health Books

The Fertile Female is an absolutely fantastic resource for anyone going through fertility struggles. The main message and gift that it gave me was how crucial it is to tailor this journey specifically for myself. I am an avid reader and was very interested in finding anything that could help tweak my health, fertility, overcome statistics, whatever it took. I married at 40 to my amazing husband and we figured that it probably would not be hard for me to get pregnant, as we already had "accidentally" the previous year. I miscarried fairly early, but took it as a blessing in disguise as we were not quite at the point in our relationship to take this on. I had thought it might be difficult for me to get pregnant as I had been an elite athlete for much of my 20's and 30's, but this didn't seem to be the case. What did end up happening was that I miscarried again shortly after we were married, went through a year of IUI and invitro attempts with a third pregnancy ending in miscarriage. I happened upon Julia's first book Inconceivable, was very inspired, and then went on to check out her website FertileHeart. I found out about her workshops and her second book The Fertile Female. My husband and I attended a workshop in January '08 and it was amazing. She takes the group through the book, focusing on some of the body-mind issues that seem to be inherently at the core of fertility(whether fertility is about having a baby or birthing any new creative endeavor) issues. I am adopted, and interestingly there were three of us at the workshop who were adopted. For me, this ended up being a core issue that I needed to explore further and do some healing work on. The book had an example of a woman who had been adopted and what she discovered for herself, and this really struck a chord with me. So six months later, after working with the techniques in Julia's book, esp. the visualization/imagery work, we became pregnant again naturally this past July. I am now almost 24 weeks and holding strong with a healthy pregnancy at a youthful 42 years of age. I am no longer worried about statistics or possibly having another child. I feel completely empowered to follow my own intuition and body wisdom. Don't despair! There really is so much you can do to improve your fertility and Julia's book gives you the tools to explore and make it happen for yourself.

I married at 38 not thinking that by any stretch of the imagination I needed to consider my fertility an issue. I conceived a child immediately and gave birth to a beautiful son. Three years later I tried for another child and wasn't as lucky. Western medical practitioners thought I was too old. I was referred by a co-worker to an excellent acupuncturist who changed my way of thinking and living. He recommended the book Inconceivable which put into words what I was going through and gave me hope. When I saw that The Fertile Female was available I bought it right away. I read both books over and over for the two and a half years it took for me to get pregnant with my second child. I found them both to be comforting and motivating. The recipes in the Fertile Female are also great and kept me on track with my eating as it greatly affects a woman's fertility. The book as a whole encouraged me to embrance my spirituality and positivism --- all being necessary when one is trying to conceive under sometimes difficult circumstances. At age 45 I was able to give birth to a lovely baby girl and I thank Julia Indichova for sharing her story with me and the thousands of others who have benefitted from her great work.

A friend of mine suggested I read Julia's latest book, The Fertile Female. After finishing it in less than a week, I quickly ordered her first book, Inconceivable. These books, along with other changes I've made on my own, have made a huge diffence in my approach to conception. I highly recommend you read these books if you are suffering from any type of infertility. They are very valuable resource and guide and provide you with ideas around diet, meditation, changing limiting beliefs, etc. which will lead you to live a healthier and more fertile life. She's given me hope and helped me to understand my own power to bring about life. You should also go to her website, www.fertileheart.com for more information. She hosts a weekly Telebridge conference call where you can talk directly to her and other women to practice some of the Fertile Heart Conception tools. There is a $5 registration fee for the calls.

I previously read Julia's book, Inconceivable and it was suggested that I read The Fertile Female. So glad that I did. Found it very helpful and inspiring.

I absolutely loved this book as well as her 1st book "Inconceivable"! I also suffer from secondary infertility and I was very inspired by her story. This book has given me hope that I can have the family that I have always dreamed of. I plan to put a lot of the suggestions in this book into practice.

While I believe there is a time and place to see a shrink, there is also a time and place to get real with yourself and look deep within yourself to find the root of your problems.

In Finding Peace for Your Heart, Stormie shows us how vital a role God plays in our healing, and how important it is for us to be willing to look at the root of our problems. It's truly the first step towards healing and spiritual growth.

I read this book with great intensity, found areas in my life that the Lord wanted me to work on, and finished it feeling truly inspired to lean on God more.

In the few days it took me to read this book I feel I am a new person. This is a must read for women and men alike. Don't let the title scare you away men. This is a man and a woman's guide to emotional health. I told my sister I would pass it on to her once I finished it but I think I will buy her one for her to keep as I think it will be very helpful for me to go back to from time to time and re-read many areas.

