Tuesday 30 November 2010

medical science

Till recently, most middle-age women were under pressure to take 500 mg calcium per day.
All this was "scientifically proved" requirements for women in their middle age.
Now it has been "scientifically proved" that the mega dose of calcium is unnecessary and maybe harmful.
Till about 7 or 8 years back, women were strongly advised to start hormone replacement therapy at the smallest sign of peri-menopausal problems. They were told that it was "scientifically" proved that HRT would eliminate all the unpleasant problems of menopause. It has now been established , again "scientifically", that HRT is really harmful.
In the 1960s, it was considered by most doctors that babies must be fed vitamin fortified formula in preference to their mother's milk. Now it is widely accepted that babies must not be fed formula unless absolutely necessary.
How scientific are clinical studies? Animals and humans are not identical. So all data must be statistical. So must all medical studies be taken with a pinch of salt ? Also how will I know that I am not that outlier in the graph.

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