“Why is evidence so complicated? Why do we need all these clever tricks, these special research paradigms? The answer is simple: the world is much more complicated than simple stories about pills making people better. We are human, we are irrational, we have foibles, and the power of the mind over the body is greater than anything you have previously imagined.”

— Ben Goldacre, from his book Bad Science on the need for proper controls and procedures in clinical trials and the placebo effect (via doubtingmarcus)

(via cocknbull)