How valid is our medical data?

Ask the Doc……..
“How valid is the medical data we depend so much on?”

That’s a great question and one that many people fail to think about. Medical facts are like a container of milk; they have a shelf life. Just think about how much the thought process has changed since most of us have grown up. We were taught that if we wanted to be healthy we should have a good breakfast. That of course consisted of eggs, bacon, grits (of course if you were from the south), “Wonder Bread” (since it “built bodies 12 ways”) and perhaps some Hostess Twinkies and chocolate milk. Today we’re told that very same breakfast might cause us to die of a coronary before lunch!

Red wine is good. No it’s bad. No it’s good for us. Drink a gallon of water a day. No you don’t need nearly that much. Yes you do. No you don’t. The facts change every few years.

Most recently data has shown that the prostate screenings men have been constantly told “must be done” and is “life saving” actually have not been shown to save lives. That certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t important but it does cause one to wonder.

And even if you follow the trends, you can’t always depend upon the data. That’s because of the limited government funding for research that causes many researchers to look to drug companies for needed dollars. Such companies can very much alter the “facts” in many ways. This can include changing the definition of outcomes after the tests and having their own employees ghostwrite the actual studies.

Some very impressive, valid, new data has just come out regarding osteoarthritis that will completely change the thinking and treatment of this disease. Long thought to be primarily due to age and excessive weight, the latest data actually shows that abnormal alignment (like a longer leg or flattened foot) is the major cause of arthritis of our weight bearing joints (feet, ankles, knees, hips and back).

The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association for example, has reported that “abnormal alignment of only five degrees (as measured from the ankle to the hip) increased the progression of osteoarthritis four to five times!”

Most recently the famed Mayo Clinic’s study showed that for “each degree of abnormal alignment there was a significant increased risk of the progression of arthritis of the knee,” and that “increasing age was only weakly associated with an increase risk of osteoarthritis of the knee.” They now consider poor alignment as “one of the most important risk factors for osteoarthritis.”

So the best way to stay active without pain, medications or surgery is to have a structural

evaluation and function with as little joint stress as possible.

We need data and must depend upon the latest research for our health. But like anything else, “let the buyer beware.”

A former reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon and past Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Emory, Dr. Pack practices at MCG in Greensboro. He specializes in biomechanical structural analysis and works with patients who have arthritis and wish to decrease joint symptoms and remain active. Dr. Pack also treats athletes at all levels. In the 2004 Olympics he had a silver and gold medalist. He also helps the UGA Golf Team (2005 NCCA National Champions). For further information please see www.drloupack.com, drloupack.blogspot.com or contact him directly at 706-454-0040.