Не се предавайте!

by Susannah Meadows, Сузана Медоус

Куражът е да знаеш, че си победен, и въпреки това да продължиш.

Сузана Медоус е майка, която просто иска да излекува сина си. Тя не може да приеме, че болестта му е нелечима, и прави всичко, за да облекчи страданието му. И когато успява, започва да търси обяснение. И да открива нови и нови хора, които са готови да направят и невъзможното, за да открият лек. Те са непримиримите и смелите, те са онези, които няма да приемат една диагноза като присъда, а само като предизвикателство.

Това са техните истории, разказани с много топлина и искрено съчувствие. „Не се предавайте!” е книга за всеки, който има нужда да си върне вярата и да намери сили да продължи напред.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Psychology, Medical, Food, Audiobook, Medicine

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2017

Reviews

[Adam Dalva · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important, moving read - it's a great idea for a book of essays, and I couldn't put it down (and the writing is wonderful!)

[Rae Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be slightly biased because the author is my sister, but this book is fantastic, truly compelling, about people (mainly parents) who exhaust traditional medicine and have to forge their own paths. It includes the story of my sister's son, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when he was four, which appeared in the New York Times Magazine (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/mag...)

My sister Susannah is an excellent journalist, a former senior writer at Newsweek, and this book is scrupulously researched, full of science, and a book you'll have a hard time putting down for the stories of these determined people. It might even change your life. Read it!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely believe there is a strong link between mind/body healing: if you want to heal, you will take better care of yourself, you will eat right, you will research and do the right excercises, etc. I think only the most pill-only oriented doctor would disagree, but there is probably a lot of those types of doctors around who say things like "Take this, and call me next week to let me know how you feel." (By then, you've either passed or decided in your own head you're going to be fine.) I do respect doctors, but I have more respect for people who work hard to heal themselves, who focus on methodologies the world over that not every doctor knows about, who maintain a good attitude, who believe the universe will help those who are willing to help themselves. I did enjoy this book, Meadows is right (to me) on a lot of issues, but in a way she was singing to the choir from the opening pages anyway. And to Meadows: thanks for sharing your own personal journey.

[Darin Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know who this author is*, but her book is a tour de force. "The Other Side of Impossible" is packed tight with great stories, with real-life characters who fight (and often beat) impossible odds. If you are battling -- or if you know someone who is battling -- a cruel diagnosis, you need to get this book.

And it's a great read. Not only are all the people herein brave and interesting**, Meadows writes with precision and music and lots of surprising jokes. You'll read this book with enjoyment, in a headlong rush.

___________________________________
*Ok, ok. She's my wife. But do we really *know* anyone?

**Maybe not all the people herein; I myself make a frowning cameo.

[Evyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is just... amazing. it really hits home, and it's just so touching. so glad i was able to read the stories of these individuals. so glad their stories were able to be told.

[Jeff Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an inspiring, empowering, beautifully written book about families who loved each other so much that they refused to believe there were no more options. Meadows is the best kind of reporter-- she can distill and clarify the most complicated medical thinking, but also bring human beings to life with great, vivid, often funny detail. Western medicine is in no way an enemy, but it is certainly not all there is. I applaud this book, and every one of the people in it.

[Leyalyn Jisun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring! This book beautifully portrays how dedication and hope can change your life. The stories of these strong and courageous women touched my heart, and I wish everyone could learn from them and this book.

[fpk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in the library, not intending to read it, but just to look at it I ended up checking it out and reading it through. I'm glad I did!. It was challenging to me, to my way of thinking, because I'm normally very skeptical of alternative cures. I've been in groups where people have touted everything from dead bugs to essential oils for various ailments. And I've remained unpersuaded by their claims for the most part.
This book was well written; I could tell right away the writer is professional. Susannah Meadows worked as a reporter, writer, and editor for Newsweek and The New York Times. She was apparently urged to write this book after she wrote a New York Times piece about her son who recovered from juvenile arthritis via treatment for "leaky gut', a gluten free/dairy free diet.
Meadows includes other dramatic stories too, of a doctor who had MS and went from being wheelchair bound to riding a bicycle. A boy who had so many allergies he could barely go out anywhere, and after some unconventional therapies, he can eat mostly everything.
It's uplifting to read, to see how regular people happen upon reliefs and sometimes cures to their serious medical conditions. It can also perhaps be discouraging to others.. For every person who's found relief through these alternative methods, there are countless others who've failed to find any remedy and are left with empty bank accounts. And perhaps even worsening symptoms. Nevertheless, Meadows does a good job of depicting parents' and patients' struggles with doctors who have tunnel vision, doctors who treat symptoms and turn a blind eye to the root of the problem, and who fail to help these suffering people. It was empowering to read this book, to see how desperate people took the reins and found their own cures. If your practitioner fails to help you, if you've gone to countless doctors who can't diagnose or help you, it may be worth it to explore other options. But it behooves everyone to beware of charlatans.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. I look forward to sharing it with friends. It is that good! Seriously, I often find myself shelving nonfiction in favor of a juicy novel. But in this case, I was riveted from the first few pages and I was inspired by each of these accounts. Meadows was able to weave so much information into each paragraph, and I learned a lot. Her research was thorough and her reporting balanced.

