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Correlation, causation, and association – What does it all mean???
A comment posted by a reader on a post reprimanded me for suggesting that marijuana caused relationships to go bad. In this instance the reader was mistaken, as I had specifically used the word “associated”, but the comment made me think that maybe I should explain the differences between correlation, causation, and association. I’m a…
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The placebo effect: So strong, doctors don’t even have to lie!
Almost everyone has heard about the placebo effect – the finding that treatment that have no particularly relevant effect (like a sugar or vitamin pill, or a behavioral equivalent) can make patients feel better. The placebo effect is actually the reason that all FDA approved drugs have to go through a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial…
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Talking to NIDA about addiction research- Nicotine, cocaine, treatment matching and more
It’s not everyday that I get an invite to speak with NIDA‘s director, Dr. Nora Volkow, and so, even though it required my creative use of some VOIP technology from a living room in Tel-Aviv, I logged onto a conference call led by the leading addiction researcher. When my colleagues, Dirk Hanson and Elizabeth Hartney,…
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About addiction: Bankers, courts, Obama, and painkillers
Hey everyone, here’s another roundup of some good links about addiction from around the globe – Addiction today – U.S. bankers seek treatment Breaking the cycles – Offender sentencing that makes sense Addiction tomorrow – Obama says NO to legalization Physorg – FDA cracks down on unapproved narcotic painkillers Don’t forget to look at our…