Getting older inevitably comes health issues—the inevitable consequence of enzymes drying up, tendons tightening, muscles shrinking, and general wear and tear.
Like many people, I’m interested in ‘wellness’ as a concept. I mean, who doesn’t want to hit old age in the best possible health. will make my twilight years a lot more pleasant.
Lately, I’ve read a number of articles in reputable places (too reputable to mention or list here) and been disturbed to realize how frequently they are actually sales pitches for modern-day ‘snake oil’. Fortunately, quack advice follows a well worn formula and therefore, easy to identify.
The template for selling dodgy health products:
Instill concern in the mind of the reader by quoting statistics that demonstrate their personal health is at risk. For example, at the start of the article there is a “startling fact” such as “90% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin B12″. That means you!
Sometimes statistics like this – for example, 74% of men in America fall between overweight or obese fn– are a real, so it’s not an absolute indication that the article is worthless. However, I get more suspicious if next paragraph lists generic symptoms that most of us experience now and then.
Build credibility by quoting eminent scientists, particularly Nobel Prize winners. Everyone trusts a Laureate.
By this point, you should start thinking about turning the page, or closing the browser window. Especially if the next paragraph references a ground-breaking advance that is being dismissed by the medical establishment.
If you get that far through an article they have you hooked, more or less. So they set the hook by pulling the big finish — “Big Pharma know this is true, but they won’t make money on the deal, so they spend millions discrediting our product/method.” And there you have it
The solution that’s unique to a single company or product. The sales pitch for pH water, miracle cures, detox programs, diet plans, supplements, and so on.
Reinforce credibility by the use of metrics that sound scientific, but are actually quite meaningless. Typically something like: “Our vitamin B12 has a 27% higher metabolic conversion than our competitors”.
Sound like a physician and give very exact, pedantic instructions on dosing, etc. Ignoring the fact that the reader may be a 100 lb teenage girl, or a 300 lb 60 year old man.
Sometimes, the author will helpfully lay out the above points in an individual paragraph. But, sometimes, you must work a little to put a checkmark on all the above points. Next time you read a wellness article that seems to solve your health questions or concerns, go through this checklist.
t this point you might have an example of a friend, relative, or even yourself having cured by drinking alkaline water and only wearing cotton. And I will say great. Glad to hear it. But, my sneaking suspicious is when they were diagnosed with the disease, the afflicted person stopped hitting the booze and eating fast food. They started getting a full eight hours sleep every night. And spent time taking stock of their life. It wasn’t latest ‘super food’, nor the optimal yoga sequence that cured them. It was adopting the adage of their grandparents generation — fresh air, good food, exercise, and being nice to other people.