Trying to Put Genie Back in the Bottle
We have seen the emergence of “evidence-based medicine” in the last 10 years. This has been an effort to further legitimize and give scientific basis to common medical therapies. A medical version of “show me the money.” I have always thought this was rather inane, since it presumed that all medicine for the last 2000 years has been unscientific and irrational. Although the reality is medicine is not nearly as scientific as asserted. Only 10-20% of medical practice is based on sound scientific principles. This rankles most physicians who believe that conventional medicine is scientifically-based. The highest form of medicine is the practiced art using scientific principles and technology.
A series of US Task Force recommendations are being rolled out by the Department of Health and Human Services. These are well-intentioned and rational. Examining the literature and epidemiology of medical practices in an effort to determine what is safe, sane, practical and effective. The trap is “effective” as you will see.
