Review: Misdiagnosed (The Search for Dr. House)

Synopsis: 

When a lymphoma scare threatened the life of a journalist, she began a quest to find the correct medical diagnosis for the mysterious illness she’d battled for nearly 20 years. She turned to her favorite TV show, House M.D., for inspiration. She used her research skills to look for a “real life” Gregory House to give her some answers. In this brutally honest memoir, Nika Beamon reveals how she found the doctor who saved her and how you can too. 

Rating: 4-stars

Review: 

Misdiagnosed: The Search for Dr. House by Nika C. Beamon caught my full attention. Everybody knows who Dr. House is. The title peaked my interest. I found this memoir interesting. A young female journalist is struck by a life threatening illness. Her search for a real life version of Dr. House was inspiring. Misdiagnosed is a sad, heartbreaking, and brave journey. The journey made me wary for the writer. I was worried as she went through all the exams, pills, and diagnosises. Searching endlessly for the right doctor proved difficult. But Nika C. Beamon never stopped her search. Her determination and strength is inspiring. A hope to all who suffer greatly. Overall, I greatly encourage readers worldwide to read this tale. 

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Review: Forbidden Beginnings

Synopsis:

A senseless assault. An agonizing, life-threatening decision. In the moment of truth, with countless lives at stake, how can justice hope to prevail? 
New York City trauma surgeon, Dr. Christopher Ravello, has it all. A breathtaking, vivacious wife. Lovely children. Life-saving work, and a beautiful home in one of the City’s most coveted neighborhoods. 
But in an instant, Chris’ world is shattered. 
The brutal and senseless assault of his mother, Jacqueline, leaves her barely alive. Consumed with anguish and fear, battling time and circumstances, Chris’ search for a life-saving treatment leads to an agonizing decision and takes him down a path of no return. 
In the wake of his mother’s assault, Chris and life-long friend, Detective Kevin Kennedy, risk their lives and livelihoods tracking down Jacqueline’s attacker. 
When Ravello, driven by an all-consuming rage, at last comes face-to-face with his mother’s assailant, every fiber of his being calls out for vengeance. In the moment of truth, with so much at stake for he and his family, what will Chris choose? 
Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Forbidden Beginnings: Jacqueline’s Tragedy by William Rubin is a thrilling start for this medial thriller series. Powerfully written. I was intrigued. The main character was easy to relate to and understand. Loss of his mother and pressure everywhere. As a doctor, Christopher Ravello, makes a big decision. To help find the man who killed his mother. This new path leads him on a dangerous journey. One that could end deadly…

The medical background was believable. Since, the writer is a practicing physician. Ifound that this story was based off some true life events in a way. Both the main character and writer share the same occupations and loss of a mother. I was immediately drawn into the dark web that William Rubin created. A life changing situation that pulled me in….nailing my attention to every word. Forbidden Beginnings was addictive to read. I highly recommend this to readers who love murder and crime fiction. Plus, characters with a medical background. 

Review: Jellybeaners

Synopsis:

Jellybeaners is a contemporary novel set in the heart of Appalachia, revealing the money ties, political corruption, wasted lives, and overall cash-churning nature of the prescription pill culture from perspectives spanning both sides of the law.

Rating: 4-stars

Review:

Jellybeaners by Gene Scott is a great contemporary read. This novel alerts readers to the pill popping issue. What better way to address it than to weave it into a work of fiction…an addiction that continues to haunt our world. Prescription drugs is one of the easy drugs for others to get their hands on…whether it’s over the counter from family members or on the store shelves. The entire plot was believable. Realistic, strong, and held truths. Gene Scott is a writer whose not afraid to lay out the troubles faced in reality. Not many are aware of the prescription pill addictions. I was intrigued by the tale. Overall, I recommend it to readers worldwide. 

Review: Unraveling MS

Synopsis:

Many autoimmune diseases are quite common, and any one of them may significantly affect your health. These diseases can be further identified and pointed out as multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, celiac sprue, and even some types of coronary atherosclerosis. Altogether, there are over 80 diseases that have been associated with an autoimmune origin. Each autoimmune disease involves the immune system, they differ in that each affects a different organ or tissue.

 In this book, Unraveling MS, multiple sclerosis is used as the “model” to explain how the immune system actually is harming your own body rather than defending and rejuvenating it. This is accomplished by describing the immune system in simple, easy-to-understand language for the average lay person. 

