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Selling Sickness
REVIEWS
The Energy Prescription by Constance Grauds, RPh, with coauthor Doug Childers, Bantam Books, 2005.
ooking for a book to recommend to patients complaining of fatigue, low energy, exhaustion, and burnout? Searching for a tool to help regain health, vitality, and positive energy? In her new book, The Energy Prescription, Constance Grauds, RPh, provides solutions to treat the root of the number one complaint heard in medical offices today: I don’t have enough energy. Grauds brings the spiritual and medicinal ways of the Amazon rainforest, which she learned through her 10-year apprenticeship in Peru with shaman don Antonio, into this comprehensive, well-formatted, and powerful new book. A traditional pharmacist transformed by a personal illness that led her to the rainforest, Grauds extends the healing and transformative knowledge presented in her book Jungle Medicine into this timely and important new book. The human energy crisis parallels the remarkable rising cost of gasoline. We are literally running out of gas . . . turning to pills, caffeine, and any quick fix possible. The proliferation of energy drinks and caffeine-based solutions to ease low-energy problems is dramatic, even within our schools, and we certainly don’t have to look far to find evidence of the overuse of prescription drugs in America. Grauds points out that, according to shamanic teachings, the root of energy depletion is susto, or fear. The Energy Prescription offers solutions for shifting from a susto-self to a sustainable-self. To do this, the first step is to achieve a shift of consciousness. The book gives the reader a simple four-step, 10-minute ex-
L
ercise taken from the spirited world of the shaman that helps one achieve this deeper shift in consciousness and make lasting changes to renew one’s energy. This type of depth is frequently absent from much of the self-help literature. The book then takes the reader on an expedition through the eight energy entradas or gateways—mind, breath, water, food, exercise, altruism, relationships, and nature—with remarkable scientific summations and current psychological insights. Where Grauds really shines is the gateway of nature. Through her rich experience in the Amazon rainforest, she writes in a manner comparable with the spiritual writings of Emerson, bringing an awareness of the healing capabilities of plants, Gaia principle, and the web of nature to the reader. Next, the major energy leaks of specific illnesses are addressed with case examples and scientific research, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and addiction. Concluding with a comprehensive assessment to create a personalized energy prescription, Grauds guides the reader into a plan of conscious awareness and action for their health and energy maintenance. The tenor of the book is consumer friendly, ecological, and refreshing. Terms such as sustainable self, spirited energy, indigenous self, and somatic awareness abound along the journey guided by numerous scientific references, shamanic teachings, case examples, and the authors Grauds’ and Childers’ own inspirational stories. The application of The Energy Prescription is far-reaching. Healthcare professionals can recommend it for patients facing chronic fatigue, depression, and other energy problems Grauds calls enervated. The first traditional pharmacist to speak convincingly of the nonpharmaceutical, nature-based solutions learned in her shamanic training, Grauds continues to help usher in a new phase of individualized medicine, selfcare, and wellness that reaches into spirited healing strategies that are both in-
412 EXPLORE September 2005, Vol. 1, No. 5
digenous and scientifically sound. As she says, “there is no pill for fear.” Christine Stevens, MSW, MT-BC, MA Wellness Consultant, Remo Inc. Los Angeles, CA
Selling Sickness A video directed by Catherine Scott, produced by Pat Fiske, and cowritten by Ray Moynihan. Australia, 2004.
