Blind Spots
When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health
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An Instant New York Times Bestseller
From Johns Hopkins medical expert Dr. Marty Makary, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Price We Pay-an eye-opening look at the medical groupthink that has led to public harm, and what you need to know about your health.
More Americans have peanut allergies today than at any point in history. Why? In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a strict recommendation that parents avoid giving their children peanut products until they're three years old. Getting the science perfectly backward, triggering intolerance with lack of early exposure, the US now leads the world in peanut allergies-and this misinformation is still rearing its head today.
How could the experts have gotten it so wrong? Dr. Marty Makary asks, Could it be that many modern-day health crises have been caused by the hubris of the medical establishment? Experts said for decades that opioids were not addictive, igniting the opioid crisis. They refused menopausal women hormone replacement therapy, causing unnecessary suffering. They demonized natural fat in foods, driving Americans to processed carbohydrates as obesity rates soared. They told citizens that there are no downsides to antibiotics and prescribed them liberally, causing a drug-resistant bacteria crisis.
When modern medicine issues recommendations based on good scientific studies, it shines. Conversely, when modern medicine is interpreted through the harsh lens of opinion and edict, it can mold beliefs that harm patients and stunt research for decades. In Blind Spots, Dr. Makary explores the latest research on critical topics ranging from the microbiome to childbirth to nutrition and longevity and more, revealing the biggest blind spots of modern medicine and tackling the most urgent yet unsung issues in our $4.5 trillion health care ecosystem. The path to medical mishaps can be absurd, entertaining, and jaw-dropping-but the truth is essential to our health.
About this Author
Marty Makary, MD is a Johns Hopkins professor and member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Unaccountable and The Price We Pay, winner of the 2020 Business Book of the Year Award. Dr. Makary has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, and he has published more than 250 scientific research articles. He served in leadership at the W.H.O. and has been a visiting professor at 25 medical schools. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Reviews
"A revolutionary book about health. Explains how the broken healthcare system has fueled some of our largest epidemics, and exactly how we can get back on track. A brilliant exposé that shines a path forward for global health in the 21st century, and contains what everyone needs to know to be empowered in their own health." --Dr. Casey Means, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Good Energy and Co-Founder of Levels
"With trust in science on the wane . . . this may not seem like the best time to criticize the medical profession. Yet a dose of healthy skepticism may be the healthiest attitude when information seems contradictory, whether it's about a decades-long practice or newer, faddish procedures." --Pamela Paul, The New York Times
"This book serves as a wake-up call... an essential read for anyone looking to understand the pitfalls of modern medicine and the path to a more effective and compassionate approach to healthcare." --Peter Attia MD, Author of OUTLIVE
"Timely and highly readable, Blind Spots gives us a much-needed diagnosis of what ails so much of our medical establishment and what can be done about it. Aided by an acute understanding of human nature, Dr. Makary both walks us through a disturbing number of major public health blunders-experts told us for decades that opioids were not addictive, for instance-and how we can instead get refocused on pursuing and following through on sound scientific studies and not fall into the trap of wrongheaded groupthink." --Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media.
"Smart, motivated people are prone to developing blind spots. It's true in business, politics, and science, but there's a remedy Dr. Makary argues. Blind Spots is a deep dive into our human tendency to resist new ideas, and a guide to impeccable objectivity. Along the way, you'll learn about powerful medical research that is challenging conventional medical thinking and revolutionizing our understanding of health." --Scott Smith, CEO of TRUE Network
"A renowned medical expert and leading voice in the medical community, Dr. Makary takes a fresh look at health, delving into research that is raising questions about big assumptions in the culture of medicine. Blind Spots is a call to action with lessons for every American about the art and science of being open-minded-a critical skill in science and life in general. As we enter a new era in medicine and society at large, everyone should have this book on their shelves." --Kavita Patel MD, Stanford professor, NBC correspondent, and former Obama health care advisor
"Dr. Makary has out-done himself-Blind Spots is his best book yet!" --Robert Pearl MD, Stanford Professor and former CEO of Kaiser Permanente
"A amazing biography of modern medicine and a practical education about health." --Steve Messeh, Executive Director, Hope Multiplied
"Marty Makary is one of the great thought leaders in medicine . . . [He] brilliantly lifts the veil on the state of modern medicine and the new ideas that are disrupting it." --Senator William H. Frist, MD
"Marty Makary is a great storyteller, making accessible the business of medicine and the new ideas disrupting it without losing the important details." --Shantanu Agrawal MD, President and CEO, the National Quality Forum
"[Makary's] critical eye is well suited to this clinically sound report . . . An eye-opening look at how the American medical industry's rigidity has stunted its reliability." --Kirkus Reviews
"An amazing, life-changing book." --Dr. Mark Hyman, Founder & Senior Advisor: Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine
"Blind Spots is guaranteed to do at least one thing: Change your life." --Mark Gerson, Co-founder GLG
"Blind Spots will help you learn several critical and surprising things about what to ask and what to avoid, and it'll encourage you to choose doctors whose treatments are based on evidence rather than hearsay." --Washington Independent Review of Books
"Quick, compelling, and something all clinicians will want to read." --Psychiatric Times
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