Articles by Keyword for

  The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reviewed data about possible environmental risks for developing breast cancer. They felt that pesticides, beauty products, heousehold chemicals, and plastics might or might not be risk factors for breasts cancer. They did agree that medical x-rays were a clear risk for developing breast cancer. They recommended that...

CT scans pick up all kinds of lumps very well. The sensitivity is excellent but specificity is poor. This leads to unnecessary surgeries. Many small cancers may disappear on their own. Parallels to breast cancer are made.          

  Financial reimbursement and ownership of medical testing equipment leads to over-prescribing of these tests. These types of conflict of interest extend to ownership of MRI and CT facilities, surgicenters, cardiac imaging equipment, laboratory services and much more. A recent article in JAMA documented that MDs over prescribe two types of cardiac stress...

According to an article published in the January 2012 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, exposure to iodinated contrast media during imaging procedures is associated the changes in thyroid function, especially hyperthyroidism. Reactions to the dyes are increased in people with asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, and in those taking NSAIDs, beta blockers,...

  Medical professional groups and cancer advocacy groups need to refocus on educating rather than persuading about cancer testing. The harms of screening have been largely dismissed. It is easy to sell screening, just magnify the benefit, minimize the cost, and hide the data about their value. These tests are big business and there are conflicts...

  You can't really blame MDs for practicing defensively when they are trying to do the best job they possibly can for their patients and they don't want to be involved in a malpractice case if they make an error. In a study of 1200 orthopedic surgeons 96% admitted practicing defensively. This came to an estimated $2 billion cost annually. Many...