Jacob Stegenga on Medical Nihilism

Jacob Stegenga talks about his book Medical Nihilism with host Russ Roberts. He argues that many medical treatments either fail to achieve their intended goals or achieve them with many negative side effects; and that the approval process for pharmaceuticals exaggerates benefits and underestimates costs. He criticizes the FDA approval process for approving too many drugs that are not sufficiently helpful relative to their side effects. Stegenga argues for a more realistic understanding of what medical practice can and cannot achieve.