In addition, the fascinating way that white blood cells are communicating with each other, and the dreadful role that viruses are playing in inciting an autoimmune disease are similarly discussed. Since the process underlying all autoimmune diseases is inflammatory, the good news is that a correct diet surprisingly is one way to minimize inflammation and improve an autoimmune disease. 

Overall, providing information about MS and other autoimmune diseases, this book should be very helpful to those individuals seeking to understand the importance of the immune system and the significant role that both diet and infection play in health and longevity. Although the adverse effect of infections on health is well-known, poor dietary habits also are a significant cause for ill health and a shortened life expectancy. So, if you, a relative or a friend have an autoimmune disease, or if you’re looking for more answers on understanding and managing a healthy life, you’ve come to the right place!”

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Unraveling MS by Robert W. Soll, M.D., Ph.D. is a must have for all. It has everything readers worldwide need to know about autoimmune disorders. From what causes to how to help those diagnosed with it. There’s also a glossary to help go over the terminology defined within the pages. Diagrams with beautiful colors are found as well. Plus, it goes over the important question on whether one has an autoimmune disorder. Topics like inflammation, revolution, and a diet that can help reduce the inflammation caused by this disease are also discussed. Excellent nonfiction guidebook that tells us, readers, everything needed to know. I found the words detailed in great depth. The organization and layout are amazing. Overall, I highly recommend Unraveling MS by Robert W. Soll, M.D., Ph.D. to all. 

Review: Intensive Therapy

 

Synopsis:

Intensive Therapy provides an intimate picture of a multifaceted relationship, written in a similar vein to modern classics such as The Prince of Tides and Ordinary People. Cerebral but grounded in the real world, Intensive Therapy will appeal to readers who enjoy close character study and the pleasure of a heady, cultured read.

Intensive Therapy follows the relationship of Dr. Jonas Speller and Victoria Schine-Bloch, an analyst and his patient, over twenty years in their interconnected lives. The story moves back and forth in time, alternating between the early 1980s. Then back to when both are becoming adults and professionals, and the last months of 2004, as each struggles to address ongoing family crises.

As a young woman, Victoria’s toxic relationship with her parents threatened her college education and her life, and Jonas helped her find the independence and strength to start anew. In return, her candor and insight helped the budding doctor see the flaws in his training and develop a new, better path. As mature adults with successful careers, Victoria reappears to ask for Jonas’s help with her troubled teenage daughter. When tragedy nearly takes the lives of both her children, Jonas must act quickly to save the woman who made him the man he has become.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Intensive Therapy by Jeffrey Deitz is stunning. It has opened up my eyes to a whole new topic such as psychotherapy. This was an area completely foreign to me and was interesting to read about in a fictional sense. The relationship between the doctor and client blurred over the normal lines of professionalism. Something deeper and crazier happened between the doctor and client. Here, inside this novel, readers will get a taste of what happens when two people allow themselves to get more involved than normal. A doctor leans more away from his current practice and more towards a new direction. However, that doesn’t occur until his most recent client, Victoria comes to him. She brings about changes in life that affect his work and changes him as an individual. Victoria has several issues and worries. But that’s what Jonas is for…to help her solve those issues and make her life a lot easier to handle. I have found this tale beautifully written with humor. The characters’ journeys have started out rough but soon have smoothed out in the end. The dynamics of life keep not only the characters puzzled but the readers as well. Interesting, suspenseful, and addictive to read. Intensive Therapy by Jeffrey Deitz is indeed a must read for all. I highly recommend it.

 

Review: The X Cure

 

Synopsis:

Dr. Alex Winter, a brilliant biomedical engineer, teams with Dr. Xiu Ling, a beautiful Chinese scientist, to discover a revolutionary cure for cancer. But Tando Pharmaceuticals, the world’s largest and richest drug producer, also has an interest in the cure, and when they discover that the treatment is flawed as recipients begin to die after four months, causing a media frenzy and a drop in Tando’s stock, they call upon their ‘Mercenary Soldiers of Medicine’ to maintain global domination.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

The X Cure instantly drags readers into a dark and dangerous situation. Ski masks and assault rifles. Kidnapping and men shooting in Chinese…it’s something that will have readers sitting on the edge of their seats wondering why and what’s next. This is one medical thriller that will continue to lure and intrigue readers for a long time to come. Powerfully written and intriguing…imagine a science that destroys cancer cells by using the right amount of energy. Pharmaceuticals, drug  company conspiracies, cancer treatment and traveling to China will keep readers turning the pages fast. Danger, threats, and a revolutionary cure for cancer can all be found within this suspenseful novel. Bruce Forciea is a talented writer who knows how to engage his readers from the beginning to end. The characters are believable and the plot feels real…The X Cure is a masterpiece that readers don’t want to miss. Overall, I highly recommend this medical thriller to readers everywhere.

