Unnecessary surgery exposed!
Why 60% of all surgeries are medically unjustified and how surgeons
exploit patients to generate profits
Friday, October 07, 2005 by: Alexis Black

Every year millions of Americans go under the knife, but many of them
are enduring great pain and shelling out thousands of dollars for
surgeries they don't really need. In fact, the only people who seem
to really benefit from these unnecessary medical procedures are the
medical professionals who stand to make exorbitant amounts of money
from performing them. An estimated 7.5 million unnecessary medical
and surgical procedures are performed each year, writes Gary Null,
PhD., in Death by Medicine. Rather than reverse the problems they
purport to fix, these unwarranted procedures can often lead to
greater health problems and even death. A 1995 report by Milliman &
Robertson, Inc. concluded that nearly 60 percent of all surgeries
performed are medically unnecessary, according to Under The Influence
of Modern Medicine by Terry A. Rondberg. Some of the most major and
frequently performed unnecessary surgeries include hysterectomies,
Cesarean sections and coronary artery bypass surgeries.

Coronary bypasses are the most common unnecessary surgeries in
America

In a nation plagued by heart disease, it often seems that the knee-
jerk reaction of American doctors is to treat heart problems with
surgery. However, many of the heart surgeries performed each year are
unnecessary procedures that could be putting the patients' lives at
greater risk. "(W)hen faced with heart disease, doctors recommend a
bypass. By so doing, we think, they bypass the real problem. Bypasses
are the single most commonly performed unnecessary surgery in the
country," write Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Mark Liponis in
Ultraprevention. In fact, according to Burton Goldberg, author of
Heart Disease, most coronary artery bypass surgeries and
angioplasties produce no real benefit to the patient and dangerous
side effects like stroke or brain damage may result from the
operations. "Coronary artery bypass surgery is called
an 'overprescribed and unnecessary surgery' by many leading
authorities," Goldberg writes. "Complications
from such treatments are common and the expense to the health care
system is extraordinarily high. In 1994, an estimated 501,000 bypass
surgeries at $44,000 each were performed on Americans, 47 percent of
which were done on men."

Women are at an especially high risk of unnecessary surgery
Women may be at an especially high risk for unwarranted operations,
since hysterectomies and Cesarean sections also top the list of
"overprescribed and unnecessary" surgeries. Of the approximately
750,000 hysterectomies performed each year, 90 percent are
unnecessary, writes Goldberg in Alternative Medicine, making the
removal of a woman's uterus one of the most commonly performed
unnecessary surgeries. And the risk that comes with an unwarranted
hysterectomy is high. "Each year 750,000 hysterectomies are performed
and 2,500 women die during the operation. These are not sick women,
but healthy women who go into the hospital and do not come out," says
Dr. Herbert Goldfarb, a gynecologist and assistant clinical professor
at New York University's School of Medicine, in Null's Woman's
Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing.
Women are also frequently subjected to Caesarean sections they don't
really need. With an estimated 920,000 Cesarean births performed each
year, the Cesarean has become the "most common major surgery in
America" and it is four times more likely a woman will give birth via
cesarean section today than it was in 1970, according to The Medical
Racket by Martin L. Gross. Women are also at special risk for
receiving unwarranted surgeries because of the results of a
mammogram,
since the high rate of false positives in mammography often leads to
invasive procedures. Women who do not even have cancer to begin with
are treated for breast cancer, Goldberg writes. That's right: These
women's bodies are carved up and altered and they aren't even sick.

So why does this happen?

Needless surgeries mean higher profits for doctors and hospitals
It may seem unfathomable to think a doctor could be so careless as to
perform an operation that doesn't need to be done, but it has been
happening for years, from the more minor routinely- performed
tonsillectomies of the past to the invasive heart procedures,
hysterectomies, back surgeries and more of today. "(T)he reality is
that unnecessary surgery, whether performed by doctors who operate
out of ignorance, self-delusion, or simple greed has long plagued
medicine and today still reaches epidemic proportions." writes Gross.
It may be hard to stomach the idea that doctors are capable of
operating out of greed for more money, but some feel that is exactly
what is happening. "American physicians are generally way too eager
to use the surgeon's knife to carve up and chop out whatever they
think is ailing you, at great expense to you and great profit to them
and the hospitals they work for," write Earl Mindell and Virginia
Hopkins in Prescription Alternatives.

When it comes to heart surgeries, Heart Frauds author Dr. Charles T.
McGee writes, "As Harvard professor Braunwald predicted, a financial
empire has developed around surgical procedures on the heart. With so
many powerful vested interests involved, it will be difficult to
change how American doctors treat patients with coronary artery
disease. No one who is currently gaining from the system has any
incentive to try to stop the unnecessary costs and suffering." In
other words, surgery makes money and surgery is what medical
professionals are trained to do, so rather than exert the time and
energy to try more conservative treatments that could threaten their
very careers, medical professionals often turn to surgery as their
most immediate and financially logical avenue. "The economic
incentive for a physician to operate on you is great. Surgeries make
doctors a lot of money. Doctors are human beings and they are not
immune to the lure of bigger profits," according to Prescription
Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives by American Medical
Publishing.

One extreme case involving a doctor knowingly reaping the financial
benefits of unnecessary surgeries occurred in California, where an
ophthalmologist managed to bill Medicare $46 million over four years
for unwarranted operations he performed on his patients. "According
to the government, he created a 'surgery mill,' in which he falsified
patient records to justify numerous unnecessary cataract and eyelid
operations. In addition to this wholesale theft, he put his patients
through unneeded pain and worry," writes Gross. It is also important
to note in all of this that unnecessary surgery is not considered
medical malpractice, according to Rondberg in Under the Influence of
Modern Medicine, which makes it even more important for patients to
protect themselves by looking into all possible avenues before going
under the knife.