That most of the heroes in the stories are moms didn't surprise me, but it made me proud to be among their ranks.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of both inspiration and useful information. It taught me so much about the importance of the microbiome and nutrition, as well as how important strength, determination and hope are for getting through tough times! The stories were very well-written and the author kept a very unbiased view throughout the book.

[Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words for how important this book was to me and how close to home it hits.

[Doug Moe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susannah's reporting in the NY Times Magazine on this was super interesting and I'm excited to read her book! In a time when people are struggling to make sense of the contradictions in new medical information and the re-thinking of old beliefs, it's good to have someone to illuminate these issues.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating book. My husband has RA and he has found extraordinary relief from adopting a vegan diet. As a medical professional myself and huge skeptic, my eyes were really opened to the power of positivity, courage, food, and 'alternative' medicine. The stories of the people in this book that meadows follows are really intriguing and inspiring.

[The Gaudy Hottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is so good.
The information is so fascinating.
The anecdotes are so inspiring.
Would recommend!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mislead by the title. This book is actually about improving health issues through dietary changes. Case studies are presented where someone suffering from diseases such as MS, seizures (with aspects of autism), food allergies, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, adhd, and rheumatoid arthritis undergo recoveries or at least major improvements due to changes in what they eat. The focus is on eating more veggies, omega 3s, fruit and other unprocessed foods. The food allergy one is particularly interesting as the person doing the treatments incorporates cognitive behaviour therapy before having the patient try a tiny piece of the forbidden item to help relieve the anxiety before the testing. The idea is to teach the brain to tell the body that the food is not the enemy, therefore there is no need for the allergic defenses. (But there is no explanation why a 3 month baby would have allergic reactions in the first place.) In a world where so many diseases have recently appeared in such large proportions - especially where the western diet dominates, it's worth considering how much impact a bad diet can have - especially with the rising interest in the gut biome and the mind/body connection.

[James Biser · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good stories here about people facing medical challenges. I often hear "miraculous" ideas about how to overcome an illness. I have befriended medical doctors and ask them about these ideas. Some are lies, others are true. The doctors even let me in on a few ideas that I had not heard about that are truth. This book reviews several things that are unknown to many, maybe most people. This is an educational read.

[Jennifer Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed. The book I feel was about making dietary changes to improve disease. All stories were centered on dietary changes.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 4 out of 5]

How far would a desperate woman go to give herself and her child a chance at a normal life? In "The Other Side of Impossible," Susannah Meadows describes her son, Shepherd, who struggled with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. His joints swelled up, he was in excruciating pain, and the medications prescribed by his doctor did not rid him of all his symptoms. Along with her own son's history, the author tells true stories of children with debilitating food allergies; seizures; severe ADHD; and a physician with Multiple Sclerosis. In all of these cases, the individuals concerned sought advice, did research on the Internet and, with their physicians' permission, tried alternative healing. They came to believe that factors such as a leaky gut (intestinal permeability), an imbalance in the patient's microbiome, and certain foods (dairy and gluten in particular) may contribute to inflammation that increases the severity of autoimmune disorders.

Meadows, a reporter who has written for Newsweek and the New York Times, does not make the extreme claim that the methods she discusses are effective for everyone or are FDA approved. On the contrary, visiting naturopaths and integrative medicine specialists is a bit scary. They may suggest supplements, herbal remedies (beware, since not all of these are safe), radical changes in diet, probiotics, acupuncture, and other non-standard treatments. Still, when the usual drugs do not work and a person's quality of life is steadily deteriorating, it is understandable that some individuals will go to great lengths to find answers.

