Audio of Shannon Brownlee by Growing Bolder, at growingbolder.com

Caption: Shannon Brownlee

Posted: 08/05/2008 12:15pm

Many people complain about the health care system in America, but journalist Shannon Brownlee decided to turn her complaints into action. She's taking the big steps that most others don't even attempt.

According to Brownlee and her book, "Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Americans Sicker and Poorer," although there are new breakthroughs in the medical field, Americans aren't benefiting as much.

Her main argument is that more medicine doesn't equal less disease or quicker results. She points to many examples, including the discovery that standard doses of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients are often just as good as the once-popular recommendation of higher doses.

While our benefits from health care continue to decrease, the prices of prescription drugs and tests are skyrocketing, Brownlee says. Even still, she says there are things we can do.

She talks with Growing Bolder about her ideas to help tackle the health care problem giant.