| |
| |
|
|
|
Medical Testing: Health By The Numbers Doesnt Work
Perhaps one of the most insidious dangers in modern technology is medical testing. Although it would be nice to be able to visit our doctor and get all hooked up with electrodes, inflatable cuffs, probes, needles and catheters and have a read-out telling us exactly how we are working and where there is a problem, that is a myth, not the reality. Such testing creates false confidence and the illusion for people that they are being wise and practicing "preventive medicine." But prevention is not detecting existing disease. Diagnosis is not to be confused with cause or cure. Not only do patients have these misconceptions, the entire medical industry does as well. Modern medicine is focused on naming diseases and treating symptoms, not preventing disease and addressing causes. Medical tests (done on yourself or by others) give a false sense of control and knowledge. The better choice is to take every step we can to modify life-style and nutritional habits to actually create health, not simply live life with gusto and have yearly stress tests and mammograms. Waiting for disease (reacting to injury, which disease is) to strike and then taking action is certainly not an intelligent approach. None of this speaks to the waste in much of the $200+ billion a year that is spent on laboratory and clinical tests. Not only do they drain our economy and not create health, they are often inaccurate and unnecessary. Some 75% of doctors surveyed admitted to performing more tests than necessary. In one study of 25,000 tests, only 20% of them reproduced the same result 90% of the time. In another study, 197 out of 200 were "cured" by simply repeating the same tests. (Wysong, RL. Laboratory self-testing. Wysong Health Letter. March 1992.) This brings me to a serious danger of laboratory testing: a false positive or false negative. If the test is falsely positive, the emotional trauma from believing you may have a serious disease can be enough to create a disease. Thus a test can make a well person sick. A false negative could send you on your way happily believing that everything is fine and that no life modifications are necessary. Meanwhile, the disease continues to incubate and spread. Medical tests have inherent dangers like any other medical procedure and should be submitted to only with that understanding. Even entering a hospital or doctor's office poses the risk of exposure to infectious disease (nosocomial infection). A "sterile" needle to draw blood could result in a fatal (albeit rare) systemic infection. Squeezing breasts for a mammogram can activate dormant cancerous tissue and increase the spread of cancerous cells (metastases) by 80%. (Greenburg, DS. NCI blasted for mammography confusion. The Lancet. 345(8942): 129.) Pap smears are performed millions of times a year yet have never been proven to change morbidity or mortality. (McCormick, JS. Cervical smears: a questionable practice? The Lancet. 2: 207-209. 1989.) Ultrasound may influence fetal growth. (Newnham, JP, et al. Effects of frequent ultrasound during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. The Lancet. 342(8876): 887-91.) X-rays are always dangerous (carcinogenic) and their effects are cumulative over a lifetime. Vaginal and rectal exams can introduce infection. Cancers penetrated with biopsy needles may increase the spread of cancer to sentinel lymph nodes by as much as 50% over lump excision. It is estimated 1 in 20 liver biopsies result in new tumors. (Evans, GH, et al. Safety of and necessity for needle biopsy of liver tumours. The Lancet. 1: 620. 1987.) Let the buyer (patient) beware. Health is something you do to yourself, not something others do to you with machines or analysis. Health "by the numbers" of cholesterol, blood pressure, prostate antigens, white cell count and the like is a fantasy. Subscribing to this idea will start you on a slippery slope of medications, medications to treat the side effects of medications, surgeries and other interventions that destroy health, not build it. This is not to suggest that diagnostic tests are not important for refractory diseases or those to which no reasonable cause can be assigned. But as a "preventive" measure for healthy individuals the benefits of the practice are dubious at best. (See article on medicine as the greatest threat to health by the author.) The best test of health is to evaluate yourself. If you feel well, leave well enough alone, no medical test should convince you otherwise. The best test is to examine your life-style and nutritional practices against the standard of genetic context. We are adapted to fresh air and water, sunshine, exercise and fresh natural foods. (See CD the master key by the author). If you are not living as you are genetically programmed, do it. By so doing you will not only be preventing, but reversing disease. It's easy, cheap and has passed the "test" of time in being the best medicine ever invented. Dr. Wysong is a former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. He is author of The Creation-Evolution Controversy now in its eleventh printing, a new two volume set on philosophy for living, several books on nutrition, prevention and health for people and animals and over 15 years of monthly health newsletters. He may be contacted at Wysong@Wysong.net and a free subscription to his e-Health Letter is available at http://www.wysong.net .