If you imagine for a moment being knocked out, sliced open and having
a part of your body removed for no logical reason, it sounds more
like a nightmare than a visit to the hospital. But that's what is
happening to millions in American hospitals every year. We are having
organs and body parts removed without reason, and for what? Why are
we so willing to give our bodies over to a person wielding a very
sharp knife and some very strong drugs? Maybe it's because we trust
that our doctors will do what is best for us, since, after all, we
don't have the medical training they do. But when it comes to your
body and your health, it's okay to be skeptical and to want all the
information you can get. The bottom line is: Surgery is not something
to be taken lightly. When confronted with the suggestion that you
need to go under the knife, it's important to remember that you have
a choice. Don't just trust one doctor to know what's best for you.
Get a second opinion. It could mean the difference between life and
death.

The experts speak on unjustified surgery:

A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review
journals, and government health statistics shows that American
medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of
unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5
million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization
annually is 8.9 million.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 10

Annually, between 20 million and 25 million surgical procedures are
carried out among all the specialties except plastic surgery. This
study determined that between 15% and 29% were unnecessary. For
example, 27% of the women who had hysterectomies, the second most
common surgery, didn't need the operation!
Health In The 21st Century by Fransisco Contreras MD, page 212

Despite what appears to be an attempt by the medical profession to
keep that kind of information from the public, a few reports have
surfaced which show clearly that the problem with unnecessary
surgeries is not a thing of the past. In a 1995 report issued by
Milliman & Robertson, Inc., titled "Analysis of Medically Unnecessary
Inpatient Services," researchers David V. Axene, FSA and Richard
Doyle, M.D., concluded that "the level of medically unnecessary use
may actually be closer to 60%" (than their previously projected 53%).
This included a variety of surgical procedures as well as associated
services. That same year, the federal government's Agency for Health
Care Policy Research (AHCPR) concluded that most back surgery was
unnecessary. Back surgeons immediately began a campaign to abolish
the agency. Other reports confirm this frightening statistic.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 132

Women with urinary incontinence are often advised to get bladder
surgery, even hysterectomies. But this drastic approach may be
completely unnecessary, according to Dr. Hufnagel, who says that
women need to be educated about more conservative treatments for this
common everyday occurrence.
Womans Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Dr Gary Null, page 26

The Harvard University School of Public Health estimates that as many
as 1.3 million Americans suffer disabling injuries in hospitals
yearly, and 198,000 of those may result in death; 7 out of 10 of
which were preventable (48% from faulty surgery), and 1/3 from
negligence.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 100

Almost thirty years ago, in 1974, the Congressional Committee on
Interstate and Foreign Commerce held hearings on unnecessary surgery.
They found that 17.6% of recommendations for surgery were not
confirmed by a second opinion. The House Subcommittee on Oversight
and Investigations extrapolated these figures and estimated that, on
a nationwide basis, there were 2.4 million unnecessary surgeries
performed annually, resulting in 11,900 deaths at an annual cost of
$3.9 billion.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 19

One surprising discovery in recent research is that smoking is the
cause of 28 percent of urinary incontinence in women. Studies
indicate that surgery and the use of pharmaceuticals are often
unnecessary; other methods that have proven effective are behavioral
techniques and biofeedback, Kegel exercises, which strengthen pelvic
muscles, electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor, and acupuncture.
A natural treatment, according to one study, can be extracted from
the plant marshmallow; this helps incontinence by treating
inflammation of the genito-urinary tract.
Womans Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Dr Gary Null, page 26

Unfortunately for millions each year, this may not be the case. They
may instead be victims of powerful medical propaganda that makes
every operation seem essential. But the reality is that unnecessary
surgery, whether performed by doctors who operate out of ignorance,
self- delusion, or simple greed has long plagued medicine and today
still reaches epidemic proportions.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 176

The unnecessary surgery figures are escalating just as prescription
drugs driven by television advertising. Media-driven surgery such as
gastric bypass for obesity "modeled" by Hollywood personalities
seduces obese people to think this route is safe and sexy. There is
even a problem of surgery being advertised on the Internet.76 A study
in Spain declares that between 20 and 25% of total surgical practice
represents unnecessary operations.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 19

In his book, "Health Shock," journalist Martin Weitz reported that a
1974 Senate investigation into unnecessary surgery found that
"American doctors performed 2.4 million unnecessary operations,
causing 11,900 deaths and costing $3.9 billion." In 1982, Robert G.
Schneider, M.D., calculated that between 15 and 25% of all surgeries
were unnecessary -- with that figure rising to 50-60% with some types
of operations. In the case of tonsillectomies and hysterectomies, the
percentage was as high as 40-80%.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 131

Some studies suggest that almost 40 percent of surgical operations in
the United States are unnecessary.
When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 333

A 1987 JAMA study found the following significant levels of
inappropriate surgery: 17% of cases for coronary angiography, 32% for
carotid endarterectomy, and 17% for upper gastrointestinal tract
endoscopy. Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
statistics provided by the government for 2001, the number of people
getting upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, which usually entails
biopsy, was 697,675; the number getting endarterectomy was 142,401;
and the number having coronary angiography was 719,949.13 Therefore,
according to the JAMA study 17%, or 118,604 people had an unnecessary
endoscopy procedure. Endarterectomy occurred in 142,401 patients;
potentially 32% or 45,568 did not need this procedure. And 17% of
719,949, or 122,391 people receiving coronary angiography were
subjected to this highly invasive procedure unnecessarily. These are
all forms of medical iatrogenesis.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 20

Your best defense against an unnecessary hysterectomy? Information--
and a second opinion, says Nora W. Coffey, president of Hysterectomy
Educational Resources and Services, an educational organization in
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Educational organizations can supply
information about the surgery.
Woman's Encyclopedia by Denise Foley, page 219

Overlapping of statistics in Death by Medicine may occur with the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) paper that designates "medical error" as
including drugs, surgery, and unnecessary procedures. Since we have
also included other statistics on adverse drug reactions, surgery
and, unnecessary procedures, perhaps as much as 50% of the IOM number
could be redundant. However, even taking away half the 98,000 IOM
number still leaves us with iatrogenic events as the number one
killer at 738,000 annual deaths.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 10

