AMERICAN HEALTH SYSTEM

Managed medical care is vehemently scrutinized by a board-certified general surgeon with an axe to grind.

The unorthodox introduction to Taha’s medical guidebook is comprised of a wish list of governmental laws he’d like to see enacted in order to curb the rising fatalities from smoking, strokes, diabetes, osteoporosis, medical misinformation, unmonitored hypertension and obesity. Readers will instantly know that the author means business and is serious about educating with pages of key information and medical advice drawn from his years as a medical professional. Taha begins by discussing heart-attack treatments, which he advises can come in the form of the polypill–a combination of six lifesaving medications currently in clinical trials in the United Kingdom. After citing the benefits and availability of such low-cost pharmaceuticals, the author counters with his aggravation about the dominance of profit-hungry Health Maintenance Organizations “controlling the market” with confusing co-pay arrangements, exorbitant CEO salaries and nonsensical requirements. Taha’s narrative gains momentum when he gets personal and details, to a dizzying extent, his health issues. The author assesses the damaging results of laser surgery on his retina which resulted in permanently diminished vision. A barrage of optometrists, medical appointments and court dates ensued for several years, yet Taha’s vision remains troubled to this day. He discusses his additional medical maladies, including diabetes (which may or may not have complicated a botched dental procedure) and high blood pressure. Here the book’s message becomes jumbled, hindered by the author’s personal frustrations. Still, the concluding sections of the book zero in on constructive advice–extending life expectancy, avoiding debilitating chronic disease, and the importance of screening for cancer, hypertension and general arterial health. Taha advocates the use of herbal remedies like ginkgo biloba and touts the antioxidant properties of beans and berries before sharing thoughts on President Obama’s proposed health care reform structure.

A great amount of medical information and advice, despite some flaws.