9000 Needles

Doug Dearth's 9000 Needles chronicles one family's disillusionment with American healthcare, as Dearth and his relatives recall the weeks after his brother Devin—a businessman, champion bodybuilder, husband, and father of three—had a stroke. After lying unconscious in the hospital for three weeks, Devin finally responds to external stimulation and begins physical therapy, but faces a long recovery. Unfortunately, his insurance company will cover only a specific amount of care, so he's discharged just as he's learning to walk again (his physician laments, “We've become a McDonald's drive-thru society”). At home, Devin can't do anything for himself and sinks into depression. Meanwhile, Dearth researches the situation and suggests that Devin travel to China for a regimen of alternative therapies, including acupuncture and herbal medicine, which he does, also continuing his PT in Tianjin. At $20,000 for 12 weeks, the cost of his care in China represents a fraction of what it would be in his hometown. In the end, Devin leaves in better shape than when he arrived but still can't walk on his own—a situation likely to improve over time. While not presenting alternative medicine as superior to conventional medicine, 9000 Needles successfully presents it as a viable option, while also offering a pointed indictment of a healthcare system that fails patients like Devin, who require sustained aftercare. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)