Doktor Ty

by Jeremy Howick, Aleksandra Żak (Translator)

Statystyczny Polak zażywa cztery tabletki dziennie, często przepisane przez różnych medyków lub bez konsultacji z nimi. Lekarze nie mają wystarczająco dużo czasu dla pacjentów, a koncerny farmaceutyczne wydają na promocję coraz większe sumy...

Pora zatem wziąć zdrowie we własne ręce i zacząć świadomie korzystać z dokonań medycyny oraz możliwości ludzkiego organizmu, bo kluczem do swojego zdrowia jesteś TY!

Dzięki tej książce dowiesz się między innymi, jak pobudzić do działania swoją wewnętrzną aptekę, jak sprawdzać skuteczność leków przepisywanych przez lekarzy i jak odczytywać sygnały, które wysyła ciało. Pozwoli ci to poprawić stan zdrowia i cieszyć się lepszą jakością życia.

Jeremy Howick – naukowiec z Uniwersytetu Oksfordzkiego specjalizujący się w filozofii medycyny. Autor kilkudziesięciu artykułów, między innymi na temat wpływu empatii okazywanej przez lekarza na proces leczenia, wagi pozytywnego nastawienia w powracaniu do zdrowia oraz etycznych aspektów stosowania placebo. W książce opisuje eksperymenty, które wykazały, że placebo może być w wielu przypadkach tak samo skuteczne jak leki czy zabiegi.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Medical

ebook

First published October 19, 2017

About the author

Jeremy Howick is a Canadian-born, British residing clinical epidemiologist and philosopher of science. He did his PhD at the London School of Economics under the supervision of Professors Nancy Cartwright and John Worrall. He is a senior researcher in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, and the director of the Oxford Empathy Programme there. He is known for his research on evidence-based medicine and the philosophy of medicine, including the use of placebos in clinical practice.[1][2] He is the author of over 75 peer-reviewed papers, as well as two books, The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine in 2011,[3] and Doctor You in 2017.[4] In 2016, he and Paul Aveyard received the Dawkins & Strutt grant from the British Medical Association to study pain treatment.[5] He publishes in Philosophy of Medicine and medical journals.[6]

Reviews

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned some very interesting things in here. Alternative medicine is my choice for my health. This book lays it out simply guiding you to make your own decisions. The author goes into the methods in easy to understand words and clear directions. He offers you a choice without judgement. Great read

[JH Howick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I authored the book so my opinion is biased... I hope readers enjoy it as much as the writer enjoyed writing it! The Evening Standard ranked it in the top 5 books in its category for 2017: https://www.standard.co.uk/shopping/e....

[Herman D'Hollander · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most irritating books I have ever (half) read (I stopped reading in disgust at page 133). I rather impulsively bought it in Oxford's Blackwell bookshop, lured by the mention on the cover ‘Oxford University Empathy Programme’, wrongly assuming it would be a book of academic quality, according to rigorous scientific standards of research, objectivity and relevance. It was hardly that. Also the pompous subtitle ‘the hard science of self-healing’ and the tabloid quote from New-Age guru Deepak Chopra (‘read this breakthrough book!’) should have put me on guard.