This book is a must read. I've read it, my husband is reading it and I've bought it for friends. If every person in therapy would read it,their healing time would be cut in 1/2. Combine it with the author's Power of a Praying Wife and Power of a Praying Husband and the divorce rate would be cut in 1/2! Stormy Omartian is a blessing to those of us who didn't grow up in perfect homes, and have not lead perfect lives but want to grow in the Lord and in life! God Bless Her!

I have read countless books for emotional healing. This is by far the best and probably the only one that needs to be read. Unfortunately, the subtitle of the book may turn men away from reading this book. This book is for everyone! For women AND men. Even for those who have not suffered abuse. We all have low points in our lives. This book will guide you through them.

Stormie manages to help us see God's truth for what it really is with a straightforward, sincere, down-to-earth conversation-like writing style which gives the realistic, positive and wonderful perspective of our Father's purpose for our lives. LOVED IT!!! Who needs counceling after this book?

I highly recommend this book. It is a difficult book to put down. Written with amazing and factual insight into the decisions made every day at hospitals. It is an intellectual must read for people who believe there are "cut and dried" answers for patients. Lisa skillfully cut from one patient to the next, keeping you on the edge of your seat as she masterfully tells the story of each patient for whom ethical decisions had to be made. It may be eyeopening for some people to realize that when you or your loved one is hospitalized, all bets are off as to life and death decisions. You may find yourself at the mercy of the hospital ethics commitee. Welcome to the world of modern medical science.

I enjoyed the book. Makes you think about ethics a bit and the reality of financial constraints on the practice of medicine.

Author Lisa Belkin did her research, in this riveting book. Many who enter the field of medicine do care about helping people; doctors do care about their patients and are frustrated by health insurance, legal concerns and concerns for the patient and their families.

Based in a hospital in Houston, where Belkin did her research, you will not put down this book.

You will feel new empathy for doctors who agonize over the end of life issues with patients and their families.

Lisa Belkin has created an amazing book here - she definitely did her research. The book consists of a few case studies of patients who pose ethical dilemas. Belkin takes you inside meetings of the ethics committee at the hospital, she takes you to the patient's bedside to see what the patient actually wants. Some of the patients she follows are a young kid who has been hospitalized for 15 years with a terminal condition, beating all odds by staying alive that long, several premature babies, and a man who was paralyzed almost completely after getting shot in the spine. It's a great look at medical ethics - Lisa Belkin's book asks all the right questions.

The book is in a very easy-to-read format - the stories of the patients she follows are all intertwined throughout the book. For example, you'll read about Patrick for 30-or-so pages, and then she'll switch over to update you on Taylor's story. She does this because you are reading the stories in "real time" as they happened; all of this took place in a certain time span in the hospital. It's exciting and fast-paced non-fiction - I read it in two days and didn't put it down.

It will break your heart, because often the ethics committee has to bring money into the discussion, as much as they would like to treat every patient as if money was not an issue. This book is SO worth reading, for anyone who is interested in medicine and healthcare at all.

This book will keep you wanting to turn the page and make it hard to put down the book. This is a great explanation of real life situations that patients and hospitals face everyday. Some of the situations that are hard for some people to understand why hospitals are concerned with matters like money and certain treatments of patients can be explained.

This book is incredibly useful for it's categories and cross references. You can find almost any symptom you're looking in this big book. You can self-diagnose psychological, physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual issues. Whatever you're going through, this book can help you pinpoint it. Each category goes through several essences, and how each one may or may not apply to you individually.

The last part of the book profiles each essences. They all list the positive qualities each essence is capable of, and the patterns of imbalance they're most likely of clearing. They're all cross referenced to the previous lists, and also makes you are aware of everything else they're capable of treating.

The beginning of the book is an overview of Bach flower therapy, how flower essences are used, and selecting and verifying the properties of each one. This part is informative, but the purpose of the book isn't to go into at length. This book is very comprehensive, but the focus book is on the last two sections. Hence my mentioning them first.

I have thought I could just read a bunch of books and then use flower essences artfully, at least on myself. You see, I have 2 books including this one, they seem to have a lot of info but at the end of the day I felt I needed more structured learning.Luckily I found it, it's a long distance class, 325 bucks for 5 lessons, I have a mentor, assignments etc. Now you're talking!
Bottomline, if you're new to flower essences don't even hope you're just going to read something and then go ahead and use them properly, no matter what book you're reading.

