Dr Rajiv Desai
An Educational Blog
IMITATION SCIENCE
_ IMITATION SCIENCE: _ The figure below shows imitation jewelry resembling real jewelry but costs only rupees 788/= In the same way, imitation science resembles science but fares poorly on scientific methods: There is no evidence to show that high dose vitamins prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease and maintain good health in healthy (non-pregnant) adults. There is no evidence to show that calcium supplements prevent fractures in normal adults including post-menopausal women. Yet billions take vitamins and calcium pills recommended by doctors and/or media driven by pharmaceutical industry which displays purported scientific studies (imitation science) showing benefits of vitamins and calcium supplements. _______ Prologue: There is a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in which Calvin poses the question to Dad: “Why does ice float?” Dad responds: “Because it’s cold. Ice wants to get warm, so it goes to the top of liquids in order to be nearer to the Sun.” […]
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: Prologue: A well educated and qualified doctor from western country practiced in an underdeveloped tribal area of an African country full of quacks and god-men but became very popular. When asked how such a scientific and rational doctor became popular among tribal, he gave a simple answer. He said that one third of patients are psychic, another one third have self limited illnesses and the remaining one third have illnesses which need his attention. The quacks and the god-men can cure psychic & self limiting illnesses but only he could cure the rest and that is why he became popular. This is the difference between the conventional scientific medicine and traditional unscientific medicine. Thousands of years ago everybody believed that the sun revolves around the earth & the earth is stationary but today, everybody believes that the earth revolves around the sun & rotates on […]