So what is wrong with this ‘book’? (1) It is off-puttingly self-centred and self-promoting. From the very start the writer (he is not even a doctor, despite the misleading cover) subjects the reader countless times to the personal pronoun “I” to talk about himself, his athletic body (“People who know me think of me as a good athlete”), his jaundice, his mother, his rowing, his knee, his back, his books, his talks, his friends, his YouTube channel etc… At nauseam. (2) The ‘message’ of these 250 pages can be summed up with a few simple self-evident observations and tiresome truisms, so often found in popular women’s magazines and cheap (literally and metaphorically) articles for the many: a positive attitude is (often) better than medicines or a surgical treatment, try to reduce bad stress, relax, use (transcendental) meditation and mindfulness (how trendy!), placebos work (repeated many times!), think positively, stimulate the feel-good hormones endorphins and dopamine, the autonomous nervous system, the caveman (fight of flight!), experts are not always right and other clichés. That’s it! (3) To fill a whole book (250 pages) with these simple messages he inflates his prose with ‘chaff’: repeating himself endlessly, telling irrelevant anecdotes (personal and other) to prove general points and draw overall conclusions, dragging everything he can into his text to ‘prove’ his point, even if it hardly relates to what he says: Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Descartes, Pygmalion, Ignaz Semmelweis, imaginary dialogues between himself and a ‘patient’ (“Jeremy types ‘systematic review randomised trial fasting' into Google” – Jeremy! The royal third person!), a letter from an admirer, wrongly assigned quotes (e.g. “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” – NOT from “Satchel Page, legendary African-American basketball player”, but from Mark Twain), Viagra, ‘emergent properties’, ‘takeaway’ (his term) -exercises (e.g. breathe deeply!) and, last but not least, 66 pages (!) with lists of ‘works cited’ intending to prove his scientific methodology. Really? Hardly believable with a text so much overflowing with platitudes. Missing is, of course, a decent index. Probably just as well. If this book is indicative of the intellectual level of today’s scientific output from Oxford University, it is deeply troubling. However, I fear that the writer used Oxford University on the cover to attract buyers. And in my case, he succeeded. Just for once. Once bitten, twice shy.

[Muhammad Hamzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a skeptist like me, this book is REALLY GOOD.
It's backed up with rigid research results, which makes it all in all a persuasive book that we can all apply in our lives.

[Jo-Ann Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Read this book!’ – Deepak Chopra

Ok, Ok, I’m sure you’re thinking this is just a quack book supported by anti-vaxxers and those that believe eating well will cure your cancer. Let me start by saying it is far from that.

Doctor You is focussed on the American market for pharmaceuticals. Did you know that prescription drugs kill more Americans that heroin and cocaine combined? The Western World have become massive pill poppers. One in 7 American kids are given ADHD medication, which is a frightening statistic, and there are pills for anxiety, mild depression, and pain killers for all kinds of pain on supermarket shelves and promtional tables of drug stores across the country.

So, when do we take a pill, see the doctor, and opt for surgery? When is it time to look to seek alternatives and find a way for our body to heal? Doctor You does not tell you to avoid a visit to your GP if you have something serious. What it does do is ask you to do your research first and not reach for a pill at the slightest tummy twinge or stressful day. Not everyone who says they are an expert are and there is a lot of marketing out there. The large pharmaceuticals spend millions on commercials for diet supplements and pain relievers are big marketing hitters, but check the facts and be sure to read the small print at the bottom of advertisements. Check out what the truth is behind astonishing medical claims, are your vitamins going to help you, or are they just smartly marketed sweets? Ask yourself:-

Who are the experts?

Are they on the payroll for the pharmaceutical company they are spruiking?

Is the data bias?

What is the size of the trial?

What is the demographic of those doing the trials? For example, it’s probably not fair to have a batch of super fit ex-athletes trialling the benefits of vitamins. They are healthy already and perhaps not your average person in need of supplements, or will notice much difference.

Duffy’s Thoughts On Doctor You

Doctor You gives the reader a few websites to check out so you can do your own research before committing to a prescribed medication. There is also a strong focus on the connection between mind and body. Your brain needs looking after too and Doctor You shares the benefits and the research behind meditation, wellbeing and diet. The pages don’t preach, they teach.

I had a vested interest in this book. Last year I was told I had to take a beta blocker every day for the rest of my life and I struggled with it. I hate to even take a headache tablet unless it’s really bad, so taking a pill a day forever was a real blow for me. But, I did my research, and my medication has changed my life and reduced the heart issues I was having. It’s about making considered decisions and knowing what is going into your body.

Doctor You is a great read if you are looking to understand more about the connection between mind and body, and to help you make a considered opinion before popping another pill for a minor ailment. It’s also an eye-opener into the big world of global pharmaceuticals.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book - a quick read but one you could return to for review. Loved the takeaways - simple enough to implement today. Author does a nice job of summarizing research so a layman can understand and warns the reader when he geeks out and advises when to skip. Writing style flows and I often felt as if we were having a conversation especially with his personal antidotes. Provides good food for thought - Why haven’t genes & the genome project made the strides we were hoping for? What would change if Western Medicine implemented MB principles?! Why are we so quick to rely on pills/pharma vs. making personal changes (diet, exercise, stress relief, etc) at a fraction of the cost?And more importantly - why can’t we make these changes when our health is on the line....that is the million dollar question!?!