I've studied flower essences for over ten years. I am giving this book five stars. For anyone thinking of becoming a flower essence practitioner, this is a ~MUST HAVE~ book. This book would also benefit anyone informally giving flower essences to self, family, friends or animals. The authors work with flowers of northern California, USA (a definite plus), in addition to Bach's. A newer edition is in the works, and I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for it to come out.

BACKGROUND

These days, flower essences include flowers from Canada and USA in North America (Northern California, deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Florida); Scotland; Australia bush; New Zealand; South Africa; South America; Central America; much more than Bach's first 39. Bach died young in 1936, leaving his work unfinished, and many people in the last 70 years have taken up where he left off, expanding on the number and quality of essences (depending on where on the planet the flowers are indigenous).

Frankly, books on Bach's first 39 flower essences are so ubiquitous that I now avoid them in favor of books covering flower essences from other parts of the world besides England. Plants of England are not the only plants in existence! I am REAL tired of books getting published involving only Bach's original 39 essences. Even though Bach "bumped into" his first 39 essences, Bach's essences are not the holy grail of flower essences! Look further afield than Bach's.

I decided to buy a book on flower essences after seeing how much they helped me. I found that, beyond other books on the subject- and there are other good ones- this one was incredibly well written, laid out, informative, you name it. It allowed me, in the absence of a trained flower essence therapist, to make well informed choices as to which essence would most benefit at what time. The cross referencing, much like a thesaurus, helps to narrow down between similar essences. These authors have another tool that I found for free online that compliments this book. That tool lists each essence and a general paragraph of its effect along with a never to always scale for you to determine which essences are core ones for you. Even without that tool, this book lays out how to approach that process. I use it frequently and, like other reviers, expect to for a long time.

The whole notion of using flower essences not just for treatment, but to support wellness and even aid psychological and spiritual development may seem illogical.

Except that these flower essences work. The few controlled studies are not strong, but against that is a wealth of experience gained by thousands of patients and practitioners on every continent.

By a strange "coincidence" the publication of this book "coincided" with my final immigration into the United States. After nearly twenty years steeped in the use of the original Bach flower essences created in England and Wales, it seemed only right to see what the plants of the New World had provided for our ever-changing species. Much as I loved my Bach remedies, I felt sure that people on this side of the Atlantic might need something more. So I was interested to see what these New World essences had to offer and I bought my first copy of this book within weeks of my arrival.

I was astonished by what I learned and by the extraordinary work that had been done by Patricia Kaminski, Richard Katz and a small group of dedicated helpers. I soon obtained and started using many of these new remedies and I was - and remain - extremely impressed. I have seen some extraordinary results, despite being a big skeptic.

This is a classic textbook, now thirteen years old. It is beautifully produced and I would be hard pressed to come up with any major improvements.

Though the work is in no way dated, it might be nice to see a new edition, perhaps with plant photographs and more cross tables, to help introduce a new generation to these wondrous treatments.

If you have any interest in natural medicine or wellness, or if you are interested in finding out which essences were provided to help the spiritual practices unique to North America, this book should not just be on your bookshelf, but should quickly become dog-eared from use!

Highly recommended.

Brilliantly photographed. The sheer joy of yoga shows on all of the little faces. I plan to use it as a teaching tool and hope my little yogis find joy in my classes.
Namaste

"Fly Like a Butterfly" is truely exhilarating and simply FUN! The photos are absolutely beautiful.
I have nine nieces and nephews and practice yoga with them weekly. They LOVE the "Frog". Because of your book we have a new found love.... YOGA!
Thank you Shakta for bringing "Children and Yoga" into my life.

This book is great! I like to do a lot of fun things with my kids and this book helps me to "instruct" the under 3 crowd in my house. The kids love it and everyone laughs when we do it! A definite must buy!

This was my first children's yoga purchase which I still use today when teaching young ones. This book gives many different stories to tell as you are teaching children to move their bodies and breath within the poses. A great tool for educators and parents of children preschool through elementary age.

Out of three Children Yoga books I bought off of Amazon, this was far the best! it gave me a lot of ideas to work with and was able to build up a lot of lessons to teach the children. Children love the chanting meditaions and acting like the animals in the jungle story.

