As Joe Friday said, "Just the facts, ma'am." But the facts are often ambivalent. While we all identify that quote with the iconic police show of the 1950s, Joe Friday never said it! It was actually said by Stan Freberg in a comedy parody of the Friday character. Just like Ilsa in Casablanca never said "play it again, Sam." Neither did Bogart say it. But both quotes are now accepted as fact.
So it is with a blog. If you repeat something often enough, it becomes fact. Some of what I post is my opinion or my observation. But often times I quote an article I read, mostly on line. I subscribe to a number of professional health care websites and Dear Husband gets the daily AMA on line news article which he sends to me if it is interesting.
It seems to me that a lot of research is now statistically driven. That is, for example, 10,000 people agree to fill out questionnaires or be interviewed (usually the former for obvious reasons) for several years. Their every day habits, exercise, diet, drug use, alcohol consumption, work experience, aspects of their personality, things, like that are recorded and become part of a giant computer program that can sort and categorize and spew out statistics that support every kind of conclusion.
The researcher is dependent on the truthfulness of the participant and the consumer of the information is dependent on the researcher to report accurately and to "not have a dog in the fight," as they say in the south.
So if I report a study that conflicts with your life experience or what you have read and believe or what your trusted health care professional has told you, rely on your good judgement and maybe your own Google research. Your good common sense goes a long way toward knowing what is right or wrong. Unfortunately a blog is mostly a one sided discussion with the writer pontificating about some subject. Thank goodness that once in a while someone who disagrees or questions some statement speaks up in "Comments" and gives the flip side of the issue. See "Insomnia Drugs PO Day 242."
I just wish commentary was more visible to the casual reader. Thank you, PB, for making my blog more interesting and conversational!
So it is with a blog. If you repeat something often enough, it becomes fact. Some of what I post is my opinion or my observation. But often times I quote an article I read, mostly on line. I subscribe to a number of professional health care websites and Dear Husband gets the daily AMA on line news article which he sends to me if it is interesting.
It seems to me that a lot of research is now statistically driven. That is, for example, 10,000 people agree to fill out questionnaires or be interviewed (usually the former for obvious reasons) for several years. Their every day habits, exercise, diet, drug use, alcohol consumption, work experience, aspects of their personality, things, like that are recorded and become part of a giant computer program that can sort and categorize and spew out statistics that support every kind of conclusion.
The researcher is dependent on the truthfulness of the participant and the consumer of the information is dependent on the researcher to report accurately and to "not have a dog in the fight," as they say in the south.
So if I report a study that conflicts with your life experience or what you have read and believe or what your trusted health care professional has told you, rely on your good judgement and maybe your own Google research. Your good common sense goes a long way toward knowing what is right or wrong. Unfortunately a blog is mostly a one sided discussion with the writer pontificating about some subject. Thank goodness that once in a while someone who disagrees or questions some statement speaks up in "Comments" and gives the flip side of the issue. See "Insomnia Drugs PO Day 242."
I just wish commentary was more visible to the casual reader. Thank you, PB, for making my blog more interesting and conversational!
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