 

Review: Behave

 

Synopsis:

“The mother begins to destroy the child the moment it’s born,” wrote the founder of behaviorist psychology, John B. Watson, whose 1928 parenting guide was revered as the child-rearing bible. For their dangerous and “mawkish” impulses to kiss and hug their child, “most mothers should be indicted for psychological murder.”

Behave is the story of Rosalie Rayner, Watson’s ambitious young wife and the mother of two of his children.

In 1920, when she graduated from Vassar College, Rayner was ready to make her mark on the world. Intelligent, beautiful, and unflappable, she won a coveted research position at Johns Hopkins assisting the charismatic celebrity psychologist John B. Watson. Together, Watson and Rayner conducted controversial experiments on hundreds of babies to prove behaviorist principles. They also embarked on a scandalous affair that cost them both their jobs—and recast the sparkling young Rosalie Rayner, scientist, and thinker, as Mrs. John Watson, wife and conflicted, maligned mother, just another “woman behind a great man.”

With Behave, Andromeda Romano-Lax offers a provocative fictional biography of Rosalie Rayner Watson, a woman whose work influenced generations of Americans, and whose legacy has been lost in the shadow of her husband’s. In turns moving and horrifying, Behave is a richly nuanced and disturbing novel about science, progress, love, marriage, motherhood, and what all those things cost a passionate, promising young woman.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax is definitely a must read for all women. This fictional biography piece is a fascinating historical tale that will drag readers down one promising young woman’s life as one life  moment spins her whole life downward…

Andromeda Romano-Lax’s stunning novel portrays a woman’s ambition, work, and motherhood. Behave explores the psychological, emotional, and ethical ways of a smart, attractive, and independent woman. A well-known scientist soon falls into motherhood by accident…and now she’s living, behind a man as nothing more than a shadow. As a student studying sociology, communications, and education this novel….was beyond amazing. It informs, educates, and shows readers…what life was like for women like Rosalie Rayner. Readers will be spellbound by this magnificent story. A most compelling and well-written novel. Overall, I highly recommend Behave to readers everywhere.

Short Story: Madness Part 2 (Written by Me)

“Carrie, we have three new doctors coming to aid us with the injured soldiers!” I nearly shouted with joy. As I made my way over, I noticed Carrie sitting on her bed. She looked awful.

“That’s good news.” She said.

“Carrie, what happened to you? Here let me clean you up?”

I moved for the medical kit I held under bed just incase. I began cleaning Carrie’s face up then did her hair for her. “Thank you, Kim.”

“Your welcome. That what us nurses are here for. We stick together.”

“Kim?”

“Hm?”

“Can you..”

Just then doctor Bernstine came into our tent. He looked at Carrie. And Carrie looked away. Very unusual. I will have to ask her what was going on. She seemed distant. Like she was pulling away from me as well.

“What are you doing in the nurses tent, Dr. Bernstine?” I asked him head on, forcing him to look at me instead of Carrie.

“I just wanted to let you all know that the three new Doctors arrived.” And then he left the tent just as abruptly as he came in.

“Carrie, you ready for the meeting of our new doctors?” Hoping that by changing the topic from what her and I were going to talk about would help relieve whatever demons she was silently facing. She won’t be facing them any longer once I get to the bottom of this. Carrie was our best head nurse. To see her like this was a red flag to me and anyone who really knew her.

Getting up, she look wiped her palms against her uniform looked at me, “Yes, I am ready. Besides we have tons of patients that need us. Come Kim.”

Smiling a tiny bit of relief took over me. Now, that was Carrie I knew. But little did I expect of what was going to happen next…

Part 3 Coming Soon!