I was very pleased with this book! My 3 year old son had his spleen taken out. By reading this book, it readied him for what was to happen for the most part in the hospital. Franklin is a character that he knows so we can reread the book now and talk about his feelings after his surgery compared to Franklin's.

I bought this book for my five-year-old grandson before his tonsillectomy. He absorbed the information that was read to him and sailed through the procedure with flying colors. He knew exactly what to expect, so he calmly did everything that was required. It was a tremendous help in preparing him.

I have a 3 1/2 yr old granddaughter who was going to have surgery and wanted some way to prepare her at her level. This book is great! Would recommend to anyone with a child having surgery.

My step son is 5 and he's starting to learn how to read...I'll read to him and he'll re-read what I jsut read. It's helping him learn words. The story is great and easy to follow!

When Franklin the turtle is injured playing soccer, his mother takes him to the doctor. It seems that little Franklin's shell is cracked, and he will need surgery to make sure that it heals properly. It's hard being brave when you are so scared, but Franklin muddles through.

This is a great book, one that should be made available to any young person facing surgery. The story is interesting and the illustrations are bright and well-done - which will engage the youngster's attention. And, the lesson of the surgery is very well done. I think that this is a great resource, and I highly recommend it to every parent whose child faces surgery.

Yes, this book is well-researched and smartly-written and engaging to boot, but most importantly, it literally changed our childbirth plans. I'd been hoping to have a natural childbirth in a freestanding birth center, but since there are none in my state (!!), I thought I'd go with a natural birth in the hospital, or better yet, in a hospital with birthing rooms. Reading this book made me see that this kind of birth puts you at risk for the exact kinds of things you seek to avoid in a hospital birth. We ended up choosing a homebirth and it was the best decision I've ever made. My birth was beautiful, empowering, and completely safe, though because it was very long, if I had been in a hospital, I would have ended up with a C-section.

I wouldn't trade my homebirth, one of the best experiences of my life, for anything, and I credit this book with helping me come to that choice.

This book is a very good read. Catherine Taylor is a skillful author and though this book is very factual and informative, it reads with the pace, intensity, and "intrigue" of a novel. It is unique among the many birth books I have read in its interweaving of her personal experiences and personal journey, with factual journalistic impressions and stats. I finished this book in two days--it was completely absorbing and interesting. I enjoyed her descriptive style and the verbal portraits of the variety of midwives she encountered. The book also gave me some new perspectives on hospital based CNM practices as compared to traditional midwifery and homebirth-oriented midwifery practices.

In short, this was an enjoyable, informative book!

My number one title to give to women. Easy to read and chock full of truth telling about birthing babies in America today. Delightfully debunks the myths surrounding midwifery with hard facts and a fascinating story.

Ms. Taylor,

I was one month along in my first pregnancy and, without much real thought, I bought your book "Giving Birth." I think I liked the tasteful cover and that it didn't seem to be a dry catalog of what to expect during pregnancy.

I read your book twice during my pregnancy, and it completely changed the way I approached my medical care and how I wanted to give birth. Before reading "Giving Birth," I had just assumed that I would trust the doctor and do whatever he said while I was in the hospital. I naively trusted his and the hospital's authority. But because your writing style is so vivid and thoughtful, I learned a tremendous amount about labor and delivery (going far beyond the mechanics of the process) without even realizing it. I feel like I entered the larger conversation about how best to give birth, and that I acquired a real voice of my own.

My doctor wanted me to shut up and let him do what he thought was best. I switched providers at 37 weeks after realizing that I couldn't just wish him into being the doctor I wanted. (He patted my head at one point and told me that I couldn't possibly know what labor was going to be like, so I shouldn't even plan on trying for an unmedicated birth.) Through a series of comedy of errors with my insurance provider, and the fact that I went into labor at 38 weeks, I wasn't able to switch to the birthing center in time. My original doctor still caught the baby. But I did everything else as I had hoped, with no medical interventions and the majority of my labor at home. (I gave birth thirty minutes after my arrival.)

I gave birth almost six months ago and I have always thought I should find a way to write and thank you. As cheesy as it sounds, your book truly changed my life!

I had a wonderful recovery and I honestly can't wait to give birth again.

I read this book when I was about 4 months pregnant for the first time. Before I became pregnant I had been very interested in birthing and I knew I wanted a natural birth. During my early weeks of pregnancy, while I was overcome by intense nausea and vomiting, I had so much difficulty setting up appointments and birthplaces between my insurance and medical groups that I ended up settling with an OB that was not my first choice. I spent the next months of my pregnancy researching what my options were in my area and my insurance options.

