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Overkill: when modern medicine goes too far

Overkill: when modern medicine goes too far

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  • Create Date：2021-09-05 09:55:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Paul A. Offit
  • ISBN：1913348156
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Summary

Is lowering your temperature when you have a fever helpful？ Do you really need to finish every round of antibiotics？ Or could some of the treatments you think are healing you actually be harming you？



Medicine has significantly advanced in the last few decades。 But while we have learned a lot， we still rely on medical interventions that are vastly out of date and can adversely affect our health。



In this game-changing book， infectious-disease expert and Rotavirus vaccine inventor Dr Offit highlights fifteen common medical interventions still recommended and practised by medical professionals， despite clear evidence that they are harmful — including the treatment of acid reflux in babies and the reliance on heart stents and knee surgery。



By presenting medical alternatives， Overkill gives patients invaluable information to help them ask their doctors better questions and to advocate for their own health。

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Reviews

Donna Gaumond ，

A great book for all medical professionals as well as anyone that wants the truth I am not a medical professional。 I am well aware and have fallen prey to false information concerning health。 Dr。 Offit has provided studies from around the world to prove his point。 It’s a game changer。

Kristina Cain ，

This is a fantastic book！ It is infuriating to come across those in the medical field that promote treatments and surgery that are unnecessary or actively harmful。 My grandmother had a stent put in （with complications） 3 years ago even though stents had already been proven to have no benefit for the patient。 My doctor ordered my Vitamin D levels checked and had me on supplements 2 years ago。 That has also been proven unnecessary。 This book was quite eye-opening about a lot of practices that are This is a fantastic book！ It is infuriating to come across those in the medical field that promote treatments and surgery that are unnecessary or actively harmful。 My grandmother had a stent put in （with complications） 3 years ago even though stents had already been proven to have no benefit for the patient。 My doctor ordered my Vitamin D levels checked and had me on supplements 2 years ago。 That has also been proven unnecessary。 This book was quite eye-opening about a lot of practices that are still so common in the medical field today。 It definitely reinforces the need to do research and verify information before just blindly trusting "the experts。" 。。。more

Toni ，

Interesting and thought provoking， filled with facts and new information。 I won't look at Western medicine the same。 Interesting and thought provoking， filled with facts and new information。 I won't look at Western medicine the same。 。。。more

Toni-elaine ，

Full of interest facts and perspectives， it's changed the way I look at alot of modern medicine。 Full of interest facts and perspectives， it's changed the way I look at alot of modern medicine。 。。。more

Jeremy ，

Really interesting book debunking a lot of common medical beliefs。 My favorite line was near the beginning， one that many need to hear: "In the end， you shouldn’t trust me; you should trust high-quality， reproducible scientific studies that are performed in well-respected academic centers and published in prestigious medical journals。"Others have given thorough overviews of what was discussed， but particular things I'll take away from this book is to avoid giving acetaminophen unless the fever i Really interesting book debunking a lot of common medical beliefs。 My favorite line was near the beginning， one that many need to hear: "In the end， you shouldn’t trust me; you should trust high-quality， reproducible scientific studies that are performed in well-respected academic centers and published in prestigious medical journals。"Others have given thorough overviews of what was discussed， but particular things I'll take away from this book is to avoid giving acetaminophen unless the fever is extremely high; there is no need to keep taking antibiotics after you're better; don't take vitamins; aspirin does not help prevent first strokes or heart attacks; sunscreen still lets some uv rays through - best to wear clothing; heart stents don't work because if there is blockage in one artery there is also blockage in smaller arteries; and RICE is not the correct way to handle sprains - you want the body to heal itself so let the blood rush to the area， add heat if anything， not ice。 。。。more

