What is Meant By Something Being Described as "Clinically Proven"?

Question

So, dgbaley27, Really Means Very Little.

Answer 1

Not a lot. It means that they say some sort of study supports their claims of effectiveness.

Unless you see the studies and know a lot about statistics and can analyze their results, you have to take their word for it. Some studies look great, but have flaws in the design, sample size or statistical significance of the results.

Answer 2

Not much trust lingers on, does it?
Clinically proven - it should mean that the drug was tested on patients, and the effect that is claimed was proven.
The first answerer gave an excellent example, but does that mean very little? The majority of patients felt better after taking the drug, so it does indeed reduce the symptoms.
Of course, you have to take 'their word", but don't you always? Regardless of what kind of doctor or shaman you turn to, you need to TRUST.
Clinically proven stuff were at least tested in a clinical trial, so you are not the first one to try it...

Answer 3

Not much. It means in an experiment run, the results were consistent with what's advertised.

For example, say the makers of a cold medicine tested it on 100 random people. If the majority of the people simply say they feel better - then the cold medicine can be claimed to be clinically proven to improve symptoms.

Answer 4

It's a commercial, and it's time to hold tight to your wallet!!!!
The word "proof" does not appear in medicine. The best you ever get is "there is strong clinical evidence in multiple large, well-designed, controlled trials."
Medicine is complex enough that one can run small trials on a treatment and eventually, by pure chance, the desired results will crop up in a trial. A sharp operator can then publish that trial, suppress the others, and hawk his snake oil. The FDA acts as a deterrent on medications, but "herbals" and "supplements" don't fall under FDA jurisdiction, and this is a favorite tactic, especially since most of the public aren't aware that the FDA isn't involved.

Answer 5

My understanding of the term is that it indicates that a particular line of treatment has undergone testing and had been proven to be effective.

In the UK we have the regulatory body called the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), who issue guidelines pertaining to the validity of clinical practices.

edit: the previous answer makes a good point regarding the way in which it could give false impression.

Answer 6

Without knowing the specifics of the clinical trial, not much. In some cases, FDA allows some drugs to simply prove that they are no worse than any other drug already approved. In other cases, they need to be proven MORE effective. In some cases, they aren't even FDA clinical trials.

In almost all cases, the trials are funded by the drugmaker themselves.

Answer 7

sorry my computer is too slow or i would post sources. (maybe it was confused with "critically") "clinically" comes from clinic, like hospital, medical facility. some guru, with his endless wisdom, wrote up a scale of heights and weights related to age, body size and hair length (not really hair!!) and these are "standards". once upon a time, 110 and 5'1" was overweight, now it is ok to be 145 and 5'1". it was recently adjusted to allow heavier weight people to be normal. why?? seems counterproductive since excess weight is bad for the HEART!! like smoking... ok, here i won't exaggerate so much, but the figures i use are MADE UP: if a female person 5'0" to 5'2" should weigh from 102 to 108 pounds, and if you are 5'1" and 101 pounds, you are "clinically" underweight. that means only that some TABLE of figures says you should be one pound heavier. if you are 109 lbs, again you are according to clinical research, one pound overweight. all the while you are normal, not flabby (belly over pants) or skinny (ribs protruding from under your sweater) you are ok in weight. it is just you fall under or over "clinical accepted" weights. hope this helps!!

Answer 8

What they are saying was proven in lab tests.