An important article appeared in the Health Section of the NY Time on October 4, 2011.
"Has American health care become overly aggressive? Many primary care doctors think so, according to a survey published last week in Archives of Internal Medicine. More than 40 percent of 627 primary care doctors who responded to the survey thought their own patients were overtreated; only 6 percent thought the patients received too little care.
"In another study published in the journal, doctors who reviewed the charts of elderly patients were able to discontinue nearly half of their medications without any detriment to the patients.
"If you take medications on a regular basis, have your doctor review your drug regimen periodically. Ask whether you may be able to wean yourself off a drug like a proton pump inhibitor if you make diet or lifestyle changes."
