Overdiagnosed

Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Patient Care, Health Care Delivery, Physician & Patient, Health, Health Care Issues
Cover of the book Overdiagnosed by H. Gilbert Welch, Beacon Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: H. Gilbert Welch ISBN: 9780807022016
Publisher: Beacon Press Publication: January 18, 2011
Imprint: Beacon Press Language: English
Author: H. Gilbert Welch
ISBN: 9780807022016
Publisher: Beacon Press
Publication: January 18, 2011
Imprint: Beacon Press
Language: English

From a nationally recognized expert, an exposé of the worst excesses of our zeal for medical testing

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 twenty-five years of medical practice and research on the effects of medical testing, Welch explains in a straightforward, jargon-free style how the cutoffs for treating a person with "abnormal" test results have been drastically lowered just when technological advances have allowed us to see more and more "abnormalities," many of which will pose fewer health complications than the procedures that ostensibly cure them. Citing studies that show that 10 percent of two thousand healthy people were found to have had silent strokes, and that well over half of men over age sixty have traces of prostate cancer but no impairment, Welch reveals overdiagnosis to be rampant for numerous conditions and diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, gallstones, abdominal aortic aneuryisms, blood clots, as well as skin, prostate, breast, and lung cancers.

With genetic and prenatal screening now common, patients are being diagnosed not with disease but with "pre-disease" or for being at "high risk" of developing disease. Revealing the economic and medical forces that contribute to overdiagnosis, Welch makes a reasoned call for change that would save us from countless unneeded surgeries, excessive worry, and exorbitant costs, all while maintaining a balanced view of both the potential benefits and harms of diagnosis. Drawing on data, clinical studies, and anecdotes from his own practice, Welch builds a solid, accessible case against the belief that more screening always improves health care.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From a nationally recognized expert, an exposé of the worst excesses of our zeal for medical testing

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 twenty-five years of medical practice and research on the effects of medical testing, Welch explains in a straightforward, jargon-free style how the cutoffs for treating a person with "abnormal" test results have been drastically lowered just when technological advances have allowed us to see more and more "abnormalities," many of which will pose fewer health complications than the procedures that ostensibly cure them. Citing studies that show that 10 percent of two thousand healthy people were found to have had silent strokes, and that well over half of men over age sixty have traces of prostate cancer but no impairment, Welch reveals overdiagnosis to be rampant for numerous conditions and diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, gallstones, abdominal aortic aneuryisms, blood clots, as well as skin, prostate, breast, and lung cancers.

With genetic and prenatal screening now common, patients are being diagnosed not with disease but with "pre-disease" or for being at "high risk" of developing disease. Revealing the economic and medical forces that contribute to overdiagnosis, Welch makes a reasoned call for change that would save us from countless unneeded surgeries, excessive worry, and exorbitant costs, all while maintaining a balanced view of both the potential benefits and harms of diagnosis. Drawing on data, clinical studies, and anecdotes from his own practice, Welch builds a solid, accessible case against the belief that more screening always improves health care.

More books from Beacon Press

Cover of the book Ethical Chic by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Beaver At His Parents' [Episode 1] by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Let the Students Speak! by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Drunks by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Prescription for a Healthy Nation by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Are We Born Racist? by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Why We Can't Wait by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Project Fatherhood by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Big-Box Swindle by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book A More Beautiful and Terrible History by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book My Confection by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book After Freedom by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book The Accordion Family by H. Gilbert Welch
Cover of the book Dispatches from the Abortion Wars by H. Gilbert Welch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy