Articles & News About Health

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 .

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Vitamin Diet Patch Now Available for Health Food Stores from NAZCO Wholesale Herbal Supplement Dropshipper
Health food supplement diet patches are a blend of herbal nutrients, offering safe and effective weight loss diet application like a nicotine diet patch. The supplements diet patch allows the herbal formula on the diet patch to enter directly into the bloodstream, suppressing appetite between meals while providing weight loss, diabetes and chronic fatigue relief support and increased energy level on the go.

St. George Complimentary Alternative Health Care Offers Free Wellness Scans During Focus on Nutrition Month
The desire to get healthy and stay healthy is the primary reason more and more people are turning to natural health care, or complementary and alternative medicine, according to this St. George Hinkle practices alternative medicine utilizing personalized biofeedback using ZYTO technology, nutraceutical assessments, medical foods, bio-identical hormone evaluation, chelation, lifestyle changes, and body composition analysis.

Health Insurance, Health Care Issues Now Top Rated Topics for Radio Listeners According to Arbitron
The Health Insurance Advocate Show, With Cary Hall, Achieves One Year Ratings Increase of 119 Percent in Western Missouri, Eastern Kansas Market and 576 Percent in Wichita, Kansas, Market By Delivering Clarity and Eliminating Confusion

Florida Health Insurance Highlights 2008 Presidential Health Care Plans
FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com, a health insurance consultant service, has published a non-partisan report of each of presidential candidates positions on healthcare. 'The upcoming elections will impact Florida's health care system' said consultant Morgan Moran in a phone interview, 'it's up to you as Florida residents to turn out January 29 and choose which candidate delivers the best insurance plan'.

Health Care and Health Insurance Costs Can Be Controlled Through Lifestyle Choices
As you probably know all to well, the cost of healthcare and health insurance premiums continue to increase at levels substantially above the general inflation rate. The reasons given for these extraordinary cost increases are numerous and include: technological advancements in the medical field, increased demand for medical services and prescription drugs, the aging of the population, cost shifting caused by the uninsured and governmental reimbursement rates, state and federal mandates, and costs associated with medical related lawsuits.

Hormel Health Labs Launches Health Food Website for Seniors
For the seven million elderly Americans receiving home-based medical care, staying healthy just became easier. Hormel Health Labs, one of the nation's leading providers of nutritional products geared towards seniors, has announced the launch of its new ecommerce website, www.homecarenutrition.com . The new site makes it easy for caregivers to order essential, healthy products to improve the lives of their loved ones.

Health Care - If You Love Health Care
All about Health Care: Intended For Individuals

The PIE Diet - Mental Health Food
"The PIE Diet - Mental Health Food" reveals an award-winning program for individual growth, which has previously been available only to the corporate world. It outlines necessary action-steps to make the "law of attraction" work for, and not against, individuals and corporations. Contained is a easy step-by-step process for conditioning the subconscious mind to both envision and enable control of who we are, what we do, and what we desire to achieve with our lives.

Florida's Family Health Insurance Rates Usually Unaffordable, Says Health Insurance Consultant
The average family insurance policy in Florida comes with a $6000 per year deductible, and a premium that amounts to more than $7000 per year; the total coming to more than $13,000 for a family of four. Many Floridians have no choice but to go without health insurance. This "do-without" attitude actually costs Florida taxpayers in the long run more than if coverage was offered free to all.

World Health Care Congress Launches ReformPlans.com to Encourage and Focus Health Care Reform Discussion
The World Health Care Congress today announced the launch of ReformPlans.com (www.reformplans.com), an innovative and comprehensive web site that brings the real issues in health care reform to a broader audience.

Health Care Proxies, Advanced Health Care Directives, And Living Wills
Any competent adult has the right to accept and/or refuse any medical treatment. Nobody disputes that. Doctors are only allowed to tell patients the pros and cons of treatment, they can offer advice, they can not order a patient to accept treatment. Problems start when the adult can no longer communicate or is no longer considered mentally competent enough to make their own decisions. When this happens other people step in and try to decide what type of medical treatment the person would want for themselves.

Doctor-led Health Care Organization Offers Free Web site, Membership to Mental Health Counselors
The International Assoc. of Dental and Medical Disciplines has a health care plan that brings together all medical disciplines and calls for them to work together to provide the best possible whole-body care.

New Health Website Provides Health Tips About Alternative Natural Health Care
Summary: In answer to the need for helpful information on alternative natural health care a new site, http://www.youralternativehealthnetwork.org has been launched. The site provides quality information regarding alternative health issues and is the brainchild of Mike Hepburn.

Diet for Disease Prevention and Senior Health Care
Maintaining a healthy diet throughout life can do more than just keep you slim and fit. Healthy eating is important to senior health care and can sometimes prevent diseases such as heart disease and cancer, as well as provide relief for diseases such as osteoporosis. Unfortunately, the importance of eating well is often pushed aside by our busy day to day lives. We continue to jeopardize our future health and get caught up in the cycle of fast food, large portions and sodium laden meals. A healthy diet doesnt have to be daunting on our schedules, or mean giving up all the food we love. A simple eating plan can actually make meals and snacks more efficient for both our time and our bodies.