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

O premierze tej książki dowiedziałam się przypadkowo na czyimś instagramie i od razu postanowiłam, że muszę ją koniecznie przeczytać. Tematyka jak najbardziej na czasie zarówno ze względów osobistych jak i globalnych, po oprócz kwestii jelit i ich wagi w naszym życiu coraz częściej wspomina się o tym, że jednak zaprzestanie wspierania przemysłu farmaceutycznego to świetny pomysł. To idea z którą zawsze się zgadzałam, osobiście bałam się starości w której rano i wieczorem będę musiała łykać garście tabletek żeby w ogóle funkcjonować. Jest to dla mnie niewyobrażalne i po prostu smutne. I właśnie ta książka przekonała mnie że nie jestem jedyna w swoich lękach, naukowcy również sprawdzają jak wyglądałby świat bez leków i czy faktycznie byłoby nam bez nich tak źle jak nam wmawiają telewizyjne i gazetowe reklamy.

Może wspomnę na wstępie o tym, kim jest autor. Bo niestety wielokrotnie przejechałam się na “eksperckich” poradach ludzi którzy tylko udawali wiedzę i doświadczenie. Doktor Jeremy Howick to naukowiec z długoletnim stażem, którego z tego co wiem obecnie można znaleźć na Uniwersytetu Oksfordzkim. Jego specjalizacja jest dość intrygująca, bowiem specjalizuje się on w filozofii medycyny i epidemiologii klinicznej. I chyba właśnie dzięki temu (oraz kontuzjach związanych z uprawianym przez niego wioślarstwem) zaczął zagłębiać się w tematykę leków i ich skutków ubocznych, które są o wiele większe niż usilnie nam się wmawia. Właśnie to jest non stop w książce podkreślane - często zdarza się (i są na to dowody w pracach naukowych) że negatywne skutki leków przewyższają i pozytywne działanie, co w normalnym i rozsądnym świecie po prostu nie powinno być dopuszczalne. Istnieje wiele innych rozwiązań, które po prostu nie są pacjentom proponowane, ze względu na brak wiedzy lub chęci lekarzy którzy notabene często współpracują z firmami farmaceutycznymi. Jeremy podrzuca garść pomysłów jak sobie radzić, co stosować zamiast leków albo jak je najlepiej wspomagać kiedy faktycznie są niezbędne. Od razu powiem, że nie znajdziecie tutaj przepisów na diety cud, magiczne mieszanki czy starodawne formuły ziołowe. Autor opiera się na najnowszych i rzetelnych badaniach naukowych a także potwierdza to, co jest mówione już od lat - nasza psychika odgrywa kluczową rolę w tym kiedy, czy i jak chorujemy, i może ona dosłownie zdziałać cuda przy rekonwalescencji. Serdecznie polecam się skupić właśnie na tej tematyce, jest bardzo pomocna choć niełatwa do zastosowania o czym przekonuję się na własnej skórze.
Wracając do badań naukowych, świetny jest rozdział poświęcony przeprowadzaniu i interpretacji badań naukowych, czyli kolejnym temacie na którym laik może się nieźle przejechać. I nie tylko laik, wiele diet, poglądów a także popularnych leków opartych jest na nierzetelnych, opacznie interpretowanych (nieumyślnie lub celowo) wynikach badań, gdzie grupa badana nie ma nic wspólnego z tym jak rzeczywiście działałoby dane rozwiązanie w normalnych warunkach. Jest to dość przerażające, zważywszy na to ile osób na całym świecie pakuje w siebie leki bez potrzeby, czasami sobie nieodwracalnie tym szkodząc.

