Reclaiming Our Health:
Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Health
by John Robbins
(Tiburon, CA: H.J. Kramer, 1996)
Reviewed by Laura Uplinger.

What a joy to read Reclaiming Our Health by John Robbins! I rejoice because a great part of the birthing philosophy which many of us in APPPAH have been studying, nurturing, applying, and teaching for 15 years is finally available in popular form for a large audience.

While reading the first eight chapters, I recognized so many ideas and concepts cherished by APPPAH that I assumed Robbie Davis-Floyd or David Chamberlain must have guided the author in his research! (They had not, although in the "Resource Guide at the end of the book APPPAH is listed as an organizational resource.)

In this book we are exposed to an extraordinary amount of relevant data woven into an elegant tapestry. The book gives us an inside history of the American Medical Association in its dealings with competing professions: midwifery, nursing, homeopathy, chiropractic, and others. It describes the holistic approach to healing and illumines the poignant struggle between orthodox and alternative practitioners. Above all, it shows the vast array of situations in which health can be gained through cooperation and partnership with each other. All this is backed up with 26 pages of citations in the Notes section at the end of the book.

John Robbins wrote the international best seller, Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth (Walpole, NH: Stillpoint, 1987). He follows now with a critical analysis of the current system of medical care. Although revolutionary in his thinking, Robbins avoids the pitfalls of mere antagonism. He keeps coming with the facts, and persuasively documents the promising alternatives for true health care. There are better ways. His book became even more dear to me when I saw how he could describe the most horrible and daunting facts without becoming either hostile, superior, or gloomy in his approach.

Reading this book, you will experience the exquisite sensibility of John Robbins' mind, the warmth of his compassion, his enthusiasm and generosity, and the beauty of the ideals he serves.