Are You Being Mislead?
One of the best ways to keep yourself out of the medical mill is to learn how to cut through the BS.
Did you know?...
4.5 billion prescriptions were filled in the US in 2016 and medical procedures increase year after year, yet our health is still not improving.
In the US alone…
- 60% of people are overweight or obese.
- Over 600,000 Americans die every year from heart disease
- 15 million people have diabetes
These are the very conditions that can and will keep you from enjoying your life to the fullest.
Why do these numbers continue to rise year after year?
A big reason is MISINFORMATION.
Much of this information you get comes from well-meaning medical professionals and news outlets.
As much as we want to trust the medical profession to keep us healthy it doesn’t always turn out that way.
Most people think drugs and medical procedures are safer than they actually are.
The third leading cause of death in the US is MEDICAL ERRORS!
Researchers at John Hopkin examined four separate studies that analyzed medical death rate data from 2000 to 2008, based on a total of 35,416,020 hospitalizations, 251,454 deaths stemmed from a medical error.
I don’t want you to think this is a knock on the medical profession because it’s not.
I think the medical profession is amazing!
Just look at what these people can do; brain surgery, eye surgery, heart surgery, and all surgery in general.
What these people can do is miraculous!
Is it no wonder why we hold them in such high esteem?
The vast majority of doctors are well-meaning and sincerely want to help their patients, however, we have to realize they are human, and above all, they don’t have all the answers.
Most doctors are overworked.
My friend’s wife is a physician who sees 30 patients a day.
What’s more, according to a 2018 survey by the Physicians Foundation, doctors on average work an average of 51 hours a week and spend a quarter of their time with non-clinical paperwork.
It doesn’t leave much time to do research.
When was the last time you were prescribed a medication and the doctor actually took the time to go through all the side effects and the actual risk reduction of the drugs, they are prescribing to you?
If your doctor does this, you are one of the lucky ones.
As far as research goes, their leading source is drug reps.
An article in Medscape, a top medical resource for physicians stated that for over 50% of doctors who research online, Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia is the first choice to find information on how to treat patients.
The problem with Wikipedia is that the content is from pretty much anyone.
Even YOU can edit its information.
Other favorite sources are YouTube and videos on drug companies’ websites.
Yes, your doctor can also be fooled and misinformed.
New research continues to demonstrate the demise of doctors, with burnout levels jumping dramatically over just a three-year span.
We always seem to believe what we read or hear in the news because we think it’s credible.
Well, I’ve got news for you…
People who write the news are not immune to being misled or misinformed.
First of all, some only regurgitate a press release without even looking at the study.
And those who might look at the study fail to look at how the study was designed or how the study was funded to see if there is a conflict of interest.
Next week we'll look at one trick the Egg Industry uses to fool you.
There's always more know, that's why we always have to DIG DEEPER.
Until next week.
Ed Bishop