I haven't read Dr. Leonardi's book, but my life philosophy is "preventive self-exploration and self-care to avoid surgery at all costs." Also I find doctors and patients are all too willing to jump into surgery. There must be some masochistic pleasure in this. On the other hand, I do know many people who have been told by doctors that they must have surgery or they would die. They were appauled at the diagnosis and looked for natural means to cure themselves and were successful.

For me surgery would be a last chance option...after having seriously tried all other natural alternatives.

Jill Paer

Trying alternative methods is fine if you have a cold or something not serious, but I take issue when adults put other people at risk with their decision to heal themselves or their children.  We live in a modern world and should try and take advantage of some of the knowledge and procedures now available to us.

Often the answer can be found in a balance of the two perspectives -- allopathic and alternative medicine can complement each other very nicely. A good example is my friend's husband's recent experience. A couple of weeks ago, he had been quite literally on the brink of death, having contracted Necrotizing Fascitiis (flesh eating bacteria), a highly virulent form of strep. After just a couple of days of a rapidly spreading infection that started in his arm, he was at a point where his vital organs were shutting down. My friend is a holistic wellness practitioner, with strong connections to both the biomedical and complementary medical communities in the DC area, and was able to use her network to locate an expert in this area. Using a combination of antiobiotics and surgery, the physicians were able to stop the infection and literally save Brian’s life. He is on the road to recovery, using a combination of conventional (antibiotics) and alternative (energy healing) treatments. As for pre-surgery preparation, I have heard of people using homeopathy, reiki and visualization very successfully -- it can minimize bleeding and speed up recovery time.

He is so fortunate, a very lucky man!! I have heard of that disease and it sounds just horrible.  I do think when the two worlds collide, it is the best.  I just don't want people to not get the help they need when they think that they can heal themselves.

Yes, he is incredibly lucky! And I agree with you that people should take a balanced view of medicine -- we can benefit from the thoughtful use of both allopathic AND alternative methods, as appropriate. I like Dr. Andrew Weil's approach because he takes this stance. And it is also very encouraging to see how much effort the National Institutes of Health has been putting into trying to better understand the benefits of both perspectives.

Trying alterntive ways of doing something can be a positive thing.  I believe that there are things in life that are clearly unexplainable. 

I really do agree that natural healing methods and alternatives should be considered more often, however, you really can't rely solely on that.  Surgery is necessary at times, and if you've consulted several doctors and they've all suggested surgery, then it really isn't time to go against the medical procedure. But that really is just my opinion.

 

On the other hand this is a great book, I might purchase it, this type of literature is always useful, you never know when you just might need it.  

We all seem to agree on this.  In its place, it is a good alternative.

I'm going to jump the band wagon and agree with everyone. Do not avoid medical procedures when they are necessary! 

 

But at the same time it's not healthy to just rely on medicine. We should seek natural healing as well... I strongly believe in holistic health.