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jlrmac 's review for:
Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks
by Ben Goldacre
This book is still very relevant today, 7 years after it was published. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I try to be an intelligent consumer, but Ben Goldacre gave me lots of specifics to think about and apply. Most "scientific" results are based on bad science, and he explains what to look for. Look carefully for sample size, if all the results are reported, if the results are skewed, if there is a control, if it's been replicated. What is the degree of significance? Look at the procedures and results before reading the conclusion. Conclusions often are the best spin possible.
One of the things he spent a lot of time talking about what how powerful the Placebo Effect is and how it can be viewed as helpful.
One of my favorite examples was the background of current homeopathic medicines that can be traced back to the old world times when a flask was tapped 9 times on a leather surface to imbue it with healing properties.
The narrator was easy to understand and made it enjoyable. I think this is a good book for everyone, even if you don't agree with him.