Are Common Medical Treatments Effective?

Posted by Ben:

The main reason most people choose modern medicine over other options is because they believe modern medicine is scientifically proven. That is, they trust the methods and treatments prescribed by their doctors are validated and proven effective...even safe. But is that really the case? A 2007 study calls it all into question.

 

The British Medical Journal’s “Clinical Evidence” took a close look at about 2,500 common medical treatments to evaluate their efficacy and safety, and the published 2007 review raises more questions than it answers. First off, why should such a study even be needed? Shouldn’t “common treatments” already have evidence backing up their widespread use?
 

Here’s a quick snapshot of what the researchers found in their review:
 

• Only 13% of the treatments were found to be beneficial
• 23% were likely to be beneficial
• 8% were as likely to be harmful as beneficial
• 6% were unlikely to be beneficial
• 4% were likely to be harmful or ineffective.
• 46% were unknown whether they were efficacious or harmful

 
The United States government conducted a similar study back in 1978, and their findings were nearly identical. That review found that just 10-20% of common medical treatments had hard evidence backing up their efficacy and safety.
 

These findings illustrate how pushing new drugs to market comes at the cost of careful testing. When it comes to prescriptions, don’t be afraid to question your doctor. Find out what the research says about the drug(s) you’re taking.  The same goes for your naturopathic doctor, too, if you see one. You are ultimately in control and responsible for what goes into your body, so take charge.
 

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/how-scientific-is-modern_b_543158.html

Posted by Ben