Customer Reviews

Your Body, Your Choice

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The book's subtitle says that it's a "Layman's Complete Guide to Bloodless Medicine and Surgery". Well I doubted THAT (having just read "Dailey's Notes on Blood" which even though written in a simple and concise way can still be kinda tough going) but I purchased it anyway because I'm deeply interested in the subject of transfusion free medicine. What a surprise I received!

1ST of all I was impressed by the physical presentation of the book itself. It is printed on glossy paper. There are numerous full-color photos and graphic illustrations. Along the way are a number of concise charts that nicely sum up or enhance the information presented in the text. There are a number of appendices at the end, which contain additional detailed information presented in a clear way, a glossary of medical terms used and a bibliography for each chapter.

The text itself is clear and well-written with the layman in view. The book gives a clear and well-rounded description of the components of blood and the circulatory system. (After reading this book my understanding of "Dailey's Notes on Blood" was greatly enhanced.) It gives the reasons why many doctors began looking for an alternative to blood transfusions. It highlights the evidence that is causing many well-respected doctors to come to the conclusion that bloodless surgery is not just an alternative procedure but is in fact the state of the art today. It, also, explains the different techniques and instruments used in bloodless surgery.

This book was such a joy to read that I read it twice in two weeks time. I even purchased several copies and gave them to friends. The authors and publishers have both done an excellent job in presenting, in such an understandable way, this important medical information.

This book is awesome! It explains so well that people do not *need* blood transfusions that so much can be done without them and in fact if a person makes the choice not to have a blood transfusion they may get better care, more skilled care. Too many times physicians have resorted to giving unnecessary blood transfusions instead of using their skills and this has led to numerous diseases, not just AIDS but many other often fatal diseases. Buy this book.

"Your Body, Your Choice" is an excellent publication that I purchased from Amazon Books. Well researched, prepared and documented. A must read for anyone about to undergo surgery and that has any doubts about the safety of blood transfusions. Until I read this book I didn't realise how unsafe transfused blood could be, from a medical standpoint.

A must in all "libraries" as the information is so digestible and definitely vital!

A reading of Your Body Your Choice, by Shannon Farmer and David Webb, is educational. As advertised, language usage and subject approach is kept reasonably readable for the medical layperson.

I find Farmer and Webb's statements regarding the subject accurate for the most part, though here and there are found inconsistencies that are probably minor to most readers.

For example, the Preface includes the statement that "some experts are predicting blood transfusion will be obsolete within 10 to 15 years." Yet in other sections of the book we find premises based on future increases in the use of blood medically. For example, regarding blood availability for transfusion, on page 76 and 77 we find the statement "Experts predict an annual four million unit deficit by the year 2030." Blood availability for transfusion is only a problem if blood transfusion remains a viable medical practice, and 2030 is well beyond a 10 to 15 year point of obsolescence. Farmer and Webb also cite medical authorities indicating that medical use of blood transfusion has viability extending beyond 10 to 15 years. For example, on page 144 Dr. Aryeh Shander is quoted as saying, "Long-term is establishing the fact that allogeneic transfusions are a thing of the past and will never be seen again in medicine." Such a statement contains no indication that all blood transfusions will be obsolete in the long-term but rather only allogeneic transfusions. So which of these expert opinions should we trust when it comes to blood transfusions 10 to 15 years from now? Farmer and Webb do not answer this question though the statement in the Preface leads readers to conclude something inconsistent with the main text.

Notably Farmer and Webb frequently refer to patients refusing uses of blood for religious reasons. Since Farmer is a member of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses and since members of this religion are most notable for refusing various uses of blood then we must conclude at least some of the references apply to Jehovah's Witness patients. (The bibliography also evidences this)

As Farmer is a member of the Jehovah's Witness community I must applaud him in particular -- I have no idea of Webb's religious affiliation -- because he walks such a fine line of providing reasonably accurate information contrary to what many Jehovah's Witnesses want to believe, but without upsetting his religious affiliation. I say this because notable members of his religion have endorsed this book -- such as Jan Wade. Farmer has found a way of accurately informing the public and Jehovah's Witnesses that sometimes uses of blood are medically necessary even though a person's religious beliefs may forbid those uses. In the main he does this by letting experts do the talking rather than making the assertion himself. For example, rather than saying himself that sometimes transfusion of allogeneic blood is medically necessary he quotes an authority. In this instance he quotes Dr. Richard K. Spence as saying of "bloodless medicine" that "These alternatives are far ranging and include... predonation of blood,... modification of both transfusion triggers and surgical techniques and the use of leucoreduced allogeneic blood when it is necessary." Surely Farmer knows that his religion forbids predonation of blood and using leucoreduced allogeneic blood for transfusion, yet he has found a way to accurately convey that these are sound medical practices when indicated, and sometimes necessary. In this way Farmer, and Webb, help educated patients that in some cases use of allogeneic blood is necessary to preventing premature death and/or preserving health. In these cases a choice otherwise means suffering premature death, a sobering thought.

I must applaud Farmer and Webb for Your Body Your Choice, and Farmer in particular.

Marvin Shilmer