How to Avoid Side Effects, Interactions, and Other Dangers of Overmedication
Starred review from April 15, 2017
The "really" in this title implies the answer will be "no, we don't need that pill," possibly followed by a long (organic) laundry list of alternative homeopathic remedies. While it's true that no is often the answer, this is a cautious book, offering peer-reviewed treatment options. Few peeks into clinical trials for promising, however experimental, new drugs are given. Instead, sobering, eye-opening views of the perils of modern medicine and the virtues of moderate abstention are outlined. The book takes aim at the conflicts of interest of a doctor panel recommending statins and sounds cautionary notes about the impact of Big Pharma on journal papers (as it makes up 95 percent of journal advertising). The author, an MD who has served on the advisory board of the National Institute of Health Office of Alternative Medicine, warns of reimbursement incentives HMOs give doctors that can harm patients, such as bonuses for keeping blood pressure low and prompting statin use despite side effects. But Jacobs does set forth positive news: 80 percent of heart disease is preventable by changes in diet, exercise, and by quitting smoking. VERDICT Not always a fun read, but bracing, informative, and invaluable for anyone using medication--in other words, most of us.--Cynthia Fox, Brooklyn
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