"follow the SCIENCE"

For months the term "follow the SCIENCE" has inundated our collective conscious so let's explore what that means.

Q: What's the most effective treatment for injury? Google it. Most likely, you found instructions for R.I.C.E. An acronym, where I = ice. SCIENCE tells us that cold therapies, like ice, reduce inflammation. So we might interpret this as ICE is NEEDED to heal.

Okay, let's google healing! A: There are four stages: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. Notice anything interesting? Inflammation! Yes, inflammation is a NECESSARY for HEALING. If we need inflammation for healing and ICE reduces it, why do you suppose we use ICE for treatment? SCIENCE tells us that INFLAMMATION is PAINFUL. Therefore, we use R.I.C.E. to treat PAIN. 🤔 Does reducing PAIN = effective treatment?

SCIENCE isn't always black and white, but it gets even muddier when it is unclear what factors determine their interpretation. It's often our interpretations that make it confusing. For this example, how do you think we decide to aim our efforts toward reducing INFLAMMATION and PAIN? Many have asked that exact question. In Eastern Medicine, ICE is considered a big NO-NO for HEALING. In the USA, it's become a considerable debate, and R.I.C.E. remains the default. Why? Because we are focused on the PAIN, + NO ONE has proven ICE is BAD for HEALING, so...

SCIENCE can be maddening! When questioning measures like mask-wearing, it's essential to be clear about what we KNOW, what SCIENCE tells us.

We KNOW infection control = limit exposure. We KNOW hand washing, gloves, and mask-wearing reduce our risk of exposure and, therefore, infection during things like surgery. It's understandable then that we'd apply similar measures in our fight against COVID-19.

Whether we are advocates for ICE post-injury or something else, it's not the SCIENCE that's confusing. It's the changing circumstances and demands that include the needs of the PATIENTS (read community) in healthcare. So, as we attempt to "follow the SCIENCE," we must remember that though the SCIENCE is ever-evolving, our circumstances are too. THIS doesn't mean we're not following the SCIENCE; it means we're applying the SCIENCE as needed.