Click here and choose SAVE AS from your browser's FILE pulldown menu. Herb Denenberg Columns. A six-part series on the drug problem. Here are some practical steps you can take to prevent death by prescribing. They are based on on expert opinions from various textbooks, health organizations, government agencies, and other authoritative sources.
Self protection begins before a drug is prescribed.
Make sure your doctor understands your medical problem and your medical history. In the age of the HMO-mentality, there is a tendency to rush patients through a visit, and that is a formula for disaster. It has been estimated that one out of every three patient visits culminates in the writing of a prescription, often an approach more designed to get rid of the patient than get rid of the patient's problem. Find out if drug therapy actually needed. Every condition doesn't require drug therapy, and many are best treated by some alternative.