Slow Medicine

The Way to Healing

By: Victoria Sweet

Narrated by: Victoria Sweet

"Wonderful... Physicans would do well to learn this most important lesson about caring for patients." —The New York Times Book Review

Over the years that Victoria Sweet has been a physician, “healthcare” has replaced medicine, “providers” look at their laptops more than at their patients, and costs keep soaring, all in the ruthless pursuit of efficiency. Yet the remedy that economists and policy makers continue to miss is also miraculously simple. Good medicine takes more than amazing technology; it takes time—time to respond to bodies as well as data, time to arrive at the right diagnosis and the right treatment.

Sweet knows this because she has learned and lived it over the course of her remarkable career. Here she relates unforgettable stories of the teachers, doctors, nurses, and patients through whom she discovered the practice of Slow Medicine, in which she has been both pioneer and inspiration. Medicine, she helps us to see, is a craft and an art as well as a science. It is relational, personal, even spiritual. To do it well requires a hard-won wisdom that no algorithm can replace—that brings together “fast” and “slow” in a truly effective, efficient, sustainable, and humane way of healing.

Excellent. Introductory.

Outstanding, but seems like an introduction that needs a sequel in order to dive deeper into the emerging field and benefits of slow medicine. Written by an author trained in, and over a long career appreciative of what she rightly describes as fast medicine, the book has much to commend it as not abandoning the almost incalculable benefits of modern Western medicine. I say almost, because as she so frequently alludes to, the benefits of fast medicine come at a cost that we as a human community can not and should no longer be willing to pay. Her periodic references to Wendell Berry add beautiful gravitas to this much needed subject. And notwithstanding her rich exposure to the history of anthropology and its intersection with medicine, some of her references to astrology seem unfortunately laden with Eastern pantheistic concepts that ultimately undermine what would otherwise be a rich Christian testimony. Definitely worth the read though and very much grateful for her winsome leaning in on this long overdue subject.

Stunning

An absolutely beautiful and insightful look at what medicine is and could be. I highly recommend it to anyone working in healthcare, but also to anyone outside the field who want a peek into this controversial world. Witty and thought-provoking. Narration was by the author and was spectacular, clear and level but expressive. I was enthralled every minute.

Heart breaking for us in the trenches

I feel this book to my bones, especially after working in healthcare through Covid. The system is going to break, something has to give. I’m sick of non med staff dictating our practice and keeping us from actual patient care. The admin heavy medical system is just further driving up costs and people aren’t getting any healthier.

Excellent

Excellent book. Thank you and those who were part of this journey in healthcare. It helped nourished some burn out symptoms. Being a Nurse for 10+ years has been so gratifying but also strained by “people upstairs”.
You are a wonderful human❤️

Outstanding

Every single thing about this book was fabulous: the story, the personal-ness, the narration.

Slow is Beautiful

Thanks to VictoriaSweet for writing this fabulous book and for taking the time to cultivate slow medicine. She has the antidote for what ails us as a culture, and fortunately for anyone who is sick, she is writing about and teaching what our practitioners most need to learn. God spare us all from “health care.”

So good

This book has been one of the few audible books that I binged listened to and I know I will listen to again.

Terrible recording

Could not get through the first chapter. Very poor recording and not the best narration. Had to return.

disappointed

i loved gods hotel. I read the hard copy and found it a page turner. this one... well, I dont like her narration style. not enough to listen to the end.

Pretentious and self-indulging.

I was very eager to start this book, I truly love the concept and support the idea of slow medicine. the book starts out excellent setting a stage as to why we need a change in our healthcare system. Chapter by chapter I kept waiting for some form of solution in all the stories but found none. What I heard were stories from a privilleged author who liked to point out how much better they were at medicine than others. At how much more attention to detail and caring they were but ran at the first sign of resistance to what they believed in. This is eveident when the the description of the pharmacist is given. The words can't hide how much the author loathes her colleagues in other disciplines who prevented her from making mistakes. I hope you enjoy this book but this was not the journey I expected and that's fine, it's good to disagree.