hen I was in medical school and throughout most of my practice, patients would rarely come in demanding specific medications or treatment. Most patients came to the doctor to call upon their wisdom, training, and expertise in helping find solutions to some of their health problems and for the alleviation of suffering. For the most part, they did not look to doctors to help them with what were considered the normal problems of every day life, the ups and downs that arise from bad relationships, ill fortune, and the daily grind of work or school. Occasionally, advice was sought on behavioral problems for children and counseling for the family or the relationship. Drugs were considered the complete purview of the doctor and prescribed based on the collection of signs and symptoms that met defined criteria for illness or disease. Selling of drugs to physicians was prominent, usually in the form of a detail man or woman coming to the noon lecture, or morning report, putting out displays
W
Reviews
about their latest wares along with some donuts or pizza. Free samples were left to test out the new medications in selected patients for whom they were indicated. Gone are those days. Drug companies with increasing sophistication soon figured out many of the medications marketed to doctors for specific clinical conditions also had affects in normal life and for a wider range of much milder troubles especially in the mental health area. That and the development of new biochemical treatments for mood changes drove them to begin direct marketing mostly through television and magazine advertisements to patients and potential patients. In addition, new collections of symptoms were aggregated, new names were established for those collections of symptoms, and new diseases were thus created. The medicalization of life, now with potent economic forces from drug companies behind it, became blatant and increasingly alarming. What Ivan Illich warned us about in his classic book “Medical Nemesis” became increasingly real. This film documents that process in very personal ways and with medical commentary. In a skillful weave of patient testimony, some of it heart wrenching, and with balanced commentary from medical experts, the story of how new mental illnesses are created and approved for moodaltering drugs is told. The film has moments of poignancy such as when a father weeps over the suicide of his child, which is thought to be caused by an antidepressant. The film, however, does not sell emotionalism. It is liberally interspersed with film clips from hearings and testimony of experts who provide balanced discussions of the data. The film should cause anyone considering taking serotonin release uptake inhibiters and other mood-altering medications serious pause before going on these medications for anything other than some of the most serious illnesses. Clearly, these medications have helped many, but their widening application to ever increasingly mild syndromes
Reviews
is of great concern; indeed, some of the medications have been banned in Europe and England for use in children. The importance of the film is highlighted by recent publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that patient requests for antidepressants and specific antidepressants have a huge affect on doctors’ prescribing habits. Gone are the days when the doctor made the decisions and the patient either complied or did not. Now consumers are becoming drivers of their own healthcare and drug consumption, and drug companies are becoming drivers of consumer demand. It is the doctors who now are the compliers. This film is important viewing for all who treat patients, are patients, or have loved ones who suffer from psychological and mental illness. Wayne B. Jonas, MD Director, Samueli Institute, Alexandria, VA Welcoming Consciousness By Wendy McCarty, PhD, WB Publishing EBook, ($14.95)
r. McCarty’s newest e-book Welcoming Consciousness is the byproduct of an academic research grant to develop an integrated model of early development that addresses the dissonance in early development models today. Dr. McCarty’s research suggests that most current development models are steeped in the Newtonian biological paradigm in which consciousness is seen to be dependent on the brain’s development. However, as Dr. McCarty convincingly illustrates in her book, the clinical work from the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology strongly indicates that consciousness is present from preconception forward and is not dependent on brain development.
D
The model suggested in Welcoming Consciousness effectively integrates both traditions into a holonomic, holographic framework that reconstitutes the sentient spiritual nature as fundamental. Dr. McCarty weaves together astonishing clinical material of work with adults, children, and babies that bring an aliveness and realness to the concept that babies are conscious, aware, and learning intensely from the beginning of life. Drawing on quantum holographic, morphogenic field, nonlocal memory, and other newer theories, she develops an early development model that is a consciousness-based model. This model provides the ground on which consciousness and spirituality fuse into a single tapestry that is both independent of, yet integrated within, the mind/body matrix. According to Dr. McCarty, prenatal and perinatal psychology’s findings have consistently demonstrated babies’ paranormal awareness of events, as well as the thoughts, emotions, and intentions of mother and others. She highlights evidence that demonstrates babies’ responses to their experience in which they are already making adaptive choices and forming subconscious life patterns while still in the womb. I highly recommend Welcoming Consciousness for everyone. For those working with families during prenatal, birth, and infancy, it will revolutionize your view of babies. For everyone involved in exploring holistic and integrated healing, this book provides an essential foundation that speaks to our earliest experiences on the basis of our life patterns— emotional, mental, and physical. Dr. McCarty is the Founding Chair and Faculty of the Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Program at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. She has been treating babies, children and families since 1990. Her book is available at www. wondrousbeginnings.com. Paul Brenner, MD, PhD
EXPLORE September 2005, Vol. 1, No. 5 413
The Energy Prescription by Constance Grauds, RPh, with coauthor Doug Childers, Bantam Books, 2005.
