Get Out of the Medical Business
A Primary Goal of the McDougall Program

Atul Gawande, a staff writer for The New Yorker and a practicing medical doctor, wrote "Overkill, An avalanche of unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially. What can we do about it?"

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I recommend that you take the time to read this article about how new government regulations, progressive medical doctors, and innovative healthcare delivery groups are reining in aggressive medical care charged at criminally high prices to the consumer. There are major steps being taken in the US to help you and your family. However, you cannot depend on these efforts alone. I encourage you to take the following steps:

1) Eat the McDougall Diet

Sick people see doctors and stay in hospitals; healthy people do not. More than 80% of the illnesses suffered in the US and other Western countries (Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) are due to eating rich foods. I have called these rich foods "food poisons." Food poisoning is also now epidemic in China, India, and many other wealthy nations. Heart disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, inflammatory arthritis, and common cancers are examples of the effects of consuming food poisons, namely animal foods and vegetable oils. Therefore, you can avoid problems of over-treating, called "Overkill" by Dr. Gawande, by becoming and staying healthy. Eat a starch-based diet with fruits and vegetables.

2) Do not look for "hidden disease"

Avoid screening programs intended for the early detection of cancer, heart disease (atherosclerosis), diabetes, and other common diseases. These screening programs (mammograms, PSA tests, and colonoscopies, for example) are the ultimate tools for disease mongering: turning healthy people into patients. My recommendations on cancer screening are found in my August 2014 newsletter.

3) Seek medical help only when you need it

There are important purposes for medical doctors, medications, and hospitals. If I (John McDougall) become involved in an auto accident and end up in the ICU, do not bring me a bowl of mashed potatoes and raw carrots as my primary therapy. I want the medications (like antibiotics and pain relievers) and surgeries (like those needed to stop bleeding and straighten bones) to help me stay alive and begin the mending processes.

4) Learn to say "no" to doctors

I have considered having a tattoo written on my chest: "Do Not Cath–I will Sue." One of my greatest fears is that I will faint, be taken to the ER, and then be seen by the on-call cardiologist who will insist I need to have my coronary heart arteries examined. Two-thirds of people who have an angiogram (cardiac catheterization) will then have heart surgery, which could be as serious as a bypass operation, which causes no improvement in survival and permanent brain damage in most, if not all, patients who go on the "heart bypass pump."

Even if you are awake, most physicians will fail to properly inform you of the benefits and risks of heart surgery. A May 18, 2015 study in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal found that only 3% of cardiologists properly and completely informed patients about pending heart surgery in the process of decision making.

5) Take safety precautions

Wear your seatbelts, buy cars designed for passenger survival in a crash, take measures to avoid falls in the home and workplace, have available fire extinguishers/smoke alarms, etc. The list is certainly much longer for ideas to help protect you and your family.

The above recommendations are largely cost-free and side-effect free, but do require you to be informed and to take appropriate actions.

Important Articles I have Written about Working with the Medical Businesses:

"The Annual Physical Exam – A Ritual to Be Avoided"

"How to Choose a Primary Care Doctor—If You Must"

"Securing Respectful Medical Care"

"Taking Advantage of the Medical Specialist"

"Intensive Therapy Means You Will Die Sooner with Good Looking Numbers" 

"Sick People Take Medications – Healthy People Are Drug-Free"