Monday 21 March 2016

MATHS ILLEGAL - Australia's numeracy cringe

I am accused of promoting alternative approaches to disease management via social media.
Of course I do. I promote the use of maths.

Specifically I promote the used of least-squares minimisation to solve the problem of cortisol homeostasis. (with appropriate conditions on variable values) Interestingly, this gives a similar result to what some creative and successful Addison's patients have worked out by trial and error and posted online. (In contrast, look at the posts from patients on the Addison's disease Australia facebook page, complaining about their poor health, but refusing to even consider alternative treatments.) 

But when I mention this in medical circles I get stupid responses such as it not being "evidence-based" or "peer-reviewed" or "unproven" The real reason is that most doctors are so under-educated in maths the only calculus they know is a Tintin character. I'm yet to hear of any doctors in Canberra who can solve my Sudokus.

AHPRA tell me I cannot promote unproven treatments via social media. Apparently using maths doesn't count as proof.