Lecture: How to sift the truth from the dross in herbal writing and literature.
Thousands of people are writing about herbs. Whose word can we rely on?
We are sometimes told about research showing conflicting conclusions. How can this be?
Who can we trust and what do we need to know to find reliable information?
Basics
- Who is an expert?
- Writers with clinical backgrounds vs. those without.
- The Varro Tyler phenomenon
- What is the meaning of scientific information? The scientific method.
- Standards of Proof. Work of Tom Wolfe. http://www.smileherb.com/Smilebiz/tomwolfe.asp
Information as advertising and marketing:
- This applies to all sources.
- When is information manipulated to suit a manufacture’s marketing goals?
- How do you detect this and evaluate the results?
- Ex:Â Kyolic and Garlinase both claiming different positions from the same literature. Why and what is the difference?
The relationship between traditional and modern sources. Using each to clarify the other.
The sources and effects of the popular press. Where do the papers get their data for headline statements of the “Study shows that St John’s Wort may not be safe†type. How helpful are these?
The test of experience
Keeping a therapeutic notebook as the beginning of your own sources.