Next medicine : the science and civics of health /
Bortz, Walter M.
Next medicine : the science and civics of health / Walter M. Bortz II. - New York : Oxford University Press, 2011. - 1 online resource (xxiii, 241 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Medicine's mission -- Symptoms -- Medicine's historical foundations -- The practice of medicine and the rise of the technological imperative -- Diagnosing current medicine -- Current medicine's treatment : next medicine -- The science of health -- Unweaving health -- Tons to ounces : repair to prevention -- Healthier living and aging : mens sana in corpore sano -- Closing the loop : healthy death -- Framing next medicine -- Next medicine in situ : healthier communities.
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. --
9780199708734 (electronic bk.) 0199708738 (electronic bk.)
EBSCO
GBB0B3016 bnb
101529440 DNLM 015653462 Uk
Medical care--United States.
Medical technology--United States.
Health care reform--United States.
Medicine, Preventive--United States.
Health care reform.
Delivery of Health Care--trends
Biomedical Technology--trends
Health Care Reform
Preventive Medicine--trends
Technologie médicale--États-Unis.
Services de santé--Réforme--États-Unis.
Médecine préventive--États-Unis.
Services de santé--Réforme.
HEALTH & FITNESS--Health Care Issues.
MEDICAL--Public Health.
MEDICAL--Health Policy.
HEALTH & FITNESS--Diseases--General.
MEDICAL--Diseases.
SOCIAL SCIENCE--Disease & Health Issues.
MEDICAL--Health Care Delivery.
Health care reform.
Medical care.
Medical technology.
Medicine, Preventive.
United States
United States.
Electronic books.
RA445 / .B67 2011eb
362.10973
2011 A-934 W 84 AA1 / B739n 2011
Next medicine : the science and civics of health / Walter M. Bortz II. - New York : Oxford University Press, 2011. - 1 online resource (xxiii, 241 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Medicine's mission -- Symptoms -- Medicine's historical foundations -- The practice of medicine and the rise of the technological imperative -- Diagnosing current medicine -- Current medicine's treatment : next medicine -- The science of health -- Unweaving health -- Tons to ounces : repair to prevention -- Healthier living and aging : mens sana in corpore sano -- Closing the loop : healthy death -- Framing next medicine -- Next medicine in situ : healthier communities.
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. --
9780199708734 (electronic bk.) 0199708738 (electronic bk.)
EBSCO
GBB0B3016 bnb
101529440 DNLM 015653462 Uk
Medical care--United States.
Medical technology--United States.
Health care reform--United States.
Medicine, Preventive--United States.
Health care reform.
Delivery of Health Care--trends
Biomedical Technology--trends
Health Care Reform
Preventive Medicine--trends
Technologie médicale--États-Unis.
Services de santé--Réforme--États-Unis.
Médecine préventive--États-Unis.
Services de santé--Réforme.
HEALTH & FITNESS--Health Care Issues.
MEDICAL--Public Health.
MEDICAL--Health Policy.
HEALTH & FITNESS--Diseases--General.
MEDICAL--Diseases.
SOCIAL SCIENCE--Disease & Health Issues.
MEDICAL--Health Care Delivery.
Health care reform.
Medical care.
Medical technology.
Medicine, Preventive.
United States
United States.
Electronic books.
RA445 / .B67 2011eb
362.10973
2011 A-934 W 84 AA1 / B739n 2011