MORE RESOURCES: Buy Website Internet Traffic. Website online advertising. Buy full page popunder advertising and increase website traffic to your sites. Bad Credit Loans - Loans for people with bad credit. Access online government grants and financial credit services instantly online. Digital Streaming Radio On Your Mobile Phone - La Vella Mobile Radio. La Vella Mobile Radio Gives You Access To Over One Hundred Of The Hottest Streaming Radio Stations From Around The World And Brings Them To The Palm Of Your Hand, Right On Your Mobile Phone. Get Streaming Radio On Your Cell Phone! Audio And Video Streaming For Multimedia Purposes. This Is A Complete Step By Step Guide To The Beginners Who Want To Install And Setup Audio And Video Streaming For Multimedia Purposes On The Internet.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
4 Reasons Why You Should Use Canadian Pharmacies Let's face it: purchasing prescription drugs in the U.S. Mend Your Arthritis Pain Relief =====KNOW YOUR ARTHRITIS=====Arthritis is referred to as the nation?s number one crippling disease and the most common chronic disease in people over 40, arthritis affects more than 40 million Americans.And this figure is expected to rise to 60 million by 2020, according to the Center for Disease Control. Cetyl Myristoleate Seperating Fact From Fiction I am a strong believer in Cetyl Myristoleate for the treatment of arthritis. For the last three years I have been researching and writing about Cetyl Myristoleate. Top Ten Things You Should Know About Contact Lenses 1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners alike to be more immediately comfortable while adequately correcting vision. Phentermine Diet Pills: When Diet and Exercise Arent Enough To Help You Lose Weight Have you been struggling to lose weight, but diet and exercise aren't giving you the results you need to be healthy? Are you sick of people telling you that you could lose weight if only you had the will-power? It may be time to ask a physician about a phentermine prescription.What is Phentermine?Remember those 50s movies in which women lost weight by taking amphetamines? We know now that amphetamines can be very dangerous, so they don't make safe weight-loss drugs. Watch Out for Misleading Pharmaceutical Advertising In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration relaxed the rules for drug advertising on television and radio. Since that time, the airwaves have been flooded with commercials for all sorts of drugs. Relafen: A New Drug with an Old Danger Individuals who regularly take Relafen (nabumetone) or other anti-inflammatory medications, either for arthritis, joint pain, or other indications, should be aware of severe adverse health implications that can potentially result from prolonged use. Relafen is usually prescribed for osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness, but can also be prescribed for other purposes. Medication Compliance Kit ... A Life Saver Pill Proof LLC introduces the first, easy to use medication compliance kit for consumers and medical professionals. Owner, Jane Langdon, has a sister in law with Parkinson's Disease. Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness As a physician specializing in psychiatry, I know that many emotional conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders are true medical illnesses with a biologic (physical) origin. Psychiatry has become more and more "biological" in its diagnosis and treatment approaches during recent years, but a very significant stigma still exists against those who are seeing a therapist. An Introduction to Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition, but in some ways it is still a mystery. There are many different theories about what causes the syndrome, and different doctors will give you different reasons for your illness - anything from stress to bad bacteria to food intolerance. Heart Disease: The Dangers Of Coronary Heart Attack And How To Avoid It What is a coronary heart attack?Are you at the risk of a coronary heart attack?Here are some insights to help you.. CRP And Your Heart Monitoring your CRP level is vitally important because it is one of the best indicators of heart disease. C-Reactive Protein has proven to be one of the best indicators of looming Heart disease. The Power of Ice Using ice to treat injuries is one of the oldest methods of pain control. Proven to be safe and effective at reducing swelling, relieving pain and decreasing muscle spasms, ice therapy is an easy self-care technique that anyone can administer. Every Pharmaceutical Drug LEECHES Nutrients From Your Body Are you currently on one or more pharmaceutical drugs? Perhaps you are not aware, but every pharmaceutical drug depletes the body of various nutrients, depriving your cells of the essential raw materials which drive normal, natural cell function. The data on our industrialized food supply already suggestes that each of us is not getting enough nutrition from diet alone. Whats a Good Arthritis Medicine for Me, Doctor? Pain is the body's warning signal that something is wrong. If the pain is due to overuse or arthritis there are many things to consider. Bextra, Some Facts To Consider For those who take Bextra, there are many warnings out that are telling people to stop. It is wise to do this and to do it right away. 10 Steps To Detoxification Technology. We live in a grand time of technological development. Bextra, Vioxx and Side Effects - Do You Need Aa Lawyer? The recent withdrawals of the prescription medications Vioxx and Bextra from the marketplace have many people concerned. Studies show that the use of Vioxx could increase the likelihood of strokes and heart attacks; Bextra carries those same risks and also increases the chances of contracting Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a potentially fatal skin disease. Army Report Validates Prediction of Vaccine-Induced Epidemic "The more we do to you, the less you seem to believe we are doing it." - Joseph MengeleThe Army is still in denial but now admits the epidemic of Gulf War Syndrome II which I predicted would result from its own blatantly unethical vaccine policy (see warning here: http://www. Physicians, Chiropractors and Physical Therapist Agree on a New Treatment for Low Back Pain One of the most prevalent and difficult health conditions to treat in the physical medicine is low back pain. The difficulty in treating low back pain comes from the fact that there are numerous causes including herniated discs, bulging discs, degenerative discs, muscle spasms, facet arthritis, and sciatica.
|
