When I was working on my doctoral thesis, my advisor beat into me very strongly the concepts of influencing variables and unaccounted for variables. I appreciated the pain of the extra time to produce a good thesis. Now, so many years later, I, too, scream at the new reporters who gleefully report improbable findings. My friends tire of my lectures about considering what wasn't considered as influencing or unaccounted for variables. My personal physician has learned that when using a study to justify a recomendation she better be prepared to engage in a serious research design conversation. I loved the book by Bergstrom and West of the University of Washington, "Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data Driven World." It is a good and entertaining read even for the layperson who struggles in the true and false data explosion.
The tennis sign also serves as a nice illustration of instrumentalisation — things are only valued for some measurable endpoint. In this case, longevity. In clinical medicine we've always been told that good rapport with a patient leads to better outcomes. But shouldn't we just be okay with the idea that a good rapport is good for everyone? Or tennis is just enjoyable?
Nice to know that I am not the only "raving lunatic" over stuff like this! My husband, a triathlete, believes everything his Garmin tells him- I could make a fortune if I could hack Garmin and insert messages like take out the trash-ha! VO2 max is the key for living longer. After several years of my explanations of confounding ( people with a high VO2max are fundamentally different from others) he finally believes me. However, now he wants to know what marker to obsess over now.
One off topic adjustment: it’s psychotic people who rant. Psychopaths blend into society, doing what pleases them without concern for moral or legal constraints.
Let us also keep an open mind that there is a great deal of good research being done within the field of exercise, particularly within exercise oncology. We can help by not just pointing out the bad articles but pointing to the good ones!
What’s more difficult is the amount of instances basic lessons of this sort are not expressed in medical education. Statistics and immunology should replace 3/4 semesters of chemistry that is forced to be taken. Would like to state clinical outcomes would improve but that study would be hard to do reliably to any reader of sensible medicine!
Not sure whether you guys have ever addressed the demand side .I think we are primarily dealing with ‘clickbaiting’ rather than churnalisim, Clickbait works for the journalists and publishers because the fish are attracted to particular sorts of bait - or fly. So the bait or fly that is most effective in hooking the fish is the one that is selected/constructed and used. Healthbait is particularly effective in landing lots of fish. I’m not ot all denying the media have enormous power but they are usually exploiting some basic human limitations in information processing and bS detection, which the current education system (deliberately) avoids tackling. Without addressing this, hoping for more ‘ethical’ and ‘responsible’ journalism is likely to be futile.
It is so true. The demand side is unavoidable, though, don't you think? We are all interested in health. It's probably too much to ask to not give people what they want but to give them what they need.
When I was working on my doctoral thesis, my advisor beat into me very strongly the concepts of influencing variables and unaccounted for variables. I appreciated the pain of the extra time to produce a good thesis. Now, so many years later, I, too, scream at the new reporters who gleefully report improbable findings. My friends tire of my lectures about considering what wasn't considered as influencing or unaccounted for variables. My personal physician has learned that when using a study to justify a recomendation she better be prepared to engage in a serious research design conversation. I loved the book by Bergstrom and West of the University of Washington, "Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data Driven World." It is a good and entertaining read even for the layperson who struggles in the true and false data explosion.
At least tennis has a miniscule risk of drowning.
The tennis sign also serves as a nice illustration of instrumentalisation — things are only valued for some measurable endpoint. In this case, longevity. In clinical medicine we've always been told that good rapport with a patient leads to better outcomes. But shouldn't we just be okay with the idea that a good rapport is good for everyone? Or tennis is just enjoyable?
Nice to know that I am not the only "raving lunatic" over stuff like this! My husband, a triathlete, believes everything his Garmin tells him- I could make a fortune if I could hack Garmin and insert messages like take out the trash-ha! VO2 max is the key for living longer. After several years of my explanations of confounding ( people with a high VO2max are fundamentally different from others) he finally believes me. However, now he wants to know what marker to obsess over now.
Preach it brother...!
Next sermon - nutrition?
(And thanks for the laughs - I needed them today.
🤓
Thank God--I've never hit a tennis ball in my 77 years on this earth, and I don't intend to start now!
My Friday morning pleasure!
One off topic adjustment: it’s psychotic people who rant. Psychopaths blend into society, doing what pleases them without concern for moral or legal constraints.
Let us also keep an open mind that there is a great deal of good research being done within the field of exercise, particularly within exercise oncology. We can help by not just pointing out the bad articles but pointing to the good ones!
Yes. I could do a better job of celebrating the good.
My idealism gets the best of me!
What’s more difficult is the amount of instances basic lessons of this sort are not expressed in medical education. Statistics and immunology should replace 3/4 semesters of chemistry that is forced to be taken. Would like to state clinical outcomes would improve but that study would be hard to do reliably to any reader of sensible medicine!
Well said! But since I'm a huge fan of both coffee and tennis, I choose not to believe your very sound logic.
:-)
https://paulsaxmd.substack.com/p/two-things-that-prolong-life-and
Well done sir. I updated the post to reference it!
So kind of you!
Not sure whether you guys have ever addressed the demand side .I think we are primarily dealing with ‘clickbaiting’ rather than churnalisim, Clickbait works for the journalists and publishers because the fish are attracted to particular sorts of bait - or fly. So the bait or fly that is most effective in hooking the fish is the one that is selected/constructed and used. Healthbait is particularly effective in landing lots of fish. I’m not ot all denying the media have enormous power but they are usually exploiting some basic human limitations in information processing and bS detection, which the current education system (deliberately) avoids tackling. Without addressing this, hoping for more ‘ethical’ and ‘responsible’ journalism is likely to be futile.
It is so true. The demand side is unavoidable, though, don't you think? We are all interested in health. It's probably too much to ask to not give people what they want but to give them what they need.
Adding to the implausibility—how could tennis be that good for you when pickleball is so dangerous??? 🤨
😂👏
Clearly it’s the perilous addition of ping pong (to pickleball).