Anecdotes on Biases & Quackery

Storytelling is a powerful part of human culture as clearly evidenced by the power of podcasts particularly this one, which focuses on medical anecdotes to both entertain & inform. However, the emotional response of anecdotes can be used to spread misinformation & create harm when used to contradict evidence based medicine by anti-vaccine or so called “alternative medicine” advocates.

Lucky for us, Dr. Jonathon Howard, a neurologist & psychiatrist, who has written a book on critical thinking & cognitive biases in medicine joins the podcast this week to explain why are brains like stories & how that can be used against us.

Books Referenced in this episode:

Cognitive Errors & Diagnostic Mistakes: A Case-Based Guide To Critical Thinking in Medicine by Dr. Jonathon Howard, MD

https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319932231

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Dr. Oliver Sacks, MD

Nostrums and quackery; articles on the nostrum evil and quackery, Compiled by the Journal of the American Medical Association

https://archive.org/details/nostrumsquackery00amerrich

Dollars for Docs Website

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

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Original Music for Antidotes, Stories in Medicine created by Peter Hopkins

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Disclaimer: This podcast is not meant to provide medical advice. Always consult with your own health care professional. Names, locations, times & any other potentially identifying information about cases discussed have been changed to protect privacy.