Most things fall into  a range of “probably true” to “probably not true”.  Some things fall into the “absolutely not true” category, but it’s good to keep an open mind.  A few things fall into the “absolutely true” category as well, at least in any given period of time.  But one needs to keep an open mind about that too.  Plenty of things assumed to be absolutely true yesterday, turn out to be wrong as we learn more about ourselves and the universe around us.

Science is the best tool ever devised to determine how the world works.  Experimental designs have become better and better, but science has been around for a very long time. Some people spend their life designing the very best experiments possible to prove or disprove something.  These are statisticians and  scientists from all walks of life and disciplines who fret about the details of whether or not an experimental result was REALLY true or if there was some flaw that made it seem that way.

Part of the problem with people and the human condition is that we are, in fact, human.  We are human with flaws. So, there are always possible design errors in anything that humans design.  On the other hand, these errors should be scattered all around, and the bulk or preponderance of scientific evidence on the whole should still help determine what is real and what is a hoax.

Also, people are human and become too involved in politics and ideology.  Pure scientists will follow the data, but not all do.  The raw data is what it is.  The problem with that is that data CAN be manipulated and therefore you have to be stringent about details and descriptions of experimental design and how the answers were derived from the data that was collected.

However, when planned and performed  correctly, experiments and the data derived from them will answer what works, what doesn’t and how certain we can be about that result.  The purer the science, and the more similar studies that arrive at the same conclusion, the more we can be comfortable that something works, or does not work.

Clearly, there are a lot of gray areas.  That is the initial premise of this post. However, when you are looking for a solution to your pain, your problem, wouldn’t you rather try those things that are MOST likely to help you FIRST?  Wouldn’t you rather do that than wander blindly through the valley of advice and testimonials, while in pain, hoping that the next solution or remedy will actually work?  Hope, by itself, is not a good strategy.  Maintain optimism, but retain some healthy skepticism.  It’s in YOUR best interest, especially when dealing with something as fragile as your health.

Dr.Steve