If you set up your "scientific study" right, more or less anything can be proven - and unfortunately there are very many who are interested in earning money on our dreams of a healthy and pain-free life.
I realize I've fallen into the trap of the hasty blogger. I'm not a journalist. I scour through tons of health news every week, I bookmark articles I like and pass things on via Twitter and Facebook and also this blog... but am I taking responsibility for the information I 'm spreading?
The answer is nope.
I don't have time to check my sources correctly or do thorough research for every blog post.
My plan with this blog was to spread ideas and inspiration for self-help to people living with chronic pain - based on my own experience. A lot of the "research has shown" links that I post here are pretty random. Personally, I don't actually believe I need a scientific study to back up everything I say... I'm not trying to fool anyone or sell any miracle cure. Quite often common sense and experience can go a long way, and sharing opinions and ideas are my key reasons for starting a blog in the first place!
Of course we shouldn't trust all those "get great health today!" or "instantly pain-free with new herbal remedy" ads and brochures. We all know that. But scientific studies published in news media aren't necessarily truthful either, and the studies that journalists write about may be downright rotten. I'm currently reading Bad Science by Dr. Ben Goldacre, who gives both the so-called alternative quacks and the pharmaceutical industry a good whacking in his weekly Guardian columns. His book is a real eye opener.
I've also been very inspired by reading about Dr. Ioannidis and his team in Greece, who are doing thorough investigation of medical research to improve the system and alert other doctors of bad science and methodological loop holes.
So far this is just reminding me of what I already know: there are no quick fixes when it comes to chronic disease! Getting results takes time and effort, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying.
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