What averages actually tell you
Clinical trials report population averages. An average improvement conceals a distribution — some participants improved substantially, some not at all, some worsened.
Nobody experiences an average. Each individual lands somewhere in that distribution, and which point cannot be known in advance.
Why people differ
Age, general health, disease stage, chronicity, genetics, medication, activity demands and adherence all vary. Diagnostic accuracy varies. In treatments prepared from a person's own tissue or blood, the biological input itself varies with that individual's physiology.
Trial populations are also selected — enrolled against inclusion criteria that often exclude comorbidities common in real practice. A patient outside those criteria has less reason to expect the trial's result.
Why testimonials mislead
Testimonials are drawn from the favourable end of a distribution and presented without it. They are single observations, selected for being positive, published by a party with an interest in the outcome.
A testimonial reflects one person's experience and does not predict anyone else's. That is true even when the testimonial is entirely genuine — which most are.
Reading the disclaimer properly
When a clinic states that individual results vary and are not guaranteed, that all outcomes are not the same, and that all procedures carry potential risks, it is describing the actual state of knowledge.
The clinic to be cautious of is the one that does not say it.
This article covers general science and published research. Whether any approach is appropriate for you is a clinical question, answered by a licensed provider through a good-faith exam.
Movera Wellness Institute. Medical services are provided by licensed California practitioners. Supervising physician: Dr. Arnold S. Kremer, DO (CA license #20A4242).