After reading this book I had a much better idea of what I was looking for and within a month my search was complete and the changes had been made. I went to a midwife/OB practice that ran a natural, free-standing birth center, I took Bradley natural childbirth classes along with my husband, and I hired a wonderful doula who worked at the birth center. I chose, for insurance reasons, to labor at home for as long as possible with my doula and then continued my natural birth in a birthing room with the OB that supports natural birthing. Because I arrived at the hospital (with my birthing ball) far along in labor, coping beautifully and had such a supportive doctor, the nurses read my birth plan and immediately respected all my wishes. I labored, moving about the room, and occasionally a nurse would put a dopp-tone to my belly to hear my baby's heart beat while I stayed in focus. Pain medication was never offered and I was asked before even being touched. I felt that I was laboring in a room full of friends.

This book was wonderful to read, helped me really examine what I wanted for my own pregnancy and birth, and gave me insight if I ever decide to go into the childbirth field as a doula or childbirth educator.

I had a beautiful, empowering, healing first birth that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

For my second birth I gave birth at home and it was a life changing experience. I would definitely recommend finding a way to have a home birth with a trained midwife.

I recommend this thoughtful, empowering book to all women and people working in pregnancy, labor and childbirth. I also highly recommend natural birth if that is what you desire. Giving birth was a deeply spiritual experience, and no one can take that from you.

Got this book as a gift for my son whom is into herbs and fitness. I like the book for myself. Since we live in different households, I guess I have to get my own. This book is good to have around. Make it part of your library.

A friend lent me this book and I liked it so much I had to have my own! It has pictures on every page and lists any ailment you can think of and then some. It has two sections, one in the front that explains symptoms and one in the back that explains the herbs and vitamins. Very well done!

so far my favorite book. easy to read and understand. very helpful too.

For each ailment, (acne, depression etc), it provides a list of vitamins that can help solve that ailment. In the second half it lists each vitamin and the amount to take. It's a great way to figure out what supplements can help you, how much to take, and what to look for when shopping for the supplements. It's a wonderful reference book.

THE BEST OF THE BEST:

To put it simply, this is the ideal reference book for the application of vitamins, minerals, and herbs for medicinal purposes. It is the perfect complimentary companion to James Duke's "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook".

ORGANIZED TO BE USER FRIENDLY:

After the introduction which goes through the user basics and preliminaries for the products to be discussed, the book is essentially divided into two main parts -- "AILMENTS" & "SUPPLEMENTS".

The first section ["AILMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by ailment so that you can simply look up some malady like "Heartburn" and you'll find a two-page section organized like this: "What It Is", "What Causes It", "How Supplements Can Help" + "Symptoms", "When To Call A Doctor", "Supplement Recommendations" and "What Else You Can Do". Each ailment's section ends with inserts titled "Facts & Tips" and "The Latest Findings". This is repeated for 90 ailments in precisely the same format, making it very easy retrieve information when you need it -- fast.

The second section ["SUPPLEMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by supplement with each supplement color coded in the table of contents to distinguish between vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Pick a supplement, say "Garlic", and you'll find its entry in the contents and in section two highlighted with green to indicate that it is an herb. Again, there is convention to the listing, it is 2 pages per supplement and is organized like this: "What It Is", "What It Does" ["PREVENTION" & "ADDITIONAL BENEFITS"], plus "Common Uses", "Forms", "Caution!", "How To Take It" ["DOSAGE" & "GUIDELINES FOR USE"], & "Possible Side Effects". Border inserts at the end of each supplement's section include "Shopping Hints" and "The Latest Findings".

Appendices at the end of the book include "Other Supplements", "Glossary" and "Drug Interactions", all of which relate directly to the supplements and ailments that are specifically discussed in the book in at least one of the two main sections. For instance, if a supplement is listed under "Supplement Recommendations" for an ailment in Section 1 and it is not also cross-referenced under "Supplements" in section 2, it will always be included in the "Other Supplements" appendix before the glossary. For example, Bromelain is mentioned several times for ailments, but is not included under supplements with its own heading, so there is an "Other Supplements" listing for it.

OVERALL:

This book is seamlessly-organized and smartly-illustrated making it ideal both as a good read and as a first-aid guide to using supplements prudently. When my 16-year-old daughter asked for a book about supplements this is what I gave her. She still has not returned it. From what I have read here, I am not the only one waiting for this book to return.

