Science is not what it seems

We are bombarded by a lot of information these days and I am specially interested in health studies and researches. But have you noticed some of those studies claim just the opposite results? You do not know which to trust? When it come to a situation like this, I trust my logic sense.

There are a lot of books claiming that there are some miracle substances or foods that can cleanse your body. I have seen a lot of friends, plusy my parents and sisters, follow those books by heart. Even though some of the authors are professional doctors and surgeons, I am still very skeptical. Let me tell you why.

There is a Japanese doctor in US who performs numerous endoscopic surgeries. He wrote down in his book that most diseases, especially cancer, can be prevented if you follow his suggestions, such as eating meat from cold-blooded animals, stop drinking milk and eating yogurt, eat fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid oil and spices. To some extent, it is true, but this doctor made a very serious error - his sample space is biased. All his patients have one thing in common - their digestive system has problems. By following his diet, I agree that most of his patients feel better or never get ill again, but it is not true that ALL people following his diet will be better.

Science is a process. Results deducted from scientific researches are facts, but they are just partial facts, meaning they are only applicable when the environment and pre-condition is the same as in the lab. Most of the so-called scientific reports these days seem to purposely ignore the details how the "sample space" is picked. Keep in mind, with "skewed" samples, you can still have a false claim and have scientific process to prove your false claim.

"盡信書不如無書"

mm