When in doubt about the diagnosis or recommendation, don't hesitate
to get a second opinion or a second diagnostic test.Your best defense
against an unnecessary hysterectomy is obtaining information before
you meet with the doctor. Read books, find people who've had the
surgery (or the alternatives), contact support groups, locate medical
literature. And then show them to your doctor, says Nora W. Coffey,
president of Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services in Bala
Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. "That's the way to get a doctor's cooperation,
and not hostility." And take control in making the decision, she
encourages. Get comprehensive information about the condition you
have, your options and the risks and dangers of the options.
Woman's Encyclopedia by Denise Foley, page 222

Stressors create a field of disturbance in the energetic web of the
body. These fields of disturbance are most often in the head, because
the mouth is where we most readily allow thoughtless or unnecessary
surgery, excessive procedures, and implantation of foreign materials.
The results of the disturbance can be felt anywhere in the body and
can virtually block any treatment's effectiveness.
Whole Body Dentistry by Mark A Breiner DDS, page 159

Unwarranted Surgery and Heart Related Problems:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DIE: Angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery
are frequently unnecessary and produce no benefit to the patient at
all. Some people endure multiple operations (one patient whose case
is discussed in this book underwent 14 angioplasties) without result
or their condition returns later. In addition, bypass surgery is
dangerous, many people suffering strokes or other damage to their
brain as a result of the operation.
Heart Disease by Burton Goldberg, page 10

The bottom line is this: when patients are advised to have a coronary
angiogram, chances are eight out of ten that they do not need it. The
critical factor in whether a patient needs coronary artery bypass
surgery or angioplasty is how well the left ventricular pump is
working, not the degree of blockage or the number of arteries
affected. The left ventricle (chamber) of the heart is responsible
for pumping oxygenated blood through the aorta (the large artery
emanating from the heart) and to the rest of the body. Bypass surgery
is only helpful when the ejection fraction (the amount of blood
pumped by the left ventricle) is less than forty percent of capacity.
Up to ninety percent of all bypass procedures are done when the
ejection fraction is greater than 50 percent, which is adequate for
circulatory needs. In other words, as many as 90 percent of all
bypass procedures may be unnecessary.
Encyclopedia Of Natural Medicine by Michael T Murray MD Joseph L
Pizzorno ND, page 243

Dr. Whitaker views most of the current therapies available to heart
disease patients as needless and unjustified. Most are ineffective in
terms of actually stopping and/or reversing the deterioration that
has begun by the time the patient seeks treatment. Catheterization,
for example, has insufficient scientific basis in Dr. Whitaker's
opinion, yet thousands of catheterizations are done almost routinely.
Catheterizations are used to detect arterial blockages and to open
them up, often in conjunction with a balloon angioplasty or a bypass.
The angioplasty technique, as explained earlier, is an invasive
method of trying to force open blocked spots within the arteries,
while bypass surgery involves severing the artery before the blockage
and rerouting the blood flow through an unblocked vein taken from the
leg.
Get Healthy Now by Gary Null, page 411

Recent clinical and laboratory studies have seriously questioned the
validity of the theory that a blocked coronary artery is the primary
cause of a heart attack. The angiogram, an invasive test to evaluate
coronary artery blockages, poses significant risks, and has often
been discredited. In many cases, bypass surgery is considered
unnecessary and dangerous.
Healing Myths by Donald M Epstein, page 69

A team of conservative cardiologists in Brigham Hospital, Boston,
evaluated 88 patients that had been scheduled for cardiac bypass
surgery. They advised against surgery for 74 of the 88. Among those
74, 60 accepted a second opinion and didn't have the operation. These
patients were followed for a period of two years plus. Only two had
minor attacks that could be treated conservatively, an outcome
comparable to that of the 14 (scared not to take the advise of the
conservative specialists) patients that underwent open-heart surgery.
In short, a vast number of patients are submitted to unnecessary
procedures by cardiologists.
Health In The 21st Century by Fransisco Contreras MD, page 212

A second opinion clinic was opened in Boston in 1982. The first
published study from the clinic involved 88 patients who had been
advised to have cabbage surgery elsewhere on the basis of ordinary
angiograms. Some had been referred by insurance carriers who were
hoping to get out of paying some large bills. Large insurance
companies are well aware that about 85 percent of cabbages are
unnecessary, and teach this fact during private seminars for their
executives. However, they don't make this public.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 36

On the brighter side, several studies have confirmed it is possible
to evaluate heart patients with non-invasive means and identify
people who will do well with medical management alone. In the best of
all worlds, this should become the wave of the future. But this will
never occur as long as these crises situations remain under the
control of people who are becoming rich by doing unnecessary surgical
procedures.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 39

Three of these studies were published in leading medical journals. No
efforts were made to attract media attention to the embarrassing
results. If the media had picked up the story they could have
accurately reported, "The diagnostic test used to scare the pants off
heart disease patients and coerce them into billions of dollars of
unnecessary surgical procedures is a scam." The information was
ignored by physicians and never picked up by the press.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 14

I have attacked myths about heart disease that cost Americans
billions
of dollars per year in unnecessary surgical procedures, as well as
untold suffering. The list of abuses can start with the widespread
use of inaccurate angiograms that are used to plan surgical
procedures. People are conditioned to expect to live longer if they
have cabbage surgery, but survival rates are not improved with
surgery. The system encourages doctors who are learning to do balloon
angioplasties to practice on people who don't need any surgical
procedure. Long term survival after balloon angioplasty has never
been studied. The cholesterol theory is an empty shell. These
approaches to our number one killer disease represent a fraud against
the people more often than not.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 161

For example, bypass surgery for heart disease, at an average cost of
$44,000 per operation, is "one of the most unnecessary operations of
all," says McTaggart. Heart surgeons have known since the 1970s that
bypass does not improve survival except for patients with severe left
ventricle coronary disease, while U.S. government statistics state
that about 90% of patients receive no benefit. The "miracle cure" of
beta blockers to lower high blood pressure (hypertension) also
evaporates when you look at the outcomes, McTaggart says. A British
study of 2,000 patients with high blood pressure showed that in
barely 50% of the cases blood pressure dropped to a moderately
healthy level as a result of taking hypertension drugs.
Heart Disease by Burton Goldberg, page 23

