You can' t trust "experts"
“You can’t trust science or experts” is a growing concern in our world. I hope this post helps dispel that notion a bit. Science works best when “established facts” are reviewed and critiqued over time to continually test their accuracy. That what separates science from opinion. The article below is a great example of this.
In a recent article in Psychiatric Times, Dr. John Miller outlines what is an ongoing review of a study called STAR*D, which I’m sure you’ve never heard of but, if you are taking an anti-depressant, you and your prescriber should be aware of it. The prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) has called into question the validity of the findings.
Published in 2006, it has become “clinical dogma” for prescribing physicians around the world in treating depression with medications.
Here’s the key takeaway in the article:
“The BMJ authors of the new review performed a rigorous analysis of the interpretation of the STAR*D data, which they concluded reveals significant violations of the original submitted research protocol.3 The STAR*D investigators concluded that, “The overall cumulative remission rate [of all 4 steps] was 67%.”4 The BMJ authors concluded that, “In contrast to the STAR*D-reported 67% cumulated remission rate after up to 4 antidepressant treatment trials, the rate was 35.0% when using the protocol-stipulated HRSD and inclusion in data analysis criteria.” Hence, they concluded that, “STAR*D’s cumulative remission rate was approximately half of that reported.” (Italics mine)
Those of us in the neurotherapy world argue that long term medication strategies for mental health conditions is largely fools gold, providing no long term solution. Neurotherapy teaches the brain new adaptive “skills” which improve a person’s brain resilience and performance.
The studies on neurotherapy modalities, largely privately funded (very little government funding and far outweighed by the resources of the pharmaceutical industry), demonstrate results far higher than the medications we are asked to take every day to reduce up our symptoms.
Before you embark on a life long intervention resting on a theory of “chemical imbalance” which has zero evidence, I urge you to seek out services like ours which can dramatically change your life, without side effects.