Meadows is a skilled technical writer and researcher who shares enlightening and provocative comments from her interviews with physicians, scientists, patients, and their families. In addition, she lucidly explains how each patient fared before and after they tried alternative healing. The author humanizes her subjects with details about their personalities and relationships, and shows how chronic illness can bind families or tear them apart. Susannah Meadows and others like her are pioneers who deserve our admiration for their courage, tenacity, and self-sacrifice. Since "anecdotal evidence does not demonstrate cause and effect," further studies are needed to determine whether extreme dietary restrictions, fecal transplants, and other unconventional therapies should be used more widely to help those with autoimmune disorders.

[Christina Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read a couple books on good gut bacteria and related recent discoveries about its impact on conditions ranging from IBS to depression, THE OTHER SIDE OF IMPOSSIBLE dovetailed nicely. Susannah Meadows leads with her son's juvenile arthritis and how the family tried to deal with it (every way possible), until they finally found success with an unconventional practitioner of "integrated" therapy who usually tackled food allergies. This chapter leads to others, relating how doggedness, diet, and hope brought about unexpected relief from conditions as various as MS, ADHD, autism, and life-threatening allergies. I appreciated that Meadows also covered some "unsuccessful" stories as well. I also welcomed her explanation for *why* gluten gets blamed for everything from inflammation to rising taxes - it's not without reason.

A diet of whole foods and plenty of fibrous vegetables won't cure everything, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything, is a main take-away.

Maybe the only thing that bugged me was the usual thing that bugs me - only the fortunate few can afford to dedicate themselves both to hunting down potential treatments to a child's diagnosis, and only the fortunate few can afford to buy or prepare a whole-foods diet, rich in expensive fruits, vegetables, pastured meats, etc. Processed food and refined sugars suck, yes, but for many, those are the only option. This isn't the author's fault, of course, but it certainly does put a damper on all the expansive optimism of the book.

[Waverly Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book because my niece has suffered chronic pain for three years now and I'm always looking for an explanation or ways to help her. This book was thought-provoking and surprising. Meadows, a book reviewer for the New York Times, begins with her own story, helping her son to recover (completely!) from the autoimmune disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which can often become chronic. The treatments offered included drugs like methotrexate and corticosteroids that had their own serious side effects. When she saw no improvement in his condition while he was on medication, she turned to alternative therapies, and got the most help from changes in his diet. The theory is that disturbance of the microbiome (especially through the use of antibiotics) causes an imbalance in the stomach and intestinal system that results in the body attacking itself. She goes on to interview other people who were helped by alternative therapies for MS, ADHD, epilepsy, autism and severe food allergies, mostly through changes in diet but she also touches on the effects of a positive doctor-patient relationship and a positive attitude on the part of the patient, presenting studies in medical journals and interviews with doctors that back up these results. It was inspiring enough to make me consider changing my diet since I'm currently dealing with frozen shoulder, another one of those weird diseases that no one seems to know what causes it or how to fix it).

[Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel quite inadequate in reviewing this book...I will way this: Read this book because you never know if you or a friend of yours will find it invaluable.
There are several individuals presented in this book with various maladies. There is the individual experiencing medical challenges, family members, doctors, nurses, health centers, and integrative health specialist, and some specialists that, I believe, would fall outside any standard definition of a health care professional. They are outliers who for some inexplicable reasons may offer a pathway to healing and improved quality of life.
Initially, the authors presents her own personal experiences with her child and the inability of multiple medical interventions to abate the spread of a a progressive serious disease. Following recommendations, hunches, last hope the author comes upon an individual who alleviates the pain and discomfort and is an integral player in recovery. That experience served as a springboard for exploring other individuals suffering from severe and life threatening conditions.
Read the book for no other reason than to be introduced to Dr.s and clinics throughout the country. It is not necessary to accept her reserved conclusions but it may prove to be helpful to consider other factors relating to one's health.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scope of this book is far more narrow than the title would suggest, but it is still a worthy read, whether or not you or someone you love is going through medical challenges. I drew inspiration from those who didn't give up on finding something that might help the debilitating symptoms of their diagnoses, and, in doing so, found surprising results. It made me want to do even better at magnifying the power of my own diet with nutritionally sound foods. I liked that the author not only had her own experience that she included along with the others, but that she wrote from the viewpoint of a person somewhat skeptical of treatment outside of mainstream medicine. She was careful to note that some of these results were not scientifically "proven" yet. Still, the results of the individuals she wrote about were profound.

Interesting, as well, was the section in which she delved into the personality traits of these people who didn't give up - their tenacity and persistence, their comfort level with being outside the mainstream, and even their egos.

