Across many fields there are common misconceptions - I'm curious to know what people find are the biggest misconceptions that the general public has about your field of study?
From the medical background, I think the usefulness of herbal remedies remains a major public misconception, i e without scientific evidence for most.
Paul: My field of study is Business Economics and the common misconceptions about business economics are:
1. Economics is only about money.
2. Business is just about Greed.
3. Economics has no real-world application.
My field is energy from nuclear fusion. The biggest misconception is the widespread view that fusion energy will take many more decades to realize its potential to solve the energy-economy-environment-equity problem. The case is that this view is a self-fulfilling prophesy that prevails against the people demanding that fusion energy be done. A second and supporting misconception about fusion energy is that, while no nuclear bomb can be made with only fusion, it is denied that fusion energy can eliminate nuclear bombs by making it possible to fission fuel materials after eliminating any case for fission to be needed for energy production.
Thank you Mohamad-Hani Temsah , Yes I absolutely agree, I think even as a student of public policy, with an interest in health policy, this misconception drives me a little mad too, it perhaps comes from distrust of professionals? Or what are your thoughts as to why it's so pervasive?
Thank you Paul Stock - while I completely agree, I must admit this was my original thoughts surrounding this subject (having studied a business topic, with considerable business economics, in the belief that is was all about point 1.)
Mohamad-Hani Temsah
I am no expert at all in medicine, I have no education in this field... I understand that medicine is sceptical to herbs, since it is hard to prove their effects. I just want to share my experience when herbal remedies helped where medicine could not find a working solution (one case was when serious newborn jaundice was treated with herbal mix in couple days and the second one was when 4 centimeters small leg ulcer was healed after couple weeks of using Plantago lanceolata). Of course, there is a quantum cases when charlatans abuse peoples despair and "prescribe" non-working "medicine" or when people rely on the advice of laymen and try to use herbs to treat serious diseases. Usually, the use of herbs is linked to religion or some beliefs or traditions, and I guess, part of the success with herbal treatment is caused by this strong faith in its potency.
I think one of the most common misconception about my profession (as a nurse) is that we can make miracles like medical doctors in my country. They want prescriptions without viable diagnosis, of course we cannot prescribe medications without following the SOPs. We can serve them as an independent practioner because we also have evidenced-based practices that can help alleviate their sufferings..in the nursing care perspective of course.
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