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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Response to Californian reader, September 19, 2006
This review is from: Fire Your Doctor! How to Be Independently Healthy (Paperback)
Whenever claims for nutrition have substance, people often counter with irrational claims of side effects and harm. I rather liked the response from the "reader in California" who slated this book for supposed inaccuracies. It amused me, as Andrew Saul's purported inaccuracies are correct factual statements, and it is the objections that are false.
Firstly, Saul was accurate when stating that there were no reported deaths from vitamin overdose in the US. The counter claim, that 14 children had died in India from vitamin A overdose, was incorrect. Almost certainly, the 14 deaths did not occur from vitamin poisoning. The BMJ article cited by the anonymous reader [BMJ 223:1206, 24 Nov 2001] actually states: "it was unlikely that overdoses had caused the deaths and illness". Blaming vitamin A could be considered hysteria, as the actual death rate in this report was lower than expected [BMJ 2002;324:791, 30 March 2002]. A more reasonable interpretation might be that the vitamin A supplement was saving lives.
As Saul says, azithromycin is no better than low dose vitamin C for treating viral bronchitis. It is well known that antibiotics are generally ineffective against viruses. To treat an infection with vitamin C, pharmacological doses are required. A minimum pharmacological dose of vitamin C is 10 grams. Once again, Dr Saul's book was correct.
On a similar note, the reader with no name's assertion, that doses of 10 grams are appropriate for the treatment of cancer, is also incorrect. Dr Saul suggests that doses of the order of 100 grams are appropriate, and this is accurate for orthomolecular therapy. A typical regime would be 20+ grams of oral vitamin C daily and intravenous infusions of 75 grams (sodium ascorbate) three times per week. The reported side effects are typically minor, but treatment of cancer really does require a qualified physician; Saul repeatedly asserts this.
While some people declare they have all the answers for nutrition, and make inappropriate health claims, Dr Saul works from the facts. His book is a fantastic read and provides excellent guidance on supplements and health.
Dr Steve Hickey
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reader's Review of the book Fire Your Doctor, by Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., January 10, 2006
This review is from: Fire Your Doctor! How to Be Independently Healthy (Paperback)
Reader's Review of the book Fire Your Doctor!, by Andrew W. Saul (Basic
Health Publications, 2005)
"Empowering" was one of the first words that came to my mind while reading
"Fire Your Doctor!" Andrew Saul, a natural-born teacher, has provided us
with an enjoyable, practical and easy-to-read book. At the same time, it
contains a great deal of carefully documented information to inform and
encourage people to help themselves to better health.
Dr. Saul emphasizes that people need "education, not medication." "Fire Your
Doctor!" provides that education with well-researched "do-it-yourself"
chapters full of insight, drawn from the author's nearly 30 years of
personal experience as a natural health consultant.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, including physicians who wish to
provide a comprehensive natural-health care program for their clients.
John I. Mosher, Ph.D.
SUNY Professor Emeritus, Biological Sciences
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone should have a copy, April 11, 2006
This review is from: Fire Your Doctor! How to Be Independently Healthy (Paperback)
This superb book should be in every home. As a young lad, growing up in Liverpool, a favourite aunt once told me that health was our most important possession. At the time, I thought health was automatic. However, as people I loved became sick and died, I realised that she was right.
The best way people can look after their health is to take ownership of it, rather than relying on their doctors. An amusing 17th Century cartoon hangs on the bathroom wall, in the home of a surgeon friend of mine. A physician is seen congratulating the household cook, as his greatest ally. These are his words:
Yes, my good friend, I see you are hard at it and I never can quit the house of my rich patients without shaking hands with the cook. I owe you much, for you confer great favours on me. Your skill in kickshaws and the ingenious art of poisoning enables us medical men to ride in our carriages. Without your assistance, we should all go on foot and be slaved!!
(The Physician's Friend, published by T. Tegg, 111 Cheapside, London, England, 1805-1824).
As the cartoon implies and doctors often suggest, prevention is more effective than treatment. Despite this, the medical establishment is structured towards curing illnesses, rather than preventing them. Dr Saul is different. His interest in health stems from early childhood, when he considered becoming a surgeon. Unable to stand the sight of blood, he did not relish the thought of a career "bailing out leaky boats," so he became interested in natural health.
Medicine has become a high-tech, high-cost industry. Standard medical advice often leaves people in a state of ill health, so common as to be considered normal. Dr Saul believes this level of chronic sickness is unnecessary. He does not just want us to visit our doctors less often; he is on a crusade to help us all feel great.
In Fire your doctor, he explains, in an easygoing style, how people can avoid ill health. He gives practical advice on major diseases and health conditions. People are increasingly worried about how to afford even basic medical treatment. Dr Saul provides answers; follow his advice and you will visit your doctor less often. For many people, the cost of the book is less than that of a single visit.
Dr Saul's approach is practical. He gives simple recommendations for increasing general health and makes suggestions for various maladies. Pragmatically, the reader is not expected to follow all of the advice given. Health can be improved dramatically by making small changes to a person's diet and lifestyle. The tag line for this book is how to be independently healthy: it will not be lost on readers that they may also remain more wealthy.
Perhaps we have had to wait rather too long for Dr Saul to remind us that what we eat feeds our doctors. One thing I can be sure of: my aunt would have loved Andrew Saul's book.
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