MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'cause and effect'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:44:52 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140123&cid=t_241466_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F08%2F2012-and-beyond-end-of-world-as-we-know.html We seem to think that mind and spirit are separate, that there is a spiritual realm and a practical realm and that they do not overlap at all - and that the one does not inform the other.But cause and effect still rules and amoral actions in the here and now lead to direct consquences that are suffered by our children and grandchildren. Indeed.. unto the seventh generation. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140123 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5140123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592400&cid=t_241466_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcoffee-and-stroke-another-study-the-media-got-wrong%2F2011.03.14 Here we go again. Headlines across America blaring lines like, “Coffee may reduce stroke risk.” It was a big study, but an observational study. Not a trial. Not an experiment. And, as we say so many times on this website that you could almost join along with the chorus, observational studies have inherent limitations that should always be mentioned in stories. They can’t prove cause and effect. They can show a strong statistical association, but they can’t prove cause and effect. So you can’t prove benefit or risk reduction. And stories should say that. USA Today, for example, did not explain that in its story. Nor did it include any of the limitations that were included in, for example, a HealthDay story, which stated: “The problem with this type of stu... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592400 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:00:45 +0100 4592400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560273&cid=t_241466_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fibuprofen-parkinsons-study-few-news-organizations-report-on-it-accurately%2F2011.03.08 We’re delighted to see that USA Today, Reuters, and WebMD were among the news organizations that included what an editorial writer said about an observational study linking ibuprofen use with fewer cases of Parkinson’s disease. All three news organizations used some version of what editorial writer Dr. James Bower of the Mayo Clinic wrote or said: “Whenever in epidemiology you find an association, that does not mean causation.” “An association does not prove causation.” “There could be other explanations for the ibuprofen-Parkinson’s connection.” Kudos to those news organizations. And some praise goes to the journal Neurology for publishing Dr. Bower’s editorial to accompany the study. His piece is entitled, “Is the answer... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560273 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:00:43 +0100 4560273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489649&cid=t_241466_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fw5pRyeEeLFg%2F By John SamplesThe Harris Poll finds that most Americans favor cuts in foreign  economic  aid, foreign  military  aid, spending by  the  regulatory agencies generally, space  programs, subsidies  to  business, and federal  welfare  spending. All good stuff. On the other hand, a significant plurality opposes cuts in defense spending. Fewer than one in four favor cuts in federal education spending or health care. 11 percent favor cutting Social Security payments. Over one-third favor spending more on education, health care, and Social Security. How seriously should we take these results? Simple observation of Congress suggests that most Americans are not willing to pay more taxes. The Obama administration found that in focus groups Democrats were not willing to raise taxes on anyo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489649 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:51:16 +0100 4489649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965498&cid=t_241466_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F13%2Fproof-positive-can-other-people-make-us-happy%2F When we feel love and kindness toward others it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. – Dalai Lama Are we happy when we get what we want? It depends. This year the keynote speaker at the American Psychological Association convention was Dr. Dan Gilbert of Harvard. His book Stumbling on Happiness is an international bestseller and his talk was about affective forecasting: Do we know what will make us happy? He pointed out that we are hardwired from birth to be happy when we get salt, fat, sweet things and sex. Beyond that our culture provides us cues about what will make us happy. That was when he showed us a photo of his mother. He explained that his mother was the cultural agent informing him of what will make him happ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965498 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:40:55 +0100 3965498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3933089&cid=t_241466_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprevention-magazines-inaccurate-coffee-cures-story%2F2010.09.03 The September issue of Prevention magazine inaccurately headlines the story ”4 Ways Coffee Cures.” There’s no solid proof that coffee cures anything — unless some of you cure bacon with java, which I don’t want to know about. What the story (below) did was to try to present a cute little graphic summary of observational studies that show a statistical association between increasing coffee consumption and fewer early deaths, fewer deaths from heart attack, fewer cases of dementia, and fewer cases of type 2 diabetes. But such observational studies (they actually never cite the source — I’m just giving them the benefit of the doubt that they’re citing observational studies) CAN’T establish cause and effect, therefore it’s inaccura... