Going against medical advice

[DVM gone riding]

This is from one of the posted links and sums up the issue countries with single payer systems face:

In Finland, there has been a longtime shortage of primary care doctors in the health centers (due to low pay). The problem has been dealt with in part by employing temporary doctors, especially from Estonia (attracted by what is for them is high pay).

Swedish primary health centers also have a longstanding problem with physician vacancies, and have been hiring Polish doctors to fill the gaps, particularly in rural areas. In both Finland and Sweden, people can schedule a planned visit with a particular primary care physician, but they may have to wait up to two weeks or more for the appointment.


Do you really want to see a dr trained in say Columbia? Even the vets I have ran into trained in what I would call second world countries are below our standard of care.

[Deleted]

Do they have pharmacists, like in other parts of Europe, which are able to dispense meds on their own prescription? Do they have physicians assistants? 

[skubikky]

Jan 9, 2014 18:09:07 GMT -5 oped said:

How about it also is rarely beneficial. What it generally does if anything, is increase treatment.

Several of those articles listed increase, either in 'being diagnosed with breast cancer', of directly influencing certain high risk cancers. 

The fact is, if 10 women are diagnosed where they would not have been... For every one that is marginally helped... Whether the mammogram 'grows' the cancer or not... The screening process increases your odds of bring diagnosed with breast cancer....

Thanks for the links.  I've been reading through them, in particular  Mammography May Increase Breast Cancer Risk in Some High-Risk Women.
This was one of the ones I'd asked for earlier.   It raises concerns in particular for women  "with genetic or familial predisposition to breast cancer, ".
It drills down to what has been identified as an increased risk when younger women, who have a high risk to begin with, who have been exposed to low dosage radiation starting earlier.

"Our findings suggest that low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk among these young high-risk women, and a careful approach is warranted," Dr. Jansen-van der Weide said.

She noted that this analysis is based on a small study sample and should be interpreted with caution. Dr. Jansen-van der Weide also pointed out that these results apply only to specific high-risk groups of women. Women at average risk were not assessed in this study."

I can read something like this and it seems to be honestly reporting some findings.  That being said,  the last sentence was meaningful and would mean I'd pursue more info.....but this is good stuff and helps a more intelligent conversation...thanks again.

[skubikky]

Jan 9, 2014 18:09:07 GMT -5 oped said:

How about it also is rarely beneficial. What it generally does if anything, is increase treatment.

Several of those articles listed increase, either in 'being diagnosed with breast cancer', of directly influencing certain high risk cancers. 

The fact is, if 10 women are diagnosed where they would not have been... For every one that is marginally helped... Whether the mammogram 'grows' the cancer or not... The screening process increases your odds of bring diagnosed with breast cancer....

I take issue with this statement.  Beneficial is highly subjective. 
For the woman who has a yearly screening mammogram that identifies something that can be treated, it might be perceived as a large benefit.  

How many women do you know, if told that there was a very, very early stage malignant breast tumor seen in the mammogram, would opt to just leave it alone?  Because the choice is always there.  Even as we've read, some of the tumors identified might never grow or become a risk to health.   I suspect that there are many people that would prefer not to take the risk. 

[Deleted]

But routine mammograms have not been effective in lowering mortality rates. 

Some studies do site greater 5 year rates, but generally that is because people are in treatment longer. 

Look up mammograms and mortality rate...

[Peace77]

Dr. Oz mentioned on his TV program that keeping a cell phone in your bra leads to cancer.

  I know 2 women that kept their cell phone in their pants pocket.  One had borderline ovarian cancer and the other got uterine cancer.