When medical care kills you

Very disturbing information just came out about how you’re most likely to die — and unlike heart disease or cancer — there’s little you can do within your control to avoid it…

Unless you give up your blind trust in hospitals and doctors. That’s because Johns Hopkins’ researchers have revealed that the third leading cause of death in your United States of American is medical errors.

That puts it just behind heart disease and cancer, which each took approximately 600,000 lives in 2014, and in front of respiratory disease, which caused about 150,000 deaths.

Plain and simple: Mistakes by those in the medical industry are more likely to kill you than accidents, stroke, diabetes or pneumonia according to the CDC’s current list. ¹ But you won’t see ‘Death by Doctor/Hospital Mistake’ on the list — because the cover-up within the medical industry itself is a huge part of the problem.

Nearly two decades ago a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that deadly medical mistakes were rampant in health care.  At that time the IOM estimated that 44,000 to 98,000 people were dying in U.S. hospitals annually as a result of those mistakes. ² Turns out those numbers are just a drop in the bucket…

Based on this most recent assessment appearing in the British Medical Journal — which included prior research (because, again, this is not ‘new’ news) — the Johns Hopkins study estimates that more than 250,000 Americans die each year from medical errors.

The cover-up

The problem begins with how deaths are classified. The CDC’s published mortality statistics, only account for the “underlying cause of death.” That’s defined as the condition for which a person sought medical treatment.  As a result, even if a doctor does list medical errors on a death certificate, they aren’t included in the published totals.

That means you — or someone you care about — could be admitted for a routine appendectomy and pass away from ‘aspiration pneumonia.’ The cascade of mistakes that led to your untimely demise — made by surgeons or attending staff — may exist only as a very small side note who knows where.

So, while the potential for human error may never be fully eradicated, if the medical industry continues to bury their collective heads in the sand by burying the truth — steps can never be taken to cut down on the number of lives needlessly lost year after year.

All the while, millions of people continue to undergo even the most elective of procedures and surgeries without the slightest clue as to how close they come to never leaving the hospital alive.

Staying alive

Unless something changes (don’t hold your breath), you should be aware of how you can avoid accidental death at the hands of a doctor, nurse, medical technician and maybe even faulty equipment or dangerous drug.

#1 Avoid unnecessary medications, procedures and hospitalizations. Americans are notorious for running to the doctor at the first sign of a cold. Even antibiotic overuse can lead to death. Numerous unnecessary medications and procedures are recommended to patients by overzealous doctors. Do your homework and weigh your options. A second opinion? How about a third or fourth? And by all means talk to a health practitioner outside of conventional medicine if you want an unbiased opinion.

#2 Be a patient advocate — and have your own. If you or someone you care about is hospitalized or undergoing even a ‘one day’ procedure, have an advocate. An advocate’s job to understand the care you are being provided, to be your ‘voice’ and ensure staff is paying adequate attention to you and the situation, and to ask questions or demand immediate medical attention when necessary.

Family members, like a spouse, parent, brother or sister — even a close friend — make the best advocates. Don’t be admitted without one.

#3 Wake up to the truth about the medical establishment. Doctors and hospitals have been made out to be unquestionable authority figures. These people in their white coats are human beings, as are the nurses and technicians. But they do wield enough power to have kept these mistakes under wraps for a long, long time. And remember, there is a lot of money to be made in medicine.

#4 This may be last, but it’s definitely not least… Recognize your ability to actively participate in your own health. Follow your instincts and make choices that promote your well-being. That can be as simple as listening to your body, being conscious of the power of nutrition in maintaining your health, and being open to natural alternatives and remedies.

Source: http://hub.jhu.edu/2016/05/03/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death
[1] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
[2] http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/418841