Women Are More Likely To Die From A Medical Error Than From Domestic Violence

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

Women don't have to accept the system as it is

In the newest episode of the All of Me Wellness podcast 30 years healthcare vet tells women the system wasn't built for them. But access to information can help

An educated patient is a powerful patient” - Dr. Mary VanLOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2026 /EINPresswire / -- A woman walking into her doctor's office is more likely to be harmed by a medical error than by a violent partner at home. That is the warning Dr. Mary Van, PharmD, DACBN, delivers in "If They Say It's in Your Head, Walk Out," a recent episode of the All of Me Wellness podcast, out now.

Dr. Van is the clinical director and clinical pharmacist at Thrivex Medical in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She points to research estimating that medical error causes more than 250,000 U.S. deaths a year (Makary and Daniel, BMJ, 2016). Even far more conservative estimates put the toll in the tens of thousands, well above the number of women killed by intimate partners.

"When you think about that, it makes you flip how you approach your clinician," Dr. Van says.

A system that wasn't built for women
In a candid, wide-ranging conversation with All of Me Wellness Podcast host, Dr. Van explains why so many women leave appointments without answers. Clinical studies have long been built around a 150-pound man of about 30, she says, and that same reference point shapes how medications are dosed.

Short appointments make it worse. Dr. Van describes providers required to see six to eight patients an hour, which leaves about five minutes per visit. In that window, women are labeled, marginalized and dismissed, she says, and too often told their symptoms are normal, or in their heads.

"If you walk into a medical office and they tell you it's in your head, get up and walk out immediately," Dr. Van says. "They cannot help you if they do not respect you."

She also pushes back on the idea that a diagnosis is the finish line. Anxiety, for example, may be a symptom of something underneath, such as low progesterone in perimenopause or iron loss from heavy periods. "A diagnosis is just the beginning of the conversation," she says. "Now what's my solution?"

The answer: an informed patient
The episode's core message is that women don't have to accept the system as it is. They can treat their clinicians as partners, come prepared with questions, and walk out when they aren't heard.

"An educated patient is a powerful patient," Dr. Van says. "Things should be patient driven, not clinician driven. At the end of the day, the clinician clocks out at five o'clock, and your problems are still your problems."

That is exactly why All of Me Wellness exists. "Being an informed consumer and being able to advocate for yourself means you've done the research," All of Me Wellness podcast host Joni says. "If you're experiencing things and you don't know where to start, or what questions to ask, that's exactly why we're doing this podcast. That's exactly why the site exists."

The conversation also covers the gap in women's health research, perimenopause and hormone therapy, chronic pain, and the three questions Dr. Van calls "grandma medicine": Are you sleeping? Are you pooping? Are you breathing?

Listen
The full episode is out now. Watch on YouTube> or Listen on Spotify> right now. Women looking for a place to start can find resources, like podcasts, white papers, articles and more at allofmewellness.

Dr. Van and Thrivex Medical see patients throughout Florida. Outside Florida, follow @ThriveXHealth on Instagram and TikTok for her weekly open-question sessions.

About All of Me Wellness
There is a gap in the way women's health is studied, funded, and believed. All of Me Wellness exists to close that gap. Founded by Jennifer Banmiller and Annie Jacoby, the company shares information and resources that help women advocate for themselves, products that help without harmful ingredients, and a space to share their stories. Its first product, Tender Mercy cream, is a fragrance-free topical made for women, by women.

Media contact
Joni Wittenbach
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Joni WIttenbach
All of Me Wellness
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Women Are More Likely to Die From a Medical Error Than From Domestic Violence News Provided By All of Me Wellness November 10, 2026, 12:30 GMT Share This Article Distribution channels: Beauty & Hair Care, Consumer Goods, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry, Human Rights, Social Media

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