The Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 284 July 26, 2000, published an article documenting the tragedy of Traditional Western Medicine (TWM) paradigm. The author, Dr. Barbara Starfield of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health describes how the U.S. health care system may contribute to poor health. Doctors, she stated, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., causing 250,000 deaths every year.

This information is a follow-up to the Institute of Medicine report December, 1999, but the data was hard to reference as it was not in peer-reviewed journal. Now it is published in JAMA which is the most widely circulated medical periodical in the world.

DEATHS PER YEAR:
1. 12,000 -----unnecessary surgery 8
2. 7,000 -----medication errors in hospitals 9
3. 20,000 ----other errors in hospitals 10
4. 80,000 ----infections in hospitals 10
5. 106,000 ---non-error, negative effects of drugs 2

250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic--death induced in a patient by a physician's activity, manner, or therapy, especially of a complication of treatment causes--is outrageous!! Yet, the majority of people continue to trust the medical profession to 'cure' them, inspite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Dr. Starfield cites these warnings in interpreting the numbers: