As we age, our bodies change – typically, not for the better. Enzyme production slows, tendons tighten, muscles shrink, and our mobility and flexibility decrease.
I try to keep up to date with the current thinking on how to age well, not to extend my lifetime, but to try to keep my body functioning in a way that doesn’t stop me from doing the things I like.
Many of the articles I read look like advice, but are actually sales pitches for modern-day snake oil. Fortunately, it’s easy to identify dubious health advice, as it often follows a familiar pattern. They follow this template:
First, instill concern in the reader’s mind by quoting statistics demonstrating their health is at risk. For example, at the start of the article, they state startling facts such as”
“90% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin B12”.
Which means you!
Sometimes statistics like this—for example, 74% of Americans are either overweight or obese—are legit, so it’s not an absolute indication that the article is worthless. However, I get more suspicious if the following paragraph lists generic symptoms—feeling tired mid-afternoon or not sleeping well—that most of us experience now and then.
Second, 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 the medical establishment is dismissing.
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 knows 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
And then offer a solution that’s unique to a single company or product. The sales pitch for pH water, miracle cures, detox programs, diet plans, supplements, etc.
Finally, reinforce credibility by using metrics that sound scientific, but are actually quite meaningless. Typically something like: “Our vitamin B12 has a 27% higher metabolic conversion than the others.”
Sometimes, the author will helpfully lay out the above points in an individual paragraph. But, sometimes, you need to work a little to put a checkmark on all the above points.
If you a friend, relative, or even yourself having been helped by drinking alkaline water, or any of the other miracle cures. I will say great. Glad to hear it. But, my sneaking suspicion 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 of sleep every night. And spent time taking stock of their life. It wasn’t the latest ‘superfood’ nor the optimal yoga sequence that cured them. It was adopting the adage of their grandparent’s generation — fresh air, good food, exercise, and being nice to others.