Lloyds Feeble attempt at training

[crit care]

HA! love the so called technical details

Technical Details of Virulite Cold Sore Treatment Device

[Part Timer]

I guess the world is against me on this one ! However I've never had cold sores so cannot vouch for any supposed efficacy for Virulite - all I have to base my opinion on is what the evidence tells me.

I know this might be a controversial viewpoint for a pharmacist but IMO evidence-based medicine misses the point sometimes. Just because something hasn't had full robust clinical trials to say it works doesn't always mean that it doesn't.

(And cold sores are grossly underestimated in their ability to make the sufferer look and feel complete pants, they're painful, ugly and unhygienic, I used to get them around my mouth and up my nose and aciclovir cream did *nothing*, clinical trials or no clinical trials. The Virulite is like a miracle cure for my cold sores, and if that's placebo then long may it fool me!)

[DavidS]

HA! love the so called technical details

Well, just don't ask how it works!

As for being scientists, and I'm not singling you out here in any way, the idea of science is to explain what happens, and not just to rubbish things they cannot explain.

If scientists themselves embraced evidence-based practice, for a full and happy life they would:
1. take up any religion or spiritual discipline, proven to make people less depressed,
2. eat little and healthily, paying attention to the principles of optimum nutrition,
3. exercise regularly but not to excess -- little jogging or cycling, both of which damage the skeleton,
4. have lots of counselling/psychotherapy,

then they would gain a lot more of my respect. (although if they did all that they would feel so good it wouldn't bother them what I thought about them).

(Excuse me, my chips are waiting)

[crit care]

i doubt they would gain more respect i suspect they would turn out a little tom cruise esque and go round jumping on sofas and generally making fools of themselves!?!?

[hibernia]

I know this might be a controversial viewpoint for a pharmacist but IMO evidence-based medicine misses the point sometimes.

I think you're right.
No drug is 100% effective just like no drug is totally useless (even if it is just a placebo effect).
The evidence tells us the best drug IN GENERAL but it can't tell us what will work for an individual patient. We are stuck with something as old fashioned as trial and error. There are always unknowns, there are genetic and biochemical differences between all of us that we are only begining to become aware of, and that may some day explain results that for now are inexplicable.

My degree says that I qualified in the ART and the science of pharmacy. I don't know if they still say that but it is no harm to practice the art now and again, especially if the science isn't working.

[johnep]

Secundem Artem was our motto.
johnep

[wiggley]

i never suffered from cold sores until i started working for lloyds now im covered! must buy this thing to see if it works lol