Re: Science: Observations and Research/ Medical Journals

[Guest guest]

Pat,

Thank you for an excellent post. It is a good reminder that as we so desperately

search for answers that we don't get from our health-care practitioners...we

must not forget that there is a lot of stuff on the Internet. One can probably

find supportive statements for any viewpoint on the Internet, but we still have

to evaluate the source and science. Just like we don't take the GYN's " you have

to have a hysto " as gospel, we have to question everything we read...and look

into the sources and even with published studies...who funded them! Then, after

looking at the sources and studies and everything, decide what we feel

comfortable with and trust for our selves.

Thank you! Excellent post!

TxGenes

In a message dated 3/11/2004 2:01:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, marypatb

writes: IN PART

> I worry about 2 things with respect to the “experiences” of LOL’s.

>

> 1. Correlation is not Causation (Statistics #101). A lot of things happen

> in sequence without being related to each other. Let’s say a friend of

> mine had this watch she really hated, but it worked so she kept using it.

> One day, she made a really strong curry dish and hours later the watch

> stopped. She says that the smell of curry breaks unwanted timepieces. So,

> I’ve got this kitchen clock I really hate, but I keep it because it works

> well – though I wish it’d break. Hearing my friend’s story, I decide to

> make a really strong curry dish and see whether or not the clock breaks.

> Sure enough, the next morning, the kitchen clock has stopped. So – are we

> supposed to believe that cooking strong curry dishes really breaks un-wanted

> timepieces??? -- or maybe was it just coincidence that 2 timepieces finally

> stopped after their owners happened to cook strong curry dishes ????? (or

> maybe, the batteries wore out??)

>

> Without a strong relationship shown in a carefully controlled scientific

> study, who knows???. Personally, I don’t think curry would kill a clock –

> but maybe I’m wrong.

>

> 2. The placebo effect. There appears to be some sort of mind-body

> connection which no one fully understands. In nearly every controlled drug

> study, some portion of people who take placebos show “improvement.” They are

> taking a substance which they BELIEVE might help them, and therefore it

> seems it does help them – even though they are actually taking no drug at

> all. Likely, this can also happen with non-regulated substances. Possibly

> it can also happen with timepieces. But, again, without a

> carefully

> controlled scientific study – who knows?

[Guest guest]

Pat,

Thank you for an excellent post. It is a good reminder that as we so desperately

search for answers that we don't get from our health-care practitioners...we

must not forget that there is a lot of stuff on the Internet. One can probably

find supportive statements for any viewpoint on the Internet, but we still have

to evaluate the source and science. Just like we don't take the GYN's " you have

to have a hysto " as gospel, we have to question everything we read...and look

into the sources and even with published studies...who funded them! Then, after

looking at the sources and studies and everything, decide what we feel

comfortable with and trust for our selves.

Thank you! Excellent post!

TxGenes

In a message dated 3/11/2004 2:01:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, marypatb

writes: IN PART

> I worry about 2 things with respect to the “experiences” of LOL’s.

>

> 1. Correlation is not Causation (Statistics #101). A lot of things happen

> in sequence without being related to each other. Let’s say a friend of

> mine had this watch she really hated, but it worked so she kept using it.

> One day, she made a really strong curry dish and hours later the watch

> stopped. She says that the smell of curry breaks unwanted timepieces. So,

> I’ve got this kitchen clock I really hate, but I keep it because it works

> well – though I wish it’d break. Hearing my friend’s story, I decide to

> make a really strong curry dish and see whether or not the clock breaks.

> Sure enough, the next morning, the kitchen clock has stopped. So – are we

> supposed to believe that cooking strong curry dishes really breaks un-wanted

> timepieces??? -- or maybe was it just coincidence that 2 timepieces finally

> stopped after their owners happened to cook strong curry dishes ????? (or

> maybe, the batteries wore out??)

