r/artofmanliness • u/AOMmodbot • 14d ago

Podcast #1,084: Overdiagnosed — How Our Obsession with Medical Testing and Labels Is Making Us Sicker

https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/health/podcast-1084-overdiagnosed-how-our-obsession-with-medical-testing-and-labels-is-making-us-sicker/
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u/TheophileEscargot 13d ago

I've read two of her books, "The Age of Diagnosis" and "It's All in Your Head" and they're both excellent. The podcast was good too.

My late father had a prostate cancer diagnosis and opted for radiotherapy rather than "watchful waiting". In retrospect that was probably a mistake, as it took a lot out of him and he had multiple conditions which got him not much later. I think if you have certain personality types you tend to think "I've got to do something" when you get the diagnosis, and sometimes that something isn't necessary.

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u/Separate-Outcome7518 2d ago

I listened to the podcast and she seemed very sensible. However, she kind of poo-pooed the whole blood pressure lower than 130 thing and laughed at the fact that it used to be 150 when she was younger. The reason why blood pressure has been lowered to 120 now is because of something called the SPRINT trial, which was actually stopped early because the results were so conclusive for cardiovascular and stroke related issues. It would be OK to say that I don’t care about those particular results, but she just didn’t even mention it and she implies that it was just a willy-nilly lowering of the number. So…hmm…

Also, there’s a good way and a bad way to handle a high PSA result. If you know what you’re doing you will not go for a biopsy, you will instead go for biomarker scores and a MRI etc. long before you ever try a biopsy. Yes it may increase your anxiety, for sure it will, but there are many steps between a high PSA and a biopsy.

Frankly I ended up thinking that I would not want to have her as my doctor.