For 16 years, the author was a patient at a clinic run by doctors associated with the American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA) who claimed to treat the "whole person" - body, mind, and spirit. As a Christian, this "whole person" philosophy initially appealed to her; however, 16 years later, she realized how completely she had been duped by their unorthodox medical practices. They had subtly brainwashed her to believe she could control her life - and her health. Their advice was not healing; it was destroying her health - body, mind, and spirit.
For eight years the author was prescribed iron tablets and iron shots for a "stubborn case" of anemia. When she finally referred herself to a hematologist in late 1981, she learned she never had had iron deficiency anemia; she suffered from a hemolytic process - the anemia of infection and cancer. Her hematologist referred her to a gynecologist who, two weeks later, suspecting ovarian cancer, scheduled her for a hysterectomy. This surgery probably saved her life.
After surgery, she thought all her physical complaints would end, but the mystery continued to deepen as new, unexplained symptoms plagued her. With the help of God and her new medical doctors, the mystery was finally resolved - another condition created by her holistic healers. This story is the author's personal struggle back to "wholeness" once she realized the harm her holistic doctors' unholy practices had inflicted on her body. The journey back to health was puzzling and often depressing as she struggled through the anger and rage of being deceived by medical professionals she trusted. Only with the help of new, competent doctors and a lot of prayer was she able to achieve wellness and forgive her unscrupulous doctors.
About the Author: Once the author realized how unprofessionally her doctors had treated her, she wanted to expose their unholy practices to prevent other unwary patients from being similarly duped. She wrote an article published in the Journal of Christian Nursing, exposing their deceptive practices. Later, the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) used her article to respond to inquiries about holistic medicine. The article also became a chapter in a textbook for high school and college health classes.
Questioning why she was so easily duped by these charlatans, research lead her to believe this is a highly organized medical "cult" that preys upon its patients' medical ignorance, thus allowing the use of unconventional medical practices to make their patients sick.
A friend, who after seeing a resurgence in New Age "alternative care" health practices, urged her to finish writing this book to expose the fraud practiced by holistic medicine.
