The Healing Paradox: A Revolutionary Approach to Treating and Curing Physical and Mental Illness

(Paperback)

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This revolutionary treatment philosophy challenges our fundamentally combative approach to treating physical and mental ailments. Instead of thinking of illness as an enemy to be vanquished, Dr. Goldsmith suggests a total paradigm shift, in which both practitioners and patients work to cooperate with, and even embrace, ailments. Though seemingly counterintuitive, Dr. Goldsmith provides an array of evidence as to the logic and efficacy of this alternative approach, meanwhile addressing some of the most burning questions currently forefront of medicine- Why does Western medicine continually fail when it comes to chronic physical and mental illness Why do so many treatments and drugs work only for a limited time before eventually losing effectiveness or producing harmful side effects Why is it that exposure to the cause of a disease is often the very thing that successfully prevents or even cures it In psychotherapy, why does encouraging clients to exaggerate the expression of their depression or anxiety often promote healing and transformation better than any other method Dr. Goldsmith has a single unifying answer to these questions- the root of the problem is our combative approach. Instead of treating our physical and mental issues as obstacles to overcome, we should be looking for and applying treatments that are integrated with an illness's causes--and even using the cause itself as a treatment or cure. This "hair of the dog" principle is already widely evident in practice. Take, for example, vaccines and inoculations, which are small doses of the virus being prevented; the use of Ritalin, a strong amphetamine, to calm and ground people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; and radiation, which is both a well-known cause of cancer and a well-known method of treating it. These are just a few of Goldsmith's many examples, which he relays in clear, evocative, and thought-provoking language. Perhaps most compelling of all, he explores reasons why this clearly effective principle is ignored by Western medicine. Drawing on fascinating case studies and personal experiences from his 40-year career as a medical doctor and psychiatrist--as well as abundant clinical, experimental, and public-health data that support his radical assertion--Dr. Goldsmith presents an exciting, revolutionary approach that will change the way you think about treating mental and physical illness.

Reviews

Accepted truths about modern medicine are upended in Goldsmiths provocative work. Disease is not a thing, he says, so it should not be treated as such; instead, its a pattern of dysfunction. What we thought was bad for us is often good, and psychology is the best paradigm for studying how organisms respond to treatment. [The Healing Paradox is] a psychiatrists well-presented point of view on the shortcomings of modern medicine.
Kirkus

"A fascinating work illustrated throughout with case study examples and public health data, as well as Dr. Goldsmith's own professional experience and expertise as a medical doctor and psychiatrist, The Healing Paradox is exceptionally informative and very well written, making it appropriate for non-specialist general readers with an interest in alternative medicine and mental health issues. With its impressive level of medical scholarship and comprehensive approach, The Healing Paradox is also very highly recommended for community and academic library collections as well."
Midwest Book Review

"Dr. Goldsmith is a medical insider with a truly revolutionary message: the very principles and assumptions that underlie conventional medicine are contributing to its failures. His solution is equally revolutionary. An engrossing and timely book."
Amy L. Lansky, PhD, author of Impossible Cure and Active Consciousness

" stunning in both its scope and its relevance to anyone who wants to go beyond superficial symptom management a work of timeless value for all who are eager to understand real health."
Scott Shannon, MD, author of Mental Health for the Whole Child and former president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine

"An indispensible and in-depth examination of perhaps the least known, yet most fundamental, principle of human healing.... Essential reading."
Larry Malerba, DO, author of Green Medicine

"... eloquent, original, fascinating."
Hyla Cass, MD, author of 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health

"... a thought-provoking book, one that urges readers to rethink, on a fundamental level, the merits of allopathic medicine.... An engaging read."
Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic

"... a gold mine of thought-provoking insight."
C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD, author of Energy Medicine and founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association

"Dr. Goldsmith's fine book challenges the orthodox paradigm of biomedicine and argues for a radical revision of medical thinking."
James Lake, MD, author of Textbook of Integrative Mental Health Care and chair of the International Network of Integrative Mental Health

Author Bio

STEVEN GOLDSMITH, MD, has been practicing medicine, psychiatry, psychotherapy, and homeopathy for 40 years and has held faculty and staff positions at Boston University, Tufts University, and New York University School of Medicine. For the past 20 years, he has been giving lectures to professional and lay audiences on various aspects of psychiatry and psychotherapy, as well as alternative forms of psychiatric and medical treatment. The author lives in Portland, OR.