Between-Groups Study Designs Demand Between-Groups Analyses A Response to Hernandez-Reif, Shor-Posner, Baez, Soto, Mendoza, Castillo, Quintero, Perez, and Zhang英文文献资料.docVIP

Advance Access Publication 3 December 2007 eCAM 2009;6(1)49–50 doi:10.1093/ecam/nem164 Commentary Between-Groups Study Designs Demand Between-Groups Analyses: A Response to Hernandez-Reif, Shor-Posner, Baez, Soto, Mendoza, Castillo, Quintero, Perez, and Zhang Christopher A. Moyer University of Wisconsin-Stout Themostrecentmassagetherapy(MT)studybyHernandez-Reifetal.displaysflawspersistent in this area of research that are attributable to MT researchers’ frequent mistake of using within-group analyses of dependent variables in studies that are purported to be randomized control trials. This practise violates the logic of using randomization to create treatment and control groups, and thereby fails to control for the validity threats of spontaneous remission, placebo effects, and statistical regression. The result is that a clear understanding of what MT can and cannot do is seriously hampered. Keywords: Massage–cortisol–methodology–randomized–control group The appearance of a new randomized control trial of massagetherapy(MT)shouldalwaysbeapositiveevent. ThisistruewhetherornotMTwasobservedtoperform better than a control, because any randomized control trial that is well conducted is an important contribution totheprogressiveandsystematicaccumulationofknowl- edge that defines science. However, too often in MT research the appearance of a new randomized control trial is a mixed blessing, or even a missed opportunity. This is because randomized control trials of MT frequently have major flaws (1,2), including the failure to accurately review previous findings and the failure to follow the logic of their own research design. I was reacquainted with these persistent flaws when I read Hernandez-Reifetal.’s(3)recentreportinthisjournalon the effects of MT on Dominican children with HIV. Because I believe it is critically important for the state of MT research to improve, I highlight these flaws. enhance immune functions...[of] children’ and speculate that this follow