by Marty Makary M.D.
Published
September 17, 2024
Pages
288 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
Kindle
$9.99
Hardcover
$20.49
Audiobook
$0.00
Audio CD
Not found
From Johns Hopkins medical expert Dr. Marty Makary, the New York Times- bestselling author of The Price We Pa y - an eye-opening look at the medical groupthink that has led to public harm, and what you need to know about your health. More Americans have peanut allergies today than at any point in history.
Why? In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a strict recommendation that parents avoid giving their children peanut products until they're three years old. Getting the science perfectly backward, triggering intolerance with lack of early exposure, the US now leads the world in peanut allergies-and this misinformation is still rearing its head today.
How could the experts have gotten it so wrong? Dr. Marty Makary asks, Could it be that many modern-day health crises have been caused by the hubris of the medical establishment?
Experts said for decades that opioids were not addictive, igniting the opioid crisis. They refused menopausal women hormone replacement therapy, causing unnecessary suffering. They demonized natural fat in foods, driving Americans to processed carbohydrates as obesity rates soared.
They told citizens that there are no downsides to antibiotics and prescribed them liberally, causing a drug-resistant bacteria crisis. When modern medicine issues recommendations based on good scientific studies, it shines. Conversely, when modern medicine is interpreted through the harsh lens of opinion and edict, it can mold beliefs that harm patients and stunt research for decades.
In Blind Spots , Dr. Makary explores the latest research on critical topics ranging from the microbiome to childbirth to nutrition and longevity and more, revealing the biggest blind spots of modern medicine and tackling the most urgent yet unsung issues in our $4.5 trillion health care ecosystem. The path to medical mishaps can be absurd, entertaining, and jaw-dropping-but the truth is essential to our health.
In an era where medical advancements promise healing, there lies an underbelly of overlooked errors that threaten patient safety and trust in healthcare. Blind Spots delves into these often-unseen pitfalls, unraveling the complex system where medical mistakes occur and examining their profound implications on our well-being. Through meticulously researched narratives and interviews with experts, this book unveils the hidden truths behind medical misjudgments, urging a critical look at the healthcare system.
Beyond the alarming revelations, it offers a roadmap for change, aiming to realign practices with the core mission of medicine: to heal and do no harm.
Many common medical errors stem from systemic issues within healthcare. Patients can play a proactive role in safeguarding their own health. Understanding and addressing errors can lead to more trustworthy healthcare systems.
Blind Spots invites readers on an eye-opening journey through the labyrinth of modern healthcare revealing the unseen dangers posed by medical oversights. With compelling case studies and expert insights it sheds light on how these errors occur and their effects on patients worldwide. This book examines the multifaceted reasons behind medical blunders from institutional pressures to cognitive biases that skew judgment.
The narrative navigates the intricate landscape of healthcare dynamics uncovering gaps where prevention measures often fail. By analyzing these complex factors readers gain a comprehensive understanding of why these blind spots persist. Beyond diagnosis Blind Spots seeks solutions advocating for systemic reforms that prioritize patient safety and accountability.
Through actionable recommendations and innovative strategies it offers a path toward a more transparent and effective healthcare system. This critical analysis serves as a catalyst for transformation fostering renewed trust between patients and medical professionals. Equipping readers with knowledge the book empowers individuals to engage actively in their healthcare decisions.
It emphasizes the importance of dialogue and collaboration urging patients to become informed advocates for their health. By fostering awareness and understanding it aims to create a culture of accountability where errors are acknowledged and addressed.
This book distinguishes itself through its fearless exploration of the taboo subject of medical errors challenging the status quo and initiating a much-needed conversation about accountability The meticulous research and real-life case studies provide not only a compelling narrative but also a comprehensive analysis making the book a critical resource for healthcare professionals and patients alike By offering innovative solutions and advocating for systemic change Blind Spots goes beyond highlighting problems laying the groundwork for a future where healthcare safety is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
1639735313
978-1639735310
6.45 x 0.95 x 9.5 inches
2.31 pounds
The Blind Spot highlights the dangers of groupthink in medical research and practice. Once a consensus is formed, those who attempt to counter it are met with derision and blacklisting. I know this from firsthand experience, since I got blacklisted from conferences for calling out the workplace wellness industry, which as coincidence would have it was enabled by a lower-level employee of Dr. Makary’s own institution. Remember when your employer used to hire a “vendor” to line you up to take your blood and tell you and your employer all the undiagnosed diseases you had? The data quite clearly showed zero value in this but a combination of groupthink, profitability and payoffs to benefits consultants kept it going long past its Sell By date. Now imagine this groupthink thing playing out in the medical field as a whole. Accurate data is developed by independent, underfunded iconoclasts contradicting the consensus, a consensus feeding many careers. As Upton Sinclair said: “You can’t convince someone of something whose salary depends on believing the opposite.” So the medical establishment suppresses this dissent, blacklists the dissenters, and cuts off their research funding. The Blind Spot provides numerous examples of this. Example: antibiotics are not “harmless,” and are probably prescribed maybe twice as often as they should be, especially for children. Children given multiple antibiotics as babies and toddlers end up with adverse effects that don’t show up until years latger. Example: hormone replacement therapy got a bad rap due to one study way back in 2002 and is only now getting its mojo back as a quality-of-life improvement that also significantly reduces common health risks. Example: many people still don’t eat eggs because some researchers were bribed almost a half-century ago by the sugar lobby to demonize fat-and-cholesterol. It’s taken decades to undo that lie, largely because dissenters were suppressed. (My own nutrition course was taught by one of those perps, and it took me decades to get over it.) Even today, sugary products advertise “Contains No Cholesterol.” Example: most deadly ovarian cancers don’t originate in the ovaries. They originate in the fallopian tubes. This is well-established. But women are still subjected to invasive surgeries that don’t address this root cause. My only complaint about Blind Spot is that all the things that could have been in there that aren’t. For instance, few people know that most cavities (including my own, as it turned out) can be treated painlessly for $40 or less with a couple of drops of silver diamine fluoride. It’s been around for years, but for obvious reasons dentists don’t tell you about it. Perhaps Dr. Makary is saving nuggets like this one for a sequel…