Debunked Declarations - Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oz

aakaakaak

Something to note when people make statements and provide links to "evidence". Not everything put on the internet is true. Some of it is outright falsification, while others are biased and unscientific. I came across this hilarious piece today and thought it might show an example of what is NOT a legitimate claim:

Here are many articles relating to the poison known as aspartame:

I have had many bad reactions to this especially migraine headaches and I don't even have migraines! I completely avoid it and no headaches. Read and educate yourself then decide if consuming this deadly sweet is really worth it.

Another thing to know my Mother in law nearly went blind drinking the diet sodas. Luckily she read what Dr. Mercola had relating to the real research on it. She stopped drinking it. Her headaches went away, her asthma improved, and eyesight improved.

Why should you listen to Dr. Mercola? He is a real MD and he knows what he's talking about.

http://www.mercola.com/forms/background.htm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/10/06/aspartame-killing-us-by-degrees-part-i.aspx


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/3/11/one-woman-s-astonishing-experiment-with-aspartame.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/31/aspartame-update.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/03/just-how-bad-is-aspartame.aspx

I'm sure if you search his site you will find countless other articles telling you the absolute truth about this.

Should you avoid aspartame? Absolutely if you value your health, but only you can decide what is right for you. I simply provide the links so you may educate yourself and make a full informed decision if the risks are really worth it.

I noticed that everything was from Mercola.com. So I went there. It's a single doctor's website, not research or science of any kind. So I looked a bit further down in the thread:

That guy is a joke :

Check out the FDA forcing him to stop making illegal claims

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html

Would someone do that? Just lie on the internet?
Yes, they would.
And I am a French model.
"Bonjour"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_CgPsGY5Mw

TL;DR - If someone makes a claim and posts a link, go to the link and make a decision on the trustworthiness of the source. Not all of them are telling the truth. Dr. Mercola is about as good a doctor as Dr. Oz....which is not very good. (And speaking of which, they collaborate.)

Something substantial of note is that the "Quack Watch" page sites several references to their declarations, just like a real paper would. Keep an eye out for that when people claim something to be true.

garlic7girl

Agreed. Folks should always do research for themselves. Read multiple times...before making a stand.

verdemujer

Jillian Michaels - after this last season of the biggest loser and this video - I would take anything she says with a very large grain of salt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbsYbE0xAs4

aakaakaak

Jillian Michaels - after this last season of the biggest loser and this video - I would take anything she says with a very large grain of salt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbsYbE0xAs4

That's a great start. It's an excellent issue to look into. Here we see an individual making a plethora of claims about Gillian Michaels. Now, do a little digging. Research his claims and not take them at face value. First, was this person his martial arts instructor? Go down the list from there. Provide sources. Is her product killing people? Is there any evidence of this? Was she 70lb overweight or closer to 15lb? A youtube video does not prove anything. It may make claims, but it is up to you to verify those claims.

Edit: So I did a quick search on the product that is supposed to be killing people. The ingredients are:
The product contains Irish moss powder, ginger, dandelion root, buckthorn powder, garlic, butternut, uva ursi, yarrow, Chinese rhubarb, wild blueberry, grape, raspberry, cranberry, plump, tart cherry, wild bilberry, strawberry, lactobacillus sporogenes (A relatively safe probiotic), fenugreek, fennel seed, and galactomannan (a food stabalizer commonly found in ice cream).

I don't see any "toxic" ingredients in this list. Maybe someone could do a bit more digging?

verdemujer

Iingredients are:
Irish moss powder -- aka - seaweed or agar-agar - so it's a thickener since it's in powder form - I doubt much of its minieral contents are any longer available but that would depend on how they processed it for powder. Maybe it has some mineral value.

ginger - use for digestion and to help the blood warm up as most herbists think of ginger - will help boost the immune system

dandelion root - used to clean the blood - will work as a laxiative and/or to increase urine out put - in combination with ginger you now have two blood cleansers - never a good thing in herbs to add to similar acting herbs on top of each other

buckthorn powder - ANOTHER laxative - that actually needs to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning to work properly

garlic - nature's antibotic also will help clean the blood and support the immune system - but it doesn't work in a powder form - it has to be taken raw, unprocessed to truly work

butternut - A third laxative that also expels parasites (Garlic will work there also for some parasites) - how many laxatives does a person need all at once?

uva ursi - here is the one that is a killer - its used to treat urinary tract infections and in some people can cause liver failure - I would never take any herbal supplement with this ingredient in it.

yarrow - once again - another blood cleanse by urinary tract booster - can you say dehydrated now? Yarrow is best taken as a tea made from fresh leaves - processed yarrow is pretty useless.

Chinese rhubarb - interesting that they use the description Chinese - rhubarb is ruhbarb - it's a pretty powerful herb and should be used with care. It either causes diarrha or it makes constipation worse - it may also cause kidney failure. - it should not be taken long term. What is that - the 4th laxative? And this in combination with the uva ursi really makes this more of a cleansing drug then anything else.

wild blueberry - ummm - all the research says this fruit only works when eaten fresh or frozen - a powder form is over processed and has most likely lost any health benefits it may have

grape - she can't use the word resveratrol but that is the chemical in grapes that has everyone going nuts over grapes - but again - fresh or liquid form is going to be the most powerul - not some minute powder format

raspberry - is this leaves or berries - Leaf tea is when you are nursing your baby, it helps with the milk, if its the berries - it's the antioxidant and once again - fresh not powder is going to have what you need

cranberry - a third diaretic? How many times does a person need to clean out their internal water system?

plump, tart cherry - JUICE - it must be in juice form to get the cardio and joint help plus help with the sleep cycles - Wait! I need to be drinking this!

wild bilberry - of course it's wild - it isn't easily culivated - mostly consumed as a juice in Europe as that's where it grows - I've had it - nothing to write home about. Supposed to help with eyes but has never been proven.

Strawberry - another berry that once again actually only really works if eaten fresh

lactobacillus sporogenes (A relatively safe probiotic) - after all the laxative action the body needs this to repair the damage,

fenugreek - back to the herbs - this one is a natural to decrease blood sugar therefor diabetics should not take this inconjunction with their medicens. Like many herbs it has two faces - it will also stimulate the appetite.

fennel seed - used to reduce bloat and to help with digestion - probably more effective to eat the seed straight then in powder form.

galactomannan (a food stabalizer commonly found in ice cream) - another thicken agent like the very first item on the list.

So there you have it - I wouldn't pay to take this. It could kill a person if they used it wrong and over an extended time period and it they have existing health issues like diabetes or high blood pressure - some of the combinations with the prescription medicne would not be pretty. Has it killed anyone? Probably not since most of it is overly processed and hence much of the effectiveness is gone. Herbs really only truly work when taken under minimum processing and as close to the real plant as possible. And I very seldom combine herbs together. I dabble in herbs but I'm not an expert.

aakaakaak

Wow, pretty thorough job! Excellent work!

So, in essence, it's an herbal diuretic/laxative/antioxidant. Would that be a correct assessment?

verdemujer

Wow, pretty thorough job! Excellent work!

So, in essence, it's an herbal diuretic/laxative/antioxidant. Would that be a correct assessment?

Yes - primarily a laxative and diuretic which will strip the body of some key nutritents as it's performing those cleansing activities. I think all the berrys are to counter act that but like I said - for those, fresh is the best source.