A Heretic's Blog
The doctor-patient relationship is based on specific decisions. Alice is sick. So what’s on her mind when she visits the hospital? Firstly, she wants a diagnosis. What is wrong with her? Then she wants to know the best treatment to reduce her symptoms and return her to health. Perhaps she hopes for a cure or … Read more
This post was going to be a more detailed explanation, but it rapidly became too complicated. So let’s make it short and simple. Probability is about what we know and what we don’t. It is a measure of information and uncertainty. There’s too much philosophy floating about. We will start with Newton’s Flaming Laser Sword. … Read more
Dr Archie Cochrane was a medical officer and prisoner in a german WW2 transit camp. The food was scarce and limited, leading to an outbreak of swollen ankles (oedema). Only a week later, Cochrane was dealing with oedema above the knees. Things were getting worse. The Trial Archie Cochrane remembered the wet beriberi caused by … Read more
Before we begin, this is about a great historical experiment. It says nothing about the efficacy and utility of vaccines. Don’t confuse science with technology: vaccination is a technology. We can accept Pasteur’s experiment on anthrax in sheep while understanding that it doesn’t apply elsewhere. Specifically, it doesn’t validate or invalidate any other vaccine, in … Read more
Vitamin C can enable cancer patients to live longer. At least, that’s what the data from the initial clinical trials demonstrate. To gain context, we will consider the big cancer killers, solid tumours in major organs. Lung, breast, colon, rectal, stomach, kidney, ovary, and bladder cancers are well-known examples. Doctors consider most conventional cancer chemotherapy … Read more
A sustained high blood level of vitamin C is a more effective anticancer agent than a short peak concentration. Most anticancer drugs are toxic, very toxic. They are slightly more poisonous to cancer than the host. The idea is to increase the dose to the maximum the patient can stand. The hope is damage to … Read more
The Purpose Of a System Is What It Does. Let’s take a trivial example. What is this for: A radiator has one dominating characteristic; it gets hot. Its purpose is to heat the room. Now, something a little more demanding. What’s the purpose of this cheetah’s behaviour: It’s hunting. The purpose of its current behaviour … Read more
The NIH did some computer modelling to show that Linus Pauling was wrong. They failed. Most people are familiar with a computer model. It is supposed to represent reality with some degree of accuracy. For example, the UK Met Office uses models to forecast the weather. People such as fishermen and farmers need accurate information. … Read more