“Follow the Science” is a Great Slogan, But is it True?

 First of all, this blurb is not an April Fool’s joke.

We’ve been hearing the statement of Follow the Science a lot during COVID, but the question is how accurate is it? There are questions that get raised with this as a slogan so maybe it should be changed to 

something like Science Leads, But Still Question.

Since COVID raises a lot of people’s hackles both pro and con, I’m going to look at another area to discuss this question.

Let’s look at the scenario where you go to your Doc and he diagnoses you with a particular condition or illness. You decide to get a second opinion. 

According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, 88% of second opinions will differ from the first Doc’s diagnosis. You’ll even have different treatment plans prescribed for the patient even if both Docs did come up with the same diagnosis. 

So, if you do want to follow science, the key question is simple - who’s science is it that you’re following – the first doc or the second doc? Just because the second doc has a different viewpoint doesn’t me that the second doc is right. It could easily be the first doc who was correct in the diagnosis and treatment.

So how do you pick which is the best and most accurate diagnosis for you?

These questions around Follow the Science come up all the time related to even simple everyday things like how much alcohol to drink per day, how much coffee, should you be walking 10,000 steps a day or should it be 6,000 and how vigorous does the exercise need to be?

The next problem is an even bigger issue, and that is that 70% of adults don’t even bother to get a second opinion. The percentage is even higher for those over age 65 as 85% trust their primary doc’s diagnosis. This means without a second opinion, you won’t even know if there’s a question to ask about what the best approach is for treating your disease or illness. 

We seem to have forgotten that there’s still a lot of art in the “science of medicine”. 

So, what can you do? One thing you can do is to go to websites like the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland clinic and john Hopkins where they offer online info about many conditions. Another is to subscribe to publications like What Doctors Don’t Tell You, Prevention and Bottom Line Health. 

Of course, if you want the correct opinion, just ask me and I’ll tell you what science to follow (just kidding!).

So…next time you hear someone say Follow the Science, you need to ask who’s science?(Reported Bottom Line Health, April 2023)