Got this book as a gift for my son whom is into herbs and fitness. I like the book for myself. Since we live in different households, I guess I have to get my own. This book is good to have around. Make it part of your library.

A friend lent me this book and I liked it so much I had to have my own! It has pictures on every page and lists any ailment you can think of and then some. It has two sections, one in the front that explains symptoms and one in the back that explains the herbs and vitamins. Very well done!

so far my favorite book. easy to read and understand. very helpful too.

For each ailment, (acne, depression etc), it provides a list of vitamins that can help solve that ailment. In the second half it lists each vitamin and the amount to take. It's a great way to figure out what supplements can help you, how much to take, and what to look for when shopping for the supplements. It's a wonderful reference book.

THE BEST OF THE BEST:

To put it simply, this is the ideal reference book for the application of vitamins, minerals, and herbs for medicinal purposes. It is the perfect complimentary companion to James Duke's "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook".

ORGANIZED TO BE USER FRIENDLY:

After the introduction which goes through the user basics and preliminaries for the products to be discussed, the book is essentially divided into two main parts -- "AILMENTS" & "SUPPLEMENTS".

The first section ["AILMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by ailment so that you can simply look up some malady like "Heartburn" and you'll find a two-page section organized like this: "What It Is", "What Causes It", "How Supplements Can Help" + "Symptoms", "When To Call A Doctor", "Supplement Recommendations" and "What Else You Can Do". Each ailment's section ends with inserts titled "Facts & Tips" and "The Latest Findings". This is repeated for 90 ailments in precisely the same format, making it very easy retrieve information when you need it -- fast.

The second section ["SUPPLEMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by supplement with each supplement color coded in the table of contents to distinguish between vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Pick a supplement, say "Garlic", and you'll find its entry in the contents and in section two highlighted with green to indicate that it is an herb. Again, there is convention to the listing, it is 2 pages per supplement and is organized like this: "What It Is", "What It Does" ["PREVENTION" & "ADDITIONAL BENEFITS"], plus "Common Uses", "Forms", "Caution!", "How To Take It" ["DOSAGE" & "GUIDELINES FOR USE"], & "Possible Side Effects". Border inserts at the end of each supplement's section include "Shopping Hints" and "The Latest Findings".

Appendices at the end of the book include "Other Supplements", "Glossary" and "Drug Interactions", all of which relate directly to the supplements and ailments that are specifically discussed in the book in at least one of the two main sections. For instance, if a supplement is listed under "Supplement Recommendations" for an ailment in Section 1 and it is not also cross-referenced under "Supplements" in section 2, it will always be included in the "Other Supplements" appendix before the glossary. For example, Bromelain is mentioned several times for ailments, but is not included under supplements with its own heading, so there is an "Other Supplements" listing for it.

OVERALL:

This book is seamlessly-organized and smartly-illustrated making it ideal both as a good read and as a first-aid guide to using supplements prudently. When my 16-year-old daughter asked for a book about supplements this is what I gave her. She still has not returned it. From what I have read here, I am not the only one waiting for this book to return.

The work points to many of the negations in the current health
care delivery systems in the USA. It spends too much money and
the paperwork is burdensome, generally uninformative and
inefficient. The system needs a separation between the doctor
and the pharmaceutical industry because the needs of the general
public demand an independent attitude on the part of physicians.
Emergency rooms are utilized instead of patient clinics.
This contributes to bloated costs. The HMO co-pay can be burdensome for patients. In addition, there is a slow migration
toward the universal health care coverage in order to correct
some of these inefficiencies and distribute the resource to
persons uncovered or undercovered by the present protocols
and medical delivery systems.

In more than 20 years teaching a course focusing on analysis of American health care history and policy, I have yet to discover a more persuasive diagnosis of our health care delivery system's ills or a more convincing case for how to cure them. Dr. Lebow brings to this examination direct experience as a practicing physician from which he draws numerous stirring personal accounts. To his clinical perspective, he adds an extraordinary command of the broader economic and political issues essential for understanding the context and causes of America's current health care crisis epitomized by the alarming number of our country's uninsured--now about 44 million and growing. The book is honest, engaging, and sure to stimulate discussion with its clear prescription for change. With lively prose and strategically placed humor, he makes complex matters understandable. His humanity and passion are the earmarks of a brilliant teacher. Regardless of how deeply you presently understand America's health care system, you can learn from this book. And regardless of your political inclinations in respect to his advocacy of a single-payer solution, you can't ignore his meticulous presentation of the facts or the relentless logic of his conclusions from them.