Deborah Stevens ，

Standard American medical practice is often based on outdated science rather than the most current evidence， to the detriment of all of us who trust our physicians to guide us through our ailments。Offit runs through example after example of instances where the received wisdom， both among laypeople and physicians， is flat wrong。 I would have preferred more focus on WHY medicine is so stuck in its often wrong ways and HOW to move forward， rather than so many examples of the problem， but that's a s Standard American medical practice is often based on outdated science rather than the most current evidence， to the detriment of all of us who trust our physicians to guide us through our ailments。Offit runs through example after example of instances where the received wisdom， both among laypeople and physicians， is flat wrong。 I would have preferred more focus on WHY medicine is so stuck in its often wrong ways and HOW to move forward， rather than so many examples of the problem， but that's a small quibble with a good book。 。。。more

Dana Robinson ，

Although the chapters are a bit brief and choppy， this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to everyone。 Although the title makes it sound like the book is about structural problems in the medical industry， it's actually about evidence-based medicine and practices that are still common but don't help （or at least don't help in the ways that we hope）。 Although the chapters are a bit brief and choppy， this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to everyone。 Although the title makes it sound like the book is about structural problems in the medical industry， it's actually about evidence-based medicine and practices that are still common but don't help （or at least don't help in the ways that we hope）。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

This is most definitely a buzzkill of a book。 Imagine the Debbie Downer sad trombone sound at the end of every chapter。 Do you take supplements？ “Junk！ You’re making very expensive urine！” Did you get a mammogram or a prostate exam？ “You may have died WITH cancer instead of dying OF cancer！” It’s got that tone some people use to spoil every good intention / caution / safeguard by saying something like， “You’re more likely to be killed driving into your own driveway， you know。” Ok， so I learned t This is most definitely a buzzkill of a book。 Imagine the Debbie Downer sad trombone sound at the end of every chapter。 Do you take supplements？ “Junk！ You’re making very expensive urine！” Did you get a mammogram or a prostate exam？ “You may have died WITH cancer instead of dying OF cancer！” It’s got that tone some people use to spoil every good intention / caution / safeguard by saying something like， “You’re more likely to be killed driving into your own driveway， you know。” Ok， so I learned things， but I feel like I just sat next to a chatty know-it-all on a cross-country flight。 I can’t wait to get to the door。 。。。more

Leila ，

I'm not sure that I'll take any of Offit's advice; still， it was intriguing to read about studies that demonstrate the possible shortcomings of common medical practices and procedures。 This book did feel a bit one sided to me， with Offit citing only studies that supported his theses。 He does bring up many good points about the modern practice of medicine。 However， his lack of citations on some points （as well as his all-or-nothing mentality about the innate goodness of certain medical practices） I'm not sure that I'll take any of Offit's advice; still， it was intriguing to read about studies that demonstrate the possible shortcomings of common medical practices and procedures。 This book did feel a bit one sided to me， with Offit citing only studies that supported his theses。 He does bring up many good points about the modern practice of medicine。 However， his lack of citations on some points （as well as his all-or-nothing mentality about the innate goodness of certain medical practices） were slightly offputting。 。。。more

Johanne ，

A series of stories debunking medical myths with studies listed to prove argument。 Repetitive。 Dr。 Offit needs to brush up on new bioidentical hormones that do not offer the same risks as older version。 And although estrogen does not treat Alzheimer， research has found increased risk of Alzheimer with women who went through hysterectomies but did not benefit from estrogen replacement therapy。Science is ever changing yet egos remain， as we can now see with John Ioannidis （quoted on p。 208） becomi A series of stories debunking medical myths with studies listed to prove argument。 Repetitive。 Dr。 Offit needs to brush up on new bioidentical hormones that do not offer the same risks as older version。 And although estrogen does not treat Alzheimer， research has found increased risk of Alzheimer with women who went through hysterectomies but did not benefit from estrogen replacement therapy。Science is ever changing yet egos remain， as we can now see with John Ioannidis （quoted on p。 208） becoming the new Linus Pauling。 。。。more

