Friday, December 08, 2006

In The News

Here are links to recent stories about "The Medical Science of House, M.D."

Video from Fox 12 TV News Report
watch it on YouTube or here

Also: BV Times feature

Is there a doctor in the House?
Author Andrew Holtz takes a look at the realities and misconceptions of the hit television show 'House'

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Is House to blame for silencing health care reformers?

The post-election punditry is hardly breathing a word about health care reform, even though the costs and the number of people without insurance are higher than ever.

Of course, the war is overwhelming other issues... but another reason for the silence about health issues is that so many people buy into myths about medicine that then undercut the efforts of reformers.

On last night’s episode of “House,” the patient wanted to get out of the hospital because he feared being injured by a medical error or treatment side effect. Naturally, House didn’t take too kindly to a patient who had any doubts about the supremacy of US medicine.

Here’s why I think the mythology of medicine impedes serious health care reform. People buy into the mirage of "House"... that no matter what happens to them, they might still be cured, if only their doctors would try harder.

More medicine is not always better medicine... and right now our system strongly favors "more" over "better." That's one reason the US is steadily falling behind other nations on measures of health and longevity. We are 29th (barely ahead of Cuba) according to a UN report.

I don’t think you can blame “House” (or other medical shows) entirely for the failure of health care reform… but as long as people think that aggressive medicine is the best way to have better health, then most serious reform efforts will be DOA.

Andrew Holtz Author, The Medical Science of House, M.D.

http://astore.amazon.com/holtzreport-20

www.holtzreport.com

Friday, June 02, 2006

Stay tuned for the Script Doctor

Do you have questions about episodes of "House, MD" or other medical dramas on TV?

Get answers in my upcoming column that separates the reality from the drama.

Send your questions to thescriptdoctor@gmail.com

The column will begin later this year... in connection with the publication of my new book:
"The Medical Science of House, M.D."

Is House, MD for real? How real?

Coming in September:
"The Medical Science of House, M.D." by Andrew Holtz
Published by Berkley.

The facts behind the addictive medical drama
starring Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie.

Week after week, House, M.D. has held viewers' attention with brilliant cast performances and intriguing diagnostic mysteries often solved with daring treatments. But how much of the medical detail is real and how much is fabricated?

In The Medical Science of House, M.D., Andrew Holtz, a well-known medical journalist, reveals how medical detectives work - how they follow symptoms to their source.

He examines cases on the show and provides answers to such questions as:

* How can a teenager adopted at birth nearly die because his biological mother didn't get a vaccine?
* How can a husband's faith in his wife's fidelity determine whether radical treatment will cure her or kill her?
* How can a missed eye-doctor appointment reveal a genetic disease?
* How can doctors choose the right course for a pregnant woman when one may kill her and the other would abort her fetus?


The Medical Science of House, M.D.
also delves into the character of Dr. House
and the hospital backdrop of the show.

* Would you want House to treat you or a loved one?
* What would happen to a doctor like House in a real hospital?
* Where are all the nurses, lab techs, and radiologists?
* What could medicine learn from the airlines?