Clinical Trials

Some people believe that treatments for conditions are only valid if supported by randomized controlled double-blind clinical trials or the peer-review process. However, many treatments receive mixed results in clinical trials. The factors that cloud the issue include the following:

• Many treatments have a distinctive taste or feel, making it impossible to create a placebo.
• The "confidence interval" adds uncertainty to results. For example, a 95% confidence interval (often used as a benchmark) means that assuming null hypothesis, you only have to repeat a clinical trial 20 times to get the result that you want.
• Many natural treatments are impossible to patent, meaning that there is no financial incentive in performing clinical trials on a private basis to test these treatments. For example, a company can spend tens of millions of pounds proving that valerian and hops really does help you to get to sleep, but would gain nothing, because almost everyone already sells valerian and hops, including us.
• The peer review system, though useful, does tend to be subject to groupthink, and bias against non-mainstream views.