Bill Harvey: Vital statistics

How about this for the opening sentence least likely to encourage you to read on… ‘this week we are going to consider statistics’.

This week we are running a CET article which has been accredited for all four professional categories. The reasoning for this was that all of us are responsible for keeping up to date with our professional development and also be able to offer unbiased advice to our patients. All that seems fine, so what about the following statements?

‘Telling people not to smoke does not work.’ ‘There is no such thing as dyslexia – it is a modern-day term applied to those not meeting other people’s expectations.’ ‘The only source of nutrition should be food – supplements are a con.’ ‘These drops should help my cataracts.’ ‘One extra hour a day outdoors should mean my son will not need glasses as strong as mine.’ ‘Watching too much television has caused his short-sightedness.’