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Title: Gesundheit: Bringing Good Health to You, the Medical System, and Society Through Physician Service, Complementary Therapies, Humor and Joy by Patch Adams, Maureen Mylander, Arte Johnson ISBN: 1-57453-315-0 Publisher: Audio Literature Pub. Date: January, 2000 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.07 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A MAGICAL BOOK!
Comment: Behind Patch Adams clown nose and jokes lies a social revolutionary who has devoted his life to transforming the health care system. In his book "Gesundheit" he shares a vision of a free holistic medical practice based on faith, friendship and fun. Adams life and work even inspired the producers of Universal Studios to make a movie titled "Patch Adams" staring Robin Williams.
Patch Adams is the founder of Gesundheit, a holistic home-based medical practice that managed to see more than 15,000 people without bills, malpractice insurance, formal facilities and paper work. Adams' vision is a wake-up call for all of us.
Like Adams I became discouraged when the art of counseling and medicine was replaced by the science of business and technology. During my 20 years of working as a children's counselor at a Mental Health Center I witnessed how mental health and medicine, the nations number one industries today, shifted from the community to the corporate level. When the loving human interchange between a client and counselor became more a business transaction, and the paperwork not the people became the bulk of our services due to fear of litigation, I decided it was time to retire.
In "Gesundheit" Adams discourages health care professionals from carrying malpractice insurance. When fear is the baseline from which to practice healing it encourages caregivers to prescribe "cookbook" treatments even when they believe them to be inadequate or potentially harmful. Fear and distrust makes physicians reluctant to explore alternate therapy and leads them to put patients through procedures and tests that are unnecessary and defensive. When professionals see patients as passive recipients of wisdom there is no room for humility or mistakes. A malpractice climate denies physicians the right to be imperfect.
Third-party reimbursement is also a problem. It has diverted medicine from a service to a business and become a circus act with many hoops to jump through. Doctors tend to over-order tests and overdo procedures when patients are insured. It's easier to order tests than provide care or comfort. Hospital supply companies, medical technology and pharmaceutical firms have become multimillion dollar moguls of medicine.
Another problem is that the professional distance ethic often leads to aloofness and arrogance. Many patients are described as diseases, lab values, or treatments. When people are called the names of their diseases other facets of the patient's life are neglected such as family, friends, faith, fun, work, nutrition and exercise. Life itself is bigger than illness, diagnosis, treatment and disease.
When touching is taboo and getting close to clients is forbidden we loose the magic of vulnerability and trust in a relationship. Healing happens in the relationship between the healer and the patient. A healer cannot offset the pain and suffering of a client without intimacy. Healers need the freedom to cry with and hug their patients. Transference is inevitable. Every human being has some kind of impact on another. A solid relationship creates a loving, human, creative, cooperative and open environment.
Privacy or confidentiality rules make intimacy difficult. Public disclosure strengthens relationships and helps develop a greater sense of support and understanding. Like 12-step programs the surrendering of privacy is the cornerstone of friendship and an antidote to loneliness. Our stories are important and listening to each other's stories provides the magic for healing. We are a tribal people and we need community. We need to move from the insurance of cash to the insurance of clan.
Progress has become synonymous with "advances in technology." Although modern medicine has made great strides in knowledge and technology, health care professionals are rarely vibrant with the joy of human service. Many doctors feel naked without their instruments and machines. Even though comfort, empathy, and reassurance-so vital to a medical practice requires no technology. Our magic as healers is not in our tools but in ourselves.
We also need to integrate humor and nature in healing work. Humor is a powerful antidote to pain and nature tops the list of potent stress reducers. An individual's health cannot be separated from their natural and human environment and wellness needs to include prevention of ecological disasters.
Adams' book "Gesundheid" is an excellent summary of how today's high-tech medicine has become too costly, dehumanized, mistrustful and grim and gives us a vision of what good health care could be. We not only need a better health care system but a healthier one. Profit, paperwork, medication, and medical procedures cannot be a substitute for time spent talking to and observing patients.
Mother Teresa's Mission of Charity has provided free services to the poor in over 52 continents since 1952. They accept donations from individuals not companies and have not only survived but thrived. Gesundheit, a non-religious modern day version of the Missions of Charity, also offers free services in faith not fear. Both demonstrate how giving is intoxicating and produce intimacy as a byproduct. Both show how fulfillment that comes from service is one of the great medicines of life.
Although most of us cannot give our services away for free we can learn from Adams' vision. Putting people before profit is a win win situation. When people are happy they're less likely to litigate and surprise, surprise the business ends up making a profit.
Rating: 5
Summary: A truly fun and heart warming book
Comment: 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!
Rating: 4
Summary: You can never get enough!!!
Comment: Patch Adam's life was portrayed by Robin Williams on the Hollywood Movie with the same name. Nevertheless, Patch Adam's life isn't just what you see in the movie, actually it is much more interesting and valueble when you read the true insights of this now-famous doctor.
Patch proposes a new way to treat diseases, by treating the persons. Humor, fun, magic tricks, sunsets, animals, or whatever is needed to make a person feel better and forget about his/her pain; is his philosophy.
The book describes the road Patch has taken to fullfill his dream, and the goals he has fixed for himself and his team. Working to give free, highest quality medicine is not an easy job. Still Patch smiles with his red nose, clownish hair, and funny clothes. You can never get enough about Patch, he is inspiring, funny, and intelligent. Surely this book will make you rethink lots of concepts and ideas. Great Book!!!
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Title: House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time by Patch Adams ISBN: 1885003188 Publisher: Robert D. Reed Publishers Pub. Date: 01 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Illness and the Art of Creative Self-Expression: Stories and Exercises from the Arts for Those With Chronic Illness by John Graham-Pole, Patch Adams ISBN: 1572242027 Publisher: New Harbinger Publications Pub. Date: 01 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title:Patch Adams - Collector's Edition ASIN: B00000IQV7 Publisher: Universal Studios Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $13.03 |
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Title: The Healing Power of Humor: Techniques for Getting Through Loss, Setbacks, Upsets, Disappointments, Difficulties, Trials, Tribulations, and All That by Allen Klein ISBN: 0874775191 Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher Pub. Date: 01 March, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Courage to Laugh: Humor, Hope, and Healing in the Face of Death and Dying by Allen Klein ISBN: 0874779294 Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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