cover image Doc GD to the Best Medical Care

Doc GD to the Best Medical Care

Oppenheim, Michael Oppenheim. Rodale Press, $24.95 (325pp) ISBN 978-0-87857-982-2

Family practitioner Oppenheim ( The Complete Book of Better Digestion ) here breezily posits a grading system (``A'' to ``F'') for the ways physicians can treat a variety of diseases and conditions ranging from ulcers, diabetes and arthritis to menopause and insomnia. And the good doctor claims that his treatment recommendations are the best. Yet some readers will beg to differ, disturbed by the brevity and arrogance of Oppenheim's opinions; these are certainly not adequate for making important medical decisions. The book is further marred by a want of reference sources for reader follow-up--and by numerous, unnecessary barbs by Oppenheim. He insists, for example, that any patient must demand an explanation if his or her doctor decides on a course of treatment other than Oppenheim's. (Shouldn't patients always ask about alternative treatments?) And he's critical of his own patients who raise concerns about the side effects of drugs he prescribes. But perhaps most irksome is the grading system itself. When so many diseases and conditions are still not well understood, is it either useful or appropriate? This is one medical self-help book that calls for a second opinion. (Dec.)