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  #16   ^
Old Tue, Jul-27-21, 05:43
cotonpal's Avatar
cotonpal cotonpal is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 5,283
 
Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Vermont
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Since Mercola gets so many things wrong, it is hard to trust anything he claims. I have a neighbor who is a pathological liar. Since so much of what he says he has simply made up I have learned to not believe anything he says even though some of his pronouncements are no doubt true. In fact I ignore him as much as possible, go out of my way to avoid him. I have no interest in separating the wheat from the chaff when there are other credible sources of information where there is a lot more wheat than chaff and care has been taken to eliminate the chaff before the fact whenever possible.

Of course in my eating life I eliminate both wheat and chaff. Perhaps I should say I try to separate the nutritious low carb from the high carb junk.

Last edited by cotonpal : Tue, Jul-27-21 at 05:48.
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  #17   ^
Old Tue, Jul-27-21, 08:28
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
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Companies/ people are always going to offer solutions to emotional conditions. These "solutions" must be tempered by "buyer beware." The market adjusts for current trends very rapidly by offers of supplements, solutions supporting latest fads or guidelines based on emotional triggers, and if people aren't aware of this dynamic, it can end badly. A free market requires consumers to be curious, suspicious, and knowledgeable before making decisions, especially in today's digital world.
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  #18   ^
Old Wed, Jul-28-21, 05:36
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Posts: 14,602
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
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I'm reminded of past waves, where "oil pulling" or even drinking one's own urine are touted as cure-alls.

My response was always, "If it worked, everyone would do it!"
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  #19   ^
Old Wed, Jul-28-21, 07:25
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teaser teaser is offline
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Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
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I've enjoyed some of his podcasts, he interviews some interesting people, but like some other podcasters I sometimes wince when he's the one speaking.

It's entirely possible to have beliefs that are just wrong, and then monetize those beliefs, I don't think that's necessarily wrong in a moral sense. I get mad when I see homeopathic 'medication' in the pharmacy, they should know better, I get madder when I see 'does not cause drowsiness' on the side of the package, because that makes me think that maybe the people making the product know better too. I think they should legally have to put on the package that there's no reason to think the stuff does anything, let alone make you drowsy.
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  #20   ^
Old Wed, Jul-28-21, 09:44
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Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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I always thought he was peddling a lot of snake oil. That I happened to agree with him on one thing was just coincidence. I think one of the warning signs I came across was an article posted about the dangers of microwaving your food.
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  #21   ^
Old Sun, Aug-01-21, 23:16
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CMCM CMCM is offline
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Posts: 4,264
 
Plan: Keto / Atkins VLC
Stats: 173/148.6/135 Female 5'6"
BF:23.9
Progress: 64%
Location: N. Calif. Sierra Nevadas
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Mercola is not a person I've ever been drawn to reading or following, not entirely sure why. He just didn't impress me for some reason so I lost interest in what he was saying a long time ago.

Very few, if any of the "experts" know it all. And some people I really like and respect have still said things that simply do not work for ME
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  #22   ^
Old Mon, Aug-02-21, 06:30
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Posts: 14,602
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMCM
Very few, if any of the "experts" know it all. And some people I really like and respect have still said things that simply do not work for ME


An excellent point, and we are only human

I think a crucial part of trusting our authority figures is how they must earn it. If a person can demonstrate that they have delved into the matter, and explain how and why and the path to their conclusions, we can follow along and see if it makes sense to us.

Marty Kendall (Data Driven Nutrition) and Konstantin Monastyrsky (Fiber Menace) are examples of people who have credentials in one field, and have transferred their research and analytical skills to this one. It might even be the same way with medical doctors: two favorites are Dr. William Davis (Wheatbelly) and Dr. Jack Kruse (Epi-Paleo nutrition) who are not in the endocrine field but explain how they got improvement in their patients through their take on diet.

This can be highly individual, of course. These are four people who I have taken ideas from and gotten great success. By looking at my own -- rather complicated -- situation using the different angles they use. For a subject as complicated as fixing decades of dangerous eating habits, and hopefully healing some of the damage we've suffered as a result, it might not be a one-and-done thing. When I was twenty, just dropping the carbs they were pushing on me might have worked, or not... but right now, I need to constantly wrestle with my conclusions and keep trying new things and researching possibilities.

One question I ask myself during this journey is:

If someone confuses us, are they not a good communicator? Or are they not a good communicator... on purpose? Because it's a classic sign of a con artist to mix in some truth with the lies. The truth lures us in, then the lies can take hold.

Dr. Lam of Adrenal Fatigue notoriety sounds good at first: medical doctor, big website, and yes, he sells stuff. But that alone is not a reason to mistrust anyone. Konstantin Monastyrsky has a fine explanation of how and why he sells stuff on his site -- he tells people they can do it himself, or they can follow his plan to make things easier. Most people are willing to pay a reasonable amount to make things easier! Especially if they don't feel well.

Dr. Lam is not reasonable, and he hints strongly that he's the ONLY one to trust. And the first thing that made me suspicious was that he would have articles on his site that talked in circles. Then the desperate, confused, and hopeful victim will just pay the money to get at all the tantalizing information Dr. Lam was holding out of reach.

What made me abandon Dr. Mercola was not only his relentless selling, it was also how he structured it. Now, I don't mind buying access to content. This is how books and purchased lessons on video and online courses work. If we get value for our money, that is more than worth it. But how the seller offers their wares is vitally important when it comes to deciding if we will find their stuff worth buying.

As an example, after being laid off in the Pandemic -- being considered unemployable between my age, most recent skills, and a glut of such workers in tourism -- I have been working hard on my small business. I build on the time and money my husband and I have already invested. While it started out free, I have gradually added avenues where people can purchase my unique cat advice.

And still, even at this point, there's LOTS of good and FREE stuff there! This is how people are supposed to see how well my advice works for them and their cats. Half of my website is free; cat care, choosing the right cat for you, and my mythbusting and advice columns are all available. This is plenty of well-presented, actual information I still give away. My cat training, multiple cat, and affection techniques can be purchased in different ways.

This is how it is supposed to work. And isn't this the way we find, appreciate, and then support the nutrition people we know and trust? Enough to buy their books, join their courses, and otherwise gain benefit and support their work?

Yes. That's how.
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  #23   ^
Old Mon, Aug-02-21, 08:25
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 14,602
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
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Passed along by a librarian friend:

The CRAAP test:

- is it Current?
- is it Relevant for your purpose?
- does the author / presenter have Authority in this area?
- is the info factually Accurate?
- for what Purpose is this being shared?
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