Aarogyahaar’s founder, Rajan Mahendra had shared this short summary of Dr. Marty Makary’s book yesterday in the Whatsapp group. It’s a powerful book and ofcourse scares one out of their wits. The very doctors whom we consult to get better, seem to be part of a system that is not aimed at healing you but keeping you sick.
The first thing most doctors prescribe these days are tests and most people are scared of the results… There is huge pressure to constantly get annual check-ups done. The tests don’t help because our understanding of our psyche-mind-body connection is inadequate. When you see a health indicator being high or low, huge anxiety sets in and your body immediately prepares to fight that anxiety to keep you safe. Guess what, the healing symptoms are often treated as disease and in the process, the body doesn’t heal.
Whether it is the Blood Pressure number or the blood sugar number – there is no scientific basis to them getting lower. Reducing the blood sugar number made half the world diabetic and pharma companies peddling sugar-controlling meds profited. Do read – Metformin Global Market Report 2024.
An excerpt –
Do read the following summary of Dr. Marty Makary’s book to be aware of what we are getting as “Healthcare”…
Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unnecessary Health Care and What We Can We Do About it.
Dr Marty Makary, who practices surgical oncology and gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, has caused an earthquake in the American medical world by putting in black and white certain facts which are normally kept away from public gaze. No wonder his book, Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unnecessary Health Care and What We Can Do About It, is selling like the proverbial hot cakes!
He reveals that:
- Over 50% of Surgeries Are Unnecessary: Studies suggest that more than half of all surgeries performed in the U.S. may not be medically necessary.
- Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Medical errors, including unnecessary treatments and surgeries, are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.
- $1 Trillion in Waste: The U.S. healthcare system wastes an estimated $1 trillion each year due to unnecessary treatments, tests, and administrative inefficiencies.
- Doctors Perform Procedures They Would Avoid for Themselves: Many doctors admit that they would not undergo certain surgeries or treatments that they routinely recommend to their patients.
- Hospital Rankings Are Misleading: Many hospital ranking systems are based on the number of procedures performed rather than the quality of outcomes, incentivising hospitals to do more, not better.
- 40% of Knee Replacements Are Unnecessary: A significant portion of knee replacement surgeries is unnecessary and could be avoided with less invasive treatment options.
- C-Sections Are Overperformed: In the U.S., about one in three babies is delivered via cesarean section, often without a medical necessity, increasing risks for both mother and child.
- Overuse of Antibiotics: Antibiotics are frequently prescribed for viral infections, which they do not treat, contributing to antibiotic resistance and harming patients’ microbiomes.
- Lack of Transparency in Healthcare Pricing: Most patients have no idea what a procedure will cost until after it is performed, contributing to skyrocketing healthcare expenses.
- End-of-Life Overtreatment: A significant portion of healthcare spending is on aggressive treatments in the last year of life, even when these treatments offer little or no benefit to the patient.
- Misleading Screening Tests: Many routine cancer screening tests, like PSA for prostate cancer or mammograms, can lead to overdiagnosis, resulting in unnecessary treatments and anxiety.
- 90% of Patients Don’t Get a Second Opinion: Despite the importance of second opinions in avoiding unnecessary treatments, the vast majority of patients don’t seek them.
- Financial Incentives for Overtreatment: The fee-for-service payment model encourages doctors to perform more procedures, as they are paid per treatment rather than for outcomes.
- Routine Care for Low-Risk Pregnancies: Many low-risk pregnancies are treated as high-risk, leading to unnecessary interventions, tests, and procedures.
- Doctors Are Paid More for Surgery Than Non-Surgical Care: Doctors are financially incentivised to perform surgeries because they are reimbursed more for surgical interventions than for preventive or conservative treatments.
- Overuse of Imaging: Diagnostic imaging tests like MRIs and CT scans are overused, leading to incidental findings that often result in unnecessary surgeries and treatments.
- Up to 30% of Healthcare Is Unnecessary: Research suggests that up to 30% of all healthcare provided in the U.S. is unnecessary or even harmful.
- Overdiagnosis of Thyroid Cancer: The rise in thyroid cancer diagnoses is largely due to overdiagnosis of small, non-threatening tumours, leading to unnecessary surgeries and treatments.
- Defensive Medicine: Physicians frequently order unnecessary tests or treatments not because they are needed, but because they are afraid of being sued for malpractice.
- Lack of Accountability for Overtreatment:
B & K, This book review confirms my impression of the US health care system from the inside, but it doesn’t go deep enough. Because the world tends to follow the US lead, the world doesn’t know how profitable cataract surgery, joint replacements, or over-medication is to the insurance companies and pharma. In medical school, which is often a form of apprenticeship, with learn-by-doing experience in surgery, obstetrics, or drawing blood for lab tests, there is the constant pressure to perform, with little time for sleeping, studying, or reflecting.