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Overdiagnosed cover art

Overdiagnosed

By: Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, Dr. Steven Woloshin, Dr. Lisa M. Schwartz
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Summary

Going against the conventional wisdom reinforced by the medical establishment and Big Pharma that more screening is the best preventative medicine, Dr. Gilbert Welch builds a compelling counterargument that what we need are fewer, not more, diagnoses. Documenting the excesses of American medical practice that labels far too many of us as sick, Welch examines the social, ethical, and economic ramifications of a health-care system that unnecessarily diagnoses and treats patients, most of whom will not benefit from treatment, might be harmed by it, and would arguably be better off without screening.

Drawing on 25 years of medical practice and research, Dr. H. Gilbert Welch and his colleagues, Dr. Lisa M. Schwartz and Dr. Steven Woloshin, have studied the effects of screenings and presumed preventative measures for disease and pre-disease. Examining the social, medical, and economic ramifications of a health care system that unnecessarily diagnoses and treats patients, Welch makes a reasoned call for change that would save us from countless unneeded surgeries, debilitating anxiety, and exorbitant costs.
©2011 Dr. H. Gilbert Welch (P)2012 HighBridge Company
Medicine & Health Care Industry Physician & Patient Policy & Administration Hygiene & Healthy Living
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Critic reviews

"This accessible and important book will help the reader understand the limitations of modern medicine and the perils inherent in an overzealous pursuit of a disease-free existence at any cost. It is also especially timely in raising one of the many issues surrounding the health-care debate." (Dennis Rosen, The Boston Globe)
"One of the big strengths of this relatively small book is that if you are inclined to ponder medicine's larger questions, you get to tour them all. What is health, really? In the finite endeavor that is life, when is it permissible to stop preventing things? And if the big questions just make you itchy, you can concentrate on the numbers instead: The authors explain most of the important statistical concepts behind evidence-based medicine in about as friendly a way as you are likely to find. (Abigail Zuger, M.D., The New York Times)

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Busting medical paradigms

An important book in the modern world. Pursuing health is not about focussing on illness and delegating responsibility for it to doctors. Live a healthy lifestyle. Earlier detection is not necessarily better.

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Thought Provoking

A very interesting take on the question of testing for disease and disease prevention looking at both risk and reward.

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Very informative

Well written and easy to understand. I would highly recommend everyone to read this book. It is very interesting.

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