Felicia Said:

What is your opinion of this definition of science based medicine?

We Answered:

If you are a regular visitor to the Science Based Medicine blog, you will know they talk about this a lot. The whole point of SBM, was that the Evidence Based Medicine movement that started in the 1980's, while very worthy, ignored the prior plausibility of treatments.

This wasn't a huge problem when things that made sense, or fit in with scientific knowledge were being studied. They had often been adopted because they were plausible, though evidence was lacking. The big problem is when EBM protocols are applied to implausible things....just the fact we use a p value of 0.05, means that 1/20 times...something under study may show a positive result just from random chance, and that is where so many of the "positive" altmed studies emerged.

What SBM states, is that implausible things...things that go against common scientific concepts or knowledge (eg homeopathy, "energy" medicine etc) need to be held to a higher standard of evidence than things that already fit within a solid scientific framework.

So, my definition would be any practice that is scientifically plausible, and supported by rigorous scientific testing.
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You've made the mistake of engaging Lightning in a debate...it is a waste of time. He never acknowledges when he's been bested and always has to get the last word.
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Dr T.....one of the few Alties on this board who gives reasonable answers. Unfortunately...while YOU may practice EBM ( I note you didn't say SBM...and note the difference) the majority of naturopaths whom I have dealt with do practice an awful lot of woo...and deserve the title of quack.
Altie, is just a term of endearment, and I never mean it in a pejorative way.
You talk about the line in the sand, and what separates us is evidence. If there is no reason to beleive something should work (ie is implausibile based on known scientific facts and principles) and there is no evidence it does work...then that is "alternative"

Sergio Said:

Christians, most doctors are atheists, should and do you follow their advice, based on the science of medicine?

We Answered:

I would, no matter what religion, they obviously qualify in medicine.
I thought most of them were religious anyway.

Miriam Said:

Can i get into a career in science?

We Answered:

Yes, you don't need to be a whiz at Calculus to be a doctor.
You don't have to take mathematics in college to get into med school, although you need four years of mathematics to gain acceptance into a pre-medical program.
As a matter of fact about 1/3 of all pre-med students avoid sciences altogether.

Although I am a bit surprised. Most people that dig science usually dig math. They both sort of go hand in hand. You should be capable of being a math rock star.
From what I see from most people that have problems in mathematics is that most people do not study properly. Even more that most subjects, mathematics is foundational. What you learn this year is not the last you will see from what you are learning. It will come back next year, and it will be more complicated.
I would go back and make sure that you fully understand the fundamentals and then hit algebra hard, you absolutely cannot steamroll through. Trust me if you like science, once you gain proficiency in mathematics you'll love it.

Cynthia Said:

What careers are science based but give the opportunity to travel?

We Answered:

archaeological forensics---it's medical related AND you can travel :)

Dorothy Said:

What do you think of these popular medical treatments?

We Answered:

I believe that Homeopathy is greatly over looked. I think there are great benefits from all types of practices. If we could find a way to put them all into one. I am not sure how religious you are... If you ever read on Islam, it mentions many herbal remedies for aliments ..

Franklin Said:

Why are the Christian Scientists so opposed to evidence based medicine?

We Answered:

It's weird isn't it? They are one of the better Christian organisations: sober, modest, quiet, scientific, spiritual...but for some reason they think medical problems have something to do with lack of faith or skewed belief...it's kinda '2 parts spirituality, 2 parts science, 1 part snakehandler'.

Karen Said:

Is Chinese medicine more spiritual based then science?

We Answered:

chinese medicine is all about yin and yang and how to use the herbal products to balance the qi in your body. there is nothing spiritual about it, except it exists till now because of the effectiveness of therapy.
learning the basic concept behind chinese medicine is not easy and it involves a lots of hard work and practice.
there is no specific clinical trials on chinese medicine such as in western medicines, where it stands as the basis for clinical practice and teaching. however, the using of acupuncture and chinese herbs have been passing down from generation to generation since thousands of years ago, but exists until now. we will guess how useful is this practice of body healing.