Medicine

The US has a miserable global ranking in most health categories. We do fairly well (but not great) in statistics for stroke, cancer and keeping folks alive if they make it to age 75. Our advantage in those categories is due in large part to the happy fact that we smoke less than many countries and that our high tech medical heroics at the end of life are superior.i By that I mean we can prolong life indefinitely but, by then that life may have become a miserable existence. Isn’t what we really want to live younger longer? That is where diet and lifestyle save the day and we’d darn well better do what we can ourselves because the medical profession is not prepared to lead the way and teach us. Exceptions to that rule can be found on the Library page: Doctor Resources. Be sure to also visit a cutting-edge dentist. Check out this page: Dental Resources.

There is a good reason that it is called the “practice” of medicine. Misdiagnosis is a very large problem. (If you are having symptoms, it is smart to ask the doctor what is the worst thing it could be and work to rule that out in a timely manner.) Treatments and recommendations go out of favor as more is learned and the proponents of the old ideas retire. Major changes often take 40 years…especially if there is a big financial incentive to stick to the old paradigm. Meanwhile, old ideas can cost lives. The article linked below, Death by Medicine, and the radio interview with one of the authors points out that the side effects of drugs, hospital-acquired infections and medical mistakes add up to be the number one cause of premature deaths…ahead of heart disease. The more you know, the better you can avoid being one of those statistics. The doctors in the resources noted above blend historic wisdom with new science to provide better care. Self care is the most important and that is what this website and our radio show are all about.

For more information, read our pages on Drugs, How to Recognize a Quack, and Testing. 

News:
Nearly 19% of Medicare recipients will experience serious harm due to medical care. The risk of death after these harms was greater, with only 45% surviving till the end of the study. Two thirds of the events occurred in outpatient care versus one third in hospitals. Link to abstract.

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Copyright 2014, 2018, 2023 by Martie Whittekin, CCN

US Institute of Medicine Report, 2013, US Health in International Perspective, Shorter Lives Poorer Health