Naprawdę gorąco polecam lekturę, jest pouczająca ale przy tym uspokajająca. Autor nie wpędza czytelnika w panikę czy paranoję, ton książki jest wręcz gawędziarski, bardzo ciepły i przyjazny co od razu mi się wyjątkowo spodobało. I przede wszystkim dla niedowiarków lub osób które zaczynają się interesować tym opasłym tematem - z tyłu książki znajdziecie naprawdę ogromną, przebogatą bibliografię podzieloną tematycznie. Wszystko o czym autor napisał na zasadzie opinii czy “prawdy” faktycznie znajdziecie na końcu i możecie śmiało sobie w tym pogrzebać i autora w dodatku rozliczyć z jego słów :) Moim zdaniem jest to pozycja na miarę naszego nieszczęsnego, zagubionego w swoich przypadłościach XXI-go wieku.

[Pragthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️, rounded up to 5

Well, this is a beautiful book for anyone under the medical profession. As a med student, I loved it but it did got a little draggy with the scientific evidence. However, I appreciate that the author backed his statements with scientific evidence.

[Rebecca Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The underlying premise, that we are our own best healers, was well developed and explored. The arguments were clear and were presented in a structured, but not laboured way. I also enjoyed the conversational narrative style.

Much of the research was familiar to me, however, the links and the arguments were fresh and interesting. Placebo surgery was a new discovery for me and for this alone I am very grateful that I was given this book. As a person who enjoys getting into the details, I appreciated that the references to the full research reports were included and were clearly cross-referenced to the narrative.

I highly recommend Doctor You to everyone interested in how we can play a part in the healing process in our own bodies and minds. I know lots of my colleagues in the mindfulness and meditation world will also enjoy this book immensely.

[Li]

As a pro in the science of mind-body connection I have found this book boring. But that only cause I know all the names, the research and the science of this book from other bookes I've previously read. Can be a really good start for the newbies in the field.
What I didn't like is how supercautious the author is about self-healing possibilities. They are much more profound than what the author describes. In that sense the book wasnt too inspiring for me.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
As a GP I found the research side of this book incredibly insightful and he covers huge areas of health that I see every day in my practice.
It’s not something I could recommend to many of my patients but I’ve no doubt there’ll be the odd one who would find this helpful.

[Greete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings almost every page of the book, because it reminded me of any other self-help book I've read.. I'd recommend Doctor You to medical students. Simple reading and nicely summarized, but nothing new for me.

[E B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bu kitap bana sağlığa bakış açımı ciddi anlamda sorgulattı. Yazarın en güçlü iddiası şu: Genler kader değil. Ve bunu sadece motivasyon cümleleriyle değil, bilimsel çalışmalarla desteklemeye çalışıyor.

Kitap boyunca en çok hoşuma giden şey, zihin–beden bağlantısını bu kadar net ve somut anlatması oldu. Stresin azaltılması, olumlu düşünmenin etkisi, sosyal ilişkilerin sağlığa katkısı… Bunlar kulağa klasik “kişisel gelişim” söylemleri gibi geliyor ama burada biraz daha bilimsel bir çerçeveye oturtulmuş. Zihnin, beden üzerinde sandığımızdan çok daha büyük bir etkisi olduğunu okuyunca ister istemez insan kendi hayatını gözden geçiriyor.

Özellikle “içsel eczacı” fikri aklımda kaldı. Yani bedenin, doğru koşullar sağlandığında kendi kendini iyileştirme kapasitesi olduğu fikri. Bu, hem umut verici hem de biraz sorumluluk yükleyen bir yaklaşım.

Ama şunu da söylemek lazım: Yer yer kitap, bazı iddiaları fazla iyimser bir noktaya taşıyor gibi hissettirdi. Pozitif düşünmenin gücü önemli, evet—ama her şeyi onunla açıklamak biraz fazla basitleştirme olabilir. Zaten pozitif düşünce konusunun zaman zaman abartılabildiği de psikoloji dünyasında eleştirilen bir konu. 

Genel olarak, bu kitap “her şey zihninde başlar” klişesini alıp daha bilimsel bir zemine oturtmaya çalışan bir eser. Eğer sağlık, psikoloji ve yaşam tarzının kesiştiği noktaya ilgin varsa kesinlikle okunur.