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3933089 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:00:50 +0100 3933089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714381&cid=t_241466_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fon-blowback-and-judgement-of-history.html Blowback: The unintended consequences of intervention in the affairs of others.This is blowback. Given this modern era, it comes faster and harder than at any previous time.I'm not saying I agree or disagree with the statements made in the above video. That's not the point I'm trying to make. The point is that these tensions exist and are inevitably created when you send young men and women to war. Those who come back are affected and changed.This will change your culture and indeed, the world as a whole these days - in ways that are unpredictable, but directly related to the material and obvious justice of the cause.So here is the question - for those of you who are deeply and passionately in favour of the various wars out there - do you think the risk to your way of life is wor... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714381 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:31:00 +0100 3714381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702936&cid=t_241466_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-news-consumers-tired-of-misinterpreted-studies%2F2010.06.27 People aren’t dumb. Even if — or maybe especially if — news stories don’t point out the limitations of observational studies and the fact that they can’t establish cause-and-effect, many readers seem to get it. Here are some of the online user comments in response to a CNN.com story that is headlined, “Coffee may cut risk for some cancers“: * “I love how an article starts with something positive and then slowly becomes a little gloomy. So is it good or not? I’m still where I was with coffee, it’s all in moderation, it ain’t gonna solve your health woes.” * “The statistics book in a class I’m taking uses coffee as an example of statistics run amuck. It seems coffee has caused all the cancers and cures them ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702936 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:00:31 +0100 3702936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3671947&cid=t_241466_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2010%2F06%2Flet-us-speak-once-more-of-our-family.html "Tell The Truth and Shame the Devil."Having to conceal his relationship, Choi explained, contradicted his values, as well as the military values of integrity and honesty. He created a fake female name for his boyfriend in order to talk with other soldiers about his relationship, and he began to struggle to make up excuses about why the people he worked with couldn't meet his significant other. The delicate balancing act proved too much for Choi."It was really when I had to force my boyfriend into the closet -- that was when it got to be too much," Choi said. "That's when I saw it as lying and as absolutely immoral."I promised to live under an honor code at West Point that says, 'You will not lie, and you will not tolerate lying,' " Choi said. "It's simple. It doesn't say, 'Straight people ... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3671947 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:57:00 +0100 3671947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556157&cid=t_241466_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F11%2Fpower-increases-hypocrisy%2F We’ve all heard the expression, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The common wisdom is that the more power a person accumulates, the more they feel justified in their actions and motivations. “I can do what I want, because after all, why else would I have this kind of power?” But can research show a cause-and-effect relationship? Can an experiment demonstrate the slippery moral slope that people with power have also increases their moral hypocrisy (e.g., a failure to follow one’s own expressed moral rules and principles)? Psychology to the rescue! Indeed it can. In a series of five experiments by Lammers et al. (2010), Dutch researchers tested the following hypothesis on college students… We propose that power increases hypocri... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556157 Tue, 11 May 2010 16:15:04 +0100 3556157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3036005&cid=t_241466_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fwho-is-this-winger-laird-to-lightly-me.html I have difficulty keeping right-of-center sources in my sidebar. One large reason for this is that I will not send traffic where I expect that the people who represent that "traffic" will be disrespected.I've had "the next right" in my sidebar for some weeks, and a couple-three days ago, I decided I wished to register an account for myself, so that I might contribute a comment.The response was that my account had been deleted as a presumed spam account, based, perhaps based on my email (graphictruth at gmail dot com) and should this be in error,  I was to to respond to ... get this... thenextright@gmail.com.I did. I said (in part):The question arises; is The Next Right what it purports to be, or is it administered like, oh, say, Free Republic? From my perspective, this seems - caprici... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3036005 Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:38:00 +0100 3036005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416994&cid=t_241466_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F18%2Foptimism-software-special-offer%2F As a person starts upon his or her road in recovery from a mental health concern, a common question arises — how will I know I’m getting better? Therapists will often encourage (or even require) an individual to track their progress in treatment. Of course, such tracking requires some organization on the individual’s part, and can often be more hassle and work than they expect. Optimism Software is a simple, easy-to-use tracking tool. Optimism prompts you to keep a detailed record of all things that affect your state of mind. By monitoring patterns in your life you can identify negative influences that you need to avoid, early warning signs that your health is deteriorating, and the inputs and activities that benefit you most. Simple charts highlight cause and effect rel... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416994 Mon, 18 May 2009 12:24:54 +0100 2416994