Dr. Larry Malerba has written a comprehensive book that takes a close look at the current state of the American health care system, which he claims “is sick and it is making its patients sick.”
This book, Green Medicine: Challenging the Assumptions of Conventional Health Care (published by North Atlantic Books) invites readers to consider alternative approaches to health care in additional to some of the more mainstream methods.
As a result, Dr. Malerba hopes to engage people in “A New Synthesis of Ancient and Modern Healing Traditions.”
The Premise of Green Medicine
This book is not about approaching the system with different economic approaches in order to make it run more efficiently, rather it is about encouraging fundamental philosophical shift in people’s perceptions of what a health care system should be like in order to see true practical results.
Dr. Malerba promotes green medicine as the coming together of both conventional medicine and alternative medicine in order to form a balanced approach to healing.
With a history of running a homeopathic clinic and working in a psychiatric facility, Dr. Malerba has a professional history rooted in both scientific and alternative medicines, giving credibility to his argument for green medicine.
The Medical Spectrum
For Dr. Malerba, “medicine” is neither more authoritative from a Western perspective nor an Eastern perspective. Rather, by combining the wisdoms and practices from a variety of different medical schools of thought, patients can have a more well-rounded treatment of their bodies and souls—something Malerba believes will lead to vitality in the long run.
This thinking is something I agree with. I, like Dr. Malerba, think scientific medicine has made some good contributions to our society’s understanding of health. However Eastern-based medicinal practices offer just as reliable and as effective cures for diseases and conditions.
It is my opinion that, depending on the person and the circumstance or health issue, traditional medicine may be more favorable than mainstream medicine. Similarly, in some circumstances, scientific medicine may prove more viable. Health and medicine and the practice of healing are not black and white, but rather dotted with a million shades of grey.
Readers Presented Questions for Consideration
Green Medicine is a lengthy read, but don’t let that be a discouraging factor from engaging in its philosophical discussions. Dr. Malerba poses several questions in his book, including: How do we become more engaged in our own health care? Is it truly possible to merge alternative medicines with mainstream approaches? What exactly do all those drugs do to our bodies, minds, and the environment? Why shouldn’t the soul be considered in the physical assessment of a patient?
Green Medicine covers many schools of thought: Western medicine, alternative medicine, philosophy, sustainable environmentalism, psychology, physics, and so much more. Readers are assured that they need not be proficient in the terms or theories of these disciplines, as Dr. Malerba writes in an easy to read fashion.
Green Medicine a Worthy Read
This book was informative and flowed quite well. I enjoyed the overall perspective on medicine: neither dismissing it nor praising it, Dr. Malerba encourages us to look past scientific authority and consider a medical philosophy that combines all schools of thought and approaches to health.
Dr. Malerba ensures he is not preaching to readers, rather unfolds his arguments in a sensible, reasonable way. It is a lengthy read, but there is not a wasted word in between covers.
