The daily deluge of medical information with which Americans are confronted can be overwhelming. Relayed to us by journalists whose lack of medical knowledge is surpassed only by their economic ignorance, the apparent facts seem to collide and conflict in a maelstrom of endless contradictions.
If you think these reports are flawed or inaccurate, you are right. Dr. John Ionnadis has studied the methodology of medical researchers and published his findings.
In the U. S., research is a $55-billion-a-year enterprise that stakes its credibility on the reliability of evidence and the work of Dr. Ioannidis strikes a raw nerve. In fact, his 2005 essay “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False” remains the most downloaded technical paper that the journal PLoS Medicine has ever published.
The essay mentioned above can be found here. It is short and to the point. Read it and take the next medical news release, due out any minute, with a grain of salt. The results look like this:
In research published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Ioannidis and his colleagues analyzed 432 published research claims concerning gender and genes. Upon closer scrutiny, almost none of them held up. Only one was replicated.
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“Upon closer scrutiny, almost none of them held up. Only one was replicated.”
For a moment I thought it was about climate change…..
I haven’t believed any of the so called scientific research reports for years. Every time you hear one thing the next time you turn around a totally different result is being reported.
Yeah, still waiting on the results from the LONG term study of Gardisil. Yanno, that STD vaccine that King Perry tried to order our daughters to get?
Hey - it’s about the $$$$. In “research” even more than in acadamia, it’s “publish or perish”. No research papers published = no grants! Therefore, the rush to publish - even if the facts don’t hold up!
#1 THAT’S IT EXACTLY!
This argument applies to all reasearch, not just medical. It fits the climate change studies like a glove. BTW - it turns out that our NASA climatologist (the one who “proved” global warming) is backed by leftwing moonbat George Soros.
http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=275526219598836
One can easily be overwhelmed by all the research. It seems if you want to hype a product then just create some research. I can remember eggs as once being bad, now they’re good. I grew up eating eggs everyday. Now, there’s the story that tofu and green tea aren’t what they say they are. The only thing I realize is that “genes” plays a major part of what is good for you or not or what ailments you might inherit no matter what you eat or don’t eat. I think moderation is probably a better solution. And ultimately, you could be the healthiest person in the world, walk outside and get run over. That’s why I’m a great believer in “fate”—–So, I guess it is a combination of things and events. Unfortunately some people cheat “fate” by having unprotected sex or doing drugs.
I’m always leery of people that are smarter than me.
I agree about the research, and the more people try to scare us into doing something, then reversing their decisions in five years, the more skeptical I become.
#6 and #7 - you’re both right.
Don’t believe everything you read or hear. No research or study can convince me of anything since both are done within the parameters of just a small percentage of study participants and in different locations.
The only thing more dubious than “research” is polling data.
Sometimes a little common sense coupled with mom’s (or grandma’s) home remedy will work just fine and cause very little harm. Now back to my bacon, fried eggs, buttered toast, and spiked coffee.
Isn’t it Saturday ?
And we are working on a Friday thread ? C’mon. The slacker moderators need to “git off their tush’s and open an OC SATURDAY thread”
#11, quite right Rastus. For example, the old-timey remedy for bed sores–sugar on the wound–works just as well if not better than most modern meds and costs a whole lot less. Mention sugar for bed sores and almost all medical people look at you like you’re nuts.
Personal experience in healing sores on a horse who had to lay down almost half the time because of sore feet (laminitis/founder) sure proved that. Sugar mixed with carbolated vaseline to make a paste spread on the open sores worked wonders and healed them. Mind you this was in a barn (clean as we could make it), not a squeaky clean bed in the house.
The Naegleria fowleri are comming!
PHOENIX (AP) - It sounds like science fiction but it’s true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die
…it’s killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.
[this year…three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070928/D8RUL1D00.html
If the collective studies quoted are about gender vis a vis sexuallity, then at least they are political. The big problem, as I see it, are the numerous studies which hail cures by the FDA and the Drug Companies. Those studies are of one drug or another which will, in some cases, be taken for the rest of ones life. In many cases the list of ’side effects’ will appear. (If something wereis a cure, it should be temporary.) Furthermore, the complaints from the medical establishment, when a non-drug alternative is used, are laughably ironic; especially when some kind of drawback is found. Often the drawbacks are minor compared to 4 hour erections, heart palputations, kidney failure etc. It’s OK though because we can consult our Doctors; who will nod away our concerns because all he’s been taught is the Drug Company line. One more point. I’m for health savings accounts. It is my understanding that we are ONLY allowed (by big brother) to pay for ‘Mainstream’ medicine with the accounts. If we go to most other kinds of health professionals we’ll have to dig into our own pockets again. Imagine the situation with a National Health Service. I always thought that there would be an opportunity for both insurers and a government program to save money,if possible, by using an alternative treatment. Apparently, the proposed system will futher empower the Cartel. I thought the prescription drug bill was a Big Pharm giveaway??