Tag Archives: fake news

Is it Really a Medical Breakthrough?

Every week media headlines tell us about another “medical breakthrough” whether it be for cancer, autism, depression, Alzheimer’s, obesity, glaucoma, the common cold, or hangnails. But then a funny thing happens – we don’t hear about it anymore. Our lives go on and so do the diseases. What happened? 

It turns out that most of the “breakthroughs” are fake news (to coin a phrase). Why? Because it sells. Who doesn’t hope that they (whoever they are) will finally cure (fill in the blank)? And we read all about it.

Recently researchers did something the media doesn’t often do – they did follow-ups of the so-called cures. They were found to be just so much hot air. They couldn’t be replicated by other scientists. (1) 

In an interview, lead author Dumas-Mallet advises: “When a study is an initial study, even if it’s very exciting and amazing … it still needs to be confirmed.” (2) 

Remember Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum, “Trust, but verify.”


  1. Harris R. Reports of medical breakthroughs don’t prove out. Health News from NPR. March 6, 2017. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/06/518802242/reports-of-medical-breakthroughs-often-dont-prove-out 
  2. Dumas-Mallet E, Smith A, Boraud T, Gonon F. Poor replication validity of biomedical association studies reported by newspapers. Published February 21, 2017.

Medical Breakthrough or Just Hot Air?

Every week we hear headlines about another “medical breakthrough” whether it be for cancer, the common cold or hangnails. But then a funny thing happens – we don’t hear about these great breakthroughs anymore. Our lives go on and so do the diseases. What happens to these amazing discoveries that would save us from suffering, extend our lives and make us healthy, wealthy, wise and give us better singing voices (OK, at least healthy)?

medical breakthrough

These “medical breakthroughs” are fake news (to coin a phrase) but they sell. Many of these so-called “breakthroughs” are produced by professional advertising agencies who give it to the media and they just run with it. After all, it does sell. Who doesn’t hope that they (whoever they are) will finally cure (fill in the blank)? We read all about it.

medical breakthrough

No one remembers the stories that have disappeared. We won’t ever read or hear, “News flash, remember that exciting breast cancer cure from last month? Well, never mind.” Or at best it’ll be buried on page 39 near the obituaries (where it would belong).

What we need is for media reporters to perform an unnatural act: report on past medical breakthroughs. Recently some researchers did just that and did follow-ups of the so-called cures.

What did they find? The majority of the medical breakthroughs were found to be just so much hot air. They couldn’t be replicated by other scientists. (1)

In an interview, lead author, Dumas-Mallet advises: “When a study is an initial study, even if it’s very exciting and amazing … it still needs to be confirmed.” (2)

This seems like a good time to remember Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum, “Trust, but verify.”


  1. Dumas-Mallet E, Smith A, Boraud T, Gonon F. Poor replication validity of biomedical association studies reported by newspapers. PLOS One. February 21, 2017.
  2. Harris R. Reports of medical breakthroughs don’t prove out. Health News from NPR. March 6, 2017.

Is it Really a Medical Breakthrough?

Every week media headlines tell us about another “medical breakthrough” whether it be for cancer, autism, depression, Alzheimer’s, obesity, glaucoma, the common cold or hangnails.

But then a funny thing happens – we don’t hear about it anymore. Our lives go on and so do the diseases. What happened?

Fake Newsmedical breakthrough or fake news

It turns out that most of the “breakthroughs” are fake news (to coin a phrase). Why? Because it sells. Who doesn’t hope that they (whoever they are) will finally cure (fill in the blank)? And we read all about it.

Following up on medical breakthroughs

Recently researchers did something the media doesn’t often do – they did follow-ups of the so-called cures. They were found to be just so much hot air. They couldn’t be replicated by other scientists.

In an interview, lead author Dumas-Mallet’s advises: “When a study is an initial study, even if it’s very exciting and amazing … it still needs to be confirmed.”

Remember Ronald Reagan’s famous dictum, “Trust, but verify.”