Risk Madness

At-Risk madness

The article is about, how potential diseases can create mass hysteria. How doctors are easy to put people in at-risk categorizes. Is society being too overly cautious? Are doctors prescribing pills too easily for their patients?

Danish Doctor and scientist at Copenhagen University, Lotte Hvas believes so. In her article to the esteemed Danish news paper "Politiken" she uses an example from her own life. Lotte Hvas describes how she discovered one of her close friends; Karen was taking medicine to prevent osteoporosis. This startled her, since she has always known her friend to be of very good health, always eating right, exercising and a non-smoker.

Karen then explains that since her doctor a couple of years ago suggested that she should get a bone mineral density test (BMD test), since her mother at the age of 80 broke her hip due to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which causes bones to break more easily.

Karen got tested and was told that her bone density was a little under "normal". The doctor diagnosed her as having light osteoporosis and should take medicine as a preventative.

Doctor Lotte Hvas surprised, since she wouldn't classify Karen as a patient, but would put her in an at-risk-category and her diagnosis is a potential patient. Not sick, but not healthy.

Doctor Lotte Hvas writes that in today's individual orientated society we are from the Medias side being bombarded with advertisements, campaigns and health advisory pamphlets.

She mentions a campaign by the medicine company Merck and Dohmes which she criticizes as being too harsh and antagonizing with their slogan "you don't have to stand (model) for everything" where they portray mannequin dolls as ill stricken women.

Doctor Lotte Hvas claims that "risk-management" has become a very profitable business that has come to stay since being at risk isn't some passing cold, but often when started, lifelong and also how the medical companies whom have put huge investments into creating new and better drugs, but they have realized that it is much cheaper to create new patients than new drugs.

In her article she makes it clear that it shouldn't be interpreted that we shouldn't take precautions, but that it is very important