In this book, Lewis chronicles horrifying cases of misdiagnosis and malpractice, from the surgeons who compete to break the record of ''Fastest Cesarean Section, '' endangering the lives of mothers and babies, to the doctor who actually causes kidney failure in an otherwise healthy patient. But his objective is not to point an accusatory finger or to dismiss the undeniably productive aspects of traditional Western medicine. Inspired by his Cherokee grandmother's healing ceremonies, Lewis's goal is to enlighten his patients and his readers to ''alternative'' paths to recovery and health. Coyote Medicine is not a book that will tell you to turn your back on hospitals and medications. If a simple course of antibiotics will cure an infection, Dr. Mehl-Madrona does not recommend prayer over penicillin. But when a patient returns to a hospital again and again with recurrent symptoms, or a sick person is not responding to medication, or doctors have simply given up on a ''terminal'' case, alternative healing methods are available and should be explored.