Heart Frauds: Uncovering the Biggest Health Scam in History - Softcover

Charles T. McGee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0941599566 ISBN 13: 9780941599566

Publisher: Piccadilly Books, 2007

Synopsis

Did you know that... *The angiogram used for recommending procedures on the heart is highly inaccurate and not necessary. *There is no evidence that coronary bypass surgery or balloon angioplasties extend life, yet over 600,000 of these procedures are being done each year. *Blood cholesterol levels are ineffective in determining heart attack risk and much more accurate measurements exist but are seldom used. *Cholesterol-lowering drugs do not extend life, but may actually increase the overall death rate. *The primary focus in the medical industry is to make a profit and, therefore, much of the advice and treatment we receive is not in our best interest. *Obstructions in coronary arteries can open up with diet and lifestyle changes alone, but because of financial incentives doctors prefer sending patients into surgery. *Conventional treatment for heart disease often does not work but safe, inexpensive methods are available that do work. For most people angiograms, coronary bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and cholesterol-lowering drugs are not effective and are completely unnecessary. The most popular medical procedures are the most profitable for the health care industry but are often the least effective. Hundreds of thousands of people each year are deceived in undergoing expensive medical treatments that do no good and may even do a great deal of harm. Highly effective procedures that are low-risk and inexpensive are ignored or even ridiculed. Recommending expensive, high-risk procedures over the cheaper, more effective ones amounts to nothing more than fraud. If you had the choice of going through a risky $20,000 surgical procedure or simply taking a daily vitamin supplement which one would you choose? Most patients aren't given the choice. If you are concerned about heart disease, and everyone should be, you need to read this book!

About this title

From Booklist

Obstetrician-gynecologist McGee has been in general practice in Ecuador and China as well as the U.S., and his overseas experience included epidemiology and health statistics in rural areas where people live on simple foods. The title of his book arises from his insistence that more than 80 percent of angiograms and heart bypass surgeries are unnecessary. He also argues that cholesterol isn't as major a factor in provoking heart attacks as it is made out to be, and that advertising and greed are among the main forces driving many drug companies and much of medical practice to say that it is. This isn't the ivory-tower spouting of a fanatic, for, whatever one may think of his satire and sarcasm, some of which is very clever, McGee knows the medical literature and thoroughly documents his points from the contents of reputable journals. He blasts some fresh air through modern medicine and blows away some of its profitable sacred cows. William Beatty
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About this edition

• Publisher: Piccadilly Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0941599566
• ISBN 13: 9780941599566
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 190