Zia ，

Would recommend to everyone even though parts of it can be a bit academic

Will G ，

Sunscreen！

Rennie ，

I borrowed a big pile of his books from the library a few months ago and read all of them but this one。 I almost just returned it without reading it， because I thought I’d already seen most of these topics covered elsewhere。 So glad I actually read it！ Even though I had come across several of these elsewhere， as usual he has a much better， clearer， accessible way of explaining them than most。 It’s really hard to believe so many of these beliefs have persisted so stubbornly。 I feel especially irr I borrowed a big pile of his books from the library a few months ago and read all of them but this one。 I almost just returned it without reading it， because I thought I’d already seen most of these topics covered elsewhere。 So glad I actually read it！ Even though I had come across several of these elsewhere， as usual he has a much better， clearer， accessible way of explaining them than most。 It’s really hard to believe so many of these beliefs have persisted so stubbornly。 I feel especially irritated at the ones around vitamin C and supplements。 But it’s also very disappointing how many doctors are willing to perform either unnecessary or not worthwhile surgery either for profit or fear of bad feedback or being sued。 Our medical system is just so messed up。But one thing I thought this was going to be and it wasn’t is a look at how the US healthcare system can be very quick to prescribe medications for conditions that may not necessarily merit them or where risk far outweighs benefit， the tendency to prescribe something just so a patient feels they got their time’s worth， etc。 That’s what I originally thought he meant by overkill。 I think I have a good outline-type of idea of why that is， but if anyone knows of a book looking deeper into this， or comparing US methodology with health systems of other countries， please tell me！ （I’m interested because of how the same condition of mine was handled in Europe vs the US， where Europe shrugged it off and undertreated and in the US it was over-aggressively treated to the outcome of horrible side effects。 There must be a middle ground。）Anyway， as usual he’s the best， read this。 Being an informed advocate for your own health and having understandable scientific evidence explanations to back up the reasoning is the best。 。。。more

Islam Ahmed ，

A valuable and informative book。

Carole ，

Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far by Paul A。 Offit is a refreshing look at modern medicine。 Health problems are not always medical problems。 In our modern world， we expect that pills， procedures and surgeries will solve everything that ails us。 We then are submitted to unnecessary and most times expensive solutions that will not bring us back to good health。 Dr。 Offit dispenses good advice in a manner that informs as well as educates us。 He discusses a dozen examples of this “overkill” Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far by Paul A。 Offit is a refreshing look at modern medicine。 Health problems are not always medical problems。 In our modern world， we expect that pills， procedures and surgeries will solve everything that ails us。 We then are submitted to unnecessary and most times expensive solutions that will not bring us back to good health。 Dr。 Offit dispenses good advice in a manner that informs as well as educates us。 He discusses a dozen examples of this “overkill” and， at times， one cannot help but agree with the doctor。 This very interesting book will make the reader think。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Todd Martin ，

As someone who makes a conscious attempt to stay informed of the latest scientific consensus （particularly when it comes to the field of medicine， given the vast amount of misinformation that abounds）， I have to say that I was greatly surprised by Dr。 Paul Offit’s debunking of several medical misconceptions， including at least one that I fell for myself。 In Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far， Paul Offit （a respected pediatrician and co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine） examines a number As someone who makes a conscious attempt to stay informed of the latest scientific consensus （particularly when it comes to the field of medicine， given the vast amount of misinformation that abounds）， I have to say that I was greatly surprised by Dr。 Paul Offit’s debunking of several medical misconceptions， including at least one that I fell for myself。 In Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far， Paul Offit （a respected pediatrician and co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine） examines a number of common medical interventions that have been proven to be more harmful than helpful。 There’s no need to take his word for it， each chapter cites the scientific evidence for each of his conclusions。 I’ll just repeat a few of the book’s chapter titles to give you a sense of the information provided:-tTreating Fever Can Prolong or Worsen Illness-tFinishing the Antibiotic Course Is Often Unnecessary-tSupplemental Antioxidants Increase the Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease-tVitamin D Supplements Aren’t a Cure-all -tBaby Aspirin Doesn’t Prevent First Strokes or First Heart Attacks-tProstate Cancer Screening Programs Do More Harm Than Good-tHeart Stents Don’t Prolong Lives-tDon’t Ice Sprains-tVitamin C Doesn’t Treat or Prevent ColdsWhat is most shocking is that many medical professionals still dispense this discredited “wisdom” despite scientific evidence to the contrary。 In fact， I was told by my doctor that my Vitamin D levels were low and had been taking supplements for the past several years （all based on a false premise and the dubious intentions of a single doctor in an influential position）。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Nazrul Buang ，

