Oft-studied sleep deprivation for depression still shows only temporary gains in those that do respond.
The release also neglected to mention a quoted surgeon’s conflict of interest as well as harms and costs associated with knee replacement surgery.
Boston U’s study of UV LEDs on skin samples is a lab outcome, not a clinical outcome on patients.
Some discussion of costs, harms and more focus on what the benefits actually represent to patients would have made the release stronger.
Readers would take away a better understanding of this critical issue if the release focused more on the study itself than on quoting researchers on the importance of the project.
The release never specifies which risks were reduced.
The release isn’t clear about just who should get this treatment and ends up over-selling it for all types of joint pain.
Stating that researchers have “proof” that an antidepressant can slow Parkinson’s progression is misleading when the drug hasn’t been tested in patients.
But readers would have been better served if the release had been sent after the relevant research was also publicly available.
This is very preliminary research and the limitations of animal research and small samples should have been mentioned in the release.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
Tips for Understanding Studies
