IT·Science Talk
A retired pharmacist's checklist for reading health news
After forty years behind a pharmacy counter in Busan, the question I heard most often was some version of 'I read that this new thing cures that'. I still read health headlines every morning, so here is the checklist I use. Perhaps it is useful to some of you.
Who was studied? Mice, cells in a dish, or people? Many exciting results are in mice and never reach humans.
How many people, and was there a comparison group? Twenty people with no control group is a hint, not an answer.
Relative or absolute? 'Halves the risk' sounds dramatic, but if the risk goes from 2 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,000, it is a small change for any one person.
Who paid, and is it published? Company funding does not make a result false, but it is a reason to wait for independent confirmation.
None of this requires a science degree. It only requires the patience to read past the headline.