Scientific consensus is deeply flawed!

I argue that appealing to consensus as a primary means of validating scientific claims is deeply flawed for several reasons.

First, and most obvious, is the undeniable fact that scientific consensus changes over time.

At one point, most scientists thought the world was flat, and that the Earth was the center of our solar system.

More recently, they believed that ulcers were caused only by stress, and that applying ice to injuries is the best way to heal.

Second, consensus in science is often driven by factors that have nothing to do with science. Like money.

An example here is the idea that heartburn and GERD are driven by excess stomach acid. This is not supported by the current evidence, but it’s a fiction that suits pharmaceutical companies that sell acid-blocking drugs.

Third, as human beings, we are susceptible to a phenomenon known as “groupthink.”

This term was introduced by psychologist Irving Janis in 1971, and it occurs when “a group of well-intentioned people make irrational or non-optimal decisions spurred by the urge to conform or the discouragement of dissent.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/groupthink?utm_campaign=Chris%20Kresser&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=83338079&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9a9TRW1GzuLrmOdJ8fHvQmsMVjsD_-ItlONoqVDIgI71I9IsbsI6RFfEIA0u1KrFz2FveoH4fqiTDiNX6dNKM33FN_JWDphr2qqn8r15UqX-EasCU&_hsmi=83452679

The fourth reason is called the Illusory Truth Effect. This refers to our tendency to confuse repetition with truth. If we hear something repeated often enough, we start to assume it’s a fact—regardless of what the evidence says.

The history of medical and scientific attitudes about Lyme disease has suffered from most, if not all, of these issues.

For decades, the mainstream consensus on Lyme has been:

? Acute Lyme disease is real, but it’s relatively rare.

? Chronic Lyme disease doesn’t exist.

Many scientists and public health advocates have worked tirelessly to challenge this consensus, only to be sidelined, ridiculed, and even attacked by the conventional medical establishment.

The tragic and unjust result of this defense of consensus is hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have not only had to withstand the pain and suffering of Lyme disease without proper diagnosis and treatment, they’ve also had to endure the disbelief and even scorn of mainstream medicine.

Recent estimates suggest that as many as 2 million Americans are living with chronic Lyme disease. Yet they are still not getting the attention they deserve from doctors and researchers.

As a recent article on NBC.com points out:

“Clearly, we need more and better research into this polarizing — and frequently disabling —modern plague. The question is why this research isn’t being done, given the scale of the problem and the length of time we’ve been aware of the disease. It’s scandalous that, for such a common and serious chronic infection, over the past 20 years there have been only three NIH-funded randomized controlled trials evaluating antibiotic re-treatment of Lyme patients who remain ill after a short course of antibiotics. Two of them demonstrated benefits to re-treatment and the one which did not was fraught with invalidating biostatistical design errors.”

Fortunately, the overwhelming weight of evidence suggesting that acute Lyme disease is far more common than previously believed, and that chronic Lyme definitely does exist, has finally become impossible to ignore.

This is yet another lesson in the importance of guarding against scientific hubris, and always being willing to change our mind when new evidence comes to light.

God bless y’all ??

Dr. Serge

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