Dr Gillian Riley

I am a huge reader. regular patients likely know this and are likely used to me either talking to them about books I have read or suggesting books they should read.

This is one of my latest – wormhole by Hannah McElhinney.

This is to start really sad, and really confronting, so a word of caution, particularly to those of you on your own chronic illness journey.

It discusses Hannah’s exploration of her cousin Lauren’s descent into the wormhole of alternative medicine which ultimately ended with her death at the hands of a charlatan who’s unregulated, unproven “therapy” resulted in her death. And then the wider context in which that occurred.

I think what I found helpful (and challenging) about this book and the reason I have recommended it to other doctors is that it takes the academic work that we so often use in this space and makes it very accessible to a non medical, or even a non academic medical reader. It talks about illness narratives, medical toolkits and emerging evidence around trauma and sensory overload. How illness is used as a metaphor and attached moral judgements by society/healthcare workers if it isn’t neat and tidy. It also explores how poorly medicine and the medical profession handles suffering if it doesn’t fit neatly into the easy boxes and narratives that we are familiar with – particularly if that suffering is experienced by women or by marginalised communities.

And it is always so important to hear the patient perspective. And it’s important to remember that alternative medicine does have a place. But that it’s not all created equal.

If the author or her family see this I can only say how sorry I am, not only for their loss but also for the wider attitude to suffering and distress that Lauren met in the medical profession when she was just looking for help. It’s just not good enough.