Is being a satisfied patient bad for your health?

The familiar expression “the squeaky wheel gets the oil/grease” suggests making a fuss gets you a head start in the competition for services. But what does it say if the successful “squeaky wheel” on the trail for the best medical services ends up with worse outcomes? That’s what data indicates in a survey of 50,000 [...]

Is only 10% valid? The merits of medical research are challenged by its internal critics.

“Are 90% of all medical studies wrong — including nearly half of those claimed to be the most reliable? That’s the provocative claim made by researcher John Ioannidis, profiled in this month’s issue of The Atlantic.”  Thus spake Time magazine, in reviewing an article called “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science“ published in The Atlantic, written by contributor David Freedman. The [...]

From 50 media mentions to a billion in just two years. A PR success, but at what cost to health?

An article on CNN pinpoints the manner in which, it claims, pharmaceutical companies create an appetite for a disease in order to produce a hunger for its treatment.   If the bottom line is profit, the marketing approach described could be deemed an impressive success. If the bottom line is the public’s well-being it seems worth [...]

Thought-provoking US article on a medical professor’s open-minded research into spiritual healing.

Open-minded research like this shows that there doesn’t need to be an assumed gulf between those who believe in medical care and those whose inclination is to turn first to God for healing. http://www.thestate.com/2010/03/02/1181163/usc-professor-studies-the-miracle.html?RSS=life_and_style