Next Medicine

The Science and Civics of Health

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Reference, Health Policy, Health, Health Care Issues
Cover of the book Next Medicine by Walter Bortz, MD, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Walter Bortz, MD ISBN: 9780199752577
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: January 3, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Walter Bortz, MD
ISBN: 9780199752577
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: January 3, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Every year, the average American spends about $7,300 on medical expenses. The typical Canadian pays $2,700, the Briton only $2,000. And yet, according to the World Health Organization, our healthcare system, in terms of total quality, ranks thirty-eighth in the world, right between Costa Rica and Slovenia. Not only do 40 million Americans lack health insurance, but more than 200,000 die each year because of medical mistakes. Our average life expectancy is lower than Cuba's. In Next Medicine, Dr. Walter Bortz zeroes in on why the American medicine is spiraling toward disaster. A physician with fifty years of experience and a leading authority on aging, Bortz argues that the financial interests of biotech and drug companies have distorted the healthcare system. Thanks to them, medicine today is economically motivated to treat disease rather than to prevent it. Heart disease, for example, is widely treated with drug interventions and invasive surgery--both of which are extravagantly profitable for pharmaceutical giants and hospitals. Daily exercise and a healthy diet, on the other hand, can prevent heart disease, and can be obtained by patients essentially for free--but there's no money in that. The medical-industrial complex has a vested interest in keeping us sick, and until that changes medicine will fail to effectively address the leading cause of disability and mortality today: chronic diseases like diabetes that are largely preventable. Bortz proposes a medical system that emphasizes personal responsibility and provides incentives for healthy lifestyle choices, along with new training for medical professionals. Through a lively narrative full of personal anecdotes and jarring statistics, Bortz makes a powerful case for a radically new medical system--one that is based on rigorous science and loosens the strangle hold of corporate interests on American health.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Every year, the average American spends about $7,300 on medical expenses. The typical Canadian pays $2,700, the Briton only $2,000. And yet, according to the World Health Organization, our healthcare system, in terms of total quality, ranks thirty-eighth in the world, right between Costa Rica and Slovenia. Not only do 40 million Americans lack health insurance, but more than 200,000 die each year because of medical mistakes. Our average life expectancy is lower than Cuba's. In Next Medicine, Dr. Walter Bortz zeroes in on why the American medicine is spiraling toward disaster. A physician with fifty years of experience and a leading authority on aging, Bortz argues that the financial interests of biotech and drug companies have distorted the healthcare system. Thanks to them, medicine today is economically motivated to treat disease rather than to prevent it. Heart disease, for example, is widely treated with drug interventions and invasive surgery--both of which are extravagantly profitable for pharmaceutical giants and hospitals. Daily exercise and a healthy diet, on the other hand, can prevent heart disease, and can be obtained by patients essentially for free--but there's no money in that. The medical-industrial complex has a vested interest in keeping us sick, and until that changes medicine will fail to effectively address the leading cause of disability and mortality today: chronic diseases like diabetes that are largely preventable. Bortz proposes a medical system that emphasizes personal responsibility and provides incentives for healthy lifestyle choices, along with new training for medical professionals. Through a lively narrative full of personal anecdotes and jarring statistics, Bortz makes a powerful case for a radically new medical system--one that is based on rigorous science and loosens the strangle hold of corporate interests on American health.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Bright Star of the West by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Richard Posner by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book The Law of Nations and the United States Constitution by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Flawed Giant by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Brokering Belonging by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book In Praise of Profanity by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book World War II, Film, and History by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Levinas by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book True to Their Salt by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Wahhabi Islam by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Below the Radar by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Nobody's Girl Friday by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book The Chemistry of Soils by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book The Muse that Sings by Walter Bortz, MD
Cover of the book Aging Thoughtfully by Walter Bortz, MD
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy