Review: The Great American Heart Hoax
Dr. Michael Ozner's Suggestions for Preventing Heart Disease
Feb 24, 2009
However, this will not be an easy task by any means. An aging population that has gotten used to demanding the very best in medical care in a nation privileged to have access to some of the best that technology has to offer has bred a strong sense of entitlement that Americans are not going to let go of easily. Far too often this sense of entitlement has led to excessive and unnecessary levels of care.
This population is also quick to turn and place blame when things go wrong. Practitioners run scared and order tests and procedures that may not be necessary just to satisfy the consumer and avoid lawsuits.
Truth be told, far too many patients are actually to blame for their medical conditions. Obesity, for example, is an epidemic in the U.S. and spreading worldwide. Physicians and manufacturers of medical devices are not to blame for consumers who overeat and don’t exercise. The obesity breeds conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, kidney failure, and even cancer.
In his book, The Great American Heart Hoax, author Michael Ozner, MD, a renowned advocate for heart disease prevention, discusses at length, the 100 billion dollars that should not be spent on health care each year.
Cardiovascular care alone is draining the healthcare system and contributing to the financial collapse of the U.S. Following the advice of Hippocrates would be advisable according to Dr. Ozner. “Let food be your medicine.”
Inappropriate Care
Instead of jumping head first into inappropriate cardiovascular care, Dr. Ozner suggests that practitioners and consumers need to take a better look at prevention of heart disease and controlling any current disease with lifestyle changes such as diet and weight control, exercise, stress management, and a conservative approach to medications when lifestyle changes don’t succeed alone.
Expensive invasive procedures should be reserved for emergency, life saving efforts for those patients who have no other options. Recent studies, for example, have shown that angioplasty and stents were more costly and not as effective as modest medication and lifestyle changes in preventing heart attacks in patients with blocked coronary arteries.
Surgery for Emergencies Only
For patients who have acute coronary syndrome, angioplasty and stent placement can be lifesaving and help to prevent future heart attacks. The risks and costs associated with these and other procedures such as CT scans, CABG (coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and other cardiovascular studies such as stress nuclear studies and cardiac catheterization should also be a deterrent to all but the most urgent need.
Dr. Ozner carefully explains why cardiovascular interventions don’t prevent heart attacks and strokes and prolong life for the majority of 1.5 million American patients who undergo them each year. Taking simple steps to make lifestyle changes on the other hand can prevent heart disease and minimize the complications that lead to the need for these procedures.
Some Practical Advice
The book’s subtitle, Lifesaving Advice Your Doctor Should Tell You About Heart Disease Prevention (But Probably Never Will), is the clue that this book offers information about diet (in particular a Mediterranean style diet), exercise, stress management techniques, vitamins and supplements, and the appropriate tests and guidelines for modest medication management as needed to prevent and treat heart disease without unnecessary scans, exposure to radiation and surgeries.
The Great American Heart Hoax is a must read for consumers and all health care practitioners and professionals.
The Great American Heart Hoax by Michael Ozner, MD. ©2008 by BenBella Books, Inc. Dallas, TX. ISBN 978-1-933771-54-0.
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