5 ms·

Medical science will make great progress when it's able to to challenge some of its basic assumptions. No single person did more damage to the progress of Medi

by tcj_phx 10y ago

Medical science will make great progress when it's able to to challenge some of its basic assumptions. No single person did more damage to the progress of Medical Science than Ancel Keys [1]. Dr. Keys hypothesized that heart disease was caused by the consumption of saturated fats, and recommended that people avoid the consumption of animal fat, in favor of deodorized polyunsaturated vegetable oil. We now know that partially-hydrogenated oils (such as were used in Crisco, before it was reformulated in the early 2000's) are the real villains. But the grocery store shelves are still lined with 'healthy' Safflower, Soybean, Corn, and Cottonseed oils. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancel_Keys#Seven_Countries_Study https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancel_Keys#Seven_Countries_Stu... The drug industry has done a lot of damage too. For example, Doctors have spent decades suppressing cholesterol levels, instead of trying to figure out the meaning of high cholesterol levels. Dissidents against the cholesterol hypothesis have been gaining traction in recent years, even among the professional class. In Anatomy of an Epidemic, [2] Robert Whitaker covers how the pharmaceutical industry conquered the psychiatric profession in the 1980's. [2] http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Anatomy%20of%20an%20Epidemic.html http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Anatomy%20of%20...

misterhtmlcss 10y ago
NASA got the guys home safe from Apollo 11 because brilliant and I mean brilliant minds worked together. My uncle was one of them and he's the craziest, yet most intelligent person I've ever known. Teamwork is different than collaboration. In teamwork intellectual pursuits can achieve great success, but collaboration needs to be tempered, because many times collaboration means just talking and sharing with weaker members, but teamwork is an ability to effectively communicate, form and dissolve efficiently collaborative groups to optimize for results... That's how I've always separated the two words, might not be for everyone that definition. Also the other great provider of innovation is pressure towards a definable goal, which most organizations lack looking at them as an external, which doesn't mean I'm accurate, but does cause me to question whether this could be an issue that'll need to be addressed. The singular approach had this goal oriented approach build in by its very nature and the collaboration leads to security and it can be difficult to inspire the same degree of engenuity. Wrote from my mobile, so please consider that before you play wack a mole with my comment.
tptacek 10y ago
Wait, statins are bad now?
- carbocation 10y ago
  Statins are an extremely powerful tool for reducing morbidity and mortality. Statins are like vaccines in their ability to attract deniers, but the genetic data are in complete alignment with the clinical trial results.
  - tcj_phx 10y ago
    So says the cardiology fellow… One theory as to why statins have a small degree of influence is that they actually have an anti-inflammatory action. When my father talks with his patients, he finds many of them couldn't tolerate statins' side effects.
    - carbocation 10y ago
      > So says the cardiology fellow… Would you say "so says the cryptographer" to circumscribe something that `tptacek says about cryptography? > One theory as to why statins have a small degree of influence is that they actually have an anti-inflammatory action. When my father talks with his patients, he finds many of them couldn't tolerate statins' side effects. Given the predictable effects of LDL-cholesterol lowering on MACE and death, invoking beneficial mechanisms of statins beyond LDL-cholesterol lowering (e.g., by anti-inflammatory effects) is not that well supported (or necessary to explain the benefits), but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
      - tcj_phx 10y ago
        > Would you say "so says the cryptographer" to circumscribe something that `tptacek says about cryptography? The American Heart Association still promotes Ancel Keys' dietary philosophy, so everything they touch is tainted. An appology for The Mistake (promoting vegetable oil) is necessary to begin the process of rebuilding trust. I subscribe to a medical news email - one of the recent editorials was about needing to re-examine the profession's obsession with cholesterol. When I find the link I'll post again. But basically the gist is that the CETP agents are good at lowering cholesterol levels, but not so good at lowering mortality, so maybe the hypothesis needs to be reconsidered.

by tcj_phx 10y ago

misterhtmlcss 10y ago

NASA got the guys home safe from Apollo 11 because brilliant and I mean brilliant minds worked together. My uncle was one of them and he's the craziest, yet most intelligent person I've ever known. Teamwork is different than collaboration. In teamwork intellectual pursuits can achieve great success, but collaboration needs to be tempered, because many times collaboration means just talking and sharing with weaker members, but teamwork is an ability to effectively communicate, form and dissolve efficiently collaborative groups to optimize for results... That's how I've always separated the two words, might not be for everyone that definition. Also the other great provider of innovation is pressure towards a definable goal, which most organizations lack looking at them as an external, which doesn't mean I'm accurate, but does cause me to question whether this could be an issue that'll need to be addressed. The singular approach had this goal oriented approach build in by its very nature and the collaboration leads to security and it can be difficult to inspire the same degree of engenuity. Wrote from my mobile, so please consider that before you play wack a mole with my comment.

tptacek 10y ago

Wait, statins are bad now?

carbocation 10y ago
Statins are an extremely powerful tool for reducing morbidity and mortality. Statins are like vaccines in their ability to attract deniers, but the genetic data are in complete alignment with the clinical trial results.
- tcj_phx 10y ago
  So says the cardiology fellow… One theory as to why statins have a small degree of influence is that they actually have an anti-inflammatory action. When my father talks with his patients, he finds many of them couldn't tolerate statins' side effects.
  - carbocation 10y ago
    > So says the cardiology fellow… Would you say "so says the cryptographer" to circumscribe something that `tptacek says about cryptography? > One theory as to why statins have a small degree of influence is that they actually have an anti-inflammatory action. When my father talks with his patients, he finds many of them couldn't tolerate statins' side effects. Given the predictable effects of LDL-cholesterol lowering on MACE and death, invoking beneficial mechanisms of statins beyond LDL-cholesterol lowering (e.g., by anti-inflammatory effects) is not that well supported (or necessary to explain the benefits), but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
    - tcj_phx 10y ago
      > Would you say "so says the cryptographer" to circumscribe something that `tptacek says about cryptography? The American Heart Association still promotes Ancel Keys' dietary philosophy, so everything they touch is tainted. An appology for The Mistake (promoting vegetable oil) is necessary to begin the process of rebuilding trust. I subscribe to a medical news email - one of the recent editorials was about needing to re-examine the profession's obsession with cholesterol. When I find the link I'll post again. But basically the gist is that the CETP agents are good at lowering cholesterol levels, but not so good at lowering mortality, so maybe the hypothesis needs to be reconsidered.