I'd like to give this book 4 stars, but there are just too many holes for me to do so. Dr. Lebow presents many important points, but the book simply is not the answer to our prayers regarding the current healthcare mess.

As Dr. Lebow points out, in the health insurance industry, competition among health insurers has led to less efficiency rather than more efficiency. 10 different credentialing applications, 12 different contract types, no standardization whatsoever and an administrative mess for any doctor who doesn't have the luxury of a seasoned healthcare administrator in his office. Add to that the eligibility trouble. Multiple phone calls for every patient to check eligibility for every appointment. Worst of all, the current health insurance system provides no incentive to managed care to pay for preventive care.

These are the issues that single-payer would fix for the insured population, saving billions of dollars. Dr. Lebow is right on, though I wish he spent as much time on eligibility and insurance company hassles as he did on preventive care. He also does great work in presenting the myths of healthcare today. Many of them can't be repeated enough (like the corporate welfare given to prescription drug companies).

But I have several issues as well.

My biggest complaint is that his solution only delays the inevitable a little longer. He deals only with the healthcare funding system and has little to say about the healthcare delivery system. "Market Driven Healthcare" by Regina Herzlinger and "From Chaos to Care" by David Lawrence offer real long-term solutions to the healthcare delivery problems we face in our current environment. Unless those market principles are imposed on healthcare, single payor will only delay the final implosion of medical care. Once the financial gains from single-payor healthcare are realized and exhausted, the costs will continue to spiral out of control.

Another issue is that he gives few details in the "how" of his solutions. Focusing on prevention and public health is a good and obvious point. Everybody agrees on it, but I don't think simply saying "it will happen once a grassroots movement demands it" is sufficiently descriptive of how he sees prevention and public health becoming the standard. Who will implement it? How?

Because of these problems, Dr. Lebow does not make a convincing case to those in power that change is good for them. He persuades the persuaded brilliantly, but I can't imagine why someone who opposes single-payer would change his mind after reading this book. And those in power are whose minds must be changed if change is to come.

The way I see it, healthcare as we know it is a very young industry. Only 16 years ago, managed care was almost an unkown in the healthcare world. Now, it dominates. Unfortunately, that insurance model grew so quickly there was no way anyone could have planned it properly. Imagine how the computer industry would have destroyed itself if it weren't entirely made up of systems thinkers known for their planning ability. ISO-9000 was brilliant, as is settling on the PC as the standard. Healthcare needs, and is getting, more of that now. HIPAA and state-mandated credentialing applications perfectly demonstrate the government's role in fixing healthcare. It should be a regulator, an agent for the lowly to make sure the big guys play fair, and a standard-setter to make commercial insurance more efficient. But it's entirely too early to declare the market dead and single payer as the only way out of this mess.

Health Care Meltdown: Confronting The Myths And Fixing Our Failing System by Robert H. LeBow (former Medical Director of an Idaho community health center for more than 25 years and who was paralyzed in a cycling accident shortly after completing this book) is a clarion wake up call focused upon the medical care system's rampant excesses, over billings, neglects, and quagmires that floods the American health care system to near incapacitation. Over 40,000,000 Americans have no health insurance. This places an unsupportable burden on Emergency Room Care (one the most expensive health care provider resources), and while money is in unnecessary and wasteful bureaucratic and law-suit avoidance oriented testing, far to many people simply go without the medical service they desperately need. A sharply worded criticism that also offers models for reform and improvement, Health Care Meltdown should be mandatory reading for health care providers, citizen health care activists, anyone charged with the responsibility of developing policies and guidelines for managing health care services.

As an Adjunct instructor in the Concordia University system, I have had the opportunity to encourage my MBA students to read this book for my Special Topics in Health care class. After reviewing other possible textbooks during the last 6 months, I have decided to now use this text as the basis for my 8-week adult education class. Offering ample examples and 'myths' that portray our fractured health care system of today, this author has summarily provided a springboard for ongoing conversations and possible answers for this country. Granted all, the HC system will not be corrected for some time, but an accounting will be made when the public becomes a focused participant at the table.
As health care professionals, it is our responsibility to study, learn, participate and educate others, as well as ourselves.
This will begin that process and it will be well worth your effort and consideration.
Thank you
ESchwarz, RN, MBA, CCM