Note that the author is a “science journalist” with a degree in journalism, not medicine or even STEM.
How about a former editor of the British Medical Journal: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/06/04/richard-smith-the-case-...
A new book critiques medicine
41–50 of 198 posts
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#42I've always looked at western medicine as if it was the best car mechanic you can hire, just for your body. If your problem is mechanical, they can solve it. Surgical techniques are amazing. Breakdowns in known processes can be fixed.
But if the problem doesn't fit those known processes, isn't mechanical, and you are relying on doctor for real troubleshooting of problems, that is where it falls short. You can fall into the weird gap of talking to different specialists, trying to find someone who can pinpoint what is wrong. You try different treatments, you see what works. Sometimes you solve problems, sometimes you end up living your whole life managing symptoms.
And that isn't all bad - better to manage symptoms than to live in misery, or not to live. But the word 'over-rated' is quite accurate. It isn't useless, it just is over-rated.
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#43Scientific American is getting very non scientific. A couple of days ago we got the: "Fat Is Not the Problem—Fat Stigma Is", now this article. What follows, "Aliens may have built the Pyramids after all"?
Can you quote what you think is non scientific in the article "Is medicine overrated" ?
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#44Let me extend the query, is "modern medicine" overrated. Modern technology + western like urban lifestyle changed how we live.. and how much medicine we think we need. Walking in the woods is probably as effective as the average anti depressant. Good physical activity too. But we sell that modern life is great and that ailments are normal and that thanks to the medical field we have all these solutions.. that we prob…
Regular exercise, good diet and quality sleep prevent/solve most health problems.
If exercise were in pill form, it'd be the most valuable pill.
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#45I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…
At a high level, I agree. My take is that for things like broken bones, and other accute trauma, doctors are great. For everything else, especially anything chronic, and they are completely worthless.
Any good doctor will advise you to get plenty of exercise and eat a health diet. That's easily the best thing you can do for your health.
Only the vast majority of people ignore that advise.
Also the combination of vaccinations and nutrient-fortified food have worked wonders for public health.
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#46Scientific American is getting very non scientific. A couple of days ago we got the: "Fat Is Not the Problem—Fat Stigma Is", now this article. What follows, "Aliens may have built the Pyramids after all"?
Can you quote what you think is non scientific in the article "Is medicine overrated" ?
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Re: A new book critiques medicine
#47I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…
> Once all of this data becomes available, it will be obvious how worthless and expensive most medical treatments really are. Most prescription drugs do nothing, and the ones that do something are more so just covering the symptoms. I've read Bad Pharma (and will recommend it to anyone interested in this subject). And one way to summarize (perhaps oversimplify) it is: pharmaceutical corporations manipulate data to ju…
I briefly worked for a startup back in 2005 that was doing data analysis on prescriptions to reverse analyze a patient's conditions.
The customers were the insurance companies.
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#48Re: A new book critiques medicine
#49Modern medicine is great when you get in a car crash, and it's horrific if you have type 2 diabetes. Doctors get very little training in diet and lifestyle, because those are low-status and left to non-MD specialists, and many of them dogmatically cling to 1960s-era science.
No diet, no lifestyle, and not even history https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24811552
Re: A new book critiques medicine
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
"The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data becomes available, it will be obvious how worthless and expensive most medical treatments really are." I'm the spouse/partner of a recently-trained doctor, and I'm a programmer and startup founder with 2 decades of experience. With all r…
Would it be possible for you to be more specific about the ways in which the commenter is wrong?
Have tech solved the issues of a client changing their minds about what they want?
Well, all the interesting bits of medicine are built on social interactions. You ask the patient where it hurts and they lie about where.