Kısa özet:
Bu kitap sana şunu söylüyor:
İlaçlar önemli ama tek çözüm değil.
Senin düşüncelerin, ilişkilerin ve yaşam tarzın da en az onlar kadar güçlü.

[Mojca Rudolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pozor! Ta knjiga vas morda lahko odreši kakšne od vaših kroničnih bolečin. Najboljša knjiga, kar sem jih do zdaj prebrala o samozdravljenju, je sicer OZDRAVIMO BOLEČINE HRBTA, avtorja Dr. John E.Sarno. Vse težave, ki sem jih takrat imela, so izginile in se še do danes niso vrnile. Knjiga je bila seveda takrat kupljena in prebrala sem jo od tistih dni že večkrat, šla pa tudi na predstavitev knjige, ki jo je imel prevajalec Miram Šubelj Sagmeister. Za vse, ki vam Descartova ideja, da sta telo in um ločena, ni blizu, temveč verjamete v nasprotno, sta ti dve knjige nedvomno krasen vpogled v to, česa vsega je um dejansko zmožen.
Kot prva, tudi knjiga Doktor Ti, obe obravnavata povezavo uma s telesom, ter boleznijo. V Doktor Ti najdemo mnoge raziskave v zvezi s tem, avtor pa vam ponuja tudi precej tega, s čimer si je pomagal sam. Kar je plus te knjige, je simpatično in zelo razumljivo pisanje, ki ga lahko razume vsak. Obe knjigi toplo priporočam v branje, v kolikor želite vedeti, kakšne so možne povezave med tem, kar vas teži in umom. Z vrsto primerov, ki jih podajata oba avtorja, boste morda kdaj pa kdaj rekli aha, to je to. Morda pa... tudi ozdraveli...

[Am Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book was really misleading for me. I borrowed it thinking that it was introducing a groundbreaking, scientifically-proven way for us to self-heal, but it actually just discusses the various methods that currently exist in the world of "healing". E.g. the placebo effect, overprescribed pharmaceuticals, medical quackery, "miracle" drugs, etc. It may be useful to you if you don't already know about all this stuff, but I already do and it was definitely not what I was looking for when I borrowed this title. I would have liked it to actually discuss techniques that worked , as opposed to just exposing techniques that didn't. If you don't already know about the various shams and scams in the medical world, this book may enlighten you, but it didn't tell me a single thing I didn't already know.

[Giselle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book as a medical student. Amazing! I loved the tone of the writing, it explained things simply without being condescending - honestly I hope I am able to explain things to patients like this one day. I loved the research that was discussed and the positive tone of the writing, so empowering for people. You can heal yourself with placebos, who would have guessed how effective it is! I would love to read this every few years to remind myself of the messages. Definitely a must read.

[Réjean Vaskelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'auteur nous explique les biens faits des pensées positives et des avantages de fréquenter des amis, des membres de la famille et d'un conjoint ou d'une conjointe pour la santé physique et mentales.

il nous parle des placebos utilisés pour fins de quérisons qui obtiennent presque les mêmes résultats que les medicaments ou remèdes dans plusieurs domaines de la santé.

j'ai aimé prendre connaissance de ce livre et discuter avec des amis au sujet de son contenu.

[Adam Kreek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The human body has so much power that remains untapped. Dr. Howick's book gets to the core of our human superpowers and gets us onboard the self-healing boat. On this reading voyage, you'll learn the proper balance between self-care and pharmaceutical aids. Thank you, Jeremy, for your pragmatic, science-based and refreshing lense on human wellness.

[Kayla Sokoloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy Howick dives deep into the science behind the placebo affect and how each individual can take control of their health. I really enjoyed this book and zipped through it

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puts the power back on yourself, we have choices to make about our health and this gives the tools to help.

[Margit · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, this book really dragged on. Occasionally I kept checking the cover to remind myself what is this book about, what is the point the author wants to make? So I guess it could have been a bit clearer. Sometimes it seemed that the information repeated itself. There were too many side stories which made me lose a grip on the main point. Nevertheless, the main point was quite good.