For purpose of open discussion, not a flame war, I offer a cynical, skeptical counterpoint on the two specific problems raised.
1) heart: How many unnecessary bypass surgeries are performed every year? Born on the battlefield, western medicine handles trauma superbly, but tends to treat many other conditions with a profitable sledgehammer. A little arthritis or cartilege damage? Replace the entire knee joint. A little arterial blockage which could be reversed by a few months on an ultra low fat diet (e.g. Pritikin)? Perform a bypass.
2) prostate: Most prostate cancers develop extremely slowly. Why sentence the patient to a lifetime of incontinence and impotence at the first hint of an abnormality? I am hoping that promising new technology, such as the German ultrasound treatment, will soon facilitate elimination of abnormal cells without destroying one's quality of life.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069