Product Description

Patient, Heal Thyself! 17 Ways To Take Charge Of Your Own Health.

A remarkable new book-written by a physician-reveals how to make the most of our complex medical system and ultimately, live a long, healthy life.

Whether you are trying to maintain good health take care of your child, or have health problems-diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, asthma or a loved one with Alzheimer's disease-The Living Ancestor™, a new book by Kevin W. Fergusson, M.D., empowers you to take charge of your own health and approach illness from your own perspective which may be different from the health professional's perspective. "Most people experience a lot of anxiety and intimidation when they have to deal with our complicated healthcare system," Dr. Fergusson explains. "But patients must first understand that healing always happens through relationships. Whether it's a relationship between the patient and the doctor, the patient and the nurse or the patient and the therapist-healing always happens through relationships. The better we understand our relationships with health professionals, the greater our opportunity to prevent and overcome health problems."

The book's lessons are conveyed in the form of a compelling story about a man named Tom Chance, whose wife discovers a malignant lesion on his neck. During this frightening time, he meets the enigmatic Dr. Jian-Shou Kong, a Chinese teacher and physician trained in the West whose ancestry dates back more than 2000 years. (He is the "living ancestor" in the book's title.) Dr. Kong teaches Tom a timeless approach to healthcare that combines the wisdom of the East on interpersonal relationships and success with the knowledge of modern Western medicine. Ancient Chinese proverbs and military strategies are interspersed with practical advice on dealing with today's increasingly complex healthcare system.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5545665 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

From the Publisher
The Living Ancestor was self-published by Dr. Fergusson, the book's author

Why did you write the book?

In 2000, I founded DrPEN®, The Doctors' Patient Education Network, and the book grew out of our mission for the company. Our mission is to advance individual and community health through patient education. Most patient education books are very dry and boring, so I came up with the idea of a story to express my ideas. Dr. Kong, "the living ancestor" in the book, is a strong character who coaches and mentors Tom, another lead character, through a health problem and gives him strategies and tactics on how to deal with the healthcare system.

How is the book impacting your local community in Virginia?

The pharmacist team at Ukrop's pharmacy has a mission to improve wellness, nutrition, and disease management in the Richmond community. They have been very supportive of The Living Ancestor™ and it is available in all Ukrops pharmacies in the greater Richmond area. We hope that as other pharmacies and healthcare organizations see what is happening here in Richmond, they too will want to carry the book to improve the health and wellness of their communities.

Everyone is so frustrated with the healthcare system today. How do you see The Living Ancestor™ helping patients cope with these frustrations?

First, patients need to understand that, although healing happens through relationships, these relationships are actually structured as an alliance, not as one-on-one interpersonal relationships. The goals and interests of the individual participants in alliances vary, but they are united by a common mission-to prevent or to treat disease and to care for the patient. Secondly, the roles that the individual participants play in the alliance are often dictated by circumstances. For example, in an acute, sudden illness the patient's role is passive, but in a chronic illness, such as asthma or diabetes, the patient must play an active, determining role to be successful. Finally, after reading The Living Ancestor™ and learning to approach healing alliances more strategically, patients will become more confident about working closely with their health professionals. Whether patients are working with a doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, together they will be able to establish goals and develop strategic plans to achieve their final goals.

A lot of people tend to see the health insurance company as the source of their frustrations. How do you see the health insurance company?

The disease is the enemy, not the insurance company. The health insurance company is a corporate member of the healing alliance. It is very difficult for the means of healing to flow through health professional relationships without appropriate compensation for services. It happens through charity, but the whole medical system can not be supported by charity. Health insurance companies have a duty to their clients not to pay for unnecessary care, but they also have a corresponding duty to pay for appropriate care-the right care, at the right place, at the right time, by the right healthcare provider. A problem arises, though, because much of what health professionals still do is guided by expert opinion, rather than evidence. A classic example is the recent 180 degree shift in recommending hormone replacement therapy. It is suddenly no longer recommended for post-menopausal women because it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. One way a patient can evaluate conflicting recommendations by members of the healing alliance is to specifically ask the question, " Is this recommendation based on expert opinion or on clinical evidence?" In general, clinical evidence is stronger than expert opinion. Unfortunately, the evidence is not always available. If that is the case, then you need to proceed based on expert opinion.

Where did you get all these Chinese sayings from?

Many of them come from the writings of the great philosophers Lao-tzu and Confucius who both lived around 600-500 B.C. Sun-tzu was a great Chinese military leader around 300 B.C. My father-in-law and mother-in-law still live in China and my wife had studied classical Chinese writings in Nanjing University and helped in translating the sayings and proverbs.

Who also helped you with the book?

Doug Payne with Riddick Corporate Marketing, Inc. helped with the layout and illustrations. I am also very grateful to my editor, Paul Morand, who helped bring the story out more vividly and make the book easier to read.

From the Author
Is there any one special message you would like people to know about the book?

I would like to raise people's awareness of how healing happens through relationships. The relationship may be with a primary-care physician and the patient receives a needed prescription or necessary referral. The relationship may be with a specialist and the patient undergoes a complex procedure or obtains the results of a difficult diagnosis. The relationship may be with a pharmacist and the patient discovers a serious drug interaction or side effect from a medication. The relationship may be with a nurse and the patient is given a caring touch or understanding smile. The means of healing always flows through relationships. The more strategically patients approach these relationships, the greater their opportunity to defeat health problems.

Do you have a favorite saying, or Dr. Kongism?

My favorite saying in The Living Ancestor™ is Adversity Teaches Life's Most Valuable Lessons. I like this saying because I think it is especially true in healthcare. We tend to undervalue our health until our health is threatened, and then we realize our health is truly priceless. If this book prevents just one serious illness, it will all have been worthwhile.

From the Inside Flap
When you are facing a life-threatening illness, it’s hard to know where to turn. One thing’s for sure: you can’t count on your doctor to magically "fix" everything. According to author Kevin W. Fergusson, M.D., you must take charge of your own health. In this unique and compelling book, he shares 17 lessons for working with the medical system so you can get the best possible care.

These lessons are conveyed within a story about a man, Tom Chance, whose wife discovers a malignant lesion on his neck. During this frightening time, he meets the enigmatic Dr. Jian-Shou Kong, a Chinese physician and teacher whose ancestry dates back more than 2000 years. (He is the "living ancestor" in the book’s title.) Dr. Kong teaches Tom a timeless approach to healthcare that combines the wisdom of the East with the knowledge of Western medicine.

Whether you are fighting a serious illness or working hard to prevent one, you’ll appreciate the revelations in this remarkable book. It will forever change the way you view the doctor-patient relationship–and it may help you live a longer, healthier life.

Praise for The Living Ancestor

"Every home should have a copy of The Living Ancestor to help guide their healthcare decisions."
Jean Marshall, patient

"The book every nurse and health professional needs to help patients and their families discover how to get the best out of their healthcare relationships and services."
Kenneth R. White, Ph.D, R.N.

"An entertaining mix of Confucian and Taoist philosophy with practical advice for the person fighting an illness and navigating today's healthcare system."
Patricia C. Jaggers, M.D.