Recently I wrote an article regarding a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers who had concealed or altered research findings to look more positive regarding the drug “Vioxx.” These researchers and the New England Journal of Medicine editors found themselves in a precarious situation due to this unethical alteration of fact.
Well, it appears as if this is happening all over again Wall Street Journal has done an investigation of a study regarding the use of anti-depressant drugs in pregnant women. They found that most of the 18 authors of this study were paid consultants and/or lecturers for drug companies. The study noted that when pregnant women discontinue their anti-depressant drugs they increase their chances of a relapse of depression. This studies findings flies in the face of common medical wisdom which indicates that hormonal changes during pregnancy protect mothers against mental illness.
The lead researchers in this study are psychiatrists at Massachusetts General Hospital, UCLA, and at Emory University. These individuals immediately hit the lecture circuit following publication of this article, touting its findings. However, a respected California pediatric researcher has found a six fold increase in severe respiratory failures among babies who were born to mothers using anti-depressants. These antidepressants included substances such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. The lead researcher in this debated study is Lee S. Cohen, a professor at Harvard Medical School. He is also a long-time consultant for three antidepressant manufacturing drug companies, and a paid speaker for seven others. When questioned by the Wall Street Journal regarding these findings, he shrugged them off stating, “it didn’t seem relevant.”
Once again, I feel it is imperative that I emphasize to you the importance of not necessarily believing the findings of only one single research study. It is important that we have multiple studies validating the same findings regarding a specific incident or topic of research. It is equally important that we consider not only the quality of the research being performed, but the quality of the researchers performing these studies. When researchers have financial ties to either the product or the concept they are attempting to research, this study should be carefully scrutinized by anyone reviewing the study or anyone attempting to utilize its outcomes.
Please, be cautious and understand that just because someone is an expert in a field does not necessarily mean that they are the end all relative to the information they are touting. This is especially true in light of the Internet today. It is important that we are cautious of information we gain from the web. Make sure you consider the source and give time for other studies to be performed before you formulate an opinion. We are often too anxious to listen to an “expert” and get caught up in the fervor of a new study indicating, for example, that vitamin-E increases the incidence of cardiac disease. Let’s wait until the fact-finding is completed regarding topics such as this. Listen cautiously to findings of these studies, but do not necessarily make dramatic changes in our lifestyle based on one study.
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