Remember a few years back when “America’s doctor,” talk-show host Mehmet Oz was roasted by Sen. Claire McCaskill in front of Congress for pushing miracle cures for weight loss and “revolutionary” discoveries in medicine that turned out to be false?
That was hilarious.
Not long after his appearance in Congress he was criticized (again!) for singing the praises of coffee bean weight-loss pills which had been proven inaccurate despite his instance it could “burn fat fast for anyone who wants to lose weight.”
And then he was under the gun (yet again!), but that time by a British Medical Journal which published a study analyzing Oz’s ridiculous claims on yet another medical talk show. What was discovered isn’t exactly what one would classify as comforting news.
(Talk about a slow learner.)
As it turns out, “recommendations made on medical talk shows often lack adequate information on specific benefits or the magnitude of the effects of these benefits,” the article said. “The public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows.”
This is just one study in an ongoing debate about medicine on television, but clearly with “The Dr Oz Show” and the popular talk show “The Doctors,” there is a market for doctor debates. What’s more surprising is the blatant and irresponsible tactics used by these medical professionals to push a bullshit product to make a few extra bucks.
To be fair, there are plenty of Doctors out there who find Dr Oz’s behavior abhorrent. The message they want to get out is…”REALITY CHECK: There’s no such thing as a “miracle food.”
Still skeptical? Go search in the journal of Nutrition and Cancer. It completely blew up Oz’s bogus claim that endive, red onion, and sea bass can decrease the likelihood of ovarian cancer by 75 percent.
Doctor’s like these are “entertainers.” And they’re great at manipulating the public. People feel as though they’re gaining meaningful insight and apply it to their daily lives.
But it’s also pretty dangerous.
Natural cure
Despite what the modern miracle quacks may say, no one has ever magically become cancer free due to a “natural cure.”
I get it. When you’ve been battling cancer for years and you’ve exhausted all of the medical resources and still haven’t been able to kick the pain and discomfort that’s slowly eating away at your body, it’s understandable that you’d seek help in other ways.
And at this point what do you have to lose? What’s the alternative? Throwing your hands up in the air and admitting defeat? Crawling in your hospital bed, bundling up in the fetal position, and counting the minutes until you expire?
Of course not. No one wants to die. Instead, they begin desperately searching for a miracle. They need something to believe in—something to give them hope—and medical quacks are more than happy to provide them with one.
It’s a horrifying thought. Personally, I find it disgusting that these individuals prey on the suffering and desperation of those in their most vulnerable state. But I can also empathize with why those staring death in the face would allow themselves to become victims.
As writer James Fell of Body for Wife said, “I’m torn over that. Who am I to say to someone with a terminal illness that they should never embrace a bullshit natural ‘cure’ as a last resort? If someone is facing their life being cut short by a horrible disease, perhaps they get a sense of comfort from trying every possible avenue, no matter how ridiculous.
The problem with doing so is that it supports a predatory industry that kills people. Not to mention there could be better things to spend your money on. You could take a trip will it to family/friends, or donate it to (real) cancer research.
Yes, natural cures kill. They kill because surgery and chemotherapy and radiation are scary, so people want an alternative. Many who had a high likelihood of having cancer cured opted for the alternative-diet-supplement-coffee-up the ass method of cancer treatment instead, and they went downhill fast.”
GMO’s (the other killer)
Beyond the bullshit claims made by questionable medical professionals in the name of their cause, we also have the food industry spending billions of dollars to instill fear in well-meaning consumers.
If you’re one such individual who has fallen victim to the scams perpetuated by the food industry, then listen up, because you need to hear this:
There is no reason to fear GMOs.
It’s all a bunch of fear-mongering crap. The organic industry is preying on you in an effort to rape your wallet. There is no scientific evidence to support the widely held belief that organic or GMO-free foods are better for you. Nada. Zip. Zilch. None.
I know you may find this hard to believe, but there have been more than 100 published articles from academics and market research that concluded, “studies clearly shows that food and safety and health concerns are the primary drivers of consumer organic purchasing. It goes on, “…the American taxpayer funded national organic program is playing an ongoing role in misleading consumers into spending billions of dollars in organic purchasing based on false and misleading health, safety, and quality claims.”
Mic drop.
And before you get all “but-but-but…the nutrition! and the pesticides! and the environment!”
Nope. Just nope. That’s more bullshit being spoon fed to you by the organic food industry in the hopes you’ll empty your pockets into theirs. What really needs to happen is we all just need to settle the hell down and take an objective look at what’s really going on here.
No one is dying from GMOs.
But don’t take my word for it, it’s been supported by long-term studies time and time again. GMOs are completely safe to consume. And with one in nine people starving to death and another one in four with stunted growth due to malnutrition, I’d happily sprinkle a little GMO on top of my eggs in the morning if it meant saving lives.
The bottom line
Our society seems to be caught up in the game where telling lies is the norm. From making boastful claims about gluten being the anti-Christ to GMOs hiding under the bed to murder our children in their sleep, everything is fair in love and food. Apparently.
Just think about it. As James Fell says in his piece, “We seem to have entered an era where the lies spread by the organic industry have taken root to the point that everyone from celebrities to food bloggers are lobbying corporations and governments to make changes that aren’t just bad science, but bad for society.” When these lobbyists voices are yelling loudly in unison, they get the attention they seek and the government is pressured into making decisions and passing laws based on the deep pockets of these organizations.
If you still believe the term “all-natural” is a thing despite the miles of scientific research that states otherwise, then fine. That’s your thing. But just pay the “stupidity tax” and eat your overpriced foods with the fancy label. Don’t insist on the rest of us doing it, too.
Man, that’s was a lot of snark. But this is exactly the kind of stuff that drives me nuts about the dieting and food industry.
Marketing tactics and bullshit scams don’t work on me. I’m a truth-seeker. I do my homework and I learn from people who are smarter than me. I’m not in this business for the sole purpose of putting food on the table. Trust me, there are significantly easier ways to make money than online coaching—like, I dunno—lying to cancer patients and other terminally ill individuals with the intent of manipulating them into fattening your wallet.
That’s not the life for me. And it shouldn’t be the life for you, either.