Preface

As reproduced from the book, "I'm a patient ... Get me out of here..."

When we get ill, we do something that is otherwise completely out of character, we take our most precious and personal possession, our body, to a complete stranger, innocently believe what he says, and then let him take over control of our life. Because he is a doctor we do this unquestioningly, and sometimes very expensively. We rarely feel in a position to discuss our diagnosis or the recommended treatment, let alone disagree or disobey his orders. (From which other profession do we take “orders”?) The expression “I’m under the doctor” is a reality.

Contrast our behaviour when we call a plumber to mend a broken flushing system. We discuss the options, the cost and the length of time required to fix it. As the house-owner and payer of bills, we collaborate in the decision as to whether a replacement part or a repair will be the best option. We stay in control and make the choices. Have you ever heard anyone say “I’m under the plumber?”

I am a conventionally trained British doctor, who has suffered considerable ill-health, and have had far too much personal experience of my own profession’s misguided help, together with the powerlessness and loss of control involved. “It’s for your own good.” Also there is a vague feeling of personal guilt and ineptitude that accompanies being “in the sick role” as a recipient of Western Conventional Medicine.

As a result of long-term work, and some very good help, I have recovered from various common serious health problems and the results of conventional medical “treatment” and now specialise in allergy and environmental medicine, using drug-free approaches wherever possible.

This book is designed to help those people who wish to avoid being “under the doctor” and gives ideas on how they may keep control of their lives, and recover through their own efforts, with help. It is a compilation of all the various approaches that I have found useful, either for myself or for my patients. It is not meant to be scientific, as many “Alternative” therapies are difficult to prove statistically, even supposing there was money to fund trials. There are no lists of incomprehensible references from learned journals to be found at the back of this book. It contains the distilled wisdom painstakingly acquired over a medical lifetime together with some of my personal insights.

Word of mouth, clinical experience and patient recommendation are more important than trials funded by those who have a financial interest in their outcome. All the herbs, nutritional and other supplements mentioned in this book are available over the counter or via the Internet, and this is intended as a DIY manual. However it is best used in conjunction with a doctor trained in Environmental or Holistic Medicine.

The areas covered in this book range widely and my expertise is augmented, in many cases, by personal experience, so that I see many of these problems from the perspective of both doctor and ex-patient, allowing a practical and humane perspective. The subjects tackled include allergy, bowel problems, obesity, addiction and mood-swings, arthritis and many common chronic conditions, which do not yield to pills. The importance of our houses and earth energies to health, use of dowsing to sort out certain problems, the impact of mobile phone and TETRA masts and a number of excellent gadgets available via the Internet are described. The solutions offered have been found useful by myself or by patients, but have not necessarily undergone clinical trials.

There are also useful hints for coping with such intractable problems as insomnia, nightmares, apparent hauntings, the common cold and much else including maintaining health in later life and the organisation needed for dying with dignity at home. I have endeavoured to cover most of the areas which are poorly tackled or entirely neglected by Conventional Western Medicine which is very narrow in outlook, rather like looking through the peepholes in a strait-jacket.

When asked if someone should see a (conventional) doctor, the real answer (in my heart) is “no … first look at diet, lifestyle, environment etc.” Sadly our medico-legal and blame industry is so out of control, that this book must carry a printed disclaimer, saying that the reader should see a doctor if they are ill … That way lies true madness.

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