http://mg.co.za/article/2013-01-18-take-time-to-chill-out-and-chew-the-fat
You should be cringing for a few reasons, including:
1. That was quite terrible.
2. That was devoid of actual science.
3. That article appeared in the health section of the Mail & Guardian, an otherwise highly respectable news outlet (arguably one of the best in South Africa), earlier this year.
I read the article and wept (metaphorically - in reality I jumped up from the breakfast table and ran upstairs, but more on that shortly). I wrote a long letter to the editor. I hoped that they would publish it. The letter became too long. It mutated. It changed into an article. I know of no-one who would publish my rantings outside of very limited circulation leaflets.(Alas, I have yet to print my opinions on the back of penis-enlargement pamphlets - a strategy which, I am told, will undoubtedly increase my circulation. Just perhaps not that kind of circulation.) The piece fermented in a folder in My Documents. It is ready.
So I give to you a series of blogposts. Devoid of an editor. Full of reason. And occasional humour. For your convenience and my integrity, I have added a list of sources, to which the following posts will refer.
Works cited:
1. Green, Harriet. Take time to chill out and chew the fat. www.mg.co.za. [Online] January 18, 2013. [Cited: 01 20, 2013.] http://mg.co.za/article/2013-01-18-take-time-to-chill-out-and-chew-the-fat.
2. Dillner, Luisa. Exposed: Bitter pill of bad pharma. Mail & Guardian Website. [Online] Mail & Guardian, 10 26, 2012. [Cited: 01 20, 2013.] http://mg.co.za/article/2012-10-26-00-exposed-bitter-pill-of-bad-pharma.
3. Heritage, Stuart. Seven days, seven diets. Mail & Guardian Website. [Online] 01 11, 2013. [Cited: 01 20, 2013.] http://mg.co.za/article/2013-01-11-seven-days-seven-diets.
4. Illsbury, Darryl. Light at night sets off alarm bells. Mail & Guardian Website. [Online] November 09, 2012. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://mg.co.za/article/2012-11-09-light-at-night-sets-off-alarm-bells.
5. US News. US News Health. US News Website. [Online] 2011. [Cited: 01 20, 2013.] http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/mn/mayo-clinic-661MAYO.
6. Mayr Therapy. Mayr Therapy Biographies. Mayr Therapy. [Online] Mayr Therapy, 2009. [Cited: 01 20, 2013.] http://www.mayrtherapy.com/biographies.htm.
7. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. About.com Chemistry. About.com. [Online] About.com, 2013. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/neutronbomb.htm.
8. RJ Ellory: Fake book reviews are rife on the internet, authors warn. The Telegraph. [Online] 2012. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9518531/RJ-Ellory-fake-book-reviews-are-rife-on-internet-authors-warn.html.
9. Barrett, S. "Detoxification" Schemes and Scams". Quackwatch. [Online] May 2009, 8. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/detox_overview.html.
10. WebMD. "Detox Diets: Cleansing the Body". WebMD. [Online] June 23, 2012. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/detox-diets-cleansing-body-feature.
11. Henderson, M and F, Yeoman. Detox diets are a waste of time and money, say scientists. The Times. [Online] January 3, 2006. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/detox-diets-cleansing-body-feature.
12. BBC News. Scientists dismiss detox schemes. BBC News. [Online] January 3, 2006. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4576574.stm.
13. Randerson, J. Detox remedies are a waste of money, say scientists. The Guardian. [Online] June 23, 2010. [Cited: January 20, 2013.] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4576574.stm.
14. Ernst, E. Alternative detox. PubMed. [Online] August 19, 2012. [Cited: Januart 20, 2013.] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22297655.
The posts will follow in short succession and will read like an engineer's road-sign:
http://xkcd.com/781/
No comments:
Post a Comment