Navigating the Medical Maze: A Practical Guide

by Steven L. Brown

Publisher:

Brazos Press

, 2007

Overview

Consumers are bombarded with competing health-care suggestions. Too often, decisions are made from emotions, peer pressure, or marketing, rather than through careful investigation. Steven L. Brown guides readers through issues impacting medical choices, weaving a Christian worldview throughout his approach. Beginning with the positive and negative attributes of medical doctors, Brown examines principles of practice and the effect bias can have on a physician’s recommendations. The author also gives readers tools to navigate the world of alternative medicine and work through the emotional impact of illness. A section of frequently asked questions rounds out an insider’s view of some of the critical health-care issues of our time.

From the Back Cover

”Navigating the Medical Maze addresses many important health care issues that I discuss with my patients every day. It’s conversational and accessible, and yet provides an impressive amount of information and perspective in a compact volume. The last three chapters, which deal with some very common and emotional concerns about health and illness, are alone worth the price of the book, which I will encourage my patients to buy--and read."
--Dr. Paul C. Reisser, author of the Focus on the Family Complete Guide to Family Health, Nutrition, and Fitness"For those traveling unexpectedly through the complex world of health care today, the myriad treatment options from inside and outside the medical community can be confusing and overwhelming. Dr. Steven Brown offers clear, practical, and compassionate counsel to help readers make the best possible health care choices for themselves and their loved ones. Navigating the Medical Maze is a valuable resource for anyone facing a health crisis or simply wanting to minimize health problems in the future."
--Mary J. Nelson, breast cancer survivor and author of Grace for Each Hour and Grace for Tough Times “Navigating the Medical Maze is a caveat emptor for those who must seek a doctor’s care--this book is for all of us. In lucid language Brown explains how to find, keep, and fire a doctor; how bias impacts the health care field; how to assess alternative medicine; and how to live a healthy lifestyle. Highly recommended."
--Kathryn Greene-McCreight, author of Darkness is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness"From finding the doctor you need, to picking a medicine that works, to staying healthy, Dr. Brown provides the information you need to maneuver through the medical maze. Full of poignant stories and practical wisdom, this is a map everyone needs to read!"
--Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations

Read more

1. Thrown into the Medical Maze
Part I: The Doctor
2. Steering Clear of Bad Doctors
3. How to Recognize the Best Doctors
4. Support Your Local Doctor
Part II: The Principles
5. How Do We Know If a Treatment Works?
6. Does Bias Affect Everyone, Even My Doctors and Me?
7. Avoiding the Traps That Bias Sets for You
Part III: Alternative Medicine
8. Is Alternative Medicine Better Than Conventional Medicine?
9. Dying of Natural Causes: Alternative Medicines Aren’t Dangerous, Are They?
10. How Can I Tell If the Evidence Is Any Good?
11. What about Other Claims Made by Some Alternative Practitioners?
Part IV: The Patient
12. How Can I Deal with My Illness?
13. Frequently Asked Questions
14. How Can I Live a Healthy Life?

About Steven L. Brown

Steven L. Brown (MD, PhD, Columbia University) is clinical associate professor of internal medicine at Texas Tech University and a cardiologist in private practice in Midland, Texas. He has written numerous articles for medical and research journals, has been a presenter at continuing medical education programs for health professionals, and frequently speaks to the public on health issues in seminars, television interviews, and church settings.