Confessions of a Medical Heretic [Hardcover]

I would like to see the book updated before I would recommend it to anyone. As I said, it's a good premise, but a bit out of date.

"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.