"Disproved Concepts from the Recent Medical Past"
http://www.amjmed.com/article/PIIS0002934312005931/fulltext
Yes, they do seem silly, now, with hindsight, right? (See the list below)
That's what science is all about---- theorizing, testing, studying forming a 'truth'. Then comes the next bunch of theorizing, testing, studying---- all to see if those 'truths' stand up to time, experience or the new technologies that develop in the meantime.
Then---- more publishing in scientific journals. Then..... more. Then.... more.
You get the point.
Too bad there are places where the 'old' truths' still exist and are still repeated over and over---- and believed.
The 'take-home' point is:
" Don't accept without question what is taught to you todayit may well change tomorrow!"
I add, but only if everything is questioned with a skeptical mind-set.
Watch this video and think about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLwlpCxEsXs
1.Don't give beta-blocker therapy to patients with heart failure because beta-blockers depress myocardial contractility and will worsen heart failure.
2.Don't give sublingual nitroglycerin to patients with an acute myocardial infarction because it will cause a drop in arterial blood pressure and thereby worsen the ischemic myocardial injury.
3.All patients with an acute myocardial infarction should have a pulmonary artery catheter inserted because the hemodynamic data obtained can be used to guide therapy, thereby improving the patient's prognosis.
4.Patients with arteriosclerotic heart disease should receive chronic oral 2b3a platelet glycoprotein blocker therapy to prevent arterial thrombosis and myocardial infarction. This therapy will reduce the risk of death for patients with chronic arteriosclerotic heart disease.
5.Patients with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol blood levels benefit from drugs that raise HDL levels. Such therapy will prevent myocardial infarction.
6.Patients with acute myocardial infarction should be kept at strict bed rest for 3-6 weeks. Initially, such patients should be sedated, kept in a darkened room, and not disturbed in any way.
7.Lowering systolic blood pressure in elderly patients with systolic hypertension is dangerous and can lead to stroke.
8.Peptic ulcer disease is caused by stress.
9.Arteriosclerosis is caused by a passive process involving build-up of cholesterol deposits in arteries in a fashion similar to the build-up of calcium deposits over time in household plumbing.
10.Developing an implantable subcutaneous pacemaker-like device to detect ventricular fibrillation and deliver a defibrillating shock to the myocardium is a ridiculous and dangerous concept.
11.Ventricular premature beats are the triggers of sudden death. Suppression of ventricular premature beats with antiarrhythmic drugs will prevent sudden death.
12.Postmenopausal women should be treated with hormone replacement therapy because this therapeutic strategy will prevent myocardial infarction and Alzheimer's disease.
The take-home point from this editorial is the same as the one quoted above (last quotation) from my previous editorial on skepticism. Don't accept without question what is taught to you todayit may well change tomorrow!
Yes, they do seem silly, now, with hindsight, right? (See the list below)
That's what science is all about---- theorizing, testing, studying forming a 'truth'. Then comes the next bunch of theorizing, testing, studying---- all to see if those 'truths' stand up to time, experience or the new technologies that develop in the meantime.
Then---- more publishing in scientific journals. Then..... more. Then.... more.
You get the point.
Too bad there are places where the 'old' truths' still exist and are still repeated over and over---- and believed.
The 'take-home' point is:
" Don't accept without question what is taught to you todayit may well change tomorrow!"
I add, but only if everything is questioned with a skeptical mind-set.
Watch this video and think about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLwlpCxEsXs
1.Don't give beta-blocker therapy to patients with heart failure because beta-blockers depress myocardial contractility and will worsen heart failure.
2.Don't give sublingual nitroglycerin to patients with an acute myocardial infarction because it will cause a drop in arterial blood pressure and thereby worsen the ischemic myocardial injury.
3.All patients with an acute myocardial infarction should have a pulmonary artery catheter inserted because the hemodynamic data obtained can be used to guide therapy, thereby improving the patient's prognosis.
4.Patients with arteriosclerotic heart disease should receive chronic oral 2b3a platelet glycoprotein blocker therapy to prevent arterial thrombosis and myocardial infarction. This therapy will reduce the risk of death for patients with chronic arteriosclerotic heart disease.
5.Patients with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol blood levels benefit from drugs that raise HDL levels. Such therapy will prevent myocardial infarction.
6.Patients with acute myocardial infarction should be kept at strict bed rest for 3-6 weeks. Initially, such patients should be sedated, kept in a darkened room, and not disturbed in any way.
7.Lowering systolic blood pressure in elderly patients with systolic hypertension is dangerous and can lead to stroke.
8.Peptic ulcer disease is caused by stress.
9.Arteriosclerosis is caused by a passive process involving build-up of cholesterol deposits in arteries in a fashion similar to the build-up of calcium deposits over time in household plumbing.
10.Developing an implantable subcutaneous pacemaker-like device to detect ventricular fibrillation and deliver a defibrillating shock to the myocardium is a ridiculous and dangerous concept.
11.Ventricular premature beats are the triggers of sudden death. Suppression of ventricular premature beats with antiarrhythmic drugs will prevent sudden death.
12.Postmenopausal women should be treated with hormone replacement therapy because this therapeutic strategy will prevent myocardial infarction and Alzheimer's disease.
The take-home point from this editorial is the same as the one quoted above (last quotation) from my previous editorial on skepticism. Don't accept without question what is taught to you todayit may well change tomorrow!
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