Comment on My review of Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre by Sarah Best.
Thank you, Rambleale. You put that better than I could have.
The only part I would contest is “Trials often report benefits to lower than 95% of test subjects”. Unless I am mistaken, trials always report benefits to fewer than 95% of test subjects – though if anyone can prove me wrong on that, I will stand corrected.
Sarah Best Also Commented
My review of Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre
You know a lot more about statistics than I do, but in terms of clinical trials and how high the bar is set in order for a drug to be approved, let me tell you, after reading this book, that it is nowhere near as high as most people would assume it is.
You would think, wouldn’t you, that in order to be approved, a drug would have to be shown to give benefits that outweigh side effects in the majority of patients?
In reality, a drug only has to be shown to be better than a current treatment, or better than a placebo. What this means in practice is that many drugs are approved and licensed on the basis that they performed better than an existing drug that’s not very good, or better than a sugar pill. When you realise how low the bar actually is, it is a joke – or would be if it wasn’t so dangerous.
Recent Comments by Sarah Best
Eat less, live longer
Thank you, Daniel. And agreed. Fellow Dr Fuhrman fan here 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing that.
Yes, it is devastating to miss the love of a father.
And it’s not made any easier by the fact that this is so little talked about and understood.
But for what it’s worth, in the four years since I began writing about this topic I’ve heard from SO many women who feel just as you do.
That’s why I started my free email series on the father-daughter relationship, which is designed to answer the very questions you posed, and which I see you’ve signed up for. I hope you’ll find it helpful.
Thanks again for the share.
Sarah x
14 keys to thriving as a Highly Sensitive Person
That’s wonderful to hear, and thank you so much for the share.
My new favourite brand of natural perfume
Great to know, Shelda! 🙂
The deadly drug in your kitchen
Thank you for commenting, Miriam. I’d forgotten that I recommended agave in this article and I’ve made a note to revise it, as I have since revised my views – very much in line with what you wrote, in fact! I blogged about that here: http://www.sarahbesthealth.com/is-agave-syrup-a-healthy-alternative-to-sugar/ I still consider brown rice syrup a great choice since it’s essentially fructose free. As for research on the impact on emotional and mental wellbeing of consuming a high-sugar diet, I couldn’t agree more! And I personally think that what’s come out on this so far is just the tip of the iceberg 🙂
