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There are 3 charges against Big Pharma. Patents give them a monopoly on a drug, the cost of advertizing is paid for by the consumer, and new unnecessary products are brought to market to renew patents.      

  Ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, makes up 25% of breast cancers and is lethal in only 1-2%. Failure to differentiate leads to massive overtreatment, significant emotional and physical disability, and unnecessary treatment and costs. There is a desperate need for better screening tests. Many of these cancers spontaneously disappear.            

  There is no good evidence that if a person is symptom free that any of the common tests that screen for heart disease are helpful according to the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Even for people who smoke or those with diabetes or obesity there's no good evidence that heart screening tests save lives or prevent disease. These tests...

  Many studies show that mammograms in women under 50 are not useful. The US is the only country that does mammograms in this age group. The reasons are explained. Too many biopsies result and many cancers are missed that lead to stress and unnecessary costs.          

Mammograms are a poor screening test for premenopausal women. There are too many false positive and negative findings. Breast thermography is the answer. They have not been widely accepted.

  Screening mammograms could be doing more harm than good according to an article published in the British Medical Journal in December of 2011. The benefits of mammograms were not so apparent because of the risk for overtreatment. Data showed that for every 2000 women taking a mammogram throughout 10 years, one will have her life prolonged, and 10 healthy...

  DCIS accounts for 22% of breast cancers but only 2% develop into lethal cancer. The remaining 98% are overtreated with unnecessary surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. We need a better screening test.            

An article published in WebMd in December of 2014 interviewed 21,000 MDs to see what they worried about in making decisions about patient care. Issues included assisted suicide, abortion, patient confidentiality, medical mistakes, financial matters, sexual relationships, reporting incompetent doctors, and using placebos.  Dr. Len and Nurse Vicki discuss...