Lecture 2

Thinking Scientifically, continued…..

 
 

• Is vague terminology used,
  

  "empty calories,"
  

  Invented as scare tacktic term - means anything the speaker wants it to
  

  Taco chips…whole corn
  

  #1 corn best, #2 ave. #3 poor
  

  #2 = 9% protein, has carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, h20
  

  NOT EMPTY
  

  "healthier," "Wellness"
  

  "unnecessary biopsies"
  

  Team of chineses researchers said that # of unnecessary biopsies could be reduced by NOT teaching women how t check for breasts
  

  Mamograms and ultrasound, when used together have resulted in a high number of unncessary biopsies
  

  "comes back negative"
  

  Better to just let them DIE???
  

  "eases the symptoms of NFD"
  

  Our clinical studies have shown….
  

  Marketing sugar pills for hypochondriacs
  

  "clinics" mean nothing
  

  Vague
  

  Clinical study = BS
  

  Clinical research = ok
  

  REAL drugs have side affects
  

  "ask dr. if its right for you"
  

   
   

• Does the statement use other words, "accompanied by," "significant" – probably not due to near chance, not really a quantity
  

  "significant" does not indicate a best result
  

  "Probably not due to mere chance"
  

   
   

• Is the statement irrational nonsense?
  

  "dr.'s don't want you to know about this natural cure"
  

  "this purges toxins from the body"
  

  Leads to being addictive
  

   
   

  Liberty University has Dino bones that are from only 3000 yrs. Ago
  

  ALL other accounts say 65 million yrs. Ago
  

  Like saying Mt. everest is 16 inches high
  

   
   

• Does statement refer to preliminary results?
  

  Means claim is not based on ANY research trial whatsoever
  

  "a study" or "one study"
  

  Usually non-repeatable research
  

  New scientific research doesn't go on tv before it gets published
  

   
   

• Is statement an untested hypothesis?
  

  Vets: the umbilical chord should stay attached as long as possible after foal delivery
  

  b/c the fold starts on the placental end of the cord and moves down - so it gets the blood inside
  

  WHY DOES IT NEED BLOOD if it hasn't had it for the entire time its been inside
  

  NEVER accept "it cant hurt"
  

   
   

• Only rely on textbooks that cite the references
  
  • Miner library - reserve for 204 - Medical Physiology, by vernon B mountcastle
    
  • 2 volume - considered Gray's anatomy of physiology
    
  • Used descriptions of experiments that lead to that statement
    
  • Every single statement made must be referenced
    

   
   

• SciAm stated that WE were just as liable to be taken in to false claims
  
  • Being taught FACTS, instead of how to think scientifically
    
  • **Reason for success in science in the last 200 years is due to the development of the Scientific Method**
    

     
     

• 2400 ago Hippocrates lived in IONIA
  
  • Declared diseases had causative method
    
    • Not a punishment from Gods, therefore there were preventative measures
      
  • Never found a single cause or cure for any disease, just that they COULD be