Tag: plausibility

Why Scientific Plausibility Matters

Why plausibility must play a central role in scientific medicine.

/ May 31, 2023

Professor Gives Grades to Alternative Medicine

Edzard Ernst assigns a grade to 150 alternative medicine modalities, evaluating plausibility, efficacy, safety, cost, and risk/benefit balance. A very useful reference.

/ September 17, 2019
Gary Null doing what Gary Null does.

Gary Null’s Attack on SBM

Gary Null's fact- and logic-free attack on SBM.

/ August 7, 2019

Spinal Manipulation for Back and Neck Pain: Does It Work? Annotated.

Spinal Manipulation for Back and Neck Pain: Does It Work? You would think it does if you read the article but not if you actually read the literature.

/ February 17, 2017

Homeopathy and Plausibility

The fundamental concept of science-based medicine (SBM) is that medical practice should be based upon the best available science. This may seem obvious, but there are many important details to its application, such as the relationship between clinical and basic science. Clinical claims require clinical evidence, but clinical evidence can be tricky and is often preliminary. It is therefore helpful (I would...

/ August 24, 2011

Plausibility in Science-Based Medicine

A question that arises often when discussing the optimal role of science in medicine is the precise role of plausibility, or prior probability. This is, in fact, the central concept that separates (for practical if not philosophical reasons) science-based medicine (SBM) from evidence-based medicine (EBM). The concept featured prominently in the debate between myself and Dr. Katz at the recent Yale symposium...

/ March 10, 2010

Science-Based Medicine 101: Plausibility

In part 2 of the Science-Based Medicine 101 series we take a look at the second pillar of good science: plausibility. This blog post was written for a lay audience so more advanced readers will need to indulge me here… I really enjoy sci-fi action movies. I love the convincing special effects and the fact that heroes can accomplish the physically impossible...

/ August 13, 2009

When Further Research Is NOT Warranted: The “Wisdom of Crowds” Fallacy

Most scientific research studies have at least one thing in common: the conclusion section ends with, “further research is warranted.” I’d say it’s about as common as the “talk to your doctor” disclaimer in TV ads for pharmaceutical products. And in a way, they both serve the same purpose. They’re a “CYA” move. What does “further research is warranted” mean in plain...

/ October 23, 2008