Posted by Jack Boyd on May 26, 1999 at 07:47:29:
In Reply to: Re: Interested in your wrath - please elaborate posted by lc bob on May 25, 1999 at 21:40:21:
Thanks for your reply.
Like to share another thought or two with you.
One of the reasons that stereotypes and myths tend to persist is that as unfair as they may be they often have a kernel of truth. And so it may be with some of the original wisdom about clusters.
Example - predominately affects males is true.
1) a less than fully informed physician might tell a new patient with classic cluster symtoms that it can't be clusters since they only affect males. This Doc is a jerk.
2) a researcher ( if there are any ) needs to know that 70 to 80% of sufferers are male so such things as hormonal influences can be examined.
Another example
Smoking and drinking - if there is a statistically significant higher incidence of smoking and drinking among sufferers this could also be useful for a researcher. Just as people who abuse alcohol are often trying to self-medicate their clinical depression, those of us with clusters and perhaps an underlying chemical imbalance with something like serotonin may be trying to do the same.
I think you might agree that the results and interpretation of any survey have as much to do with the questions one asks, how they are asked and the bias or agenda one brings to the game.