Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in Pursuit of Health Audiobook

" It's about time someone wrote a book intended for an educated lay audience on this topic! The gist is that there is little to no scientific evidence that testing health people for every disease in the book actually makes for longer or healthier lives. The authors encourage people to decide for themselves how much testing is right for them and to think critically about the available evidence for screening. The writing is backed up by research and statistics by the wheel-barrow load. But kept from being dull and dry by personal stories sprinkled in the illustrate the science. "

" Don't necessarily agree with everything but found it informative and well written. Think it would help to have some medical knowledge to understand it well "

" Very cogent overview of relative risks and statistics in several conditions, including cancer. Left me with the distinction that the "worried well" fret too much about too little. Wish staistics like this were more accessible and more often seen. Also raises some thorny issues as a culture and a society we need to face as health care becomes more accessible. "

" Fantastic premise, well researched and presented. This should be read by all health care professionals and anyone else who has ever wondered, "Do I really need this medical test?" Overdiagnosis is one the biggest problems in our current health care system, and contributes to the insane rise in costs of medical care. After you read this book, you will look at health statistics in a whole new light. "

" An interesting perspective on all the preventive screening we're encouraged to have. Medicine has advanced to the point that we can detect cancers and potential conditions way before we experience any symptoms. Welch believes that this is not necessarily a positive. According to studies he believes that earlier treatment leads to more stress and side effects and may not necessarily lead to better health. False positives lead to undue stress and early detection leads to spotting conditions that may never prove serious. "

" Interesting. Does seem a little biased in favor of the author's opinion, but definitely worth thinking about. "

" The want to know versus the need to know. Nicely balances the concerns about over testing with the benefits of early detection. Always a two edged sword "

" I highly recommend this book for anyone over the age of 40 or who's interested in health. "

" welch's crystal-clear writing perfectly expresses his crystal-clear thinking. in disease after disease, he systematically lays out the evidence for how the "more is better" mantra of medical diagnosis can lead to more harm than good. "

" Good so far. Seems like you are better off waiting for signs of illness because preventative measures do more harm than good. "

" A must-read for everybody who has ever gone to an urgent care center with a cough and been released hours later after beaucoups blood tests and an EKG. "

" Excellent. This book is a rational and supported explanation of some of the numbers involved in health care research, and what they mean and don't mean with respect to earlier diagnoses and screening programs. "

" I read this book straight thru because it made me feel so good about my decision not to take screening tests. "

" A must read if you have ever questioned the current health care system. "

" I am buying this. "

" This is a really fascinating look at the American medical system. I have to say it has really changed the way I think about things- for the better! I recommend it to everyone! "

" Worth reading. It illustrated clearly how when you are sick, you really need to evaluate clearly your options, and also clearly gave you some of the downside of testing. More is not always better. An important read for managing your health. "

" This book presents some interesting ideas, and it certainly made me feel like a Monday-morning quarterback about some of my recent health decisions. Some of the writing feels a bit redundant, but dividing the chapters by conditions helps to keep things moving. A solid 3 1/2 stars. "

" Important exploration of the lowered threshold for diagnosis of disease with consequent unneeded treatment for a large percentage of those screened. could have been more succinct. "

" A good explanation of how statistics and wishful thinking can combine with good intentions to cause overdiagnosis of all sorts of ailments. A must-read for anyone interested in fixing US health care! "

" If you like reading lots of sentences that end dramatically with the words "overdianosed" and "overdiagnosis," then this book is for you. "