Mathematical Models and Health
Recently I was sitting next to the guest speaker from the NIH who was speaking about mathematical models that were being developed to predict success of treatment for particular malignancies
"Is it possible that we are giving patients the wrong message when we predict for them?" I asked.
"Not really. Because people are guided by statistics that give them a window of what may come", he responded.
:"But perhaps we are introducing a nocebo effect for patients even though they don't know it."
Placebo means "to please" and nocebo would have the opposite effect An unintended negative response to the news about the statistical likelihood of poor survival could result when the matter science medical model reports the findings
Statistics are just that Numbers that come from models that have been developed about disease processes But none of us are a statistic We are human mindbodies who have free will and the ability to change our human course
There are so many predictions about the future which never come true So buyer beware of future predictions There may be benefit in not totally relying on a medical model that predicts
Have you ever had a prediction not come true? Do you think that predictions can help us? Do they help or hinder us?
Until tomorrow To health as a Skill Love DrBill
