Research shows that “there's no evidence annual physicals for healthy people are useful.” Yet the vast majority of doctors give them anyway, with “65 percent of primary care doctors think[ing] they are necessary.”
This demonstrates several things about healthcare:
(1) Spending more money on healthcare doesn’t make us healthier if it's spent useless physicals and tests.
(2) Doctors make money when they see patients, so why are we surprised if they encourage people to pay for useless visits and tests?
(3) Doctors actually have no clue about what’s going on in medical research, and like most Americans lack the ability to think logically. Depend on your doctor to diagnose your symptoms if something is wrong with you, but don’t believe a word they say when they have general advice on what’s healthy. (For example, doctors are still giving bad advice about what's the correct weight.)
Hi Half Sigma
Annual physicals are useful: for one year, my wife won't bug me about getting one.
Posted by: Michael H. | June 29, 2005 at 01:29 PM
How often do you take your car in for maintenance?
Why do you get your car maintained?
Do you take better care of your car than you do of yourself?
Posted by: probligo | June 29, 2005 at 08:14 PM
I guess our bodies are self-healing, while cars aren't.
Posted by: Half Sigma | June 29, 2005 at 08:28 PM
Happy heart attack...
I say it in jest, but that is effectively what you are saying - "I am bullet proof. Nothing is gonna get me first." I just hope it never happens.
Posted by: probligo | June 30, 2005 at 07:49 PM