Podcast: Instapundit - The Glen and Helen Show: Andy Kessler on the Revolution in Medicine

I did a podcast today with Instapundit Glenn Reynolds and his wife, Helen Smith, the Glenn and Helen Show. You can download an MP3 of the podcast here, or subscribe via iTunes here.

The discussion covered a lot of topics in The End of Medicine : How Silicon Valley (and Naked Mice) Will Reboot Your Doctor, and you can get a pretty good flavor of what the book is about. Helen had a "freakish" heart attack at age 37, misdiagnosed as panic disorder, and now has an implanted defibrillator. The idea of early detection of heart disease or cancer seemed to hit home with her.

"Do you ever wonder if your doctor is really doing a thorough job when you go in for your yearly physical? I do. You go in and he/she hits your knee with a rubber hammer, runs a few blood tests and asks about any symptoms--all the time, checking their watch to make sure they can get to the next patient. What if a tumor is growing inside you or your arteries are clogging up faster than last night's dinner in the drain of your kitchen sink? Wouldn't you want to know in advance so that treatment could be started immediately before your life is threatened? Well, soon you might."