In therapy, we often speak about health related decisions we have to make for ourselves, our children or our aging parents. I encourage people to identify benefits and risks, and to consider their biases or blindspots that may undermine the wisest choices.
Every once in a while we find that preconceived notions, misunderstandings or completely false beliefs contribute to decisions. It’s always helpful to understand what we know—from science—what has been debunked, and what is myth or tale.
Since a false scientific claim led to enormous mistrust of vaccines to the detriment of millions, I’m sharing this summary of what we know about immunization safety brought to you by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Check out the links at the top for more information.
COVID brought this in issue both misinformation and conspiratorial disinformation into the public eye. Unsubstantiated treatments—some ineffective and others dangerous—gained attention and in some quarters supporters.
Taking time to look at credible sources, tracking information to primary research where possible rather than accepting summaries from our preferred information source, evaluating the quality of the information and its source, and intentionally pursuing evidence from multiple directions that arrives at a coherent conclusion is essential if one is to make informed decisions.
In the instance of vaccine safety mentioned earlier, here’s information about the deadly results when people say things about science without actually looking at and scrutinizing data and conclusions based on the scientific method.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2831678/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2831678/pdf/182e199.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2323045/