Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Hardcover – September 21, 2004
Author: Visit Amazon's John Abramson Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0060568526 | Format: PDF, EPUB
Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine – September 21, 2004
You can download Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Hardcover – September 21, 2004 for everyone book mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link Direct download links available for Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Hardcover – September 21, 2004
You can download Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Hardcover – September 21, 2004 for everyone book mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link Direct download links available for Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine Hardcover – September 21, 2004
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Harper (September 21, 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060568526
- ISBN-13: 978-0060568528
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
In the news this morning (November 20, 2004): The Associated Press reports that shares in pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca PLC and GlaxoSmithKline PLC dropped after safety concerns over the anti-cholesterol drug, Crestor, and asthma drug, Serevent, were raised. For those who have read Dr. Abramson's book, Overdosed in America, safety concerns with Crestor will come as no surprise.
Dr. Abramson has done a more than credible job of researching the current state of medical care in the United States (taking three years away from his private practice to do so). Examining the links between emphasis on lowering cholesterol and drug company profits is just one area of current American medical care he tackles.
There are those who will argue that his common-sense approach to reducing health care costs while, at the same time, increasing American health, is too simple to be worthwhile. However, Dr. Abramson's recommendations are based on solid research findings. Sometimes, answers can be simple.
Overdosed America is an important book backed up by Dr. Abramson's painstaking research. Read it to save your wealth. Read it to save your health.
December Update:
I am astonished to see such highly negative reviews of Overdosed America. Are these the same folk who would never buy an automobile or vacuum without checking Consumers' ratings?
Surely, they have failed to read the book carefully or they could not suggest that much valuable research will be lost if we become actively involved in our own medicine and related pharmaceuticals instead of passive consumers of whatever latest pill that's being pushed.
Dr. Abramson became frustrated with patients who already "knew" what they needed via drug company ads, and "retreated" to teaching at Harvard Medical School. His personal experience and ability to carefully review medical research combine to produce an excellent book.
Much of what Abramson reports involves the drug industry. He gives specific examples where published drug studies focus on recipients non-representative of typical (target) users - eg. younger, and less prone to adverse reactions. Sometimes the reported data show (if one has the time to read carefully) that the true targets do WORSE with the medication, and this finding is obscured by positive results with the more numerous (atypical) younger selected test patients.
Other medical research reporting ploys utilized by drug companies include: 1)reporting initially positive results, while omitting adverse subsequent outcomes, 2)combining serious (when increased) and minor (when decreased) adverse event numbers to cover up problems, 3)comparing a strong dose of a new medicine with an inappropriate weak dose, comparing a new drug with a placebo, instead of existing efficacious drugs, 4)not reporting negative drug trials, 5)failing to point out that lifestyle changes often provide much better results than drugs, and 6)pulling advertising from medical journals running unfavorable articles.
The result is typically increased cost of care, and less than ideal results. Sometimes, however, it is much worse. Dr. Abramson reports that anti-arrhythmic drugs (reduce dangerous rapid heartbeat) were found to INCREASE death rates in '80 - however, the results were not published until '93, resulting in an estimated 20-75,000 extra deaths/year.
How are the drug companies able to do this?
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