"Moral of the story is that its up to me to listen to advice, but make my own decisions. I fall significantly short of being impressed by medical credentials alone, anymore."
"The human cost of medical errors is high. Based on the findings of one major study, medical errors kill some 44,000 people in U.S. hospitals each year. Another study puts the number much higher, at 98,000. Even using the lower estimate, more people die from medical mistakes each year than from highway accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS.
> Institute of Medicine, 2000"
http://www.iatrogenic.org/contents.html You have joined an enormous group of people who understand that unless you think for yourself and sometimes go outside the box you are not likely to have a very long life.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/jul2003_cover_book_01.html If you read simply the side effects of medications prescribed you can often decide that the side effects are worse than the problem and use proper discretion.
Life Extension Foundation Magazine had a lengthy article this year on how, why and in what circumstance to reduce the medications you are taking in order to preserve your health and life. Believe that article is available for perusal online.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/mar2003_cover_effects_01.html Wisdom dictates that you choose very carefully.
Thanks for the links. I have to go take care of a client right now, so I'll check them out later.
I would love to know the breakdown of the "hospitals" listed in that first study, because I think it wasn't just hospitals, but nursing homes as well, where you have a clientale that is sickly from the start...
medical errors sometimes are confused with wrong outcomes or unwanted outcomes....like giving someone a unit of blood, and having them develop an allergic reaction and possibly death....
or prescribing one medicine that does not work or has too many untoward effects that it actually harms a pt.
Of course, there are out right mistakes...wrong pt, wrong procedure, etc..etc...
Health care has lengthened our life spans so much that I think that some people think that there is no reason to die...
At the turn of the century, I think the American average age of death was like in the 40's.....unbelievable where we are today...
so, you can chose NOT to visit your doctor or hospital, and not be subject to all those "medical errors" but your best chance is working with the health care system....
EXCEPT....you must pay attention, think thru all treatments or RX's....do your own research, and always question everything....why, how, when, etc.....
there is so much variance in health care offered, that the consumer must be alert.....