How the mighty have fallen.......

There have been people who've been directed to this blog from google search results for phrases containing the word '5HT'. Folks, sorry....it's just a name that occurred to me while creating the blog.
With the meta-analysis published in the PLoS taking a symbol of hope away from ironically those wanting hope-help-worth, I expect more people to be misdirected to this blog. Sorry again.
But I do feel amazed that the symbolic blue white capsule had given hope to so many who had lost it all, when it was no more than just a placebo.Or so they say.If anything it is a tribute to the powers of placebo therapy. Shrinks will argue about anecdotal cases of miraculous recovery, those who have recovered will swear by it really being the feel good pill.But in the hard unforgiving world of show-me-the-figures, prozac draws a null.

I have always been surprised that drug trials when comparing an outcome between a test drug and placebo always show nonzero results with placebo. The opioid theory is understandable for nontangible outcomes where there is a human element involved or symptomatic relief is sought, but not where there are hard quantifiable objective outcomes.
That placebo is not superior to no treatment was elucidated well in this great piece in the NEJM.The authors however agreed that when subjective or non continuous outcomes were analyzed then placebo did make a difference. Here we can discern the difference between the "science" and the "art" of medicine.For the individual patient feeling good is not the same as a clean coronary on cath. Just as a clean coronary does not mean end of therapy. How many busy cardiologists can claim to successfully treat such a patient? If your jeera goli homeopathy can succeed in that, then all the figures can go screw a hyena.

Ain't I talking like a GP?


Happiness was just about feeling happy
T'was not "not feeling sad"
The they made a pill to make you happy
Now it really doesn't work,..aw!! thats really just so bad!!