sugar pills
Most of my friends know that I'm pretty skeptical of alternative medicines. I'm a strong believer in science - in fact, I think I'm such a passionate believer in science that I have a unique perspective on medicine in general. I think preventative medicine is great - but I also think that 90% of preventative medicine is a healthy diet and exercise. Generally I don't think there is anything wrong with taking herbal supplements, as long you are under a doctor's supervision. At various times, vitamin E, vitamin A, or vitamin C has been proven to help people. It's debatable if echinasea actually helps cure a cold, but I'm about as likely as the next person to take it if I get a cold. It's cheap and, if you take the correct dosages under a doctor's supervision, it's basically harmless. You know what? I'm a skeptic, but I am open to alternative medicines. I think, though, that without substantial scientific proof, these medicines should be very low cost, and should be taken under the supervision of a licensed medical doctor.
Recently I saw this story on ABC's 20/20. It's a story about a company called Mannatech which makes pills called Ambrotose. These pills are glyconutrients - a fancy name for sugar pills - which are implied to be a cure-all for basically every disease imaginable. The story profiles a girl named Angie Rhoads. Oddly enough, I knew Angie in college. She also attended Central Missouri State University but was a year younger than me. We were involved in some of the same activities, including a Christian parachurch organization. Today, she has a malignant brain tumor and, instead of receiving chemo and radiation, she's taking Ambrotose and gambling on its success. Never mind that it costs hundreds of dollars a month. In my opinion, Ambrotose is nothing but snake oil. My prayers are with Angie, because it seems like she's making a huge mistake, and I'm grieved that she is putting God's face on a product like this.
Another sugar-pill snake oil that I've noticed lately is called Reliv. Like other similar frauds, Reliv costs several hundred dollars each month. Reliv adds the nutrients to your diet that you desperately need, but which you cannot get through any other source. Gimme a break. Now I will admit that I take a multivitamin every day, but I don't spend more than $1.50 or so each month on that. And even if I didn't take a multivitamin, I still believe it is possible to achieve a balanced diet without any overpriced supplements.
There are hundreds of bloggers on the 'net touting the benefits of Reliv. Here's one gal claiming that Reliv cured her anxiety attacks and heart problems, helped her recover quickly from a car accident, cured certain female infections, and have led to better sleep and more energy. I don't buy it. IF - and this is a huge if - IF this pill was truly such a magical cure-all, the scientific field would have learned about about it and be touting its benefits by now.
The power of the mind is great. Just look at the control group in studies - often the placebo group will see the same results as the test group. This is known as the placebo effect. I think that's all the Reliv people are seeing! Unfortunately the "placebo effect" can only go so far. It can't cure advanced cancer or many chronic diseases. And it makes me furious that these companies are claiming that they can.
Recently I saw this story on ABC's 20/20. It's a story about a company called Mannatech which makes pills called Ambrotose. These pills are glyconutrients - a fancy name for sugar pills - which are implied to be a cure-all for basically every disease imaginable. The story profiles a girl named Angie Rhoads. Oddly enough, I knew Angie in college. She also attended Central Missouri State University but was a year younger than me. We were involved in some of the same activities, including a Christian parachurch organization. Today, she has a malignant brain tumor and, instead of receiving chemo and radiation, she's taking Ambrotose and gambling on its success. Never mind that it costs hundreds of dollars a month. In my opinion, Ambrotose is nothing but snake oil. My prayers are with Angie, because it seems like she's making a huge mistake, and I'm grieved that she is putting God's face on a product like this.
Another sugar-pill snake oil that I've noticed lately is called Reliv. Like other similar frauds, Reliv costs several hundred dollars each month. Reliv adds the nutrients to your diet that you desperately need, but which you cannot get through any other source. Gimme a break. Now I will admit that I take a multivitamin every day, but I don't spend more than $1.50 or so each month on that. And even if I didn't take a multivitamin, I still believe it is possible to achieve a balanced diet without any overpriced supplements.
There are hundreds of bloggers on the 'net touting the benefits of Reliv. Here's one gal claiming that Reliv cured her anxiety attacks and heart problems, helped her recover quickly from a car accident, cured certain female infections, and have led to better sleep and more energy. I don't buy it. IF - and this is a huge if - IF this pill was truly such a magical cure-all, the scientific field would have learned about about it and be touting its benefits by now.
The power of the mind is great. Just look at the control group in studies - often the placebo group will see the same results as the test group. This is known as the placebo effect. I think that's all the Reliv people are seeing! Unfortunately the "placebo effect" can only go so far. It can't cure advanced cancer or many chronic diseases. And it makes me furious that these companies are claiming that they can.
posted by Tidy Bowl at
2:11 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home