The Great Mistake
In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Vol 284 July 26, 2000, Dr. Barbara Starfield
of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health describes how the US health care system
contributes to your poor health:
DEATHS PER YEAR:
12,000 unnecessary surgery
7,000 medication errors in hospitals
20,000 other errors in hospitals
80,000 infections in hospitals
106,000 non-error, negative effects of drugs
These total to 250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic (doctor induced) causes!!
The leading causes of Death and Disability
1. Deaths from heart disease
2. Deaths from cancer
3. Deaths from medication
4-18% Patients experience negative effects in outpatient setting resulting in:
116 million extra physician visits
77 million extra prescriptions
17 million emergency department visits
8 million hospitalizations
3 million long-term admissions
199,000 additional deaths
$77 billion in extra costs
One of the major reasons this information is so important is that it was published in JAMA which is
the largest and one of the most respected medical journals in the world. It is curious that this
information was not widely disseminated.
These statistics clearly prove that the system is just not working.
The health model of treating symptoms with drugs and surgery is deadly and costly. A new health
model is needed that does not only treat disease, but instead works with what our bodies require to
maintain homeostasis, health and repair. This model would insure that we move, eat, and think well,
supplying the required nutrients and behavior that our bodies need. Our current health system does
not do this. It is broken and is in desperate need of repair.
Care, not treatment, is the answer.
Drugs, surgery and hospitals are rarely the answer to chronic health problems. Facilitating the
natural healing capacity that all of us have is the key to good health. Improving nervous system
function, diet, exercise, and lifestyle are basic. Effective interventions for the underlying emotional
and spiritual wounding behind most chronic illness are also important clues to maximizing health and
reducing disease.
In a World Health Organization study, the United States was ranked 15th among 25
industrialized countries in heath care.
Japan ranked #1
In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Vol 284 July 26, 2000, Dr. Barbara Starfield
of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health describes how the US health care system
contributes to your poor health:
DEATHS PER YEAR:
12,000 unnecessary surgery
7,000 medication errors in hospitals
20,000 other errors in hospitals
80,000 infections in hospitals
106,000 non-error, negative effects of drugs
These total to 250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic (doctor induced) causes!!
The leading causes of Death and Disability
1. Deaths from heart disease
2. Deaths from cancer
3. Deaths from medication
4-18% Patients experience negative effects in outpatient setting resulting in:
116 million extra physician visits
77 million extra prescriptions
17 million emergency department visits
8 million hospitalizations
3 million long-term admissions
199,000 additional deaths
$77 billion in extra costs
One of the major reasons this information is so important is that it was published in JAMA which is
the largest and one of the most respected medical journals in the world. It is curious that this
information was not widely disseminated.
These statistics clearly prove that the system is just not working.
The health model of treating symptoms with drugs and surgery is deadly and costly. A new health
model is needed that does not only treat disease, but instead works with what our bodies require to
maintain homeostasis, health and repair. This model would insure that we move, eat, and think well,
supplying the required nutrients and behavior that our bodies need. Our current health system does
not do this. It is broken and is in desperate need of repair.
Care, not treatment, is the answer.
Drugs, surgery and hospitals are rarely the answer to chronic health problems. Facilitating the
natural healing capacity that all of us have is the key to good health. Improving nervous system
function, diet, exercise, and lifestyle are basic. Effective interventions for the underlying emotional
and spiritual wounding behind most chronic illness are also important clues to maximizing health and
reducing disease.
In a World Health Organization study, the United States was ranked 15th among 25
industrialized countries in heath care.
Japan ranked #1