Rationally Speaking Podcast Rationally Speaking #22 - Steven Novella on Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
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Nov 21, 2010 Discussing the accuracy and trustworthiness of medical research, challenges of evidence-based vs. science-based medicine, exploring the complexities of conducting rigorous medical research, analyzing 'The Walking Dead' from a storytelling perspective, and examining the epidemiology of a fictional zombie pandemic.
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Many Published Medical Studies Are Biased
- John Ioannidis's research shows many published medical studies give wrong or exaggerated results due to systematic problems.
- Recognizing these biases helps improve how we find the actual truth in medical research.
Evidence Needs Prior Plausibility
- Evidence-based medicine systematically assesses clinical evidence to quantify what works instead of relying on individual judgment.
- Science-based medicine adds prior plausibility and basic science to avoid being misled by biased clinical studies.
Apply Bayesian Thinking To Implausible Therapies
- Treat implausible therapies skeptically by combining prior probability with clinical data in a Bayesian way.
- Don't let weak positive residues in biased literature lead you to assume efficacy for highly implausible claims.