Why do headlines say coffee will harm you one week, but improve heart health the next?
Will New Medicines End Depression or Are They Giving False Hope? Why are celebrities like Kim Kardashian telling you that you need a full MRI? (you do not).
Who hasn’t wondered about the benefits of adding turmeric to our lattes, or turned to Dr Google when unable to get to or afford a GP?
One of the greatest privileges of my job as a health editor is hearing stories from readers, colleagues and friends who open up about their health experiences, often after reading articles that Guardian Australia.
They share stories of struggling to navigate a medical system that doesn’t take their voices seriously, hope for recovery, falling victim to false accusations and caring for loved ones who are not well.
Another privilege is the discussions with researchers, doctors and medical professionals who help guide me and my team through strong evidence and medical data.
It is through this combination of talking to people with real life experiences and experts, as well as my own public health research, that my view of people who reject science and avoid medical treatment has changed over the decade I have been reporting on health. .
I don’t get it wrong – I understand the frustration on the part of (eg popular), anti-vaxxers. I sometimes feel like I’m taking care of my loved ones who are not good enough to depend on others to protect them.
The support system for the most vulnerable is being undermined with shocking results that governments and companies may be aware of. Scientific peer review can be flawed.
When the very experts in this industry tell us to have faith and they fail us time and time again, is it any wonder that some people start looking for answers elsewhere, sometimes in troubled areas?
In understanding who the health system has abandoned and left behind, we have seen the increasing and disproportionate influence of harmful companies. The players in this game – tobacco, food, alcohol, gambling and fossil fuels to name a few – deliberately undermine health policies, influence scientists and politicians and doctors. distract from the harm they cause.
I try not to judge those who fall for alternative (useless, sometimes harmful or toxic) treatment. But without passing on blame or responsibility to individuals, we want to empower you, our readers, to be more confident in navigating the complex world of medical science.
What makes a study difficult, and what do we really mean when we say “non-causal correlation”? How do actors cast doubt on hard science, promote science that is not true or weak or try to cast doubt on health policy?
That’s what this column – Antiviral – from the health and science team of Guardian Australia, is about.
From the tough questions to the silly, we hope this new bi-weekly column will be a safe place for people to ask questions about health and wellness information around them without feeling embarrassed.
We hope it will inspire those looking for answers to find them where the evidence points.
We’ll try to untangle the medical and medical cords, admit where we don’t have the answers, and hopefully leave you feeling healthier at the end of it.
Melissa Davey is Guardian Australia’s health editor. He has been reporting on health for over ten years. He is in the final semester of his Masters of Public Health and moonlights as a health teacher
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