Double-Blind Studies - a great article on why they are necessary!

[ScoobMaster]

Full Story Here

Authored by Steven Bratman, MD - a great artice on how Double-Blind studies filter out biases, wishful thinking, and pre-conceived notions.

QUOTE:
" once took alternative medicine on faith. For decades, I practiced it on patients and myself and my family, and assumed that pretty much all of it worked. Then I learned about double-blind studies, and it was like a tornado blowing down a house of cards. I discovered that I, like most people who love alternative medicine, had made a huge (though understandable) mistake.

Steven Bratman, M.D.

I had thought it was possible to know whether a treatment worked by trying it. I had also thought I could trust tradition, anecdote, and authority. I now see otherwise. The insights of the double-blind trial have cut through my wishful thinking and idealism, and turned me into a hard-nosed skeptic. Show me the double-blind studies, and I?ll pay attention. Otherwise, so far as I?m concerned, it?s little more than hot air.

Warning: This isn?t an easy subject. But if you read this through, and think about it, you will never look at alternative medicine (or any form of medicine) the same way again. "

 

[FoBoT]

jeez, you are posting interesting/intelligent stuff on ATOT, you're weird



😉

 

[Rapidskies]

Dude has da Fro!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I don't get it. What are reasonable arguments against double blind studies? They have been the standard forever. Discovering this now is like suddenly realizing that beating yourself over the head with a baseball bat hurts.

 

[ScoobMaster]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
I don't get it. What are reasonable arguments against double blind studies? They have been the standard forever. Discovering this now is like suddenly realizing that beating yourself over the head with a baseball bat hurts.

True,they are not new, but the purpose of the article is not that of "new discovery".

From the author's own words:

"Although most people have heard of double-blind studies, few recognize their true significance. "

 

[FoBoT]

the part i thought was really good is where he references stuff we have all heard in the popular press as fact , but the only basis for it is observational studies, not DBSs

 

[rh71]

I thought the term placebo effect came about because of these.

 

[Armitage]

How did he get to be an MD and not understand the importance of double-blind studies??

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: ergeorge
How did he get to be an MD and not understand the importance of double-blind studies??

i think he said he was into "alternative" medicine, ie eat a root and your cancer will be cured or whatever

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: rh71
I thought the term placebo effect came about because of these.

Ya... just explain the placebo effect and that'll show why double-blind studies are effective.

 

[GasX]

The point is that at 4am infomercials say you can enlarge your penis or lose 100LBs or be better looking or whatever. They then talk about how they are "clinically proven" to be effective.

If you contact these companies and ask for copies of these studies, you will find that none of them are double blind.

Think about it. If some F-tard buys your penis enlargement pills, he is going to WANT to think his c*ck is growing...

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: TuxDave

Originally posted by: rh71
I thought the term placebo effect came about because of these.

Ya... just explain the placebo effect and that'll show why double-blind studies are effective.

It's more then just the placebo effect, it also has to do with selection bias in choosing the control group, and bias of the doctors evaluating the study among other things. It's a pretty good article.

 

[Nanotech]

Originally posted by: Whade
Dude has da Fro!

Wow

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: ergeorge

Originally posted by: TuxDave

Originally posted by: rh71 I thought the term placebo effect came about because of these.

Ya... just explain the placebo effect and that'll show why double-blind studies are effective.

It's more then just the placebo effect, it also has to do with selection bias in choosing the control group, and bias of the doctors evaluating the study among other things. It's a pretty good article.

No need to read the article. I've taken enough psychology classes to understand why we need double-blind studies. It's just as important as realizing causality != correlation

 

[TommyVercetti]

What is a double blind study?

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti
What is a double blind study?

The 10 second explenation:
Neither the researchers conducting the study, nor the experimental subjects know who is getting the actual treatment and who is getting a placebo.

For more, RTFA

 

[Hector13]

Originally posted by: ergeorge
How did he get to be an MD and not understand the importance of double-blind studies??

honestly, how can anyone take an idiot like this seriously?

next thing you know, he is going to find out about "penicillin"!

 

[ApacheXMD]

thank you captain obvious!

after reading the first two sentences, i've concluded that the author is a moron.
"I once took alternative medicine on faith . . . and assumed that pretty much all of it worked."
Way to go Dr. Fro!

-patchy