She added that the reasons for the increase in Caesarean sections were complex and not completely clear, but any interventions should be made on the basis of clinical need.

BBC: NHS failings 'cause Caesarean hike'

Now is the time to make sure we get this right through rigorous basic and clinical studies that define which mutations are dangerous, and distinguish useful from unnecessary interventions.

WSJ: Should Healthy People Have Their Genomes Sequenced?

Alas, as tangible and compelling as the effects of these nondrug interventions may be, they often lack the deep pharma pockets required for the clinical trials that will bring doctors on board.

CNN: Using downward dogs to treat depression

One of the main reasons why few medical interventions, apart from new drugs, have been put through their paces in clinical trials is that it is rarely regarded as sufficient to compare a new treatment with no treatment at all.

ECONOMIST: Trial and error

According to Dr Rattan, such interventions improve the function of a cell over time, and in doing so, may produce clinical benefits such as protection against neurodegenerative diseases.

ECONOMIST: How to live longer��maybe