Comments on: “The plural of anecdote is not data” . . . part 1 of 4 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/ Dedicated to helping families eat whole foods Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:00:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: yvettep http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2072 yvettep Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:42:30 +0000 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/?p=193#comment-2072 Believe it or not, money makes the decisions regarding your healthcare. Remember Nevada? Healthcare professionals using used needles on sick patients because management wanted to cut costs? I am of the belief that one day the pride America has of having the best healthcare in the world will burst spectacularly. Believe it or not, money makes the decisions regarding your healthcare. Remember Nevada? Healthcare professionals using used needles on sick patients because management wanted to cut costs?

I am of the belief that one day the pride America has of having the best healthcare in the world will burst spectacularly.

]]> By: Robyn http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2061 Robyn Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:22:43 +0000 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/?p=193#comment-2061 Trudeau: a bit reactionary/extreme for me. I flipped through it and thought that while I generally agree, I don't see anything there I haven't read in many other places. A couple of people had recommended it to me. --Robyn Trudeau: a bit reactionary/extreme for me. I flipped through it and thought that while I generally agree, I don’t see anything there I haven’t read in many other places. A couple of people had recommended it to me.

–Robyn

]]> By: Sixkids http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2052 Sixkids Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:19:30 +0000 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/?p=193#comment-2052 "A profit motive is often counter to the interests of the public health (a flaw in the capitalist economic system, not that I’m advocating for any other system). " I'm not so sure this is necessarily a flaw in the capitalist economic system so much that it is a flaw that comes when combining that with governmental regulation. We don't have a true capitalist economic system when it comes to food, mainly because the government opts to regulate the food & drug industry. That governmental regulation is supposedly to help the general public, but what it does is open the door to companies lobbying and paying for government policy that may not be best for all. So one must question - should the government make any policies at all when it comes to food and health? Many would argue yes, as it benefits us all to be healthy - lower health care costs and all that. Yet the government wasn't even supposed to be in health care in the first place (that's not in the constitution!) In a truly free capitalist market, you would have independent organizations which could monitor food and health safety, and people would be at liberty to make their own decisions. Not ever having lived in a situation like this though, I can't say with certainty that you would not have the big bucks companies paying for stats that make their foods sound healthy. “A profit motive is often counter to the interests of the public health (a flaw in the capitalist economic system, not that I’m advocating for any other system). ”

I’m not so sure this is necessarily a flaw in the capitalist economic system so much that it is a flaw that comes when combining that with governmental regulation. We don’t have a true capitalist economic system when it comes to food, mainly because the government opts to regulate the food & drug industry. That governmental regulation is supposedly to help the general public, but what it does is open the door to companies lobbying and paying for government policy that may not be best for all.

So one must question – should the government make any policies at all when it comes to food and health? Many would argue yes, as it benefits us all to be healthy – lower health care costs and all that. Yet the government wasn’t even supposed to be in health care in the first place (that’s not in the constitution!) In a truly free capitalist market, you would have independent organizations which could monitor food and health safety, and people would be at liberty to make their own decisions. Not ever having lived in a situation like this though, I can’t say with certainty that you would not have the big bucks companies paying for stats that make their foods sound healthy.

]]> By: Bet http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2038 Bet Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:15:06 +0000 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/?p=193#comment-2038 Robyn, I'm reading the Kevin Trudeau book right now, "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You To Know About", and while I do think him to be a tad extreme, his views on the FDA and Big Pharma seem to be generally grounded in truth. Have you read it? Robyn,
I’m reading the Kevin Trudeau book right now, “Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You To Know About”, and while I do think him to be a tad extreme, his views on the FDA and Big Pharma seem to be generally grounded in truth. Have you read it?

]]> By: yvettep http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/2008/06/30/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data-part-1-of-4/comment-page-1/#comment-2027 yvettep Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:48:40 +0000 http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/?p=193#comment-2027 Robyn, You are so right on with what you say about medicine and Big Pharma in particular. Two years ago I attended a conference that the American Medical Writers Association was having because I was interested in becoming a medical writer for Big Pharma (the carrot was the money). What I discovered was disgusting. These people don't seem to think it unethical to write FDA regulatory writing on pharmaceutical drugs in such a way as to make their flaws look minor. Basically, the trick is to tell the truth but manipulating it so that it's OK or missed in the formal blah blah blah that goes with scientific writing. How the FDA can't see this is beyond me....but then again, all Federal agencies probably have a backlog they've got to review quickly or else suffer public anger (fueled probably by bought politicians). Sickening. Robyn,
You are so right on with what you say about medicine and Big Pharma in particular. Two years ago I attended a conference that the American Medical Writers Association was having because I was interested in becoming a medical writer for Big Pharma (the carrot was the money). What I discovered was disgusting. These people don’t seem to think it unethical to write FDA regulatory writing on pharmaceutical drugs in such a way as to make their flaws look minor.

Basically, the trick is to tell the truth but manipulating it so that it’s OK or missed in the formal blah blah blah that goes with scientific writing. How the FDA can’t see this is beyond me….but then again, all Federal agencies probably have a backlog they’ve got to review quickly or else suffer public anger (fueled probably by bought politicians).

Sickening.

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