Comments on: The myth of evidence-based medicine http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine Medicine for the 21st century Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:04:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: GregK http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-7634 GregK Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:56:54 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-7634 Right on the money, Chris. I mean right on the truth. Right on the money, Chris. I mean right on the truth.

]]> By: Mart http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1515 Mart Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:13:17 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1515 I totally agree Chris that corporations - big or small -  should be held responsible for their actions. I just think there are better ways to see that is done than to entrust the matter to government bureaucrats or corrupt career politician lawmakers. when Milton Friedman was paraphrased in your post I was encouraged. Here's a couple of other quotes from him: "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." "Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government." "The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem." With regard to the government's disinformation or plain ignorance on the matter of the food pyramid - surely you can see that it's also healthy to be skeptical of "the authorities". I totally agree Chris that corporations – big or small -  should be held responsible for their actions. I just think there are better ways to see that is done than to entrust the matter to government bureaucrats or corrupt career politician lawmakers. when Milton Friedman was paraphrased in your post I was encouraged. Here’s a couple of other quotes from him:
“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”
“Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.”
“The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.”
With regard to the government’s disinformation or plain ignorance on the matter of the food pyramid – surely you can see that it’s also healthy to be skeptical of “the authorities”.

]]> By: Vic Shayne, PhD http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1500 Vic Shayne, PhD Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:38:07 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1500 If we do a little research into the connection between Big Pharma, the AMA and other such power structures and law makers and government agencies, the picture becomes clear that natural health care is treated and regarded as a criminal, worthless enterprise. Drugs poison the body and their use is beyond helping people. The big money from Big Pharma represents latent and manifest corruption. If we do a little research into the connection between Big Pharma, the AMA and other such power structures and law makers and government agencies, the picture becomes clear that natural health care is treated and regarded as a criminal, worthless enterprise. Drugs poison the body and their use is beyond helping people. The big money from Big Pharma represents latent and manifest corruption.

]]> By: Chris Kresser http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1497 Chris Kresser Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:51:07 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1497 I completely disagree, Mart. Corporations should be held ethically responsible for their actions. Pharmaceutical companies have been caught red-handed several times over the past few years engaging in seriously unethical and arguably criminal behavior. The Merck-Vioxx and Vytorin scandals are just two well-known examples, where Merck sat on data showing these drugs increased the risk of heart attack and death while millions of people around the world continued to take them. Of course the FDA is to blame as well, but to claim that the companies themselves are not responsible is madness. I'm not against companies making a profit, but not when the pursuit of that profit kills people. I completely disagree, Mart. Corporations should be held ethically responsible for their actions. Pharmaceutical companies have been caught red-handed several times over the past few years engaging in seriously unethical and arguably criminal behavior.

The Merck-Vioxx and Vytorin scandals are just two well-known examples, where Merck sat on data showing these drugs increased the risk of heart attack and death while millions of people around the world continued to take them.

Of course the FDA is to blame as well, but to claim that the companies themselves are not responsible is madness. I’m not against companies making a profit, but not when the pursuit of that profit kills people.

]]> By: Mart http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1496 Mart Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:30:37 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1496 Chris, your site is great and I'm so glad I found it. But railing against the profits of Big Pharma is off-putting. Sure - they push profitable drugs - but the system is gamed against them. The FDA is inefficient and a deeply flawed system that slows drug development. And the way that Washington is set up nowadays so that lobbyists have to go cap - and checkbook in hand to politicians makes me think I cannot blame any of these supposedly evil corporations for spending millions on lobbying. The system is gamed that way by the career politicians. If they don't play that game then their competitors who do will gain advantage. If instead Washington worked properly: corruption and lobbying bribes weren't the norm, and the pencil-necks at the FDA were even half as innovative as the drug companies then we might see quite quite different behavior from Big Pharma. I don't begrudge them their profits either - the total amounts may indeed be vast, but in percentage terms since when has around 15 to 20 percent (profit as a percentage of revenue) been "massive"? Chris, your site is great and I’m so glad I found it. But railing against the profits of Big Pharma is off-putting. Sure – they push profitable drugs – but the system is gamed against them. The FDA is inefficient and a deeply flawed system that slows drug development. And the way that Washington is set up nowadays so that lobbyists have to go cap – and checkbook in hand to politicians makes me think I cannot blame any of these supposedly evil corporations for spending millions on lobbying. The system is gamed that way by the career politicians. If they don’t play that game then their competitors who do will gain advantage. If instead Washington worked properly: corruption and lobbying bribes weren’t the norm, and the pencil-necks at the FDA were even half as innovative as the drug companies then we might see quite quite different behavior from Big Pharma. I don’t begrudge them their profits either – the total amounts may indeed be vast, but in percentage terms since when has around 15 to 20 percent (profit as a percentage of revenue) been “massive”?

