John Abramson

The premise of this book is that the US health care system is getting worse, and a large cause of this is big pharma. The US currrently spends nearly 20% of its GDP on health care, much, much more than any other wealth country, yet ranks 68th in quality of health care in the world. Over the last 40 years, funding for research and federal support of university-based research has declined, and the big drug companies have stepped in to fill the gap. Today, drug companies (big pharma) and commercial interests predominate in providing the information doctors rely on to determine patient treatment. Unfortunately, the primary goal of the drug companies is not to improve patient health, but to maximize profits. And unlike other countries, the US has allowed drug companies to charge as much as they want. (Note: Biden signed the bill today that allows Medicare to negotiate for at least some drug prices.)

The first part of the book goes through several examples of how drug companies have misled medical professionals to the detriment of patients. These included the Vioxx fiasco, which during the 5 years it was on the market was responsible for 88,000-140,000 heart attacks; Gabapentin, which is used off-label for neuropathic pain, and which is the 6th most prescribed drug in the US, but for which there is extremely limited evidence of effectiveness (beyond the placebo effect); Insulin- which has become more prescribed with changing definitions of A1C control, as well as changes the drug companies have made to insulin to make it more expensive, all without leading to better health outcomes; and, Statins--Prescribed for almost everyone of a certain age, despite limited evidence of benefits to women and healthy people at low risk for heart disease.

The second part of the book discusses how changes in Society from 1980 on have allowed commercial interests to control the medical knowledge that guides health care.

The third part discusses recent reforms including Obamacare.

Overall, an interesting look at healthcare.

3 stars… (més)

“Probably as much as 75% of the medicine of sickness is unnecessary and its cost can be avoided.”
– Dr. Ghislaine Lanctot, Author Of The Medical Mafia

" One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine."
- William Osler, M.D.

This is my first glance at Dr. Abramson's work, and it did not disappoint.

Overdo$ed America - The Broken Promise Of American Medicine By John Abramson M.D., does an exceptional job of eviscerating what the conventional medical establishment has been doing for an extremely long time: misrepresenting medical data at the expense of the American populace's health and well being.

Abramson's foray into the heart of the medical establishment is something to behold. He does what nigh no one within his field does, or even the mainstream establishment does, which is hone in on duplicitous dealings of the Medical Industrial Complex in many ways.

From manipulation of statistics, to scientific information that is highly inaccurate, no stone is unturned in this journey into the web of medical deception.

The foray of Dr. Abramson is reminiscent of the work of Dr. Brogan in her landmark book, A Mind Of Your Own - The Truth About Depression, and Dr. Breggin in his phenomenal book Toxic Psychiatry.

Both of those books destroy any semblance of reality within the psychiatric/medical establishment. Abramson did the same in respect to prescription drugs, and in an extraordinary way.

The data collated within the doors of this book help individuals see the many intricacies that are unknown today.

Not only did the FDA allow in 1981 the drug companies to change the direct-to-consumer [DTC] advertising rules, allowing the pharmaceuticals to advertise to people, but they also further loosened the restrictions in 1997, opening the flood gates.

Therein began the normalization of advertising and drugs within the American landscape, which happens to be illegal in every country in the world except two: New Zealand and the United States. That fact should give incisive folks pause.

Furthermore, the author delves into the pharmaceutical disasters that were Paxil, Celebrex, Vioxx, HRT, and more, but he doesn't stop there. Abramson also deconstructs how the supply side of medical care functions, and how it often increases costs, but not the benefits of health.

Another noteworthy point is the fact that the cholesterol guidelines are delved into at length, as the author covers many of the issues plaguing those guidelines.

There is a lot more covered by the author, and he also mentions some sensible solutions that can be carried out by individuals and the establishment.

All in all, this is a top-down analysis of a great portion of the issues plaguing conventional medicine, and why American's health care costs have increased, but health has remained stagnant.

If you care about your health, or that of a loved one, society, solutions, and/or the intricacies of medicine et al., consider this compulsory reading. The fact people don't know about this information is costing lives, in the hundreds of thousands, and that's not an exaggeration.

Preventable medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, at over 400,000 deaths a year. This book harpoons directly into the heart of the matter, and not knowing this information in the age of information is akin to willingly choosing ignorance when solutions are at hand in various modalities.… (més)