Yet when faced *with heart disease, doctors recommend a bypass. By so
doing, we think, they bypass the real problem. Bypasses are the
single most commonly performed unnecessary surgery in the country.
Only two groups have been shown to benefit from bypass surgery: one,
those whose arteries are so badly clogged that the heart can no
longer beat adequately, and two, those with severe blockage in the
main artery to the heart and signs of resulting poor blood flow.
Ultraprevention by Mark Hyman MD and Mark Liponis MD, page 68

Pierce now knew the research in the field of nonlocal medicine inside
and out. She was amazed that many physicians ignored the evidence.
Their reasons, she suspected, were rooted in the tendency of humans
to hang onto what is familiar and comfortable. Many physicians, for
example, continued to do coronary bypass surgery the old way, opening
up the chest cavity, instead of using the new percutaneous fiberoptic
methods that made open-chest surgery unnecessary.
Reinventing Medicine by Larry Dossey MD, page 184

The departments of health of each state should conduct a study, at
least every two years, on the success of such common operations as
bypass surgery and angioplasty, as does New York State. In addition,
they should publish risk-adjusted figures on breast cancer recovery
and other common illnesses, along with the rates of unnecessary
surgery as compiled by an independent board of surgeons.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 99

Unnecessary Bypass Operations Coronary cirtery bypass operations have
had a better record than the neck artery surgery. Earlier studies of
the heart operation--in 1979,1980, and 1982--also showed some
evidence of surgical mayhem. Fourteen percent of the surgeries were
"inappropriate" or unnecessary, defined as "performing the procedure
under circumstances where the medical risk exceeded the medical
benefits." The fourteen percent was high, but much less than the
carotid surgical extravagance. But the unnecessary rate for bypass
operations has now been reduced considerably by new techniques and
better choices by patients.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 189

An outspoken critic is Thomas A. Preston, professor of medicine at
the University of Washington, Seattle. Preston claims fully one half
of all cabbage surgeries performed in the United States are
unnecessary. He says that survival rates are basically the same as
with medical management, except for a well-defined minority of
patients, and in most cases cabbage surgery is no more effective than
a placebo.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 32

Race has been found to play a role in who gets cabbaged and who does
not. Nationally the rate of having a cabbage surgery runs 27.1 per
10,000 whites per year, and only 7.6 per 10,000 blacks. Hospital
admission rates for coronary artery disease for the two races are the
same. The authors concluded that racial prejudice appears to
influence cabbage surgery rates. There is another way of viewing this
study. Black people with coronary artery disease are being spared a
lot of unnecessary heart surgery because of racial discrimination.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 35

These unusual treatments may make open-heart surgery unnecessary for
many heart patients. If your doctor recommends angioplasty or bypass
surgery for your angina, ask him about these new options before
making a decision.
Natural Cures And Gentle Medicines by The Editors of FC&A Medical
Publishing, page 23

Unjustified Surgery - Hysterectomy:

Hysterectomy: A hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) is another risk
factor for early osteoporosis, even if the ovaries are still intact.
"This is because anywhere between 16% and 57% of all women who
undergo uterus removal suffer from premature loss of ovarian function
with its associated rapid bone loss," explains Dr. Brown.24
Unfortunately, this surgery, a conventional medical solution for
uterine fibroids and endometriosis, is all too common among
premenopausal women. Every year in the U.S., 750,000 women undergo
hysterectomies (many including ovary removal); about 90% of these are
unnecessary.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 841

Hysterectomy may also be performed after cesarean section in cases of
complications such as uncontrolled bleeding, gross infection, or
cancer of the cervix. Once misused in the belief that removing the
uterus (and often the ovaries) would control what were considered
inappropriate sexual urges and ambitions, it is still the most common
unnecessary surgery.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 901

Nearly half of all hysterectomies performed in the United States are
medically unnecessary. According to the People's Medical Society, in
1970 one in twenty babies was delivered by Cesarean section rather
than normal vaginal childbirth. Today, one in four babies is
delivered by Cesarean section. (Interestingly, both surgeries are
performed on women.)
How to get out of the hospital alive by Sheldon P Blau MD FACP FACR,
page 142

Many people question the fact that over 650,000 hysterectomies are
performed in the United States each year. Very few of these
operations are performed because of a life-threatening situation, and
it is likely that many of them are actually unnecessary. Per capita,
half as many hysterectomies are performed in Great Britain as in the
United States, and, statistically, American women show no health
benefits for their higher incidence of surgery. Outside the United
States, very few hysterectomies are performed for what doctors often
term "quality of life" reasons.
Prescription For Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch CNC and James
F Balch MD, page 453

Obviously, despite the shortage of reports from the medical
profession itself, the problem of unnecessary surgeries is still a
serious one. Yet, ironically, unnecessary surgery normally is not
considered medical malpractice. According to "Medicine on Trial," a
People's Medical Society book: "When greed controls the impulse to
operate when an operation is not called for, as is often the case in
unnecessary surgery, such an operation is certainly a grossly
unethical and immoral act, but not a medical mistake per se." The
ultimate solution is prevention. But when, as a last resort, surgery
must be considered, patients need to have full and honest information
about the risks and benefits involved in the procedure.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 132

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN MEDICINE lions of unnecessary
hysterectomies yet it is still the most frequent surgical procedure
inflicted on females.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 128

She also found that patients play a part in unnecessary surgery. When
they voiced objections to a hysterectomy for such conditions as
painful fibroids, doctors tended to change their opinion that the
operation was necessary.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 182

One of the most outspoken critics of unnecessary surgery is Dr.
Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen. "If a doctor immediately says, 'Have
a hysterectomy/ shop for a new physician," he suggests. "You need
tests to write off all the alternatives."
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 181

Unwarranted Surgery - Cesarean Section:

In 2001, Cesarean section is still the most common OB/GYN surgical
procedure. Approximately 4 million births occur annually, with a 24%
C- Section rate, i.e., 960,000 operations. In the Netherlands only 8%
of babies are delivered by Cesarean section. Assuming human babies
are similar in the U.S. and in the Netherlands, we are performing
640,000 unnecessary C-Sections in the U.S. with its three to four
times higher mortality and 20 times greater morbidity than vaginal
delivery.105
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 25

