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Wednesday 28 October 2015

Dr Maryanne Demasi: Too Much Medicine


Could our relentless pursuit of good health be making us sick?

Advances in medicine have propelled health care to new heights and a vast array of diagnostic tests and drug therapies is now available. But are we getting too much of a good thing?

An increasing number of doctors now say that sometimes, “less is more” when it comes to medical interventions. Some doctors are concerned that resources are being wasted on the "worried well" and that the ever-expanding definition of how we define "disease" has been influenced by vested interests. Could excessive medical interventions be causing more harm than good?

Dr Maryanne Demasi examines how our relentless pursuit for good health might be making us sick. #ABCcatalyst

Graham

2 comments:

NCmountainwoman said...

I have no doubt that we are an over-medicated society. Part of the reason here in the US is that many physicians are working for another organization whose goals are to increase the number of patients seen each day to increase billing and revenue. Unfortunately, it's far easier for the physician to prescribe medication and send the patient on his/her way than to talk with them to really delve into the problem.

Another huge component is that drug companies can now advertise on television. Far too many people see the ads and run to the doctor requesting the medicine. In the interest of speed and fear of litigation, too often the physician complies.

chris c said...

A spoonful of medicine helps the sugar to go down.

We don't have the TV ads here, all the marketing goes towards the doctors who fail to see that often what they are prescribing is an antidote to their dietary recommendations.