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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 (Encore)
A recent (9/23/03) Wall Street Journal article by Robert J. Davis entitled "Cleaning Out Your Insides" described the popularity of herbal cleansing formulas. You would think that consumers would resist products with no evidence of need or effectiveness, particularly those that claim to "flush out toxins from the digestive tract and, as a result, relieve constipation, promote weight loss and boost energy, among other things." You would think that, but you would be mistaken—the snake oil artists who market this "flushing" nonsense are making a killing. Last year, sales of varied super laxative products increased 13 percent. Thanks to the fact that a significant number of Congresspersons are on the take to the alternative care products industry, a law exists that forbids the FDA to require manufacturers to show that toxin flushers, in the form of dietary supplements, are either safe or effective.
There is, of course, no evidence to back claims for these goofy products. According to the WSJ article and other sources, the scientific view is that "the lining of the colon is constantly being shed and renewed, so harmful substances don't actually build up…a healthy person's body is perfectly capable of getting rid of toxins on its own, and cleansing formulas are, at best, a waste of money." Besides wasting money, the flushing laxatives have significant hazards.
How is it that such scams are so profitable? I believe it is because large numbers of consumers lack critical thinking skills, particularly in terms of diet pills, political candidates and religious beliefs. For this reason, I believe effective decision-making skill development is an important part of self-management for lifestyle artistry. I believe that bemused skepticism or the practice of "safe thinking" is an effective safeguard against the rampant quackery found in flushing products, weight loss schemes, fad diets, silly exercise machines, dangerous dietary supplements and weird alternative health care modalities. 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: 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. Conclusion: 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 9/11/01!" 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.
- The father of Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, saved a young Winston Churchill from drowning. In gratitude, Churchill's father paid for Fleming's education. Not really. This is one of an endless stream of urban legends, many of which you have seen in your inbox with a request from a naïve if well-meaning friend to forward to everyone you ever knew, living or dead, in order that there will be more peace, or love, or happiness or all of these good things in the world. Check out Snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/) or other urban legend sites before YOU forward any legends, urban or otherwise.
- 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:
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: mentalSubdomain: effective decisions
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