How Health Gurus Trick You
The Power of Persuasion
Hello Everyone,
This week I wanted to use some videos along with a few of my own thoughts to address an important question that keeps coming up.
A number of you have voiced how challenging it is to distinguish between fact and fiction when it comes to all the medical information you find “out there”. You have even pointed out that in some cases, you encounter completely contradictory statements on the exact same subject. So, what’s the deal? Do scientists not know what we are talking about? Why is everything so confusing? Why are we contradicting each other? Can I do a glass of wine or not? Is weed bad for you? Did we figure out aspartame?
Well, there are several factors that contribute to these confusions. And in fact, clarifying these confusions is one of the main reasons I started this newsletter: I want my friends to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to medical claims. This is important information that will help you live longer and feel better, and as someone who is both a physician and a scientist, I can help you navigate these waters.
So what’s the deal with the conflicting information? It turns out that there are a number of reasons why this happens: Here are what I consider the three most important of those reasons - along with corresponding videos that further explain each concept:
Reason 1. There is Money in Misinformation
People will profit from your ignorance and gullibility. Don’t let them. Maintain an open mind. Learn to think critically. Always ask questions, and request scientific proof. If someone ever claims to have all the answers, they are bullshitting you.
Reason 2: At the frontier of knowledge, science flip-flops a lot… until it settles.
If you are not willing to wait for the scientific community to reach a consensus that that then becomes a well established fact because you want your information fresh out of the scientific literature, you have to be ok with some uncertainty.
Reason 3: Not all studies are made equal.
Thinking that two points of views are equivalent because both are supported by scientific studies, one being supported by a cohort study while the other one is supported by a randomized controlled trial, would be a mistake.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Let me know in the comments if you have any additional questions or if there is anything you want me to clarify.