Snowball in a Blizzard: A Physician's Notes on Uncertainty in Medicine

[Never Give Up]

Anyone read it? Just heard an interview with the author, he says one area of focus in the book is CFS and Lyme. Seems like it might provide a useful perspective.

 

[medfeb]

Anyone read it? Just heard an interview with the author, he says one area of focus in the book is CFS and Lyme. Seems like it might provide a useful perspective.

I've read it. He states "For about a generation, a small group of patient advocates, along with a coterie of physicians, have theorized that chronic fatigue syndrome is caused mainly by Lyme disease." But he usually uses the term "chronic fatigue" and spends the rest of the chapter debunking the idea of chronic Lyme disease. While he acknowledges the limits of medical science, he aligns with mainstream views on Lyme testing and seems to view the ideas about chronic Lyme as "anti-intellectual and antiscientific" and compares it to anti vaccine advocates. Just a flavor of where he's coming from.

Not helpful or balanced.

 

[Never Give Up]

How does he come to align with or reject the mainstream in the context of uncertainty? What's his reasoning?

 

[alex3619]

Uncertainty is a key feature of medicine. Doctors need to adapt to it, to use it, and to live with it. Sadly they are failing. I have not read the article, but what is written here looks like a mix of good and bad theorizing, and possibly failing to rise to the demands of uncertainty. I would need to read the full article to say anything more substantial.

 

[Never Give Up]

It's a book: http://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Bliz...ard&qid=1462340579&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1.