I have a friend who is into every faddish "health diet" she comes across. I can't remember what the most recent one was, I think it was the "blood type" diet. These things always seem to have two things in common: a pseudo-scientific theory, and testimonials. They wouldn't know what a clinical trial or a double-blind experiment would be if they hit them on the head. When my friend starts talking about her latest one, I've learned to nod and smile.
And that non-Western medicine works better. Why? Because ... because ... because it's not Western Medicine. Another one in the coalition of nonsense which is very similar is the "Natural is Better, and Chemicals are Nasty" one. Er, no. Here, have some Belladonna leaves, they're perfectly natural. Ooops, you just died. Take the hysteria that surrounds different sugar substitutes. Stevia extract is "natural" (and thus good) and Sucralose (Splenda) is "unnatural" (and thus bad). The reasoning seems to be that if something is extracted by a physical or chemical reaction, it is still "natural", but if it is created by a chemical reaction, it is "unnatural". No, wait; if it is something created by a chemical reaction at the instigation and supervision of human beings, it is unnatural. No, wait; if it is something created by a chemical reaction at the instigation and supervision of human beings, it is unnatural, unless the chemical reaction is one that human beings have been using for centuries or millennia, such as cooking or cheese-making.
(rolls eyes)
What makes the fallacy so appealing to people, though, is that there is a grain of truth in it. There are a number of cases where natural is better, and chemicals are nasty. I'd rather eat Certified Organic fruit and vegetables, for example. I am glad that most places in the Western World have legislation which forces companies to say what the ingredients of their food products are. It's fascinating (and sometimes appalling) what one notices if one actually pays attention to the ingredients lists. For example, "Lite" Coconut Milk is only Lite because there's less coconut and more water and thickener in it. I feel empowered when I make my own ice cream, because I know exactly what is in it. My ice cream is made of pure, natural ingredients... and pure, unnatural ingredients.
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branchandroot
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Date: Friday, 20 February 2009 09:13 am (UTC)I have a friend who is into every faddish "health diet" she comes across. I can't remember what the most recent one was, I think it was the "blood type" diet. These things always seem to have two things in common: a pseudo-scientific theory, and testimonials. They wouldn't know what a clinical trial or a double-blind experiment would be if they hit them on the head. When my friend starts talking about her latest one, I've learned to nod and smile.
And that non-Western medicine works better. Why? Because ... because ... because it's not Western Medicine.
Another one in the coalition of nonsense which is very similar is the "Natural is Better, and Chemicals are Nasty" one. Er, no. Here, have some Belladonna leaves, they're perfectly natural. Ooops, you just died.
Take the hysteria that surrounds different sugar substitutes. Stevia extract is "natural" (and thus good) and Sucralose (Splenda) is "unnatural" (and thus bad). The reasoning seems to be that if something is extracted by a physical or chemical reaction, it is still "natural", but if it is created by a chemical reaction, it is "unnatural". No, wait; if it is something created by a chemical reaction at the instigation and supervision of human beings, it is unnatural. No, wait; if it is something created by a chemical reaction at the instigation and supervision of human beings, it is unnatural, unless the chemical reaction is one that human beings have been using for centuries or millennia, such as cooking or cheese-making.
(rolls eyes)
What makes the fallacy so appealing to people, though, is that there is a grain of truth in it. There are a number of cases where natural is better, and chemicals are nasty. I'd rather eat Certified Organic fruit and vegetables, for example. I am glad that most places in the Western World have legislation which forces companies to say what the ingredients of their food products are. It's fascinating (and sometimes appalling) what one notices if one actually pays attention to the ingredients lists. For example, "Lite" Coconut Milk is only Lite because there's less coconut and more water and thickener in it. I feel empowered when I make my own ice cream, because I know exactly what is in it. My ice cream is made of pure, natural ingredients... and pure, unnatural ingredients.