Customer Reviews

House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time

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I saw the movie and laughed and cried and was filed with hope and joy. This guy sould run for President as he has INTEGRITY and CHARACTER. I read this book and gave two more copies as gifts. I am an avid explorer of holistic medicine and teach Neurosync behavior modification classes, so I understand just how important a positive outlook and positive attitude is in staying healthy and motivating others. I highly recommend this book.

In this wacky book, Patch Adams joins forces with Jerry Van Amerongen to give the reader a practical guide in introducing laughter into the healing process. The book is divided into three sections. The first section is filled with thoughts on being well. Dr. Adams provides instruction on being healthy and then provides some action steps to assimilate faith, humor, curiosity, relaxation, passion, exercise, nutrition, friendship, service, and other positive values into your daily life. These guidelines are cleverly illustrated by Jerry Van Amerongen with one panel cartoons that bring home the message of the suggestion and motivate the reader to take action. Amerongen is the creator of the Ballard Street syndicated cartoon strip.
Section two follows the same format but offers suggestions on what the reader can do to make a visit in the hospital, to shut-ins, or someone in the community, beneficial and enjoyable for both parties. These steps are thoughtful, often neglected and easy to carry out. Again the impact of the action steps are enhanced and impacted through the humor of Jerry's cartoon illustrations.
Suggestions are also offered on how to be a good hospital patient, from gaining understanding by asking questions regarding your treatment, careful listening to instructions, and reflection on your life and what you have done and want to accomplish in the future. Van Amerongen's humor helps the readers accept the situation and are then motivated to make the most of their circumstances.
The third section deals with special concerns when visiting, children, teenagers, the elderly, mentally ill, disabled, and dying patients. These helpful suggestions make the impact of your visit pleasurable for the patient, the caregivers, and yourself. The cartoons help the reader visualize the words of the text.
Adams has also provided a very comprehensive bibliography entitled "A Booklover's Search for Understanding and Ideas."
Combining Patch Adams' philosophy of laughter in healing with Jerry Van Amerongen's humor was a stroke of brilliance. The combination has made this book an enjoyable read, and produced in this reader, many smiles, some chuckles, and hearty laughs. It also gave me a new sensitivity to the importance of "healing the world one visit at a time."

This book is a practical guide on bringing the Gesundheit! vision into your own community. An easy enjoyable read, it offers suggestions on how to begin a life of joyful service by visiting folks in your own community. It offers an immensely practical love strategy. You can change your world!

People perceive barriers of all types. It is not uncommon to hear, "I don't have the time", "I don't have the money", and "I don't know how". Take the most basic context of Dr. Adams which is to help another person. Help can be listening, holding a hand, or laughing with someone. It doesn't mean one has to spend a great deal of time or money. Turn off the television and help your neighbor weed her flower bed. Take an hour away from having your artificial nails manicured and volunteer somewhere. I enjoy reading his inspired words and can only hope his visions become reality during my lifetime.

After seeing the movie Patch Adams I had to read his book. It had some wonderful insights but the real delight was the illustration by Jerry Van Amerongen. I've followed Van Amerongen's "Ballard Street" cartoon in newspapers for some time but the larger format of the book really allowed his artistry to shine through. Whoever decided on the match of Patch Adams and Jerry Van Amerongen needs no doctor. Great idea. Even greater execution.

I had the pleasure of being an extra in the movie, "Patch Adams." Patch spoke to us for a good long time while we were waiting to go to the set. Very inspiring! I also saw a sneak preview of the movie, "Patch Adams" and I can't say enough good things about it. A sweet and funny movie that everyone should see. So, see the movie, buy the book, and help Patch build his free hospital. He is an inspiration in so many ways to so many people.

This book along with Gesundheit! are amazing. Patch Adams makes us feel good and shows us the true nature of life and medicine. Kudos!

Great book, it basicaly show you how can you help in the healing process whether you are a patient, doctor, family member or friend of the patient.
Many tks to Doctor Patch Adams for this creation.
If you are interested in a medicine more humanized, this is a must on your bookshelf.

In the follow up to his first book, Gesundheit!, Dr. Patch Adams means
to give us the prescription for healthy living and healing by this fun
little handbook with one part musings, one part cartoons, and one part
"to do" lists that can creatively keep us on track in our fast-paced,
overextended twenty-first century lives. One of Patch's beliefs, that
you can't have healing without fun, gets fleshed out here in exploring
topics like wonder, nature, passion, hope, in the context of learning
how to be well. Aimed at both patient and visitor of the afflicted,
this friendly text offers holistic suggestions for its main concerns:
Thoughts on Being Well, Things a Visitor (of the sick) Can Do, How
to be a Good Hospital Patient, and Special Concerns When Visiting...
(certain types of patients). While the tone and presentation are
light-hearted, the subject matter and the teachings are serious and
necessary for anyone who has ever loved someone who is ill that they
didn't know how to help, or who has struggled to say something meaningful
and heartfelt to a hospitalized friend or family member. This book
points the way to an authentic and refreshing encounter between the
sick or dying and the people that love and visit them.

If you care about the sick and want to know how to be human and help them heal! For doctors, nurses and everyone else...