Dr. McDougall is a maverick who disagrees with most experts. He recommends a high starch, low fat diet with no dairy or animal foods and other prohibitions. Its severe restrictions make it nutritionally questionable and it has never been properly tested in a controlled study. It is commonly believed that people who want to lose
Ads selling CBD oil feature Dr. Oz and other celebrities, but Oz warns that he never endorses products, and that ads using his name or image are fraudulent. All sorts of ads for CBD oil have been popping up on my Facebook news feed. Many of them feature Dr. Oz. They have much in common,
Alex Tarnava sells Drink HRW Rejuvenation tablets. The evidence for the health benefits of drinking hydrogen water is not convincing. This is Alex Tarnava. He sells hydrogen water in the form of Drink HRW Rejuvenation tablets. The scientific evidence is not convincing.I am always ready to follow the evidence wherever it leads, but it has
Some people think you can murder someone by putting ground glass in their food. That’s a myth. This Indian lawyer has a strange habit. He eats glass for fun but urges others not to try it.Don’t believe everything you hear. I recently watched an old episode of Midsomer Murders where the corpse was dead but the pathologist
Edzard Ernst’s new book is a handy, comprehensive reference for all things chiropractic. Edzard Ernst’s prolific output continues. In his latest book Chiropractic: Not All That It’s Cracked Up to Be he takes on one of the most popular SCAMS (So-Called Alternative Medicines). It is an even-handed review of the history and claims of chiropractic, examining the
Many health-related products are sold through multilevel marketing (MLM); now the FTC is warning them to stop making false claims about COVID-19. The tactics that MLMs use to promote all their products are deceptive and are a variation on the old Ponzi scam. Multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have a terrible reputation, so bad that Quackwatch
This book is a handy compendium of everything worth knowing about the anti-vaccine movement and how to challenge the misinformation. Jonathan Berman’s new book Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement has two goals: to provide a complete picture of the anti-vaccine movement and to provide a counterpoint to some of the misinformation that has been
Taopatch promises all kinds of vague benefits, but the mechanism of action is implausible and what they call scientific proof is no such thing. It promises to improve your health and wellness. Who wouldn’t want that? Immediate health benefits. Why wait for things that work slowly? Delivery via skin patch: no pills, no surgery, no
The (Un)Well documentary series on Netflix asks “Wellness: does it bring health and healing, or are we falling victim to false promises?” But instead of answers, it offers false balance and confusion. Netflix: a good source of entertainment, not a good source of medical information Netflix recently produced a reprehensible documentary series on “The Goop Lab”. It
Many people look to religion for dietary guidance. Sometimes organized religion offers official guidance in the form of dietary prohibitions (no pork) or prescriptions (halal, kosher, etc.). Sometimes individuals attempt their own interpretations, with inconsistent and sometimes amusing results. One website lists the “Top 10 Christian Weight Loss Programs.” These are: The Daniel Plan The