Research has indicated that cesarean sections, as well as being
associated with greater risks to mother and infant, are often
unnecessary.
Get Healthy Now by Gary Null, page 706

Unnecessary surgery referred to the modern rash of cesareans as a
"surgical epidemic." Calling on understatement, the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists admits that C-sections "are more
common than they should be." An actual estimate, made by the Centers
for Disease Control, says that 349,000 of the cesarean surgeries were
unnecessary. This is a serious situation. The operation is major
surgery, and when inappropriate, carries two to four times greater
risk to the mother than normal vaginal birth.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 184

This is a serious situation. The operation is major surgery, and when
inappropriate, carries two to four times greater risk to the mother
than normal vaginal birth. Public Citizen, which puts out a regular
report on the rate of C-sections, believes the surgery is done almost
twice as often as medically indicated, at a cost of an extra $1.3
billion and unnecessary pain and injury.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 184

Just as one surgical operation--like tonsillectomy--is shot down by
intelligent criticism, another, like C-section, rises to take its
place in the inventory of often unnecessary surgeries. It is now up
to the profession--or if forced, the states--to stop the excess
cutting stimulated by either greed, medical fashion, or ignorance.
That is the only way to protect the unknowing patient public. Chapter
VI
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 191

Women who have their babies without CNMs are also more likely to be
denied room to walk around during labor to ease their discomfort,
more likely to be denied the use of a bath or shower during their
labor, and more likely to undergo unnecessary cesarean surgery.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 125

Multiple Types of Surgery Mentioned:

In 1985 the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging found that
unnecessary operations (most for hernias, hemorrhoids, gallstones,
enlarged prostates, heart disease and similar conditions), far from
helping patients were actually shortening their lives and wasting
money -- billions of dollars. The committee found that operations
increased 130 percent after Medicare went into effect. The American
College of Surgeons and the American surgical Association suggested
that 30 percent of the millions of operations being performed each
year were unnecessary with 50 percent of the remaining procedures
beneficial but not essential to save or extend the patient's life. In
all, it was thought that the needless and dubious operations were
causing an unnecessary thirty thousand deaths per year. The
unnecessary expenses and deaths become noticeable when doctors are in
short supply or go on strike. In such cases the death rate in an area
can drop remarkably -- much to the embarrassment of the medical
community (when the facts can't be covered up).
Attaining Medical Self Sufficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by
Duncan Long, page 9

1974: 2.4 million unnecessary surgeries performed annually resulting
in 11,900 deaths at an annual cost of $3.9 billion. 2001: 7.5 million
unnecessary surgical procedures resulting in 37,136 deaths at a cost
of $122 billion (using 1974 dollars). It's very difficult to obtain
accurate statistics when studying unnecessary surgery. Dr. Leape in
1989 wrote that perhaps 30% of controversial surgeries are
unnecessary. Controversial surgeries include Cesarean section,
tonsillectomy, appendectomy, hysterectomy, gastrectomy for obesity,
breast implants, and elective breast implants.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 19

Myriad of reasons--mix-up of X rays and patient charts, surgeons'
haste to "beat their time" doing a procedure, poorly trained
surgeons, and unnecessary surgeries, especially hysterectomies
(nearly half are unnecessary), coronary bypass operations (one out of
every three may be unnecessary), and Cesarean sections. In addition,
the area of the country in which you live plays an important part in
the type of surgery you will undergo.
How to get out of the hospital alive by Sheldon P Blau MD FACP FACR,
page 140

Hysterectomies. American Health also reported in April 1993 that the
chance that a woman in Maine will undergo a hysterectomy varies from
20% to 70%, depending on where in the state she lives. Local
preference, not science, explains the disparity. In general, the
reason for most hysterectomies is to resolve symptoms related to
benign uterine fibroids. New studies show that if they aren't causing
any serious and immediate symptoms, surgery is unnecessary. Cesarean
sections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that in 1991
some 349,900 unnecessary cesarean sections were performed, at a cost
of more than $1 billion. The rate skyrocketed from 10.4% of births in
1975 to 24.5% in 1988. Again, the issue isn't just money, although $
1 billion would pay for a lot of health care for those who don't have
it. Surgery can lead to infections and longer hospital stays.
The Consumer Bible by Mark Green, page 70

On the other hand, studies show that particular areas of the country
as well as specific hospitals within a community often are more
likely to perform operations that may be unnecessary--such as
tonsillectomies, hysterectomies, and cesareans--than others. If
you're assigned to a particular physician's group or hospital where
the standard of care mandates surgery rather than more conservative
treatment, demand a second opinion.
How to get out of the hospital alive by Sheldon P Blau MD FACP FACR,
page 194

Myringotomies are currently being performed on nearly 1,000,000
American children each year. It appears that the unnecessary surgery
of the past, the tonsillectomy, has been replaced by this new
procedure. In fact there is a direct correlation between the decline
of the tonsillectomy and the rise of the myringotomy. Over 2 million
myringotomy tubes are inserted into children's ears each year, along
with 600,000 tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies. These surgeries are
unnecessary for most children.
Textbook of Natural Medicine Volumes 1-2 by Joseph E Pizzorno and
Michael T Murray, page 1465

Unjustified Surgery due to Back Pain:

Unnecessary surgery waxes and wanes. First one operation, like
tonsillectomy, is in fashion, then another, like C-sections. The most
recent "in" technique is "back surgery."
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 184

A forceful critic of much back surgery is Dr. Richard A. Deyo,
professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He
points out that most low back pain is caused by a simple muscle
strain, which over time heals itself. It is not, he says, usually
caused by herniated disks in the spine, which are the target of most
surgeries. Dr. Deyo estimates that "diskectomy," the name of such
surgery, is performed on 300,000 people a year, and is often a
wasteful, unnecessary activity. A diskectomy involves cutting through
the bony parts of the vertebrae to remove the jellylike substance
inside. The reason is that in herniated disks, the substance
protrudes, putting pressure on the nerves.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 185

