How Numbers Fool You All the Time & 3 Questions You Must Ask Your Doctor




Something You Should Know show

Summary: There are zippers all over your house - on your clothes, on your purses and backpacks. And if you look closely, some of those zippers probably have the initials YKK on them. I’ll explain how I know that and what says about that zipper. Then, people use numbers and statistics to support their argument all the time. The weird thing is we tend to believe statistical evidence whenever someone tosses it out. But actually, we should question it closely. Why? Because so often those numbers are wrong. Charles Seife, author of the book Proofiness: How You’re Being Fooled by Numbers (http://amzn.to/2x1UODq), has studied how numbers are used to deceive and mislead. And he explains how to detect bogus numbers when you hear them. When you take a multiple choice test – like for your driver’s license – have you ever heard that it is best to go with your gut instinct? Or go with your first answer? It’s common advice but is it good advice? I’ll explain what the research says. And before you go to the doctor again, there are some things you need to hear first from Dr. Halee Fischer-Wright. She is a physician and author of the book Back to Balance: The Art, Science and Business of Medicine (http://amzn.to/2y7epAyb). She offers some excellent ways to navigate the health care system and deal with your doctor to help make sure you have better health outcomes.