Sustainable Medicine

Drawing on her clinical experience of over 30 years, the author conveys her understanding of both sustainable and unsustainable medicine. Conventional medicine, informed by a pharmaceutical, symptom-suppressing perspective, does not address the real underlying causes of ill-health, but rather treats the symptoms and in doing so can make the condition worse than before – for instance, giving painkillers that may actually hasten the need for an operation as joints are damaged faster. The author regards medical education as a brainwashing process that turns caring teenagers into unquestioning, narrow-minded, one size fits all doctors. She points out that some terms like high blood pressure are descriptions of symptoms rather than a true diagnosis. The pervasive influence of Western science and global food companies means that increasing numbers of people will become susceptible to degenerative conditions or lifestyle diseases. The author reminds us that in both the US and Europe - see also the review below – healthcare-system induced deaths are the third leading cause after heart disease and cancer.

The book is very clearly structured, starting with symptoms as early warning systems then analysing the mechanisms whereby symptoms and diseases are produced, with a particular emphasis on metabolic syndrome, which is characteristic of so many chronic conditions. Underlying her overall approach is what she calls the basic package that we should be applying all the time and consisting of a paleo diet (low on carbohydrates and sugar, including fruit), supplementary minerals and essential fatty acids, good sleep, exercise, sunshine, reduction of chemical burden, emotional security and avoidance of infections. She then describes extra treatments for specific conditions and gives a number of fascinating case histories. From the point of view of conventional practice, this whistleblowing book is revolutionary, but is in fact applied common sense from a naturopathic point of view. Given the financial crisis of health systems around the world, a more preventative approach will become a necessity. In the meantime, this book can help readers heal themselves and maintain their health by addressing underlying causes.