In the past， many people succumbed to diseases that are otherwise kept under control in this day and age thanks to modern medicine。 However， unbeknownst to many people， many medical practices that have persevered to this day have proven to be useless or worse， harmful。 Yet， people still do them and even doctors advocate them。 Why？ Doctor Paul Offit seeks to explain this and debunk old medical practices that cause more help than harm。When you have fever， take antipyretics （paracetamol， aspirin， i In the past， many people succumbed to diseases that are otherwise kept under control in this day and age thanks to modern medicine。 However， unbeknownst to many people， many medical practices that have persevered to this day have proven to be useless or worse， harmful。 Yet， people still do them and even doctors advocate them。 Why？ Doctor Paul Offit seeks to explain this and debunk old medical practices that cause more help than harm。When you have fever， take antipyretics （paracetamol， aspirin， ibuprofen）。 Take vitamin D supplements， because we all lack this essential vitamin。 Always finish your antibiotic courses。 Vitamin C prevents colds。 Sound familiar？ It's because these are advice that we follow， and our family doctors also tell us to do so。 But what if these advice are outdated？ In fact， what if they're more harmful than you think？ If so， why do they still persist？ Personally， I've seen how contentious some advice are in the medical community， so even I can't tell which advice is sound or not。 Paul Offit wants to debunk some medical myths once and for all， some of which I didn't even know about。I always love contrarian books。 Books with content that runs counter to conventional wisdom。 Not because I want something different from established facts， but more like I am open second opinions and "what if" theories。 Dr。 Offit's book is one of them， and it's enlightening to read how some conventional wisdom is perhaps as wise as you think。 Taking paracetamol when you're having a fever is perhaps not the best thing to do， because the medicine impedes the immune system from fighting against the disease that infected your body。 In the age of antibiotic-resistant bacteria， maybe you shouldn't complete your full antibiotic course which would make bacteria more resistant to it。 Such eye-opening claims！The medical literature continues to evolve with time， and people （especially doctors） should become more prudent with prescribing remedies。 Yet， as expected of human beings， we are imperfect and we continue with practices that have been debunked even for a long time。 Whether it's because of financial incentives， cognitive dissonance， or even evading litigation threats， we will always be careful about what treatment works and what would be detrimental to our health。 Dr。 Offit implores that we do， and I thank him for confirming some of the things that even I wasn't sure about。 You should pick up this book， and put down those excessive vitamin C and D pills。 。。。more