My one complaint with this book is the rather liberal use of the "F" word. It is always used in quoting others, but I didn't find them necessary in the least, and they took away from my enjoyment of the book. Keep this in mind if you are, say, listening to this in the car with children.

[Christa Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your child had a serious medical condition that resulted in a serious restriction on their quality of life, and traditional medical care did not make significant progress towards restoring that quality, what would you do? What if the person dealing with the illness was you? Meadows first tells her own story, her son suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis is often in so much pain, he can not participate in any activities. She decides to look beyond the medications offered and delves into ideas that lack well researched results. Nevertheless, some things help. She continues searching for help. This book in no way rejects traditional medicine but encourages building on it with methods who have worked for some and might work for you. Each chapter tells an amazing story of someone who won't give up for their child, or themselves when dealt the blow of serious illness. A very impressive book.

[K.R. Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timing of this book was perfect for me. I was frustrated at not finding answers in the medical world and recently, I finally gave in to pursuing alternative medicine out of desperation. After many recommendations, I began seeing a homeopathic guy who uses a variation of the acupressure machine mentioned in this book. The crazy thing is, after seeing him, everything started to fall into place. I found this book, and after a scary experience going to the ED to get my heart shocked, the medical community is finally starting to find answers as well. This book is not about any one practice (she speaks of diet changes, the acupressure machine, and other things, including the placebo effect), but more about having hope and the determination to find answers and seek healing. It was weird to experience that very thing happening in my life as I read this book.

[Heidi C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stubbled on this book while I was looking for unconventional way to understand better on my son’s unexplained seizure incident. Just like the author that doing research for her son’s severe JIA condition, and thanks for sharing of the struggles but with hope. At the end of the day, it is still true that we are what we eat. There seems to have more unexplained inflammations and for someone who has been struggling with thyroid conditions with a Chinese cultural background. I believe that there are things just can’t be explained scientifically since everyone reacted so differently. It was very clear as I don’t get to eat so much pasta nor bread back when I was living in HK for past 12 years and since I am back, I was diagnosed with antiimmunitory issues. For now, I will lower my intake on gluten which I guess I am starting to react in combination with the aging.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for anyone who has exhausted the medical profession's ability to heal and solve their diseases and ailments, if only to know that we are not alone. This book addresses not only the specific ways some have healed themselves and their children but also looks into why doctors and medicine have failed. "The explanation is that most doctors, I think, have a significant bias against nutrition. It starts in medical school. That's an important factor. It's taught horribly or not at all. Then when people get out into practice, the sad fact is that they get a great deal of their information from pharmaceutical reps. It's terrible, but it's true." Dr. Sanford Newmark, as quoted in The Other Side of Impossible.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by this book. It really made me look at alternate treatments to diseases and how they are changing people's lives. It was well written and told the stories of a number of different individuals, including the story of the author's son, who had juvenile arthritis. How when traditional medicine was not solving the problem the other treatment options, such as changing diet, overcoming food sensitivities, etc. I wasn't sure what to expect and wasn't sure I would enjoy this book (I was a bit skeptical) but the book provides many stories that convince me these alternatives need to be researched and funded further.

I received a free copy from Goodreads but my opinions are my own.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect book at the perfect time for me. If you are, like me, tired of the grip PHARMA has on the practice of medicine, if you have autoimmune disorders and are frustrated by the lack of information on causes and cures, well you won't find them in this book. But you will find inspiring stories of people who fought and perservered and found some answers. I don't know if the whole leaky gut, human biome, gluten and food trend that is currently "hot" is the answer. But neither is a lot of Western medicine. If nothing else this book gave me a some courage and a cause. As long as pharmaceutical companies pay for the research studies all we are going to get is more pills with their attendent side effects. This book show how people found other ways. Inspiring.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. I liked this book. The shows the connections between the body and the mind and how it connects with the food that we eat. Ingesting certain foods can harm the gut and set off certain types of allergies and illnesses. This book tells of some personal cases in which this happens. It gives us hope that changing the way we eat may potentially help patients who are undergoing these types of issues. Medicine is not an exact science and we have much to learn, so opening up to new and sometimes controversial ideas in health can have benefits.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

**GIVEAWAY WINNER

I loved this book and found it very inspiring. I share the frustration with doctors who refuse to listen or help and say there’s nothing to be done. It brings me hope that there are outliers willing to push the boundaries and take the medical ego out of the equation. I was also thrilled by how heavily researched this work is and that a full bibliography was included.

Thank you for the giveaway! I probably wouldn’t have found this gem on my own. More proof to me that the right books find you when you need them.