Letters Remain

Tag: misconceptions

  • Ideology Getting in the Way of Evidence-Based Medicine

    Giving beta blockersĀ to a person in the early stages of a heart attack makes sense: the drugs reduce oxygen consumption by calming and slowing the heart; something that is ideal during a heart attack. However despite evidence showing that beta blockers may actually increase heart failure, the practice of administering them continues. AsĀ Dr. David Newman…

  • Vitamins: A Pointless Expense?

    Medical research is beginning to suggest that vitamins have questionable health benefits. One study found that vitamin C is ineffective for coldā€“prevention unless you’re exposed to extreme physical stress (read: ultramarathon runners and “soldiers during sub-Arctic winter exercises”). The New York Times looks at this trend, noting that in some cases, vitamins may do more…

  • List of Common Misconceptions

    The list of common misconceptions includes this clarification: The word “theory” in “the theory of evolution” does not imply doubt in mainstream science about the validity of this theory; the words “theory” and “hypothesis” are not the same in a scientific context (see Evolution as theory and fact). A scientific theory is a set of…