Critique of Pure Evidence

Summary

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) becomes ever more important for the legal situation of homeopathy. This poses a problem insofar as many influential proponents of EBM consider homeopathy to be a mere placebo therapy. The difficulty of homeopathy with EBM is that the statistical method is not very reliable, especially when it comes to regulative therapies. This first article investigates the limitations and shortcomings of EBM in general.

Key words

Evidence-based medicine - Homeopathy - Regulation

References

• 1 As references are numerous they are not reproduced here. They are available at http://www.systemic-medicine.eu/pdf/Ivanovas_Critque of EBM _References1.pdf

1 A newer study declines the strategy of “watchful waiting” showing that an antibiotic therapy is more effective than a placebo therapy when strict criteria for otitis are used as middle-ear fluid, inflammatory signs in the tympanic membrane and fever, ear pain, or respiratory symptoms [65]. However, the study does not take any side effects into account, like allergies, relapses, long-term consequences for the gut flora, or the development of resistance.

2 “It is said that coincidence may play so large a part in causes of statistical errors, that we should base conclusions only on large numbers. But physicians have nothing to do with what is called the law of large numbers, a law which, according to a great mathematician's expression, is always true in general and false in particular” [4] S. 138.

3 Ghost writing seems to be common practice in medicine. Articles written by the pharmaceutical companies are published under the name of well-known scientists [66, 67].