Who Needs Doctors?

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Unlike the rest of the medical community, pathologists tend to look favorably on the phenomenon. "I believe it raises the level of awareness patients have of their own health status," says Dr. Bruce Friedman, a professor of pathology at the University of Michigan. With the exception of predictive genetic tests, which Friedman feels only specialists should interpret, he believes a responsibly selected battery of tests could help patients more than it harms them. And the risks that so upset his colleagues? "There's probably a greater downside to ordering a total body scan or a lung scan than ordering a panel of lab tests for yourself." Whatever the truth may be, consumers seem determined to find out for themselves.