ooking for a book to recommend to patients complaining of fatigue, low energy, exhaustion, and burnout? Searching for a tool to help regain health, vitality, and positive energy? In her new book, The Energy Prescription, Constance Grauds, RPh, provides solutions to treat the root of the number one complaint heard in medical offices today: I don’t have enough energy. Grauds brings the spiritual and medicinal ways of the Amazon rainforest, which she learned through her 10-year apprenticeship in Peru with shaman don Antonio, into this comprehensive, well-formatted, and powerful new book. A traditional pharmacist transformed by a personal illness that led her to the rainforest, Grauds extends the healing and transformative knowledge presented in her book Jungle Medicine into this timely and important new book. The human energy crisis parallels the remarkable rising cost of gasoline. We are literally running out of gas . . . turning to pills, caffeine, and any quick fix possible. The proliferation of energy drinks and caffeine-based solutions to ease low-energy problems is dramatic, even within our schools, and we certainly don’t have to look far to find evidence of the overuse of prescription drugs in America. Grauds points out that, according to shamanic teachings, the root of energy depletion is susto, or fear. The Energy Prescription offers solutions for shifting from a susto-self to a sustainable-self. To do this, the first step is to achieve a shift of consciousness. The book gives the reader a simple four-step, 10-minute ex-
L
ercise taken from the spirited world of the shaman that helps one achieve this deeper shift in consciousness and make lasting changes to renew one’s energy. This type of depth is frequently absent from much of the self-help literature. The book then takes the reader on an expedition through the eight energy entradas or gateways—mind, breath, water, food, exercise, altruism, relationships, and nature—with remarkable scientific summations and current psychological insights. Where Grauds really shines is the gateway of nature. Through her rich experience in the Amazon rainforest, she writes in a manner comparable with the spiritual writings of Emerson, bringing an awareness of the healing capabilities of plants, Gaia principle, and the web of nature to the reader. Next, the major energy leaks of specific illnesses are addressed with case examples and scientific research, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and addiction. Concluding with a comprehensive assessment to create a personalized energy prescription, Grauds guides the reader into a plan of conscious awareness and action for their health and energy maintenance. The tenor of the book is consumer friendly, ecological, and refreshing. Terms such as sustainable self, spirited energy, indigenous self, and somatic awareness abound along the journey guided by numerous scientific references, shamanic teachings, case examples, and the authors Grauds’ and Childers’ own inspirational stories. The application of The Energy Prescription is far-reaching. Healthcare professionals can recommend it for patients facing chronic fatigue, depression, and other energy problems Grauds calls enervated. The first traditional pharmacist to speak convincingly of the nonpharmaceutical, nature-based solutions learned in her shamanic training, Grauds continues to help usher in a new phase of individualized medicine, selfcare, and wellness that reaches into spirited healing strategies that are both in-
412 EXPLORE September 2005, Vol. 1, No. 5
digenous and scientifically sound. As she says, “there is no pill for fear.” Christine Stevens, MSW, MT-BC, MA Wellness Consultant, Remo Inc. Los Angeles, CA
Selling Sickness A video directed by Catherine Scott, produced by Pat Fiske, and cowritten by Ray Moynihan. Australia, 2004.