Dr. Deyo, writing in the journal Spine, says America is undergoing an
unnecessary back surgery epidemic of such proportions that surgeons
here perform diskectomies forty percent more often than other Western
nations and five times more often than in England and Scotland. It
also appears that the number of back surgeries relates directly to
the number of appropriate surgeons available in the nation according
to population. In the same publication, Dr. Deyo and others also
studied hospitalization for back pain and found that from 1979 to
1990, nonsurgical hospitalizations decreased dramatically. Meanwhile,
admissions for surgery increased.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 185

Orthopedic doctors, who specialize in injuries related to the
muscles, joints, bones, tendons, and ligaments, are often
inexperienced with conservative methods of treatment and are
sometimes too willing to engage in unnecessary surgery. The problem
is that surgery has limited long-range benefits and is completely
unnecessary for many lower back pain sufferers. When confronted with
pain caused by a factor that does not show up on an X ray, an
orthopedist will generally refer the patient to another professional.
If you are going to an orthopedic specialist for advice on back pain,
it is recommended that you see one who does not reflexively advocate
surgery or prolonged reliance on prescription drugs.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 63

In 2001, the top 50 medical and surgical procedures totaled
approximately 41.8 million. These figures were taken from the
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project within the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality. Using 17.6% from the 1974 U.S.
Congressional House Subcommittee Oversight Investigation as the
percentage of unnecessary surgical procedures, and extrapolating from
the death rate in 1974, we come up with an unnecessary procedure
number of 7.5 million (7,489,718) and a death rate of 37,136, at a
cost of $122 billion (using 1974 dollars). Researchers performed a
very similar analysis, using the 1974 'unnecessary surgery
percentage' of 17.6, on back surgery. In 1995, researchers testifying
before the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that of 250,000
back surgeries in the U.S. at a hospital cost of $11,000 per patient,
the total number of unnecessary back surgeries each year in the U.S.
could approach 44,000, costing as much as $484 million.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 19

They studied the surgical treatment for the common complaint of "low
back pain," and concluded that most of the operations were
unnecessary. In fact, says the agency, the less treatment for these
pains, surgical or medical, the better. A report in the New England
Journal of Medicine, for instance, decried the use of corticosteroids
as risky and of little value. The evidence, says the federal agency,
shows that regular activity rather than bed rest reduces the chances
of developing a chronic condition that leads to surgery.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 186

The findings of the MRIs are often misleading and lead
to "unnecessary surgery and the results are not very good," Froymeyer
said. Another expert, Robert Boyd, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said, "surgery doesn't put
new backs in and it doesn't give better long-term results. It is
indicated when pain doesn't respond to conservative treatment and is
clearly associated with nerve root compression. Then the results of
surgery are excellent." But only a small percentage of people with
back pain fall into this category, according to Boyd.
The Miracle Of MSM by Stanley W Jacob, page 102

Unwarranted Surgery due to Results of Mammography:

Mammograms Add to Cancer Risk--Mammography exposes the breast to
damaging ionizing radiation. High Rate of False Positives--
Mammography's high rate of false-positive test results wastes money
and creates unnecessary emotional trauma. A Swedish study of 60,000
women, aged 40-64, who were screened for breast cancer revealed that
of the 726 actually referred to oncologists for treatment, 70% were
found to be cancer free. According to The Lancet, of the 5% of
mammograms that suggest further testing, up to 93% are false
positives. The Lancet report further noted that because the great
majority of positive screenings are false positives, these inaccurate
results lead to many unnecessary biopsies and other invasive surgical
procedures. In fact, 70% to 80% of all positive mammograms do not, on
biopsy, show any presence of cancer. According to some estimates, 90%
of these "callbacks" result from unclear readings due to dense
overlying breast tissue. High Rate of False Negatives--Mammography
also produces a high rate of false-negative test results. While false
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 588

Breast Cancer type of abnormality found and the age of the woman.
Usually the follow-up tests begin with the least invasive methods,
such as an ultrasound or second mammogram, and progress, if
necessary, to the more invasive methods, such as a needle or surgical
biopsy. A biopsy should spare the tissue, removing just enough tissue
to make a diagnosis without being unnecessarily invasive. A
womanshould not rush from one abnormal screening mammogram or
clinical breast exam to a major, invasive surgical procedure or to
treatment for breast cancer. Following the series of tests outlined
below can ensure that the diagnosis is correct and assist in avoiding
unnecessary procedures.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page
30

Early detection is currently one of the primary strategies for
prevention and successful treatment, which is why the breast self-
exam is so important. The benefits of mammography are still a subject
of debate. Questions that are still present include whether low-level
radiation used in the test can contribute to cancer, whether
equivocal results lead to unnecessary surgery, and the accuracy rate
of test results.
Treating Cancer With Herbs by Michael Tierra ND, page 467

Equivocal mammogram results lead to unnecessary surgery, and the
accuracy rate of mammograms is poor. According to the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), in women ages 40-49, there is a high rate of "missed
tumors," resulting in 40% false-negative mammogram results. Breast
tissue in younger women is denser, which makes it more difficult to
detect tumors, and tumors grow more quickly in younger women, so
cancer may develop between screenings.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 973

Corruption and Unjustified Surgery ($):

Doctors and hospitals are paid more for doing more, largely without
regard for evidence of improved health outcomes (examples are the
rapid increase in the number of MRI machines, excess capacity for
neonatology and invasive cardiac procedures that lead to excess use,
and the approximately 12,000 deaths that occur each year as the
result of unnecessary surgery). Health care providers that deliver
high quality, efficient care are financially penalized for not
delivering a higher volume of more intensive services, beneficial or
not (referred to as the "perverse incentive").
Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 256

We could do much more to lower costs, such as practicing
scientifically based medicine, but it's like combating an epidemic.
There is such a strong incentive, as with the pharmaceutical industry
and surgical subspecialists, to keep prices--and profits or incomes--
high. It will likely require a major change in how we organize health
care in America to effect any meaningful change. If we were really to
practice scientifically based medicine, the cost savings would be
great. We order and do so many unnecessary tests and procedures, and
our prescribing patterns are illogical and expensive.
Health Care Meltdown by Robert H Lebow MD, page 57

