EBM, CAM, Placebo

by Harri Hemilä

Department of Public Health
University of Helsinki, Finland
harri.hemila@helsinki.fi
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila
Sept 21, 2021


  1. EBM and CAM

  2. EBM Problems

  3. Placebo and blinding


Interview in Finnish:
https://youtu.be/azTABDSj9V8?list=PLCZzrYviq-25O0TpumKRFW64_CA5_hKwg


EBM and CAM

Louhiala P, Hemilä H.
Can CAM treatments be evidence-based?

Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies 2014;19(2):84-89
https://doi.org/10.1111/fct.12110
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/228056
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/HH_2014_FACT.pdf   

Hemilä H.
Alternative Medicine is a Useful Concept.

Medical Humanities [e-Letter Nov 6, 2017]
https://mh.bmj.com/content/36/2/115.responses
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/228055   (2010 version of comments)

EBM Problems

Hemilä H.
Djulbegovic and Guyatt do not refute my criticism of their 3 novel EBM principles
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28215660#cm28215660_77821

Hemilä H.
The three novel principles for EBM are old: the emperor has no clothes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28215660#cm28215660_74734

Hemilä H.
Limitations of randomized trials: problems in the “evidence” of EBM
Placebo: Placebo effects in musculoskeletal disorders. [Meeting paper]
13th Physiatric Summer School, 16-17.8.2012, Helsinki
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/HH_2013_Orton.pdf

Placebo and blinding

Papers

Louhiala P, Hemilä H, Puustinen R.
Impure placebo is a useless concept.
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 2015;36(4);279-289.
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/228057
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-015-9336-6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26215744

Hemilä H.
Vitamin C, the placebo effect, and the common cold:
a case study of how preconceptions influence the analysis of results.
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1996;49(10):1079-1084
https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(96)00189-8  
https://hdl.handle.net/10250/8082  
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/HH_1996_JCE.pdf
    Discussion JCE 1996;49:1085-1087
    Chalmers: To the preceding article by H. Hemilä
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(96)00190-4
    Hemilä H: Response to the dissent by Thomas Chalmers.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(96)00191-6
    https://hdl.handle.net/10250/8079
    https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/HH_1996_JCE2.pdf


Letters and comments

Hemuilä H
Cochrane has not consistently followed the COPE guidelines
Eur J Clin Investig 2020
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32077498
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/326823
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/2020_L_EJCI_Cochrane.pdf


Louhiala P, Hemilä H, Puustinen R.
Clinical use of placebo treatments may undermine the trust of patients: a response to Gold and Lichtenberg.
Journal of Medical Ethics 2014;40(11):787-788.
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/228080
https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2014-102219
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24912975


Louhiala P, Puustinen R, Hemilä H.
Impure placebo as an unsound concept and other problems in the paper by Howick et al.
PLoS ONE 2013;8(3):e58247
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/comment?id=info:doi/10.1371/annotation/c723ce2c-cd6a-4ed0-b936-63731f52fb9f
https://hdl.handle.net/10138/42784

Hemilä H. Citation bias in the CONSORT comments on blinding.
BMJ [e-Letter 18 May 2010]
https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/02/citation-bias-consort-comments-blinding  


Hemilä H. Assessment of the importance of double-blinding should be based on systematic reviews: rebuttal.
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2008;6(7):1247-1248
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1538-7836.2008.03006.x
https://hdl.handle.net/10138/25297

Hemilä H. RE: “Bias in clinical intervention research”.
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;165(10):1219
https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwm081
    Hemilä H. The author replies [to a commentary on “Bias in clinical intervention research”].
    American Journal of Epidemiology 2008;167(4):501-502
    https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwm374
    (Reply to: https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwm372)

Hemilä H. Analysis of clinical data with breached blindness.
Statistics in Medicine 2006;25(8):1434-1437
https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.2347
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/2006_L_SIM.pdf   
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/228098

Hemilä H. Echinacea, vitamin C, the common cold, and blinding.
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2005;41(5):762-763
https://doi.org/10.1086/432629

Hemilä H. Allocation concealment and blinding: when ignorance is bliss.
Medical Journal of Australia 2005;183(4):165-166
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2005/183/3/allocation-concealment-and-blinding-when-ignorance-bliss-0
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/H/2005_L_MJA_2p.pdf  

Hemilä H. Assessment of blinding may be inappropriate after the trial.
Contemporary Clinical Trials 2005;26(4):513-515
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2005.04.002
https://hdl.handle.net/10250/7981