More Thoughts on Woo - and How Doctors Don't Take Women Seriously

[IdaBriggs]

64. I apologize if my analogy was not clear.

If you looked at the three studies that the Journal Folk who set me off earlier this week did, you will notice some missing data points with the biggies being "how were the people in the study deemed to be suffering from a deficiency such that supplementation might benefit them" and "how were levels of absorption measured" being super easy questions.

There are more, of course - how did they control for diet, family history, level of deficiency, and side effects from medications that negatively impact efficacy (see my little sub-rant on miralax).

Answer: They didn't. They just told people to stop wasting their money because a healthy diet (which these people were obviously not adherents of otherwise they wouldn't have been having health problems per the "you brought this on yourself" mentality) was more than adequate instead of checking into these things, and doing some analysis.

Now, I'm a small non-profit, and the people helping me out are by and large parents of special needs children, so we KNOW we are missing information (which my fantasies say will be answered by The Wise White Coated Science Lords) but blithely telling people to "stop wasting money and there is no need for further investigation" makes my head hurt.

There is a small experiment recommended for elementary school students - you take a multi-vitamin, and put it in a glass with some water and a splash of white vinegar. If it hasn't dissolved in 24 hours, your body is pooping the little pills out, especially if you are taking medications for reflux or constipation. Guess what? There are brands out there that *will* digest, and you can also use liquid brands, too. And some people have the stomach to digest the "power pooper pills" so controlling for that is important.

And some people don't have deficiency issues while others (like chemo patients) do, and some people eat healthy, so they get appropriate nutrition, while others who eat like crap might be brought up to "normal" by minor correction.

I get sarcastic because I have been thinking about this WAY too much. And no one pays me for this - I do it for free.

I'm sticking with Nitwits. They have offended me, but since I am not one of their "peers" I am ranting about it on DU.

"People don't need vitamins" - do you know how difficult it can be to get past that level of ignorance spouted by a supposed authority without all of the caveats that they didn't put in - like how many people actually are being helped by this stuff?

Oh. They don't see those patients, since they don't come into the office, and they Don't Get Sick.

Coincidence. Nothing but coincidence. Or willfully blind ignorance.

I'm ranting again. Sigh. And I've probably just confused you more. Sorry.