JUST HOW MUCH CAN WE BELIEVE IN THE MEDICAL RESEARCH?? There has been much concern over the past few years about how much influence the drugs companies have over the publication and dissemination of medical research. The ways they do this are many. Some as egregious as cancelling trials that weren’t going as planned, actually making up studies that get published, getting well known researchers to sign on to studies they did not participate in… The list is quite long.
In this particular study, the authors looked at how many studies reported positve outcomes in the title or abstract, but, in the actual study the findings were insignificant (i.e. the drug didn’t make a difference on outcomes). In one single month, out of 72 studies reviewed, almost 60% had some type of “spin” designed to detract from the actual findings.
The bottom line is that, there is a very, very real possibilty that our entire drug-based “health” care system is built on a house of cards based only on shakey medical research. More importantly, what is YOUR doctor reading to stay current???