Book Review: A Date with Her Valetine Doc by Melanie Milburne

A Date with Her Valentine Doc by Melanie Milburne is the perfect read for February! It has sparks flying everywhere.Readers will love this sweet medical romance novel. Some might think it’s not for them..but this is definitely a novel for everyone whether or not you are into the medical field. An employee has a boss, Dr. Matt Bishop, who sends er with all kinds of lustful thoughts. What else can a single woman do when her she works every day aong side a hottie? It isn’t long when both have to have to help withthe hospital’s Valentine Ball. Can she really keep Dr. Matt Bishop as an off limits? Or will she finally give into her inner most desires and see where it leads? But what is an employee to do when sparks start to fly back and forth between her and her new boss? Can they still work together and let loose their feelings? Will she remain single forever? Or will Dr. Matt Bishop give her what every woman wants? I hihgly enjoyed reading this spectacular romance between employer and employee. I loved how Melanie Milbourne was able to take her fictional characters and bring them to life with the way of her skills in writing this addictive plot. A very well written story for all readers to enjoy. And definitely a must read for February! Overall, I rate this novel a five out of five stars.

New Book

Heart Stopping Medical Thriller Takes On

True-to-Life Body Snatcher Syndicates

Recent Newspaper Headlines Confirm Horrifying Premise

“In the tradition of Robin Cook, Wyler takes us behind the scenes to show us things the medical establishment doesn’t want us to see. DEAD RINGER builds a high-speed plot on a startling but all-too-plausible premise. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.”

— Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Paranoia and Buried Secrets

 

“…Wyler does for hospitals what Benchley did for the ocean.”

–Joe Moore, Co-author of the International Bestseller, The Grail Conspiracy

 

“Neurosurgeon Allen Wyler knows of what he speaks, and writes, and the result is a thriller that equals and updates the best of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton.”

–Jon Land, bestselling author of Strong at the Break

 

Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present the newest medical thriller from Allen Wyler, Dead Ringer.  [ISBN: 978-938231-14-8 (paperback); Fiction Thriller; US $12.95, CAN $13.95; 334 pages; Pub Date: March, 2013 (paperback)].  In the tradition of Robin Cook, internationally renowned neurosurgeon Allen Wyler leverages his vast expertise and suspense savvy to create a wholly unique thriller premise.

While speaking at a Hong Kong medical conference, neurosurgeon Dr. Lucas McCrae slips the cloth off a cadaver’s head during a routine medical demonstration, and is overwhelmed by what’s staring back at him: The face of his best friend, Andy Baer.  Stunned, McCrae races back to Seattle to discover that Andy is in fact missing and may have been murdered by a gang of body snatchers who operate a legit funeral business and make a fortune by selling recovered body parts to medical researchers.

McCrae teams up with an unlikely pair—a beautiful but hardnosed female cop and a gang member whose family was victimized by the cadaver ring—to try and expose a macabre web of corruption that involves law enforcement, politicians, funeral home curators and murdered prostitutes.

Internationally renowned neurosurgeon Allen Wyler takes us deep into a nightmarish scenario, shockingly ripped from recent headlines, to deliver a horrifically plausible, page-turning thriller.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE

 

Medical research has always been a cornerstone of medical innovation, and thus of our society. But throughout history, many suspect that the gathering of human bodies for research has never been purely ethical or legal. Many believe that today, sophisticated international syndicates exist that traffic in body parts for medical research; the most recent incident appearing in the New York Times just weeks ago. (http://nyti.ms/NfU5kU)

 

We feel this crime has been elusively clandestine, easily dismissed, and in many cases overlooked for cynical reasons. We would like to go on record as agreeing with ethics scholars that everyone involved in the medical community, be they students practitioners, media or affiliates should remain vigilant and forthright; and embrace the high standard of responsibility inherent in the ethical conduct of medical research, especially when it involves human remains.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity.  He has served on the faculties of both the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, and in 1992 was recruited by the prestigious Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.

In 2002, he left active practice to become Medical Director for a startup med-tech company (that went public in 2006) and he now chairs the Institutional Review Board of a major medical center in the Pacific Northwest.

Leveraging a love for thrillers since the early 70’s, Wyler devoted himself to fiction writing in earnest, eventually serving as Vice President of the International Thriller Writers organization for several years. After publishing his first two medical thrillers Deadly Errors (2005) and Dead Head (2007), he officially retired from medicine to devote himself to writing full time.

He and his wife, Lily, divide their time between Seattle and the San Juan Islands.