EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE

EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE?
YEAH, RIGHT

Gerd Altmann - Freiburg/Deutschland - Pixabay

EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE.  It's one of those "feelgood" Oxymorons.  Something that sounds soooooo good on the surface; yet dig a little deeper, and you'll find that it carries no real meaning.  It's the kind of Double Speak that Orwell (1984) would have been proud of.  Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is the term that has been around for the past decade or so, to describe the practice of using scientific research and analysis of Outcome Assessment Questionnaires to determine which medical interventions work, which don't, and which interventions actually make people worse (HERE).  But wait a minute.  I thought that this was the way that things were supposed to work in the practice of medicine?  Isn't this how things have been done for the past century --- or at least for the last five decades of so?  Unfortunately, not.  And certainly not when THE FOX IS GUARDING THE HENHOUSE.

Evidence Based Medicine is one of those government programs that reminds me of their failed No Child Left Behind program.  It made you feel warm and fuzzy all over when you first heard the concept.  But the more you listen, read between the lines, and watch what is really going on; the more you realize you've been bamboozled.  NCLB was supposed to be a program that kept less studious children from falling behind, failing, and subsequently dropping out of school.  Not only has the program been a miserable (and expensive) failure, but the way in which this program's goals have been achieved (dumbing down educational standards so that anyone and everyone can meet them) are a huge source of national embarrassment within the world's educational community.  And it is my contention that the current emphasis on Evidence Based Medicine is nothing more than a similar snow job. 

Snow job?  How can I dare say such a mean thing? After all; we have graduated beyond the age of Snake Oil and Calomel-based (Mercury) medications have we not?  Unfortunately, a cursory glance at some of our country's dubious VACCINATION POLICIES tells us that we still have a fascination with both (HERE).  And the problem goes far beyond that.  In similar fashion to a well known child's story, one of the dirty little secrets of our Medical Community is that the emperor is wearing no clothes. 

Professor of Health Policy and Management, Dr. David M. Edy, M.D., Ph.D. of Duke University showed us back in the early 90's that less than 15% of all medical interventions are supported by solid scientific evidence.  To add fuel to the fire, the prestigious BMJ (British Medical Journal) then showed us that only 1% of the articles in Medical Journals are scientifically sound (HERE).   So, should the practice of Chiropractic be lumped in with the medical profession and pharmaceutical industries?  I'll let Public Health expert, Dr. Paul G. Shekelle, M.D. answer that with a statement he made on ABC's 20/20 several years ago, "There are considerably more randomized controlled trials which show benefit of this [chiropractic] than there are for many, many other things which physicians and neurosurgeons do all the time."

But maybe --- just maybe ---- things are beginning to change.  In a shocking new development, the University of Pittsburgh Health Insurers have actually mandated that people have to try a course of chiropractic care before undergoing many spinal procedures (surgeries).  Yes, things may be changing; but is it really Evidence Based Medicine?  Absolutely not ---- not by a long shot!  And as long as the practice of Medicine is being largely funded and run by Big Pharma, it won't be!  This is why I started doing Video Testimonials last year.

I have lived in Missouri --- the 'Show Me" state since I was 21 years old.  As I have always told patients, the PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING.  Just show me the evidence!  OK; here it is.  If you want to see a real picture of Evidence Based Medicine, look no further than our VIDEO TESTIMONIAL PAGE (and HERE).  It is common place at Schierling Chiropractic, LLC to make quick changes in people who have suffered with a wide variety of health problems for 10, 20, 30, 40 ----- or EVEN 70 YEARS.  I am the last resort for most of the patients I treat.  And guess what?  Virtually every single one of these people had immense amounts of "Evidence Based Medicine" performed on them before seeing me.  Did it help them?  Just watch the videos and judge for yourself!  

Can I help each and every person I see here at Schierling Chiropractic, LLC?  Certainly not ---- and I would never hope to lead people to believe otherwise.  But is what I am doing here "Evidence Based"?  Although many would say that its not for various reasons; not only would I say yes, I would say "YES!"  If I think I can help people, I help them and do it as quickly as is humanly possible.  If I cannot help them, I try to get them to someone who can.  Period.  Dr. Shawn Thistle recently wrote......

"I have always been a proponent of adopting the term 'evidence-informed practice' because I feel it better reflects the reality of knowledge transfer into clinical decision making and patient care. What many forget is that 'evidence-based medicine' (EBM), as it was originally proposed, includes 3 equally important pillars:
1) The best available evidence.
2) The experience of the treating clinician.
3) The preferences of the patient regarding their care. 
I feel the term 'EBM' may overemphasize the importance of #1, at the expense of #s 2 and 3." 

And guess what?  Dr. Shawn is correct.  And think about why he's correct.  The 'evidence' that doctors base their treatment on is constantly changing!  As a person who has always been interested in nutrition (I was a part of Kansas State University's Nutrition / Exercise Physiology dual degree program 25 years ago), I have seen the "Evidence" in the field of nutrition change time and time again.  Allow me show you a few examples of "Evidence" from the world of nutrition.

Eggs and red meat used to be thought to be the cause high cholesterol (HERE).  We used to think that carbs could not make you fat or sick --- only dietary fat could do that. Now we know better (HERE).  Dietary Salt was, until very recently, thought to be the cause of High Blood Pressure (HERE).  Now we know better.   Oh, some day the pendulum will swing back and we will realize that EBM was not all it was cracked up to be.  But until then, it's what we are stuck with.

And is Evidence Based Medicine even a reality.  I say not.  Because so much of what we today call "Science" actually goes to the highest bidder, EBM is a mere pipe dream, with true healers getting crushed under the wheels of Corporate Medicine and Big Pharma.