This month’s perfect storm — poor medical reporting, denialism, and public health. Marketplace yesterday:
For years, our medical system focused on the individual. The thinking was, even if only one life was saved, everyone should get tested. But the new studies show not everyone needs screening. In fact, too much screening can do more harm than good.
Dr. Louise Russell studies preventive care at Rutgers University. She says patients have to change their mind sets. Think about the odds of finding lethal cancer… She says patients need to trust the odds and not get screened if they’re not at increased risk — if they don’t, say, have a family member with cancer.
Doctor Otis Brawley is the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. He disagrees with the mammogram recommendations. He says even if one life in a thousand is saved, it’s worth it… A lot of patients feel the same way. They don’t care about the big picture.
Doctor Robert Aronowitz teaches the history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania. He says it’s hard to change that way of thinking. But people can put themselves in danger. Unnecessary cancer treatment can cause anxiety and even death… Aronowitz says that applies to all kinds of preventive treatment — from screenings to drugs that are supposed to prevent disease.
There is reason for optimism.