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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Don’t Be An Easy Mark -- Protect Yourself From Quacks and Charlatans

Thursday March 21, 2002

Effective decision-making is a key skill area in self-management for lifestyle artistry. Over the years, I have written many essays on this theme, as you will note in the archives. I believe that bemused skepticism or the practice of "safe thinking" is an effective safeguard against the rampant quackery found in weight loss schemes, fad diets, silly exercise machines, dangerous supplements and weird alternative health care modalities. Don't get me started on the respectable, well-established abuses concerning excessive and inappropriate drug treatments that go down in the name of "scientific medicine." In these instances and countless other areas, it is prudent to be both responsible and willing and able to exercise critical thinking in order to make wise consumer decisions -- and avoid being an easy mark for the quacks and charlatans.

Sometimes the structure of an argument can lead you astray. Take this example of an argument structured to provide a surprising explanation as to the cause of heart attacks (obtained in an anonymous e-mail post):

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The French eat a lot of fat, but they too suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
The Japanese do not drink much red wine yet they also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine yet suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. What conclusion was drawn from these data? That we can eat and drink what we like -- it's speaking English that causes heart attacks!

Don't be easily fooled. So many are, as you can observe at any supermarket checkout counter by scanning the tabloid headlines ("God Is Really Pissed At David Letterman!" or "Nostradamus Predicted the Attacks of 9/11/02!" for examples.) Sadly, health quackery is flourishing in America, as the following websites about preposterous health care products demonstrate. Are any of these claims superior to the conclusion above that speaking English causes heart attacks? I don't think so.

You need The Stimulator! Not really.
You need magnetic insoles! Not really, but have a good laugh checking out ideas that have been around for about a century—see ACU-DOT magnets.
You need the Dental Potentiometer. Not really.
You need to lose weight magically. Not really but check out the following:
1998 Slim Chance Awards
Acupuncture - Acupressure Diet & Weight Loss Rx. Fact - Fad - Fallacy
Advertising Cases Involving Weight Loss Products and Services,
Federal Trade Commission 1927 - April 1997
FAT CITY - Your diet and weight loss fraud headquarters
Weight Loss Quackery

In 1839, Philip James Bailey wrote, "The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat oneself." Arm yourself with the skills of effective decision-making and develop a mindset that is prepared to use these talents, and you will never be an easy mark. That way, it will be much easier to live well and have fun, enjoy the quest and look on the bright side of life.

Domain: mental
Subdomain: effective decisions

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