Results for: bayesian
0.05 or 0.005? P-value Wars Continue
The p-value is under fire yet again, but this time with some quick-and-dirty solutions (and some long-and-onerous ones too) to the problems created by relying on this quick-and-dirty test.
Anti-inflammatory drugs and heart attacks: How real are the risks?
A new study provides more evidence that anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen cause small but real increases in the risk of heart attacks.
Responding to SBM Critics
A response to a critic of SBM, and setting the record straight on our actual positions regarding evidence and the practice of medicine.
The Anti-Vaccine Narrative Just Gets Darker
Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories are dark by their very nature. A recent article shows how dark, cynical, and paranoid they can get.
Dr. Richard Rawlins Reveals the Real Secrets of Alternative Medicine
Dr. Richard Rawlins, an orthopedic surgeon in the UK who is also a magician and member of the Magic Circle, has written an exhaustive review of alternative medicine, Real Secrets of Alternative Medicine: An Exposé. “A conversation with Mrs. Smith” A conversation with Mrs. Smith bookends the text. She comes to Dr. Rawlins for hip replacement surgery and asks if there is...
Researching the Magic of Homeopathy
A Canadian academic, Dr. Mark Loeb, who is a respected infectious disease researcher who knows how to conduct high quality research, wants to study homeopathic nosodes. Nosodes are essentially homeopathic vaccines. Tim Caulfield, a Canadian professor of health law and policy, thinks the study is misguided and unethical. The two are having a respectful public debate about the risks and merits of...
When science- and evidence-based guidelines conflict with patient wishes: What’s a doc to do?
We use the term "science-based medicine" (SBM) because medicine isn't a science. The best medicine, however, is based in science. Patient values are also important, but what is a science-based doctor to do when SBM conflicts with what a patient or family wants?
Statistics Done Wrong, And How To Do Better
Statistics is hard, often counterintuitive, and burdened with esoteric mathematical equations. Statistics classes can be boring and demanding; students might be tempted to call it “Sadistics.” Good statistics are essential to good research; unfortunately many scientists and even some statisticians are doing statistics wrong. Statistician Alex Reinhart has written a helpful book, Statistics Done Wrong: The Woefully Complete Guide, that every researcher...
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Snake Oil
Noel Edmonds is a game show host, famous for Britain’s version of Deal or No Deal. As far as I can tell, he has no medical or scientific qualifications at all. This unfortunately has not stopped him from using his celebrity status to offer dubious medical advice via his Twitter feed. Such is the world in which we live. Edmonds tweeted, referring...
SBM Progress Report
Science-Based Medicine has been operating for a decade. While we have been successful by many measures, the challenges we face remain great. Here is a look at the mission of SBM, and a call for support to our readers.