Evidence-Based Medicine Matters

Dr Alexander Burnfield

Trustee, The Multiple Sclerosis Trust

Medicine which is not evidence based is just a wish-fulfilling fantasy. In my experience of having multiple sclerosis (MS) myself and meeting others with the illness, people with MS and their relatives quite often believe someone somewhere MUST have the cure or treatment - and therefore they conclude doctors and scientists are withholding the information they crave. Coming to terms with a diagnosis like MS is a process that takes time and understanding - denial is inevitably a part of that. Some people take advantage of people with MS and their relatives and make therapeutic claims which are appealing but unsubstantiated, exploiting the vulnerability of the emotionally fragile newly diagnosed, and the guilt of their relatives. The situation is often exploited financially by these "quacks" - some medically qualified to the shame of our medical profession. Education, sensitivity and accurate information can go a long way to combating the deceivers, but I contend that such deceivers should be be dealt with severely by the justice system. There is nothing more despicable than taking advantage of vulnerable people when they are down, without support and lacking evidence based information or hope.