Most health problems are not emergencies. To treat them as though
they were chronic, recurrent emergencies, which is the way medicine
is often practiced today, is costly, time consuming and generally
ineffective. It causes many problems, often more than it relieves,
and these are sometimes deadly. Side effects of medications kill more
people annually than automobile accidents. Unnecessary surgery (heart
disease and other conditions) has significant mortality while it also
drives up health care costs. This approach to health care also takes
the power and responsibility for your health out of your control.
The Vitamin Revolution by Michael Janson, page 200

Clinical care, which was improving, is now being subject to new
rules, systems, and regulations from the outside, which punish both
good medicine and good doctors. Surgery is still too often
unnecessary. Medical fraud, always a small problem, has become near
epidemic. American hospitals are adrift, struggling against empty
beds, fierce competition, and massive confusion.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 254

Surgery is similarly a vastly lucrative practice, acting as the third
financial mooring in the tripod of cancer treatments. The more
radical the operation, the more costly. Since surgeons are rewarded
monetarily for the magnitude of their handiwork, excess becomes a
perverse incentive for financial success. The amount of unnecessary
surgery is high. As early as 1953, Dr. Paul Hawley, director of the
American College of Surgeons, stated matter-of-factly in an interview
in U.S. News and World Report, "You'd be shocked, I think--we are--at
the amount of unnecessary surgery that is performed." The reason,
according to Hawley? "Money."
When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 268

This truth has been deliberately concealed from the general public.
According to Dr. Gould, the reason for this conspiracy of silence is
money. The public must continue to see the cancer establishment as a
winner to continue providing money. One of the quoted scientists said
that, with tens of thousands of radiologists and millions of dollars
in equipment, one still gives radiation treatment even if study after
study shows that it does more harm than good. Dr. Gould says patients
who could be comfortable without medical treatment until their
inevitable death are made miserable with medical treatment in a
pointless attempt to postpone death for a few unhappy weeks. Of
course, that is when most of the money is being made. Dr. Gould says
doctors poison their patients with drugs and rays and mutilate them
with unnecessary surgery in a desperate attempt to treat the
untreatable.
The Natural Way to Heal by Walter Last, page 320

Unnecessary surgery: With appendicitis produced only two "false
positives," patients who did not have the disease. This is in
contrast to the twenty percent proven to have healthy appendixes
after surgery. The technique, called "Focused Appendix CT" or FACT,
could eliminate this type of unnecessary surgery--at least in the
hands of honest surgeons. Unlike other doctors, surgeons are not
content to live on forty dollars per patient visit. Many still see
the operating table as a chance for the brass ring--the new SL600
Mercedes coupe for $139,000, or even the down payment on a piece of
land in Southampton or Malibu.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 180

Miscellaneous (tonsils/adenoids, prostatectomy, cancer, carotid
endarterectomy, mastectomy etc):

Rufer and her husband sued Abbott Laboratories, UWMC, and the cancer
specialist who treated her. UWMC and the doctor argued that they had
relied on the Abbott test results. Abbott denied all responsibility,
even though the literature distributed with its tests made no mention
of the potential for false positives. What's more, according to a
court opinion, it turned out that "Abbott also had access to reports
that false positive results on its assay led to unnecessary cancer
treatment before 1998. It received over forty complaints of false
positives, including multiple complaints of unnecessary chemotherapy
and surgery before Jennifer Rufer's first treatment in April 1998.
Critical condition by Donald L Barlett and James B Steele, page 63

Although it embraces new technology, the medical profession has a
tendency to reject new ideas. Surgeons are willing to learn new ways
of performing operations, although few seem eager to examine possible
alternatives to surgery. Much of this can of course be explained by
the fact that research into surgery is normally performed by
surgeons.
Their training and experience does not lend itself to looking into
other options. Cardiac surgeons, for instance, would be unlikely to
work at a project that would prove that most heart operations are
unnecessary or dangerous. That conclusion would not only put their
livelihood at risk, but also invalidate their entire vocation. The
only people in the operating room who have a clear reason for wanting
the truth are the patients on the tables. But if we wait until that
moment to learn the truth, it might be too late.
Under The Influence Modern Medicine by Terry A Rondberg DC, page 131

Anesthesiologists benefit from bypass surgery. In medical slang
anesthesiologists are called gas passers. Anesthesiologists use
measured amounts of poisons to put surgical patients to sleep and,
hopefully, wake them up. They bill patients by the hour. Each cabbage
case may take about two to three hours of their time. They have
nothing to do with the decision to do surgery, but you don't hear any
of them making waves by complaining about unnecessary surgery. To do
so would jeopardize their standing in the anesthesia department and
their livelihoods.
Heart Frauds by Charles T McGee MD, page 53

About 300,000 men per year have surgery to correct enlarged
prostates, but many of those surgeries may be unnecessary. There are
many natural remedies that you can find in health food stores that
will shrink your prostate, if BPH is the cause. (Note: Only a doctor
can tell the difference between BPH and prostate cancer, so get a
firm diagnosis before you go ahead with natural remedies).
Proven Health Tips Encyclopedia By American Medical Publishing, page
136

But religious considerations aside, circumcision has caught on among
non-Jews in the United States. The operation has been the center of a
medical debate: Does it provide health benefits, or is it unnecessary
surgery?
Healthcare Online for Dummies by Howard and Judi Wolinsky, page 200

Surgery has come under increasing criticism in recent years for a
number of other reasons. Some doctors and patients hold that much
cancer surgery is either unnecessary or excessive in its scope. The
fiercest argument has taken place over the question of breast cancer,
but the issues raised in this debate appear applicable to other forms
of cancer as well.
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 49

Surgery is unnecessary when the risk is greater than the benefit, or
when there is no strong evidence that the surgery will benefit most
of the people operated on.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 186

Going under the knife. One explanation for high U.S. medical costs is
that so much surgery is unnecessary. Ask for a plain-English
explanation of the need for and alternatives to any surgery.
The Hope of Living Cancer Free by Francisco Contreras MD, page 114

