Dr. Rosenfeld's Guide to Alternative Medicine: What Works, What Doesn't--And What's Right for You

by Isadore Rosenfeld

Book Overview

Here, at long last, is an unbiased look at alternative medicine by a distinguished and experienced clinician with an open mind. Ignoring the name-calling and turf wars among various health care... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679428178
• ISBN13: 9780679428176
• Release Date: December 1996
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Ignore Those Who Bash This Book

I find the negative reviews of this book to be far too extreme. In the process of vehemently complaining that Dr. Rosenfeld bashes alternative medicine, they reveal their own excessively anti-establishment agenda. The fact is that, with the human body and health, we're dealing with something so intrinsically complex that a great deal of uncertainty is inevitable regardless of what theoretical perspective we adopt, whether conventional or unconventional. Under these circumstances, the wisest approach is to identify the best elements of all approaches and try to integrate them, even if that means we have to start with a messy eclectic mix. Since no one has all the answers when it comes to health, no one source, including Dr. Rosenfeld, should be solely relied upon to decide how to proceed. Instead, we have the burden of reading widely and listening open-mindedly to people with varying viewpoints, and then proceeding based on our best judgement. In that regard, I find Dr. Rosenfeld's book to be an excellent resource. He is very fair and open-minded, while at the same time applying an appropriate level of critical thinking. Moreover, the claim that Dr. Rosenfeld tries to undercut alternative medicine is totally wrong. If you actually read the book, you will find that Dr. Rosenfeld is neutral, cautiously optimistic, or clearly supportive of many alternative treatments, including some that I didn't previously take seriously myself (e.g., hypnosis). As Dr. Rosenfeld would say, here's the bottom line. If you're interested in alternative medicine (you should be), this book is an excellent resource to add to your collection. Read it and consider what Dr. Rosenfeld has to say, but don't solely rely on it. Why not 5 stars? Because, again, nobody has all the answers, so nobody can have the final word on this subject. Moreover, the book is now approaching a decade old, and the subject of alternative medicine is ultimately much too large for one book anway.

Great book but didn't convince my kooky mom

Here's why I gave this book four stars even though it is a very good book:My mom is 85 years old, and believes in everything from astrology to reincarnation to you name it. That's fine, except that when she told me that she was going to stop seeing her regular doctor and instead see a craniosacral therapist for her severe neck pain, I felt that I should help her to evaluate alternative medical practices. I did this after my own research showed that there's no good evidence that craniosacral therapy has any benefit.Bottom line is that although what I read of the book shows that it might convince someone that not all therapies are beneficial, and that quacks exist, it did not convince my mom.So if you're buying it for a similar reason, realize that it may not do the job.

Five Stars

For those of us who do not know the difference between Ayurveda, Chelation, and Iridology, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld comes to the rescue. In his practical book, Dr. Rosenfeld's Guide to Alternative Medicine, he spells out the difference between these and many other alternative therapies which more people are going to everyday. I wholeheartedly reccomend this work to be on anyone's bookshelf who is even romotely interested in knowing different therapies used today.

Judgmental, but up-front about it; oversimplified

Dr. Rosenfeld's book is well written and accessible for laypeople. The narrative is interesting, and the author's wit and humor came through. However, I found the content excessively judgmental in places; in fairness to the author, he admits his biases in most places. The book's principal failing, in my opinion, is one common to books of this sort - oversimplification. For example, the author's classification of chiropractic approaches - and his attendant opinion - did not fully capture the principal differences between practitioners, and appeared to dismiss some credible independent research. As a result, his recommendation was less complete than it could have been. I observed this in a few other areas of the text, though not frequently. In fairness to the author, I must admit my own bias, as a chiropractic college administrator. :-) In general, I applaud the author for his attempt to assist health care consumers in wading through the admittedly murky waters of so-called alternative medicine and complementary therapies.

<br>A Great Insight into Alternative Medicine<br>

For those of us who do not know the difference between Ayurveda, Chelation, and Iridology, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld comes to the rescue. In his practical book, Dr. Rosenfeld's Guide to Alternative Medicine, he spells out the difference between these and many other alternative therapies which more people are going to everyday. I wholeheartedly reccomend this work to be on anyone's bookshelf who is even romotely interested in knowing different therapies used today. To read the rest of this review and to view others, go to the World Wide Web Book Review at their NEW address: http://WebBookReview.com