Marilyn ，

Everyone should read this book。 It has a lot of fascinating information in it！

Greg Motter ，

What a great book this one is。 Very quick read。 The only real criticism I have is I wish it were longer。 He went through many different topics around medicine。 Most chapters start out by describing the condition， then talking about the history of the condition with how we started to learn about it， and then to walk through the history and studies of the changes in thought on the condition。 Often then ending with why it's been difficult for patients and sometimes doctors to change the way they th What a great book this one is。 Very quick read。 The only real criticism I have is I wish it were longer。 He went through many different topics around medicine。 Most chapters start out by describing the condition， then talking about the history of the condition with how we started to learn about it， and then to walk through the history and studies of the changes in thought on the condition。 Often then ending with why it's been difficult for patients and sometimes doctors to change the way they think about and prescribe。This book does not mention Covid at all。 But stepping through the 30 or so different topics covered， one thing becomes very clear。 What we know about any given condition often changes radically as we do more double-blind quality studies。 Seeing how difficult it sometimes is to get the medical establishment to change its mind over years， is it any wonder that needing to change our views on masks so quickly， turned out to be such a disaster。 Throughout the book， he also frequently talks about why it is so hard to change our minds on things。 Most of what he said is very well known to anyone in the US。 It's all about the perverse incentives that are in place。 A few highlights of things we need to fix: 1） Doctors get paid more for doing something rather than nothing。 2） Advertising dollars are a disaster for our health。 Did you know the US and New Zealand are the only countries that allow medical advertising directly to consumers？ Why don't we have advertising dollars for NIH to inform us on topics that have big spending on the other side of them？ 3） Ratings for doctors are big business， and sadly， the thing that can most quickly hurt a doctor's rating is pushing back on a patient that wants something that could be harmful。 Antibiotics being the worst culprit。I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone， I've already recommended to many。 I learned a lot and had a hard time putting it down。 Would love to see the next book from him focused on things we should be doing since this book was so much about things we generally should not be doing。 If you know of a good book that tells us what we should be doing based on the evidence， I'd love to hear it。 。。。more

Jbussen ，

I borrowed it。 Dad read it。 Said it was very good。 But I didn't have time to read it so I'm giving it my dad's stars and putting it back in the "to read" file。 I borrowed it。 Dad read it。 Said it was very good。 But I didn't have time to read it so I'm giving it my dad's stars and putting it back in the "to read" file。 。。。more

Daniel ，

This is one of the best books I've ever read。 I consider it a must-read for everyone， both for the specific popular delusions it corrects， and for the larger lessons on the perils of making up one's mind ahead of， or in spite of， the evidence。 The sad story of Linus Pauling stands out - he was a two-time Nobel Laureate who promoted the false （it turns out） notion that vitamin C in large doses cures or prevents the common cold。 How many of us got suckered by that one？ No individual's reputation， This is one of the best books I've ever read。 I consider it a must-read for everyone， both for the specific popular delusions it corrects， and for the larger lessons on the perils of making up one's mind ahead of， or in spite of， the evidence。 The sad story of Linus Pauling stands out - he was a two-time Nobel Laureate who promoted the false （it turns out） notion that vitamin C in large doses cures or prevents the common cold。 How many of us got suckered by that one？ No individual's reputation， no matter how prestigious， outweighs the double-blind controlled study with replication。Perhaps my only quibble was where Offit engaged in a wee bit of overkill of his own， by invoking a subtle naturalistic fallacy when blasting testosterone replacement therapy for aging men。 Yes， aging is a natural process; and yes， trying to interfere with aging is "unnatural。" But so is all of medicine！ There are no doctors in a state of nature。 If unnatural is bad， then we must dispense with all doctors and treatments and let nature take its course unmolested， whether that means cancer， malaria， or anything else regarded as a "disease。" Offit asserts that aging itself is not a disease and therefore does not warrant treatment。 But this is silly， as the definition of "disease" is arbitrary and always relative to some expected state of health。 As medicine improves， our expectations increase。 Aging is just another natural process like malaria。 The only valid argument against treating aging as a disease is that we don't know how to do that yet。 （Although， arguably， many diseases closely associate with aging， and there are plenty of attempts to treat them。） Should a general treament for aging appear， which would restore an old person to a state of youthful health and appearance， it would be medicine's greatest gift of all time。 For now， it's sufficient to present the data for testosterone therapy being ineffective or harmful on balance。 That is， the only thing wrong with a treatment for aging is that it doesn't work。 。。。more