The innocuous behavior of recurring tumors is a mystery. Some
surgeons think that leaving a few cancerous cells to roam about after
surgery is a deadly mistake.
Others believe that these cells simply turn into
tumors that can be removed without threatening the life of the
patient. Still, many leaders in the field of oncological surgery,
either out of fear or arrogance, continue to demand that more studies
be conducted before modifying the traditional treatments. How many
patients will become the innocent victims of this irrational
posturing? The same tendencies have also been observed in other types
of tumors. For example, sarcomas are tumors that generally form from
muscle or fat in the extremities. Treatment of them always consists
of an extensive amputation followed by radiation therapy, with the
object of reducing the incidence of recurrence. After reviewing the
experiences of numerous hospitals, one concludes that "a reduction of
local recurrence does not mean a betterment of average life
expectancy in the long run." In other words, the frightening
mutilations are entirely unnecessary. The same conclusions can be
applied to melanoma a very aggressive skin cancer, which is generally
treated with excessively radical surgery.
Health In The 21st Century by Fransisco Contreras MD, page 196

The indiscriminate, and often unnecessary, surgical removal of these
glands does not solve the underlying immunological problem that
caused them to be swollen and diseased in the first place. Often,
after a short period of improvement, it leads to chronic allergy
problems. If the microorganisms get past the tonsils and adenoids,
ciliated microfilaments lining the upper passages of the lungs remove
them in secreted phlegm; they do this in a wavelike fashion, much
like firemen of an earlier time on a bucket brigade.
Viral Immunity by J.E, page 90

The common carotid endarterectomy surgery is designed to prevent a
full-fledged stroke. But is it often overused and unnecessary,
especially when there is insufficient diagnosis.
The Medical Racket by Martin L Gross, page 187

In fact, because of the high potential for false positive readings--
where people are told they have cancer when they don't--screening may
only be increasing the number of patients mutilated through
unnecessary drug treatment or surgery.
The Cancer Handbook by Lynne McTaggart, page 12

Doctors differ considerably in their approval of this "nontreatment."
Naturally the more surgery-prone physicians lean in the direction of
early removal of the prostate, while the more conservative ones tell
us that for any man whose life expectancy is less than 10 years, the
surgery may offer only unnecessary discomfort and incapacity.
The Prostate Cure by Harry G Preuss MD and Brenda D Adderly MHA, page
184

Alvsborg County Council felt the costs of a mass-screening program
far outweighed any benefits, and that the money saved could be better
spent helping those diagnosed with cancer. The council voted for the
ban, following advice from the county's chief physician, Dr. Christer
Enkvist, who felt that the advantages of screening are "extremely
marginal" and can lead to unnecessary surgery.
The Cancer Handbook by Lynne McTaggart, page 60

Articles related to this article:
* Bariatric surgery kills 5 percent of patients: Weight loss surgery
takes deadly toll

* Angioplasty useless for most heart attack patients, study finds

www.NewsTarget.com

Unnecessary surgery exposed! Why 60% of all surgeries are medically
unjustified and how surgeons exploit patients to generate profits

Comments from readers:
My name is Susan Hoffman and I am 40 years old. Recently I visited my
primary physician Dr. Steinberg in West Palm Beach, Fl. He gave me a
breast exam and found a lump in my right breast that he was concerned
about. Dr. Steinberg was aware that I had an appointment the next day
with Dr. Richard Lynn In West Palm Beach(General Surgeon) for another
medical issue. Dr. Steinberg suggested that I ask Dr. Lynn to give me
another breast exam and ask him to schedule a Mammogram.

The next day I visited Dr. Lynn and explained to him what Dr.
Steinberg had found. Dr. Lynn immediate scheduled a Mammogram and
Ultrasound at Midtown Imaging for the following day.

I received my results within 24 hrs of my Mammogram and Ultrasound.
They both came back negative. Of course I was filled with joy and had
no sense of urgency to go back to Dr. Lynn for a follow-up. I ended
going back to his office to discuss my results. It was at that point
he insisted that the lump should be removed. I was in shock and
agreed to set up the appointment at Columbia Hospital. I did not feel
comfortable having surgery without a pathology report. Dr. Lynn
informed me that the lump had to come out and doing a biopsy before
surgery was unnecessary. He said I had a lump at "2:00" and it just
had to come out.

After discussing this with my family in Rochester, New York they
convinced me to come back home for a second opinion.
After arriving in Rochester, I first visited my primary physician Dr.
Gupta. He looked at the films from Midtown Imaging, and gave me a
breast exam. He suggested to me that I was about to become a victim
of Insurance Fraud and have unnecessary surgery that would leave my
breast disfigured. Dr. Gupta did however suggest I keep my
appointment with the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester.
I kept my appointment with the breast clinic and had another
mammogram and ultrasound. The doctor at the breast clinic agreed with
Dr. Gupta's diagnosis. Dr. Murray at the breast clinic informed me
that I had tissue change due to perimenopause and it was at "6:00"
NOT 2:00. Both physicians asked me to seek an attorney as well as the
media to make woman aware of potential fraud. Both doctors in
Rochester are willing to speak with you if you decide to pursue my
story.
Thank you, Susan Hoffman 561-856-0862
- Susan west palm beach, Fl

My mother went in to the hospital with chest pains. She has had
something like 5-7 heart attacks and strokes and has always been high
risk.This last event was about six months ago. about a year and a
half ago they told her if they ever opened her up again she probably
wouldnt survive...I was worried when they said they thought she had a
heart attack. She went in and they were going to put a stint (?) in
but decided that it wasn't her heart afterall...that was rediculous.
we almost lost her on the table a long time ago just after a surgery
like that.
- CourtneyB Springfield United States

This page powered by the WebSeed Content Management System (CMS)
created by Mike Adams.

This site is part of the NewsTarget Network (c)2004,2005,2006,2007
All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site
is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech.
Truth Publishing International, LTD. has full ownership of and takes
sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no health
or nutritional products and earns no money from health product
manufacturers or promoters. The information on this site is provided
for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended
as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing
assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material.
Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and
those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and
servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their
respective owners.