Too many health checks are counterproductive

Too many health checks can be counter productive - and expensive.

More people are turning to preventive health checks, from blood tests to scans, but some doctors warn many screenings may do more harm than good. 

Experts from the Bern based Smarter Medicine association say unnecessary testing is contributing to rising healthcare costs and can lead to false positives, overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments. 

While screenings for many cancers have proven benefits, specialists say other tests may not improve survival and can sometimes create anxiety and harmful side effects for otherwise healthy patients.

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