Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health
by Marty Makary
26 popular highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health:
“A cruel irony came to light in follow-up studies. They found that participants who took estrogen alone had lowered their risk of breast cancer by 23% and lowered their risk of breast cancer death by 40%. That benefit diminished over time after women discontinued HRT.”
“It’s this inflammation that allows for deposition of certain types of lipoproteins, causing plaques and heart”
“Ultimately, the data catch up and trust in the profession is eroded. Now,”
“the most recent broadening of mammogram recommendations are strikingly flimsy.”
“If we are going to be objective, we need to stop saying that marijuana is harmless and not a gateway drug. The truth is that the available evidence does not support those opinions.”
“Between the risk of psychosis, increased rates of anxiety and depression, and cardiovascular disease, “harmless” is not the word I would use to describe the drug. Sure, it may be less lethal than cocaine, but it’s not exactly an organic kale salad.”
“McGill–Oxford meta-analysis found a 37% increased risk of depression and more than a 300% increase risk in suicidal ideation among adolescents who used cannabis.8”
“If the data go against decades-long dogma supporting fluoridated water, fluoride may be doing more harm than good.”
“As Noam Chomsky described it, “If you don’t believe in freedom of speech for people you disagree with, you don’t believe in freedom of speech at all.”
“Freedom of speech is not designed for easy speech—speech that is welcomed by the majority because it affirms their beliefs. It’s designed to protect speech that is uncomfortable—speech that challenges groupthink.”
“because the data were so undeniable.”
“The data were clear.”
“The eugenics movement in the United States led to some abhorrent practices in the late 19th and”
“Dr. Sarrel is among a group of experts from around the country who now run a foundation to educate women and physicians about the best data on the topic.46 Visana is another group helping women navigate the healthcare system to find good care.”
“their view.” In his book Pure, White, and Deadly,”
“They found that taking HRT for even just two to three years reduced the risk of cognitive impairment by 64%.21 Wow.”
“Here are the data. Compared”
“Those are compelling data! It’s something”
“While the data are considered less definitive than for the other benefits of HRT, the”
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“But the data are abundantly clear.”
“The data are clear.”
“the data are overwhelming. In analyzing 30 trials”
“I realize that much of what the public is told about health is medical dogma—an idea or practice given incontrovertible authority because someone decreed it to be true based on a gut feeling.”
“Groupthink—the human tendency to follow a crowd and not think independently—often creates an illusion of consensus.”
“tests to evaluate your lipoprotein profile—better than HDL and LDL.”
