Western medicine is guided by an outdated paradigm that is badly in need of revision. This groundbreaking book argues that the failures of modern medicine are not, as we are conditioned to believe, unavoidable missteps along the road to scientific advancement. They are predictable consequences of wrong thinking, of false beliefs about disease and the healing process. Science evolves, and so should medicine. When we absorb the lessons learned from practical experience, it cannot help but change the way we think about health and healing. The solution that Dr. Malerba proposes is nothing less than a renaissance in philosophy of medicine. Intended for all readers, this is a clear and easy-to-read discussion of issues that influence the practical choices we make regarding our health in times of illness. Metaphysics & Medicine is about the philosophical and practical differences between science as it was originally conceived, science as it is construed by mainstream medicine today, the particularly disturbing modern trend called scientism, and a more authentic and inclusive form of future medical science that will no longer ignore human consciousness and the lessons learned from subjective experience. Modern medicine lacks a coherent philosophy to help make sense of the complex dynamics of illness, healing, and mind-body relationships. Most medical dysfunction can be traced to this absence of guiding principles, which, if remedied, would revolutionize the practice of medicine. Conventional medicine is based upon a distorted conception of reality that fails to incorporate human consciousness, which is the most critical determinant of health and well-being. Metaphysics & Medicine is a blueprint for a way forward that will rescue medicine from its materialistic bias and bring it into alignment with contemporary thought regarding mind-body principles and holistic theory and practice. It examines the flawed ideas behind conventional medical strategies and proposes a new philosophy of medicine that changes the way we think about science, illness, and healing.