On the recommendation of fellow blogger Abel Pharmboy, I purchased (and just finished reading all 300 pages of) a book called “Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine” by research methodologist R. Barker Bausell, PhD.

The book’s title is unfortunate, since it might lead you to believe that it offers an emotional attack against Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Instead, you’ll be delighted to find a very well reasoned description of research methodology, and how to discern truth from error in scientific reports and journals.

Now before some of your eyes glaze over, dear readers, let me explain why the concepts in this book are important. First of all, you are exposed to a steady stream of “research findings” by the media, many of which are contradictory and confusing. “Don’t drink wine, do drink wine, estrogen is good, estrogen is bad, vitamin C shortens cold symptoms, vitamin C doesn’t impact cold symptoms.” If you would like to know how to get off the treadmill of conflicting evidence once and for all, then this book is for you.

Secondly, if you are looking for an enlightening analysis of what is known and not known about CAM, then you should read this book. Billions of dollars are spent by millions of Americans every year on CAM therapies. Are those dollars well spent? Do scientists have a moral responsibility to investigate claims and educate the public about the safety and efficacy of medical treatments? If they do, then Dr. Bausell has done his part, and I’m going to do mine here in this blog post series.

Thirdly, your health is one of the most important contributing factors to your happiness and productivity. Living your very best involves informed decision-making. And so as you weigh your options, it’s critical that you base your choices on accurate information. This book will teach you where to look for such information, and how to figure out if you’re being misled or  a victim of “spin.”

My favorite concepts that I gleaned from Snake Oil Science are these:

1. The media is not designed to represent scientific information accurately. Or, as Christopher Toumey said, “good science makes bad television.” So out of the gate, the public is at a disadvantage when it comes to interpreting health news.

2. There are many ways to draw false inferences in medical research. Bausell describes many of the ways that well-meaning scientists, and not so well-meaning scientists, can be biased  in their findings. He explains the reasons why false positive findings are common in CAM research (in particular) and why publication bias fuels further dissemination of these results.

3. There is no substitute for good research study design. Bausell describes why double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are the ultimate method for discerning treatment effects.

4. The placebo effect is the best current explanation for positive outcomes observed in CAM therapies. In a surprising analysis of the scientific world literature on CAM therapies (there are more than 300,000 articles), Bausell demonstrates that there are no well designed studies (published in leading medical journals) proving the effectiveness - beyond placebo - of any single CAM therapy. That statement alone should encourage you to read the book and see for yourself if you’re convinced by Bausell’s arguments.

And so I’ve decided to try to summarize some of these concepts in a few blog posts, so as to give you some insight into the world of medical research, its inherent weaknesses, and how to interpret health claims on your own. Now, if I lose any of you on the journey, my apologies. I’ll return to drooling doggies and dislocated elbows in the near future. I enjoy writing those kinds of posts as well. Shall we begin?This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.