Reclaiming Our Health

I read this book first in sections, but then decided to read the whole thing as my interest progressed.I already knew some of the persecution of the chiropractic industry by money-hungry conventional doctors, but some of the stuff totally shocked me. I've seen some of the statistics that chiropractors have come up with, extensive studies that show that it has extremely low health risks and helps a lot more with lower back pain than conventional "give me the pill" medicine. However, this book totally blew the cover off the...American Medical Association, an organization I once took for granted to be dedicated to my health and well-being.If everyone in the waiting room of a doctor's clinic were to read this book, all health care in America would be for the better.Furthermore, the interesting sections on women and fertility totally blew me away. I was furious at the stuff they were doing to hurt and control women who went to doctors for real health reasons, hoping to get better, only to be subjected to the standard system of running tests and being tied to one position. I myself was delivered by C-section, and having been abandoned by my mother, I can also attest to the ugly and disgusting nature of conventional birth documented so well by John Robbins. The persecution of midwives, who have near-flawless records for safe delivery of newborn babies was also shocking. I had no idea that women giving birth at home do better than in hospitals, in terms of mortality rates.The final section is worth reading alone if you have cancer. It states very clearly using facts and actual experiences how deliberately and unfortunately the medical establishment has been "treating" people (if I may use that word) with cancer, without realizing that the only goal of a person with illness is wellness and wholeness, not merely to eradicate and destroy an organism that seems foreign and toxic. It also exposes the "fact" that there have been cancer treatments with possible cures, existing for decades, which have been blocked by the cancer establishment out of hope for conventional therapies, blind ignorance, or fear of malpractice suits (you can be sued for not using "technology" to treat an illness ... but what if you just want to get better?).The beauty of John Robbins' words inspire me. It's hard not to be moved by good stories of good doctors helping to make things better. It's hard not to believe that things could also be better if we changed our current system. Always true to form, this book discusses ways in which to reform health care that would truly work, and at minimal cost.If you're a nonbeliever of universal health care, low-cost medicine, or just out of luck with personal illness, I highly recommend this book.

Since I own and have read other books the author has written I was curious to see what he would share in this book on a subject that is so important to me and many Americans. And he certainly hasn't let me down.The parts or chapters I liked so much and thank the author for, from the bottom of my heart are Part Two where he goes into great detail about the patriarchal medical system. It is worth the price of the book alone. I also like Part Three where he starts out with a quote from a signer of the Declaration of Independence (Dr Benjamin Rush) who said "Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize itself into an undercover dictatorship". And he offers so much documentation of where and how the big boys of the AMA (American Medical Association) have even gone after their own members who dared not walk the party line. On page 185 he shares how from homeopaths, to midwives, and other nontraditional medical forms, the AMA has been the bully boys who wanted their monopoly and none others. On page 1996 onward he describes once again how the feminine professions which nursing was up until the 1970's, were main targets of the male member run AMA. Now I was aware that one way the male physicians made midwifery which had been the norm well into the 1900's, illegal was to accuse the women delivering babies of being everything from witches, pagans and even communists. Yet delivering babies in the safe and secure environment had been good enough for Moses, Jesus, George Washington and most heroes and heroines but because the AMA had discovered there was big buck in babies they did everything in their power to make their way the only way to deliver babies and feather their nest along the way. And as the author notes on page 322 that while birthing centers and midwives are persecuted by the AMA the actual cesarean rate here in the United States is outrageous and is a procedure that the rest of the civilized world shuns.On page 327 onward the author skillfully lays out documentation that shows that many of the plagues the world has suffered have not been cured by AMA style medicine but by common sense approaches like clean water and sanitary toilet system. Washing hands and handling food in a clean manner. And that malaria is kept at bay with more preventive means than medical ones.I could go on, but I would prefer that you buy the book and if possible buy a copy for your local library if it does not have a copy. That is how important this book is.

"Reclaiming Our Health" is turning out to be one of the most influential books in my life, and I plan on giving every woman in my life a copy for Christmas this year. Robbins explodes the myths and outright lies surrounding conventional medicine, alternative medicine, the American Medical Association, the tobacco industry and cancer research. And he doesn't just make wild accusations, he supports his work with a library of footnotes (some of which I've followed up on) and studies. I am honestly stunned and amazed at the horrible decisions made by America's medical community - shunning and destroying alternative approaches over the years, unleashing scare" campaigns to keep us supporting conventional medicine (and our doctors' wallets) and ignoring crucial medical data from alternative sources. Did you know that the American Medical Association used to be a huge supporter of the tobacco industry & even while our Surgeon General had proof that smoking was horrible for you, they still refused to speak out against smoking... because then they would lose the financial support of the industry (and this didn't just go on for a year or two)? Did you know that chemotherapy & radiation, for most forms of cancer, do absolutely nothing in terms of life-span (sometimes even shortening it)? Did you know that infant mortality rates in the U.S. are higher than most developed, and even some "3rd World" countries, and that most C-sections & hysterectomies are completely unnecessary? Or that midwives have a much better track record (for infant mortality & complications), yet the AMA basically outlawed their use over the past 30 years?Honestly - I think every single American, especially women and those in medical fields should read this book. It's not a conspiracy theory book, nor is it some crazy person spewing accusations at everyone - it is a brutally honest look at OUR HEALTH, and what is more important?

John Robbins has done it again! After reading his book "Diet For A New America" my life was forever changed. And now, "Reclaiming Our Health" has shattered my world view once again.Though non-fiction, this is a powerful book that I could not put down. It exposes the problems of the modern medical industry and shakes it to its very core. This is a must-read for every woman, cancer patient, AIDS victim -- anyone who has every dealth with personal illness or that of a loved one.