I don’t care who “swears by” what

When I hear the words “swears by,” I reflexively ignore whatever comes next … because anecdotal evidence is worthless. It should be obvious by this time in history, but apparently the word hasn’t spread to everyone who should know better.

There’s plenty of good stuff in this well-written new article about back pain, but one thing really spoiled an otherwise good read: I don’t give a 💩 what Ramin “swears by.” The last thing needed to sort out the back pain mess is another expert swearing by their personal favourite treatment method (even if that method is also actually evidence-based, which is highly debatable in this case, or for any back pain treatment). We really just need to purge “swears by” from all serious discussions in health care. Hard evidence or GTFO!

Back pain: how to live with one of the world’s biggest health problems, Moya Sarner, *The Guardian