]]> By: Steve http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1492 Steve Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:02:00 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1492 Hi Chris, Awesome article! It is amazing that the government continues to get away with feeding the public absolute rubbish information. I guess at the end of the day, money talks! After completing a science degree in exercise physiology I took up studying nutrition and ended up giving it up after a year because of the out-dated and completely biased information they were teaching. Of course, those people who complete a degree in nutrition are totally brain-washed by the time they finish and end up regurgitating the same crap they were taught! Of course, the general public is led to believe that they are right because they've gone to university and have a few letters after their name- what a joke! As for doctors, well, the situation is even worse! The only glimmer of hope is that well-informed people can provide a more objective view on these topics and slowly influence enough people so that eventually the governments have no choice but to sit up and take notice! Hi Chris, Awesome article! It is amazing that the government continues to get away with feeding the public absolute rubbish information. I guess at the end of the day, money talks!

After completing a science degree in exercise physiology I took up studying nutrition and ended up giving it up after a year because of the out-dated and completely biased information they were teaching.

Of course, those people who complete a degree in nutrition are totally brain-washed by the time they finish and end up regurgitating the same crap they were taught! Of course, the general public is led to believe that they are right because they’ve gone to university and have a few letters after their name- what a joke!

As for doctors, well, the situation is even worse!

The only glimmer of hope is that well-informed people can provide a more objective view on these topics and slowly influence enough people so that eventually the governments have no choice but to sit up and take notice!

]]> By: Dan http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1488 Dan Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:23:37 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1488 Hey Chris - great article, as always. And the statin resources are gold - thanks for those. Good luck with your boards! :) Hey Chris – great article, as always. And the statin resources are gold – thanks for those.
Good luck with your boards! :)

]]> By: Vic Shayne, PhD http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1487 Vic Shayne, PhD Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:29:42 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1487 Referring to L above... I'm not sure how it can be said that heart disease and type 2 diabetes are the same disease. I'd also argue that the problem with modern medicine is that it evolved into a close-minded system that has been hijacked by big industries. Judging by the protocols, absolute dependence upon (and overuse of) drugs, impersonal "service," lack of anything natural and defamation of all forms of treatment outside its on canons, modern medicine's fault is much greater than merely being about profits. Referring to L above… I’m not sure how it can be said that heart disease and type 2 diabetes are the same disease.
I’d also argue that the problem with modern medicine is that it evolved into a close-minded system that has been hijacked by big industries. Judging by the protocols, absolute dependence upon (and overuse of) drugs, impersonal “service,” lack of anything natural and defamation of all forms of treatment outside its on canons, modern medicine’s fault is much greater than merely being about profits.

]]> By: Chris Kresser http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1486 Chris Kresser Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:11:07 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1486 The distinction is between medicine that is based on evidence, and medicine that is based solely on profit. Nowhere did I say that physicians shouldn't be compensated for their services. Speaking of evidence, I'd love to see some to support your claim that a vegan diet reverses heart disease and type 2 diabetes. I've provided countless studies demonstrating that a low-carb, high saturated fat diet prevents both on my blog. Where is your evidence? The distinction is between medicine that is based on evidence, and medicine that is based solely on profit. Nowhere did I say that physicians shouldn’t be compensated for their services.

Speaking of evidence, I’d love to see some to support your claim that a vegan diet reverses heart disease and type 2 diabetes. I’ve provided countless studies demonstrating that a low-carb, high saturated fat diet prevents both on my blog. Where is your evidence?

]]> By: L http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1485 L Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:17:40 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1485 I'm really glad to know you'll be offering acupuncture free of charge to well people, Certainly, you won't be participating in "illness and profit based" medicine.   I do wonder, though, why you wouldn't pass on the info to folks that a vegan diet is the only thing that has every reversed both heart disease and type 2 diabetes (which are really the same disease). It's scary to think that you may be giving health advice and are just as misinformed as those thinking statins are like vitamins. Bad info is always bad ... I’m really glad to know you’ll be offering acupuncture free of charge to well people, Certainly, you won’t be participating in “illness and profit based” medicine.
 
I do wonder, though, why you wouldn’t pass on the info to folks that a vegan diet is the only thing that has every reversed both heart disease and type 2 diabetes (which are really the same disease). It’s scary to think that you may be giving health advice and are just as misinformed as those thinking statins are like vitamins. Bad info is always bad …