>

> Without a strong relationship shown in a carefully controlled scientific

> study, who knows???. Personally, I don’t think curry would kill a clock –

> but maybe I’m wrong.

>

> 2. The placebo effect. There appears to be some sort of mind-body

> connection which no one fully understands. In nearly every controlled drug

> study, some portion of people who take placebos show “improvement.” They are

> taking a substance which they BELIEVE might help them, and therefore it

> seems it does help them – even though they are actually taking no drug at

> all. Likely, this can also happen with non-regulated substances. Possibly

> it can also happen with timepieces. But, again, without a

> carefully

> controlled scientific study – who knows?

[Guest guest]

Pat,

Thank you for an excellent post. It is a good reminder that as we so desperately

search for answers that we don't get from our health-care practitioners...we

must not forget that there is a lot of stuff on the Internet. One can probably

find supportive statements for any viewpoint on the Internet, but we still have

to evaluate the source and science. Just like we don't take the GYN's " you have

to have a hysto " as gospel, we have to question everything we read...and look

into the sources and even with published studies...who funded them! Then, after

looking at the sources and studies and everything, decide what we feel

comfortable with and trust for our selves.

Thank you! Excellent post!

TxGenes

In a message dated 3/11/2004 2:01:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, marypatb

writes: IN PART

> I worry about 2 things with respect to the “experiences” of LOL’s.

>

> 1. Correlation is not Causation (Statistics #101). A lot of things happen

> in sequence without being related to each other. Let’s say a friend of

> mine had this watch she really hated, but it worked so she kept using it.

> One day, she made a really strong curry dish and hours later the watch

> stopped. She says that the smell of curry breaks unwanted timepieces. So,

> I’ve got this kitchen clock I really hate, but I keep it because it works

> well – though I wish it’d break. Hearing my friend’s story, I decide to

> make a really strong curry dish and see whether or not the clock breaks.

> Sure enough, the next morning, the kitchen clock has stopped. So – are we

> supposed to believe that cooking strong curry dishes really breaks un-wanted

> timepieces??? -- or maybe was it just coincidence that 2 timepieces finally

> stopped after their owners happened to cook strong curry dishes ????? (or

> maybe, the batteries wore out??)

>

> Without a strong relationship shown in a carefully controlled scientific

> study, who knows???. Personally, I don’t think curry would kill a clock –

> but maybe I’m wrong.

>

> 2. The placebo effect. There appears to be some sort of mind-body

> connection which no one fully understands. In nearly every controlled drug

> study, some portion of people who take placebos show “improvement.” They are

> taking a substance which they BELIEVE might help them, and therefore it

> seems it does help them – even though they are actually taking no drug at

> all. Likely, this can also happen with non-regulated substances. Possibly

> it can also happen with timepieces. But, again, without a

> carefully

> controlled scientific study – who knows?

[Guest guest]

Just a quick addition to this thoughtful thread.

I was reminded in looking at these posts that Dr. Love's

Hormone Book (not the Breast Book) has an excellent discussion of how

to evaluate studies and other information to determine which are the

most valuable. The purpose is to equip us, the patients, with the

tools for our own independent research.

Sunny

we have to question everything we read...and look

into the sources and even with published studies...who funded them!

Then, after looking at the sources and studies and everything, decide

what we feel comfortable with and trust for our selves.

> In a message dated 3/11/2004 2:01:55 PM Eastern Standard Time,

marypatb writes: IN PART

I worry about 2 things with respect to the " experiences " of LOL's.

1. Correlation is not Causation (Statistics #101

2. The placebo effect. There appears to be some sort of mind-

body connection which no one fully understands. In nearly every

controlled drug study, some portion of people who take placebos

show " improvement. " They are taking a substance which they BELIEVE might help

them, and therefore it seems it does help them – even though they are actually

taking no drug at all. Likely, this can also happen with non-regulated

substances. But, again, without a carefully controlled scientific study – who

knows?