Confessions of a Medical Heretic Review

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The idea behind this book can be ascertained from its title. The word "confession" means to admit. What the late Dr. Robert Mendelsohn does is to admit truths about what he calls the "Church of Modern Medicine." A "heretic" is a person who professes to heresy. A heresy is any opinion opposed to established doctrines.
Thus, Mendelsohn in his book tells us truths and his opinions (based on his excellent qualifications) regarding orthodox medicine. His opinions are angry ones. (I'd be angry too if I spent my entire life in orthodox medicine only to discover that it is not what it claims to be.) Like anyone who is angry, the author occasionally goes off on tangents but overall he sticks to the main premise of the book.
What is the premise of this book? Mendelsohn tells us this immediately in the book's opening section called the "Non Credo." He states, "I do not believe in modern medicine. I am a medical heretic. My aim of this book is to persuade you to become a heretic, too." (Notice, that contrary to popular belief, the premise of this book is not to tell you to stop seeing your doctor.)
Each chapter (there are nine) of this book has many truths. These truths are not out-of-date and will probably remain relevant into the far future. Here are just three examples:
1) "Every drug stresses and hurts your body in some way."
2) "A healthy society is characterized by strong, positive family relationships and subsequent minimal need of doctors."
3) "Doctors are not trained to attack the core of any problem, merely to suppress symptoms."
Sometimes, the author juxtaposes two truths to make a point. My favorite: "All their [that is, doctors'] intentions may be good, but we all know what the road to Hell is paved with."
What I really noticed about this book is the author's strong opinions. Here, again, are three examples:
1) "Doctors in general should be treated with the same degree of trust as used-car salesmen."
2) "When I meet a doctor, I generally figure I'm meeting a person who is narrow-minded, prejudiced, and fairly incapable of reasoning and deliberation."
3) "Get used to the idea right away that no single system can or should claim to have an exclusive fix on the dynamics of health."
There is even discussion about non-drug medicine. Mendelsohn states, "In the Church of Modern Medicine, the doctor who treats without drugs is regarded as a heretic because he or she appears to have rejected the sacrament of medication." Today, orthodox medicine calls such people "quacks." One of the people they call a quack, the author mentions, is Dr. Linus Pauling because he wanted to treat without drugs. The late Linus Pauling was a two-time Nobel Prize winner. Question: What gives orthodox medicine the right to call such a brilliant person a quack? His credentials prove otherwise.
The book's last section is called, "Epilog: In search of the New Doctor." It is an interesting section where Mendelsohn gives his vision of the doctor of the future. This vision has yet to be achieved and my guess is, it will never be achieved.
The only problem I had with this book is the lack of footnotes with respect to specific numbers and statistics. When statistics are given, you have to give credit to their source. However, Mendelsohn does supply many references.
Another good book on this subject that is less opinionated is "The Medical Mafia" (1995) by Dr. Guylaine Lanctot. I think this title is a good indicator of its contents.
In conclusion, Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's book does a good job in exposing the truths behind orthodox medicine. These truths are what you and your family should know for their own protection. I strongly recommend this book if you want to become aware of these truths.
**** 1/2
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