putting element of this book is Dr. Rosenfeld's "humor" laced throughout the book. While bad puns like the chapter title "High Colonics and Coffee Enemas: Public Enema Number One" could possibly be ignored, episodes like the section on Ayurvedic medicine in which the author makes fun of the "tongue-twisting" Hindi words for the various doshas by comparing them to "something from a Danny Kaye movie" cannot. I found that while Dr. Rosenfeld was obviously trying to include in his information on each therapy anything that could possibly be construed as dangerous for a patient seeking help, he ended up including very outdated information that I doubt is seriously practiced any longer (like smearing individuals with goat dung to treat alcoholism Ayurvedically which the author admits probably isn't done at all currently but he still makes a point of mentioning it). If Dr. Rosenfeld had left out his "humor" the book would be much easier to read and the book would reflect the balance that is inherent within it. This balance is often obscured by his "wit" unfortunately.
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Summary: Alternative Medicine Review by a non-believer
Review: I am still in the process of reading through this book and I am appalled at the obfuscation, misdirection, and outright fraud perpetrated by a so-called follower of the scientific method. I suspect that Dr. Rosenfeld never left his office while writing this book. He quotes Dr. Varro Tyler as "arguably the best known advocate or and authority on herbal medicine in this country...". I question this since Dr. Tyler has been disproven too many times in the past. I suggest that the following people are significantly more qualified, less biased, and better trained. For example, Dr. Hulda Clark, Dr. Linda Rector-Page, Dr. H. C. A. Vogel, Dr. James A. Duke, Dr. John Heinerman, Richard Mabey, Steven Foster, Maude Grieve, and Lalitha Thomas are real experts and have materially aided thousands of people to improve their quality of life.
I guess what really turned me off was his arrogant attitude. It reeked of prejudice, bias, and an inability of losing his cut, burn, and or poison bent.
I am a survivor of cancer no thanks to the alopathic community. This book diss's me and those like me and I feel I wasted money buying it.
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Summary: New spokesman, same old story.
Review: I have been practicing chiropractic for nearly 40 years. During the 1960's and 1970's we expected medically oriented, biased attacks with great regularity. Dr. Rosenfeld, apparently an old timer himself, has picked up the battle where his AMA collegues left off. By pretending to embrace the various "alternatives" he mearly points out in his opinion why not to seek them out. His chapter on chiropractic, which he entitled a "A Disjointed Theory" is an example of his ignorance and bias. He states that he "loves chiropractors...for low backs" and then maliciously states why you should not see one, citing side effects that are so rare that the average chiropractor wouldn't see if they practiced 1000 years. The other chapters are as bad, with the obvious intent of supporting the medical machine. There is a changing paradigm in this country with educated consumers seeking out quality alternative healthcare such as chiropractic. This is driven by their avoidance of the ineffective at best and deadly at worst medical system that Dr. Rosenfeld is ensconsed in. But I suppose he is justified in poorly authoring books as opposed to being a slave to managed care. Time to retire doc.
Dr. J.M. Gaddis
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Summary: Whittle away, old timer
Review: I was very disappointed in the content of Dr. Rosenfelds book on alternative health. It is clear to me that the millions of Chiropractic patients are more educated about Chiropractic than Dr. Rosenfeld himself. With 66,000 licensed Chiropractors in the United States alone, the terms "alternative" have an ever-changing meaning. I would not recommend this book to anyone searching for non-biased information on Chiropractic, or other "alternatives".
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Summary: Dr. Rosenfeld requires some additional education.
Review: I was, to say the least, appalled by the views and opinions shared in this trashy piece of slanderous garbage. Clearly, this Dr. Rosenfeld is unaware, under educated, or just plain ignorant to the benefits of proper and prudent Chiropractic care. Even the subtitle of the chapter on chiropractic, "A Disjointed Theory," shows the Doctor's anit-chiropractic bias toward a most beneficial practice. To even suggest that the medical profession considers subluxation to be a "chiropractic state of mind," shows his backward and outdated knowledge of the medical profession as a whole. Fact is, Chiropractic helps millions of patients each and every year feel better physically and live better lives without invasive and expensive surgery and/or drugs. Get off the ancient and outdated band of chiropractic attackers, Doctor, and come into the 21st century. Either do THAT, or say nothing at all, for clearly THIS information is not worth purchasing, reading, or listening to.
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Summary: Typical, nothing new here...
Review: Sorry to say it, but in time we will all see that MDs are the LEAST qualified to evaluate alternative health methods. Dr. Rosenfeld's book is typical of this. MDs are taught (read: "programmed") to see your body and mine as a simple machine that often breaks down. This mechanistic view of the body is incompatible with nearly all alternative practices, which understand that the body and mind are part of an inter-related whole and that there is some unifying life-force or intelligence that is really the source of all healing. I am not saying that anyone has to believe these ideas but they are CENTRAL to nearly all alternative health disciplines. Since MDs (again due to their programming) are often incapable of seeing the world outside of their often arrogant and disrespectful mechanistic view, they are sadly unqualified to judge anything but their own kind. That however, has never stopped them from dispensing their "wisdom" on every and any subject even remotely related to health or well-being...as though a medical degree could possibly prepare them do evaluate something so different as herbology, chiropractic, Chinese medicine or energy healing. The arrogance with which they disseminate their ignorance is nothing short of astounding to me! When will the public wake up and see the grave limitations in trusting the medical profession as their sole source for everything associated with health? Fred J. Blum, DC
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Summary: Dr. Rosenfeld's BIASED Guide...
Review: This is just another attack by organized medicine on Alternative treatments and therapies, in particular chiropractic. Dr. Rosenfeld comes across as biased, ignorant and at times completely malicious in the information he provides. His assertion that he "loves chiropractors is disingenous at best." He prefers non-specific manipulation by a doctor who can also prescribe (toxic) drugs. He lists warnings about chiropractic that are extremely rare, occuring one in many millions, and suggests that these are common occurances. He fails to mention that the practice of (Allopathic) medicine is the third leading cause of preventable death in The United States, which is the very reason we need more practitioners of the so called "Alternatives". If you want good advice, start by avoiding books on alternative medicine written by medical doctors, especially this one!!!
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