This deeply personal and uplifting book encourages us to see beyond the disease and suffering of a loved one to a place of wholeness and healing.
Dr. John Diamond, M.D., past President of The International Academy of Preventive Medicine, draws on his over forty years of experience in medicine, psychiatry, complementary medicine, the humanities, holistic healing, and the arts to offer a completely new perspective on health and disease.
Dr. Diamond encourages us to go beyond the disease to the sufferer’s soul, using his mother’s Alzheimer’s as an example. Here is a new philosophy for everyone which embraces all disease and all of life.
Excerpt
As my mother lay dying, the nurses and aides would come in softly, reverentially, to say good-bye to her. Many of them gave her a kiss. One also
stroked her hair and speaking, as much to my mother as to me, confided "She was such a sweet person." Yes, as I saw her in her Alzheimer's that is what she was - and more. And More.
Professional Reviews
The Book Reader Fall/Winter 1999-2000
An intensely personal view of elderly diseases by Dr. Diamond, especially the observations of his own mother as she suffered through Alzheimer's. As a psychiatrist, he came to understand her pathology. "But I came to understand the Spirit, the highest attribute of our existence, from my mother in her dementia. What matters is seeing through...to the sufferer's very essence, to their soul." In a difficult quandary, Diamond concludes that there is value in the anguish and suffering. Music played a part here, too, as Diamond played recordings for his mother. Her eyes came alive, despite the fear. Anecdotes from his career emphasize Diamond's feelings. "Altruism. This must be the way to live, and to die." Creativity. Both an alternative and an imperative.
Linda Fleischman - Magical Blend
Dr. John Diamond has the credentials and experience to form any number of medical opinions. The Veneration of Life, however, is a soft and poignant personal account of his experience with his mother who was dying from Alzheimer's disease. A new philosophy emerged in Dr. Diamond reflected in the dedication of the book. "I learned from my mother in her demented, dying years, that there's another plane of existence. Couldn't think, couldn't speak - approaching death - but she radiated the pure essence of Life." This book gives special insights to anyone who has a friend or relative in a condition of limited interaction.
Christopher J. Naughton, A.I.A., President, Society for the Arts in Healthcare
This sensitively written book explores the health care needs of all humanity through its perspective that True Health lies beyond the disease in the sufferer's very soul. Dr. Diamond helps us to know the innermost beauty and perfection that lives in each of us.
Re-Release! No longer back-listed. Return to the Olde Ways. The hustle and bustle of modern day life has brought many of us to a quick fix attitude.This book is for those of you who are fed up; have looked at your life and your loved ones and realize
