Gesundheit!: Bringing Good Health to You, the Medical System, and Society through Physician Service, Complementary Therapies, Humor, and Joy

Whoever reads this book and absorbs its messages will become a healthier individual and a better citizen of the world. First, Patch examines the American healthcare system. He explains why corporate healthcare is a contradiction and cannot be permitted in a healthy society. He shows how the doctor-patient relationship has become more like a business interaction, and how this is relationship in itself is a fundamental plague on America. Extending his experiences in healthcare to all society, Patch observes that we have lost touch with ourselves and each other, with nature, and lost perspective on the joy and wonder of life. This criticism is where 99.9% of books and people stop. Patch is one of the few in the world who is not only deeply aware of the problems but has detailed plans on how to fix them and acts on those plans. In the book, he outlines his model for personal living and for a better society. A model based on the radical principles of joy and fun: "The most revolutionary act anyone can commit is to be happy." "We hear far more about pain because it seems to be associated with maturity. Enthusiastic joy is associated with childhood--as if it were something to outgrow." Reading this book gave me a new conception of health. It's not just physical or personal like the parts of a car, it's psychological, intellectual, spiritual, social, political, economic, local, international, and interpersonal. Live creatively! Discover the fun we can have together! Live in peace! Now that's good medicine.

+++++ This book by Hunter "Patch" Adams, M.D. (with Maureen Mylander) is about a social revolutionary who has devoted his life to giving away health care. Adams is founder of the "Gesundheit" Institute, a home-based medical practice in West Virginia that has treated more then 15,000 people for free. The Gesundheit Institute's dream is to build a free, full-scale hospital that will be open to anyone in the world. This book is divided into two parts. The first part generally deals with Patch's philosophy on medicine while the second part describes the dream of opening up a free hospital. Below I will state the title of each chapter for each part and give a quotation that represents the essence of each chapter. PART 1: (About Patch and his medical philosophy) (1) A health care system in pain. "I believe that health care [providers] who feel burned out are not allowing the "enrapture potential" in the doctor-patient relationship." (2) An ideal medical practice. "Nosy, curious healers who make house calls will have the time of their lives!" (3) Humor and healing, or why we're building a silly hospital. "People crave laughter as if it were an essential amino acid." (4) Art, nature, and imagination. "Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure." (5) Rebuilding self, family, community, world. "I graduated from medical school `head smart.' While living in community, however, I have built buildings, farmed, raised goats, produced movies, and learned rope walking and unicycling." PART 2: (The dream of a free hospital) (6) The pilot period. "People often ask, 'How did you earn a living [at the Gesundheit Institute] if you weren't charging your patients.'" (7) The dream defined. "[In our hospital], we are a company of friends, of givers and receivers, of doctors and patients." (8) *Gareth's Story. "We watched a beautiful, orange sunset in silence and Patch turned to me [Gareth, a patient] and said, 'Do you have arthritis while watching this.'" (9) *Organizing dreamers. "The entire purpose of a structure at Gesundheit is to support people's enthusiastic efforts to make the world a better, therefore healthier, place." (10) Building a dream. "The atmosphere of [our free] hospital is intended to avoid the indifference projected by so many [other health care] facilities and to convey joy, enthusiasm, peace, caring, and openness." (11) *Living on the land. "Dream. Dream wild. Extremely wild dreams. Somewhere back there is a wild seed waiting. Of that I am sure." (12) Light a candle: how can I help? ("I" refers to readers of this book.) "Medicine practiced as a business [as it is today] hurts everyone. The true reward of medicine come from helping others and from self-discovery...Service is essential to healing and the pathway to inner peace." (13) Passion and persistence. "I don't want people to be amazed by our passion and persistence

If you have seen the movie Patch Adams, the screen writers took some liberties with the life of Mr. Adams. The movie only tells a small distorted version of what is Patch Adams. Patch has some unconventional ideas about medicine. These ideas have led to a movement to change health care for the better. Patch has dedicated his life toward helping the less fortunate and still lives on this creed. The one story in this book which sticks out in my mind is the story of the man with arthritis. To summarize, Patch discovered that the man did not feel the pain of his arthritis while watching the sunset. The man really enjoyed watching the sunset and pleasure from this event helps him forget his pain. Thinking of something pleasurable or performing a pleasurable act helps us forget pain. As Patch Adams himself said, The best medicince is not to treat the illness, but to treat the patient."Thanks for your inspiration Patch! A great book!

This book describes one of my fondest dreams come true. Ever since I was a little girl I knew there was something wrong with the way I was living; raised by my grandmother, singlehandedly, no friends, no parents, no trust, no joy, no fun. I would carefully draw plans for living in community with all the people I liked. Living quarters built in a circle or square, a common building, growing our own food, having animals to care for, etc. This book makes me cry and laugh out loud with gratitude and joy at reading about what is so much needed in our world.THANK YOU, PATCH ADAMS!

Dr. Hunter D. "Patch" Adams is one of those rare social prophets who sacrifice their entire lives for the belief that a common good for the whale of a humanity can be achieved by their never ending and tireless efforts.I would say that this virtually 'burn out' free environment he's creating is purely a result of 'psychoneuroimmunology' to the bottom.This book is not only for doctors but laymen like me wouldn't be able to put it down until they have breathe the complete soul of the book into themselves.Patch explains the importance of the miracle of life and how we must cherish it by being happy from within and share our joy with the world and bring about peace to the earth one step at a time."No matter how insignificant you think you are, you can make an unbelievable difference to the lives of your immediate family and your community as a whole", that's Patch's message.The individual's health cannot be separated from that of the community. Marvellous.