Argument167 请指点哈。

hefengzhouUID: 2764288

TOPIC: ARGUMENT167 - A folk remedy* for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. During the second week, the volunteers discontinued their medication. As a result, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. This shows that over a short period of time lavender cures insomnia.

*A folk remedy is usually a plant-based form of treatment common to traditional forms of medicine, ones that developed before the advent of modern medical services and technology.
WORDS: 458
TIME: 00:26:49
DATE: 2010-3-19 17:35:12

Grounding on a recent study among the 30 volunteers, and citing during the third week the volunteers sleep longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks, the arguer synthesizes that the lavender flowers are effective in healing the insomnia after a short period of time. However, after close scrutiny
reveals this argument rests on several flaws as it stands.
In the first place, the study is problematic and the result is incredible. The writer fails to provide detail information of the study, for examples, what is the percentage of the male volunteers, and whether these participants are the representative of the entire people with chronic insomnia. Perhaps, the total volunteers are all young men and then the study has no worth.
In the second place, even though the study is credible, the writer still provides no evidence to justify his assumption that the longer and more soundly sleeping is the consequence of the lavender flowers. The writer fails to consider other potential reasons to account for it, perhaps, the environment in the controlled room is considerably comfortable, and thus the volunteers gain satisfied sleeping; or perhaps, the volunteers are asked to take other medicines, which may do the main function in curing chronic insomnia. Without ruling out the potential possibilities, the writer can not convince us that the lavender flowers play the crucial role in curing the chronic insomnia.
Furthermore, the writer fails to consider the discrepancy between the common insomnia and the chronic insomnia which may bring a different result to common insomnia. The writer gives no evidence to substantiate that the chronic insomnia is the representative of the entire insomnia. Perhaps, the lavender flowers lose the function in curing the common insomnia, although they own the efficiency in healing the chronic insomnia.
Finally, even if the lavender flowers are useful in curing whole insomnia, the writer does not consider the side-effect of the lavender flowers may bring to the people. Perhaps, some children and pregnant women are allergic to the lavender flowers, and thus it is dangerous for them to take the lavender flowers to cure insomnia, so without cogent evidence to verify that the lavender flowers are safety to everyone, the writer can not advise the lavender flowers to the whole populations.
In sum, this argument is based on several immature evidences and thus unconvincing. To bolster the argument, the writer must provide adequate evidence to verify that the study is credible and the lavender flowers play the main reason in curing the chronic insomnia. To better assess the argument, the writer should also give sufficient evidences to substantiate his assumption that the lavender flowers are useful in healing entire insomnia, and at the same time they can not cause unwanted effect.