A misdiagnosis seriously harms or kills an estimated 795,000 Americans annually
Don’t LOSE your independence… or your life… because of THIS mistake
You’re fearing the WORST… but after checking you out, your doc tells you not to worry…
And he sends you on your way.
But as it turns out, there’s something he MISSED…
And according to a new study out of Johns Hopkins, that could put you in the crosshairs for disability…
Or even an early grave.
In the new study, researchers estimate that every year, a whopping 795,000 Americans are seriously harmed as a result of misdiagnoses.
That breaks down to about 371,000 who die… and 424,000 who become permanently disabled.
And those numbers are WAY higher than anyone previously thought.
Now, these aren’t cases of getting diagnosed with a life-threatening illness that you don’t have…
But rather, a serious condition lurking UNDETECTED for far too long.
One of the biggest “diagnostic errors,” as the study calls them, is when a doc completely OVERLOOKS a stroke. That happened more than 17.5% of the time, according to this latest research.
In real life, that could happen with your primary care physician… or in the emergency room.
That’s not all…
Because other conditions that docs tend to MISS include pretty severe conditions like sepsis… pneumonia… blood clots… and even lung cancer!
The researchers behind this latest study found that docs are more likely to diagnose you with something ELSE… something far less worrisome… when your symptoms aren’t particularly severe.
But by the time your symptoms GET severe… it may be too late to do anything to save your life…
Or preserve your quality of life.
The study’s authors suggest some technological advances that could help improve accuracy of diagnoses…
And it’s true that some diseases MASQUERADE as others… making them difficult to detect.
But I see a larger problem at hand here…
And if you’ve ever had your concerns DISMISSED by a doc, you know what I’m talking about.
Mainstream practitioners have their noses so buried in your chart… and are so busy filling out paperwork… they don’t take the time to really LISTEN to their patients.
Doctor’s offices are run like factories, churning as many patients out in as little time as possible.
You’re lucky if you can get any eye contact from anyone!
And it gets harder and harder every day to even get an in-person appointment with a doc… as they’ve discovered that “examining” you through a computer screen (in those so-called “telehealth” visits) can increase their productivity.
I miss the days of the family doc… somebody who really CARED about your wellbeing… and took the time to ask how every aspect of your life was going.
Fortunately, you can still find that kind of up-close-and-personal care… but not in mainstream medicine. For that, you’ll probably have to go to an integrative doc… one who treats the WHOLE body.
In the meantime, listen to your body… and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right… DON’T ignore it.
Most of all, don’t let somebody else ignore YOU.
Ask them to run whatever tests are available… and demand to see the results. And if you’re not happy with the treatment you get, don’t hesitate to seek out a second opinion.
In pursuit of the truth,
Dr. Marc Micozzi M.D., Ph.D.