4 ms·

This does not tie in with my experience as someone who had those removed at age 6. This winter for example, everyone in our household had nasty chest infections

This does not tie in with my experience as someone who had those removed at age 6. This winter for example, everyone in our household had nasty chest infections except me.

zaarn 8y ago
Anecdotal data is not a good source of medical advice.
- tomohawk 8y ago
  When treating a patient, using the results of a study is a good starting point, but it may really have nothing to do with treating the specific patient. The patient may fall outside of the distribution of normal occurrences, as indicated by the study. They may be an outlier. This is one reason why medicine is challenging - you're not treating a population, you're treating a patient. If you are the patient, you want the doctor who is guided by science, but also not blinded by "well, the studies say to do X, but that's not working. I guess there's nothing I can do for you". In my case, I had my tonsils removed as an adult and it is one of the best medical decisions I've ever made. Prior, I had all kinds of health problems. They are now gone, and while I used to get sick a few times a year to the extent of missing work, that no longer happens.
  - zaarn 8y ago
    While I generally agree, treating a patient is also not as simple. For example, I never had my tonsils removed and in the past 5 years I have not been sick a single time. Plus, this doesn't invalidate the study itself, as the results merely lay out a chance, the probability that you will suffer long term effects. People can smoke cigarettes their entire life and never get lung cancer or they smoke once and get a diagnosis for lung cancer next year.
- sv12l 8y ago
  It think their entire study is based on the collection of such 'anecdotes'.
  - zaarn 8y ago
    With some good statistics you can make fairly certain assumptions that the anecdotal data you collect is a good sample of the broader population. A single data point as presented by OP is less valuable than that of a study, which contains multiple data points.
- barking 8y ago
  It's not anecdotal because I was giving own experience. Also I wasn't offering any advice.
  - zaarn 8y ago
    Your own experience is anecdotal.
    - barking 8y ago
      Your own experience cannot be anecdotal
      - zaarn 8y ago
        Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony. When compared to other types of evidence, anecdotal evidence is generally regarded as limited in value due to a number of potential weaknesses, but may be considered within the scope of scientific method as some anecdotal evidence can be both empirical and verifiable, e.g. in the use of case studies in medicine. Other anecdotal evidence, however, does not qualify as scientific evidence, because its nature prevents it from being investigated by the scientific method. [Wikipedia/Anecdotal Evidence]
        barking 8y ago
        This does not contradict the point I made in my post previous to this one.

This does not tie in with my experience as someone who had those removed at age 6. This winter for example, everyone in our household had nasty chest infections except me.

zaarn 8y ago

Anecdotal data is not a good source of medical advice.

tomohawk 8y ago
When treating a patient, using the results of a study is a good starting point, but it may really have nothing to do with treating the specific patient. The patient may fall outside of the distribution of normal occurrences, as indicated by the study. They may be an outlier. This is one reason why medicine is challenging - you're not treating a population, you're treating a patient. If you are the patient, you want the doctor who is guided by science, but also not blinded by "well, the studies say to do X, but that's not working. I guess there's nothing I can do for you". In my case, I had my tonsils removed as an adult and it is one of the best medical decisions I've ever made. Prior, I had all kinds of health problems. They are now gone, and while I used to get sick a few times a year to the extent of missing work, that no longer happens.
- zaarn 8y ago
  While I generally agree, treating a patient is also not as simple. For example, I never had my tonsils removed and in the past 5 years I have not been sick a single time. Plus, this doesn't invalidate the study itself, as the results merely lay out a chance, the probability that you will suffer long term effects. People can smoke cigarettes their entire life and never get lung cancer or they smoke once and get a diagnosis for lung cancer next year.
sv12l 8y ago
It think their entire study is based on the collection of such 'anecdotes'.
- zaarn 8y ago
  With some good statistics you can make fairly certain assumptions that the anecdotal data you collect is a good sample of the broader population. A single data point as presented by OP is less valuable than that of a study, which contains multiple data points.
barking 8y ago
It's not anecdotal because I was giving own experience. Also I wasn't offering any advice.
- zaarn 8y ago
  Your own experience is anecdotal.
  - barking 8y ago
    Your own experience cannot be anecdotal
    - zaarn 8y ago
      Anecdotal evidence is evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony. When compared to other types of evidence, anecdotal evidence is generally regarded as limited in value due to a number of potential weaknesses, but may be considered within the scope of scientific method as some anecdotal evidence can be both empirical and verifiable, e.g. in the use of case studies in medicine. Other anecdotal evidence, however, does not qualify as scientific evidence, because its nature prevents it from being investigated by the scientific method. [Wikipedia/Anecdotal Evidence]
      - barking 8y ago
        This does not contradict the point I made in my post previous to this one.