In a recent study of memory disorders, some patients in a carefully organized and controlled setup showed improvement in short-term memory when treated with a drug that’s used for Alzheimer’s.

But here’s the part I want to point out: those who received the drug reported nearly as many side effects as those in the placebo group (88% to 73%). But “Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abnormal dreams, insomnia and leg cramps occurred in greater than five percent and [at] twice the rate of placebo.”

The dichotomy of medical research is that you must choose to ignore the suffering you create in the hope that what you learn will help others in the future. That’s a tough load to carry every day.