[lit-ideas] Re: Life or Death
- From: "Judith Evans" <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 17:20:35 +0100
> A.A. But hereditary predisposition often needs environmental
triggers
agreed. Hence my
>>so I take it people with a risk of diabetes (because of their
>>family
>>history) should be particularly careful about weight gain and
>>inactivity. Hence my comments about my brother.
> A.A. The better studies say it has minimal effect.
It saves lives. Few lives, yes.
> A.A. Exactly. Plus the rate of false positives is high, as is
false negatives.
agreed (I'm not sure I agree with "high"). But, so? If we expect
people
to take care of themselves then we can also ask them to be aware
of
false negatives. False positives can only lead to unnecessary,
maiming, surgery
if doctors are trigger-happy.
> A.A. Environmental causes of breast cancer are unclear. If
heredity were the only factor, it would be pretty hopeless.
Some cases of breast cancer are, quite simply, pretty hopeless.
Some (apparently)
require (in the US, anyway) the prophylactic removal of the
ovaries and womb.
> A.A. Presumably therefore you are investigating the reasons
behind falling and getting >injured?
Behind my falling? No. There's no continuing cause of falling
as there are
no continuing falls. (But I have had a brain scan for other
reasons: all clear.
My muscles are now a little weak but were then strong. My
balance, well,
then I could do the yoga stands.) Irene, you might just as well
insist that
I look into the reasons why my mother was in the car crash that
caused
her neck arthritis.
> >I've never heard that osteoarthritis is caused by falls.
> >Arthritis, not osteoarthritis, is caused by injury to joints
(I think we agree you were wrong when you said "arthritis, not
osteoarthritis")
osteoarthritis can be caused by injury/injuries and falls can
cause injuries.
>Doctors can hand out pills to supposedly reduce inflammation,
>which ultimately backfires and makes the situaion worse, or they
can do surgery.
to me, you mean? My knee surgeon's very good. He prefers not to
operate
for the condition. He sent me to a physio. (My hand surgeon, who
found osteophytes in my neck, takes a similar view.)
And I walk -- I haven't got a car, so I walked anyway. IOW,
doctors can
do more than operate or suggest medication.
> I suppose Tony Snow is one of the statistics regarding the
futility of testing
Many people with cancer are testimony to its non-futility, as are
many with diabetes.
You might want to distinguish between mass screening of the
asymptomatic, and
diagnostic testing of the sick.
Judy Evans, Cardiff
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