Is this MY problem?
When we read reports of a health study, we’re lead to believe that the researchers solved our problem. Earlier this year, a popular magazine had the headline, “Wine kills germs that cause sore throats and dental plaque, says awesome study,” with the final recommendation that, “So, if you feel a little tickle in your throat, forget the Advil — pour yourself a glass of wine instead.”
Our problem might be that we get sore throats and would like to speed up recovery. Or, our problem might be that we really like drinking wine but have been raised to believe that it’s not good to drink it when we’re sick. And if the authors of the studies reported by this magazine were thinking of our specific problems — well, problems solved!
Here’s the thing: Researchers don’t know you or your patients. The questions they set out to answer often aren’t the same questions you have about your patients. Sure, the dealcoholized versions of both a red and white wine (an Italian Valpolicella and an Italian Pinot Nero) were shown to have bacteria-killing properties (the authors removed the alcohol because they didn’t want the ethanol to do the killing). BUT, the ability for the alcohol-free wine to kill the bacteria was evaluated AN HOUR after it was added to the bacteria in the dish. I’m not sure how much time is appropriate to swish wine around in your mouth or to gargle even for a formal tasting, but an hour seems like a lot. Even if you’re polishing off a bottle over an hour, I’m not sure the concentration of the components responsible for killing these bacteria are persistently coating your throat for an hour in the same concentration as they are present soaking in a dish.
When you read the report of a health study, ask yourself, “What is the problem that is being solved?” And when you read the actual study afterwards, see if it’s the same problem, or even something that seems close to it. Because most of the time, it’s not. And if it’s not solving YOUR problem, then it’s of not much use to you.
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