]]> By: Vic Shayne, PhD http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1484 Vic Shayne, PhD Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:30:42 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1484 Some of these comments moved me to write further... First, it's been said that nobody is to blame. I'm not so sure about this, because if each part of the medical problem became responsible for their actions and their patient's health, then things would change, including the emphasis on money and power. A doctor should not be a millionaire who doesn't want to look his patient in the eyes, come to his house or care about the whole self. This is a cold, impersonal and rude way to interact with other human beings. Secondly, it is true that many, many medical doctors are good people. Still, more and more of them, perhaps through training, are becoming worse and worse when it comes to human relations and providing service. I hear a lot of this talk from patients wherein their doctors do not spend time with them, do not listen to them, do not believe their complaints or medical history, ignore their allergies and reactions and are not available when they are suffering and need a response. Is this right? If a doctor is not willing to provide ultimate service and caring, they should get into another line of work. Lastly, what is most interesting about traditional medicine is the attitude of the doctor and his relationship with his patients. The traditional doctor has been invested in the health of his/her charges. No more. We have a sad, broken, untrustworthy medical system offering medical treatment and not health care. The best thing people can do en masse is complain and walk out without paying when their doctors are not responsive. This may begin to knock them off their high horses. Can you imagine going to a restaurant and placing an order, getting the wrong advice from the waiter and the wrong food that makes you sick and still thinking it's okay to pay for this? No. Doctors should not be above the law or beyond reproach. By and large they are under the misconception that they are superior beings. Some of these comments moved me to write further…
First, it’s been said that nobody is to blame. I’m not so sure about this, because if each part of the medical problem became responsible for their actions and their patient’s health, then things would change, including the emphasis on money and power. A doctor should not be a millionaire who doesn’t want to look his patient in the eyes, come to his house or care about the whole self. This is a cold, impersonal and rude way to interact with other human beings. Secondly, it is true that many, many medical doctors are good people. Still, more and more of them, perhaps through training, are becoming worse and worse when it comes to human relations and providing service. I hear a lot of this talk from patients wherein their doctors do not spend time with them, do not listen to them, do not believe their complaints or medical history, ignore their allergies and reactions and are not available when they are suffering and need a response. Is this right? If a doctor is not willing to provide ultimate service and caring, they should get into another line of work. Lastly, what is most interesting about traditional medicine is the attitude of the doctor and his relationship with his patients. The traditional doctor has been invested in the health of his/her charges. No more. We have a sad, broken, untrustworthy medical system offering medical treatment and not health care. The best thing people can do en masse is complain and walk out without paying when their doctors are not responsive. This may begin to knock them off their high horses. Can you imagine going to a restaurant and placing an order, getting the wrong advice from the waiter and the wrong food that makes you sick and still thinking it’s okay to pay for this? No. Doctors should not be above the law or beyond reproach. By and large they are under the misconception that they are superior beings.

]]> By: Marc Drillings http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1483 Marc Drillings Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:58:50 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1483 Ireally enjoyed reading this.  Just as a follow up, it really is all about the money.  Just as sure as osteopaths with less training get paid more for manipulation than chiropractors do.  The new trend is to deny the existance of meridians, learn watered down needling technique.  Call it dry needling, because after all you aren't actually injecting anything into the patient and bill it with injection codes.  In that way you get to do acupuncture, be friends with the medical establishment, be done with your educationin100 hours for a PT,and make more money than a well trained acupuncturist.  It has nothing to do with evidence.  Ireally enjoyed reading this.  Just as a follow up, it really is all about the money.  Just as sure as osteopaths with less training get paid more for manipulation than chiropractors do.  The new trend is to deny the existance of meridians, learn watered down needling technique.  Call it dry needling, because after all you aren’t actually injecting anything into the patient and bill it with injection codes.  In that way you get to do acupuncture, be friends with the medical establishment, be done with your educationin100 hours for a PT,and make more money than a well trained acupuncturist.  It has nothing to do with evidence. 

]]> By: MSully http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1480 MSully Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:21:10 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1480 Chris- I've just recently learned of your site. THANK YOU for the wealth of information you provide in your posts ... keep them coming.  Knowledge is power.. and better health! thank you! Chris- I’ve just recently learned of your site. THANK YOU for the wealth of information you provide in your posts … keep them coming.  Knowledge is power.. and better health!
thank you!

]]> By: JimS http://chriskresser.com/the-myth-of-evidence-based-medicine#comment-1479 JimS Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:31:16 +0000 http://chriskresser.com/?p=764#comment-1479 Another outstanding post, Chris.   Hey Lena, good comment.  I followed your link and saw this next line: "Bile acids, required for solubilization and absorption of dietary fats, are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, stored in the gallbladder and secreted into the small intestine after a fat-containing meal." Because I bought into the official no-fat !$@# as a young man, my gallbladder rarely had to release bile, the bile precipitated into gallstones, gallbladder 'attacks' followed, resulting finally in gallbladder removal. I may very well have impaired fat digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, as a result.  And those dopes are still regurgitating the same old BS that they have since the '70s. Another outstanding post, Chris.
 
Hey Lena, good comment.  I followed your link and saw this next line:
“Bile acids, required for solubilization and absorption of dietary fats, are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, stored in the gallbladder and secreted into the small intestine after a fat-containing meal.”
Because I bought into the official no-fat !$@# as a young man, my gallbladder rarely had to release bile, the bile precipitated into gallstones, gallbladder ‘attacks’ followed, resulting finally in gallbladder removal. I may very well have impaired fat digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, as a result.  And those dopes are still regurgitating the same old BS that they have since the ’70s.

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