Experiment to test for causality

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on an experiment designed to test the efficacy of BitterHeal, a specially treated bitter gourd, in lowering blood sugar levels among diabetics. Participants are divided into three groups: Group A receives BitterHeal, Group B receives untreated bitter gourd, and Group C receives no treatment. The necessity of having three groups is emphasized to control for the placebo effect and to establish a baseline for comparison, ensuring that any observed effects can be attributed to the treatment rather than psychological factors or the natural course of diabetes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of experimental design in clinical trials
  • Knowledge of statistical hypothesis testing, including null and alternative hypotheses
  • Familiarity with the placebo effect and its implications in medical research
  • Basic concepts of blood sugar measurement and diabetes management
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of clinical trial design, focusing on control groups and randomization
  • Learn about statistical methods for analyzing treatment effects, such as ANOVA
  • Explore the psychological aspects of the placebo effect in medical studies
  • Investigate the pharmacological properties of bitter gourd and its impact on diabetes
USEFUL FOR

Researchers in clinical trials, healthcare professionals involved in diabetes management, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of treatment efficacy and experimental design.

  • #31
AFAIK the placebo effect does not occur in studies involving physical changes in body chemistry like serum cholesterol, and blood sugar. It is significant in studies of the subjective effect of a medication as in pain relief or mood change.

When comparing two medications for effectiveness you compare it to a (gold)standard commonly used for the treatment. The problem as I see it with this study is that we are comparing two medications of marginal value.

I assume this problem was from a statistics course, but did they fully realize the issues with this scenario? The question is what was the intent of the problem? What did they want you to learn from it?

I think you need group C to establish the effectiveness of B as well as the effectiveness of A in lowering blood sugar. Next, you can compare A and B to determine their relative effectiveness.
 

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