Brenda ，

Meh。 Not impressed。

Rachel ，

I love a good debunking！ Alternative stuff provides easier targets， and this book takes on some of that， but it's more aimed at misinformation that comes from the medical professions， abetted （or initiated） by the pharmaceutical industry。 Many drugs， surgeries， screenings， and other practices that are widely regarded as good and necessary are， in fact， not helpful and often harmful。 Some of them are still supported by medical organizations' guidelines。 Others are no longer recommended but still I love a good debunking！ Alternative stuff provides easier targets， and this book takes on some of that， but it's more aimed at misinformation that comes from the medical professions， abetted （or initiated） by the pharmaceutical industry。 Many drugs， surgeries， screenings， and other practices that are widely regarded as good and necessary are， in fact， not helpful and often harmful。 Some of them are still supported by medical organizations' guidelines。 Others are no longer recommended but still widely used。 The author provides data from early studies that established those practices， and later， more definitive studies and reviews that disprove them。 He goes into the physical mechanisms involved and the methodology of the studies， and it all is convincing。 The chapters are short and easy to read - a lot of information without an excess of words。 The chapter titles show the author's points， such as "Treating Fever Can Prolong or Worsen Illness，" "Finishing the Antibiotic Course Is Often Unnecessary，" and "Baby Aspirin Doesn't Prevent First Strokes or First Heart Attacks。" "Vitamin D Supplements Aren't a Cure-all" was a favorite of mine （it's so trendy！）， as were "Thyroid Cancer Screening Programs Don't Save Lives" and "Heart Stents Don't Prolong Lives。" The heart stent chapter was the first time I've understood the likely reason for this conclusion。 The book includes a section on how screenings can cause more harm than the disease they are supposed to discover。 I also recommend another book on this subject: Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health。 。。。more

Sarede Switzer ，

Listened on audiobook。 Excellent and informative。

David R ，

interesting， quirky。 Basically seeks to debunks some prevailing notions within medical care （as as you don’t necessarily have to finish a complete antibiotic treatment， or you don’t necessarily have to treat a fever because a fever could help break a condition quicker without intervention）。 I am not sure what I thought of this book but I will say I had a hard time putting it down。

Emily ，

I felt like some of the things that Offit discussed seemed a bit out there， but since I am aware of the major racial inequities in health care， the baked-in fatphobia， and how big pharma controls so much I could see the possibilities for the things Offit was claiming to be true。 I am curious to know how he chose which myths to debunk。 Also， he said a variety of fatphobic things， which was extremely disappointing。 I had hoped for more from someone claiming to debunk healthcare myths。 I would have I felt like some of the things that Offit discussed seemed a bit out there， but since I am aware of the major racial inequities in health care， the baked-in fatphobia， and how big pharma controls so much I could see the possibilities for the things Offit was claiming to be true。 I am curious to know how he chose which myths to debunk。 Also， he said a variety of fatphobic things， which was extremely disappointing。 I had hoped for more from someone claiming to debunk healthcare myths。 I would have really appreciated him debunking the myths surrounding weight。 。。。more

Mary ，

So interesting。 The author debunks various therapies and medical "facts" with a thorough presentation of studies。 I knew about the lack of evidence for vitamin C preventing the common cold but who knew that RICE was not good therapy for injuries。 Also that reducing fever can prolong illness because you are blunting your body's immune response。 But I'm still uncomfortable about the results for mammograms even though I had read about that before。 Overall， a very informative book and important in o So interesting。 The author debunks various therapies and medical "facts" with a thorough presentation of studies。 I knew about the lack of evidence for vitamin C preventing the common cold but who knew that RICE was not good therapy for injuries。 Also that reducing fever can prolong illness because you are blunting your body's immune response。 But I'm still uncomfortable about the results for mammograms even though I had read about that before。 Overall， a very informative book and important in one's arsenal of being a smart health care consumer。 。。。more

Brian ，

Everyone should read this book。 And everyone， including myself， will probably find one or more of Offit's conclusions aggravating。 Everyone should read this book。 And everyone， including myself， will probably find one or more of Offit's conclusions aggravating。 。。。more

A'Llyn Ettien ，

Very interesting information on some medical procedures and treatments we should not be doing anymore。

Scotty ，

Read it！ I’d give it a 10 if I could。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Overkill: when modern medicine goes too far

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Overkill: when modern medicine goes too far&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Overkill: when modern medicine goes too far&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0