Truth Be Told

I don't know whether you read three recent health related stories in the NEW YORK TIMES.
1. Last Saturday, Dr. James Andrews, a reknown sports medicine surgeon specializing in knees and shoulders made a very significant statement. MRIs are almost completely useless in diagnosing shoulder and knee problems prior to surgery. Then why do doctors order MRIs? Because you and I demand that they take them AND they generate approximately $1200 each. USELESS!

2. Early detection of many cancers has no impact on the survivability of the patient.Virtually ZERO. What the article said was that those people who had an agressive form of cancer were indeed going to die of that cancer. For many patients though, their survivablity does not depend on whether the mammogram catches the tumor today or next year.

3. Searching and testing for prostate cancer is far more damaging than finding and treating prostate cancer.

So what does all this mean for you and I?

It means that there is too much money involved to do the right thing.