hen I was in medical school and throughout most of my practice, patients would rarely come in demanding specific medications or treatment. Most patients came to the doctor to call upon their wisdom, training, and expertise in helping find solutions to some of their health problems and for the alleviation of suffering. For the most part, they did not look to doctors to help them with what were considered the normal problems of every day life, the ups and downs that arise from bad relationships, ill fortune, and the daily grind of work or school. Occasionally, advice was sought on behavioral problems for children and counseling for the family or the relationship. Drugs were considered the complete purview of the doctor and prescribed based on the collection of signs and symptoms that met defined criteria for illness or disease. Selling of drugs to physicians was prominent, usually in the form of a detail man or woman coming to the noon lecture, or morning report, putting out displays
W
Reviews
about their latest wares along with some donuts or pizza. Free samples were left to test out the new medications in selected patients for whom they were indicated. Gone are those days. Drug companies with increasing sophistication soon figured out many of the medications marketed to doctors for specific clinical conditions also had affects in normal life and for a wider range of much milder troubles especially in the mental health area. That and the development of new biochemical treatments for mood changes drove them to begin direct marketing mostly through television and magazine advertisements to patients and potential patients. In addition, new collections of symptoms were aggregated, new names were established for those collections of symptoms, and new diseases were thus created. The medicalization of life, now with potent economic forces from drug companies behind it, became blatant and increasingly alarming. What Ivan Illich warned us about in his classic book “Medical Nemesis” became increasingly real. This film documents that process in very personal ways and with medical commentary. In a skillful weave of patient testimony, some of it heart wrenching, and with balanced commentary from medical experts, the story of how new mental illnesses are created and approved for moodaltering drugs is told. The film has moments of poignancy such as when a father weeps over the suicide of his child, which is thought to be caused by an antidepressant. The film, however, does not sell emotionalism. It is liberally interspersed with film clips from hearings and testimony of experts who provide balanced discussions of the data. The film should cause anyone considering taking serotonin release uptake inhibiters and other mood-altering medications serious pause before going on these medications for anything other than some of the most serious illnesses. Clearly, these medications have helped many, but their widening application to ever increasingly mild syndromes
Reviews
is of great concern; indeed, some of the medications have been banned in Europe and England for use in children. The importance of the film is highlighted by recent publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that patient requests for antidepressants and specific antidepressants have a huge affect on doctors’ prescribing habits. Gone are the days when the doctor made the decisions and the patient either complied or did not. Now consumers are becoming drivers of their own healthcare and drug consumption, and drug companies are becoming drivers of consumer demand. It is the doctors who now are the compliers. This film is important viewing for all who treat patients, are patients, or have loved ones who suffer from psychological and mental illness. Wayne B. Jonas, MD Director, Samueli Institute, Alexandria, VA Welcoming Consciousness By Wendy McCarty, PhD, WB Publishing EBook, ($14.95)
r. McCarty’s newest e-book Welcoming Consciousness is the byproduct of an academic research grant to develop an integrated model of early development that addresses the dissonance in early development models today. Dr. McCarty’s research suggests that most current development models are steeped in the Newtonian biological paradigm in which consciousness is seen to be dependent on the brain’s development. However, as Dr. McCarty convincingly illustrates in her book, the clinical work from the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology strongly indicates that consciousness is present from preconception forward and is not dependent on brain development.
D
The model suggested in Welcoming Consciousness effectively integrates both traditions into a holonomic, holographic framework that reconstitutes the sentient spiritual nature as fundamental. Dr. McCarty weaves together astonishing clinical material of work with adults, children, and babies that bring an aliveness and realness to the concept that babies are conscious, aware, and learning intensely from the beginning of life. Drawing on quantum holographic, morphogenic field, nonlocal memory, and other newer theories, she develops an early development model that is a consciousness-based model. This model provides the ground on which consciousness and spirituality fuse into a single tapestry that is both independent of, yet integrated within, the mind/body matrix. According to Dr. McCarty, prenatal and perinatal psychology’s findings have consistently demonstrated babies’ paranormal awareness of events, as well as the thoughts, emotions, and intentions of mother and others. She highlights evidence that demonstrates babies’ responses to their experience in which they are already making adaptive choices and forming subconscious life patterns while still in the womb. I highly recommend Welcoming Consciousness for everyone. For those working with families during prenatal, birth, and infancy, it will revolutionize your view of babies. For everyone involved in exploring holistic and integrated healing, this book provides an essential foundation that speaks to our earliest experiences on the basis of our life patterns— emotional, mental, and physical. Dr. McCarty is the Founding Chair and Faculty of the Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Program at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. She has been treating babies, children and families since 1990. Her book is available at www. wondrousbeginnings.com. Paul Brenner, MD, PhD
EXPLORE September 2005, Vol. 1, No. 5 413