LESSON TWO – Evaluating the Effectiveness of Home Remedies

Time Needed:
Two 45-minute class sessions

Rationale:
Most people use or try home remedies. However, whether home remedies are effective
is subject to great debate. Scientific evidence is often conflicting and many times the
research is financed by a particular interest group that has a financial stake in the
study's outcome. Moreover, the internet is overflowing with unverifiable claims, both
positive and negative, about home remedies and medicine in general. Given this reality,
it is important for students to learn how to evaluate medical information and how to
locate accurate, unbiased medical information.

Essential Questions:
1. How can we effectively evaluate whether home remedies work?
2. How can we find accurate, unbiased information about home remedies?

Objectives: Students will be able to:

1. Evaluate the accuracy of information about the effectiveness of home remedies.
2. Know where to find accurate, unbiased information about the effectiveness of home
remedies.

Prior Knowledge/Connections:
1. The meaning of home remedies.
2. Scientists, doctors, and individuals disagree about whether home remedies work.
3. Online Information about the effectiveness of home remedies, and medicine in
general, is confusing because the information often conflicts.

Differentiation:
1. Enrichment Activities: Encourage students to interview a medical doctor, doctor of
osteopathic medicine, a practitioner of Chinese traditional medicine or an herbalist to
learn their beliefs about the effectiveness of home remedies. Alternatively, have
students research the effectiveness of one of their home remedies.
2. ESL Learners: Create a document that provides a brief synopsis of each of the
written materials and contains visuals. Hand this document out to all ESL learners.

Materials/Resources:
1. YouTube Video: See Instructional Resources page of this website.
2. Science Daily, Science News, Enchinacea Could Cut Chance of Catching Cold By
More Than Half, Study Suggests (June 26, 2007): See Instructional Resources page
of this website.
3. Annals of Internal Medicine, Echinacea for the Common Cold (December 21, 2010):
See Instructional Resources page of this website.
4. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative
Health, Finding and Evaluating Online Resources webpage. See Instructional
Resources page of this website.
5. Cochran Public Health, “Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold”
webpage. See Instructional Resources page of this website.
6. National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Integrative
Health, “Echinacea” webpage. See Instructional Resources page of this website.
7. SMARTboard or large chart paper
8. 4 Signs – Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree
9. Chart paper and pens

Implementation:
Lesson Introduction/Hook:
1. Have students watch the YouTube Video, “8 Sick Remedies That Actually Work”.
2. Lead students in a discussion of whether they believe the claims made in the video
and how they could verify these claims.

Lesson Development:
Session 1 (The Debate About the Effectiveness of Echinacea):
1. Teacher previews this lesson by explaining that class will focus on the video’s claim
about Echinacea. The class will find and look at the study mentioned in the video as
well as a study that says Echinacea does not work to cure colds. The class will then
learn how to evaluate this conflicting information. Finally, the class will look at
reliable information from the National Institutes of Health and Cochran Public Health
to determine whether Echinacea works for colds.
2. Teacher replays the “Echinacea” portion of the YouTube video. Teacher has
students restate the evidence cited in the video and writes it on the SMARTboard or
chart paper.
3. Teacher asks students how they could verify the video’s statements, helping them
understand that they will need to find and review the underlying study.
4. Teacher projects Science Daily, Science News, Echinacea Could Cut Chance of
Catching Code By More Than Half, Study Suggests and reviews it with students
(focusing on fact that it was a 2007 study that combined the results of 14 previous
clinical trials and over 2,900 patients).
5. Teacher projects Annals of Internal Medicine, Echinacea for the Common Cold and
reviews it with students (focusing on fact that it was a 2010 study of more than 700
persons).
6. Teacher leads class discussion on how students can determine which study is
correct. Should they make this determination based on the date of study? The
Number of patients? The group that conducted/published the study? Teacher also
asks students what other considerations should think they use to evaluate this
information.
7. Teacher projects National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary
and Integrative Health, Finding and Evaluating Online Resources webpage and
leads a discussion about its contents, sustaining student engagement by asking
open-ended questions about their feedback/analysis/critique of the information.
8. Teacher projects Cochran Public Health, “Echinacea for preventing and treating the
common cold” webpage and then the National Institutes of Health, National Center
for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Echinacea” webpage. Teacher engages
students in a discussion of how we know the information on these webpages are
accurate, and what the information says.
9. Teacher informs students that in next session, they will need to decide (based on the
information learned today) whether they believe Echinacea works to either prevent
and/or reduce the symptoms of common colds and be prepared to support their
position with evidence.

Session 2 (Role-Play Debate):

1. Teacher reminds students what they did and learned last session.
2. Teacher previews lesson by explaining that each student will decide whether they
believe Echinacea works to either prevent and/or reduce the symptoms of common
colds. Working in groups, students will create a visual/written summary of their
arguments on chart paper and present their arguments to the class.
3. Teacher posts 4 signs – Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree – on
four different walls around the classroom. Teacher explains that each student must
decide, based on the information discussed in class, whether they believe
Echinacea works to prevent common colds and/or reduce the symptoms of common
colds. Instruct students to decide which of the four positions they will support and
walk over to the sign that represents their belief.
4. Teacher hands out a large piece of chart paper and pens to each group. If a group is
too large, split it in half. Students work together in groups to create a graphic/written
summary of their arguments. Teacher circulates around the classroom, listening,
observing, and assisting students. Teacher modeling should be employed, where
appropriate.
5. When groups have completed their work, each group shows their chart to the class,
presenting their arguments. Teacher will ask open-ended, higher level questions to
have students defend their position.