I like to think I’m fairly good at spotting scams. Although I have a science background, I’m essentially a “layman” in most every field. And since I don’t have the inclination to spend weeks researching, I have to cultivate my BS detection logic. Essentially this boils down to a question I have to ask myself: does the claim or the counterclaim have “the ring of truth.”
Here’s one I don’t believe.
A year or so ago, my mom was all into a new over the counter miracle drug called “coral calcium.” She went on and on about it, and had me more or less convinced. (I’m sure she watched some infomercial or something.) She had me convinced, that is, until I did a google groups search and got a hit on a Japanese research report that blew it away. How did I know this counter claim was right? Well, I didn’t, but the research report had the ring of truth. I sent it to my mom, and told her to read it. Since she never got back to me, I don’t know what she concluded.
Here’s one I do believe.
I’m reading this new book called “The Joy of Laziness” by Peter Axt et. al. I’m about half way through the book, but I believe it! The claim (backed by scientific research) is that every biological entity is born with a fixed amount of life energy. You can’t add life energy to your quota. You can only withdraw or subtract from it. The thing you can effect is the RATE at which you subtract. So your body’s “energy efficiency” is directly related to the length of your life. We can effect this “efficiency” by lowering our metabolic rate. Here’s the things that will do that. 1) very moderate exercise (30 min walking 3 times a week), 2) plenty of sleep, 3) no stress, 4) keeping warm, 5) eating light and nutritious.
Examples of different metabolic rates:
Worker bees versus Queen Bees. The queen bee is slothful and inactive. She sits in the bee hive and is waited on by her worker bees. Queen Bees live 5 to 20 years. Worker bees live a max of 6 months. Look at the turtle: not agitated by anything, it wastes very little life energy and as a consequence lives to 150 years old.
Animals live twice as long in the zoo as they do in the wild. Why? No stress, adequate food, their range of movement is a minimum (less energy consumed). In the wild, they cover vast distances searching for food. Do you think that exercise makes them healthier? Maybe, but they don’t live as long because of the life energy consumed.
Bottom line, if you are a lazy couch potato, you will live longer than the marathon runner. These authors have absolutely nothing to gain from telling us this. They’re also former marathoners! There’s a definite ring of truth to the book.
Finally, here’s one I can’t figure out whether to believe or not. I just got a junk snail mail, which I actually read before I tossed it. Al Sears MD wants you to buy a 12 month subscription to his “Health Confidential for Men” magazine for $39. I personally do not trust “experts” but that’s the message he’s sending out!
1) You don’t need viagra for ED. All you need is testosterone. (Not that I have that problem(G).)
2) Most prostate problems can be cured with over the counter herbs. Prostate cancer is entirely absent in 3rd world countries and Asia. It appears to be a disease of affluence.
3) There’s nothing wrong with eating red meat, drinking wine and beer and the occasional cigar.
The whole thing had the ring of truth to me. But there’s a big problem. He has pictures like this plastered throughout the advertisement:
I like this guys message, but with a picture like that, I think I’ll pass on the mag subscription.
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