Be a Skeptic

A friend posted this article the other day and it goes well with something I've been planning to talk about. 

The gist of the article is that because of one man, Linus Pauling, the nation embraced the idea that the nutrition we get from food isn't enough and that we could cure disease through the use of vitamin supplements, specifically larger than recommended doses. Pauling is the reason you think you need to take a bunch of vitamin C when you get a cold. Unfortunately, over time researchers have found that vitamin supplements use can be harmful, specifically increasing the risk of heart disease and cancer. 

It reminds me of another man, Andrew Wakefield, who's fraud regarding the MMR vaccine made everyone question the safety of all vaccinations given to children. The consequence is now the resurgence of diseases that we shouldn't be seeing at all, such as pertussis. Again, researchers have continued to show vaccines are safe, but the damage has been done and there is a large movement of parents that refuse to vaccinate their children.

                                               
                                                 An infant with pertussis, photo credit: google

There is a phrase that comes to mind when I think of these two men, as well as a host of other companies and people in the food, nutrition and health world--"conspiring men". Forgive me for using a religious reference, but I believe there is great wisdom in this principle. There is a section in our scriptures, we even call it "the Word of Wisdom", that teaches about what foods will promote health and what things to avoid that could be harmful. It's why Mormons don't drink alcohol or use tobacco. At the beginning of the section scripture, it says:

Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation.

The point of this scripture is to warn us that there are people that will present information, ideas, or even products, that will not be truly health-promoting and might even be harmful. My take home message from it? Be skeptical.

When the motive is to make money (the weight-loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and I've seen the number estimated as high as 66 billion) it's easier to smell a rat. My own home, Utah is the supplement capitol of the world with so many fruity drink supplements. Here is a checklist of things that instantly make me skeptical:

1. If it's new. I seriously doubt our weight-problems are going to magically be solved by a new product or a new diet.
2. If they're selling a book. I'm skeptical of any diet that requires you to buy a book to learn how to do it. 
3. If there's a buzz-word on the packaging (i.e. natural, organic, gluten-free, detoox) Companies love to cash in on new health trends. Just because something is trendy, doesn't mean it is correct or works.
4. If it guarantees substantial weight loss. Real life isn't like the biggest loser. Healthy weight loss is slow (1-2 lbs per week). Be very suspicious of anyone selling something that will make you lose 5-10 lbs or more a week. 
5. If it guarantees the miraculous. I believe God has a monopoly on the miracle business.

                        
                          I'd be very skeptical of any product that looks like this. Photo credit: google

Sometimes the motive isn't about making money. Sometimes it's less defined, like notoriety or attention. Sometimes it's driven by it's own form of skepticism--there are many groups of people that I'll call conspiracy theorists and hobbyists. They have a theory or something they are passionate about, such as proving GMO's (genetically modified organisms) are dangerous or the gluten-free, casein-free Autism diet people. Their ideas are powerful and find their way into the main-stream way of thinking.  Here is my checklist for things that make me skeptical:

1. They speak negatively of the government. There is a big difference between politicians and programs like the USDA and anything in the department of Health and Human Services (i.e. FDA, NIH, CDC). If someone seems to be lumping it all together into "the government" as in "the government is lying to us" I instantly suspect what they are saying of being skewed. Personally, I trust the information that comes from government programs like the NIH and CDC.
2. They speak negatively of doctors, the healthcare system, or pharmaceuticals. This is a tough one because there is a lot of room for improvement in our health care system and I know exactly why people would be unhappy about it. However, if someone seems to be throwing it all under the bus, I doubt they are seeing things objectively. Our doctors can do some amazing things--in my immediate family I can think of a knee surgery that means I can still play sports, a c-section that without my sister and baby would have died in the old days (cephalopelvic disproportion), and a extremely complicated and massive day long surgery to remove the tumor in my Dad's neck. I distrust anyone that isn't objective enough to acknowledge the good in modern medicine.
3.  They don't use legitimate peer-reviewed research to support their claims. Either there is a complete lack of research, or they are citing a poorly done research (small sample size, conflict of interests, poorly designed study, not published in a peer-reviewed journal). Anecdotal evidence doesn't count.
4.  If it touts being holistic or natural. This is not because I don't believe there is potential value to herbs and alternative treatments. This is because of the lack of accountability and research to prove safety or effectiveness. Herbs and supplements do not have to go through the same process as drugs do to prove safety or efficacy (Thank Orrin Hatch and DSHEA for that)
   
5. They have a blog or comment board. Hopefully, you catch the irony of this one. Be careful of things published from positions of opinion. 

These check lists are not going to catch every bad idea that comes up. Sometimes it takes a long time to see we were just plain wrong about something--the attitude about breastfeeding in the first half of the 1900's comes to mind.

Unfortunately, we are most vulnerable to incorrect ideas when we are desperate and that's what makes some "conspiring men" the most despicable. They prey on people's hope. When a person is desperate for solutions because a child is ill, desperate to lose weight, desperate to cure a terminal illness, or desperate to stop aging, they are willing to try or believe anything.

I remember when my Dad had cancer, a well-meaning neighbor told me (I was probably 19 at the time) about a herbal shake that had shown great success curing cancer. My personality has always been very pragmatic and even in that desperate time and at a young age, I was skeptical and even a little offended that she would offer false hope in drink.

Don't be a victim of misinformation or bad ideas. Educate yourself. Find reputable websites, take a college class,or  buy a used text book about subjects like pathophysiology or nutrition. The more you understand the processes and key characters of  what happens in the body, the easier it is to spot lies and half-truths. I laugh at the made-up scientific words some people use to promote their products. Educate yourself in the scientific process--what makes good research. Embrace published, peer-reviewed research while at the same time scrutinize it. Try to let reason lead over emotion, especially if you are desperate. Question a source's motives. Check your fears against reputable sources and reality. Be objective. Be skeptical. Hopefully it will save you money, time, or even your own health.