Quantum Snake Oil – A Primer

[SidDithers]

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/quantum-snake-oil-a-primer/

Let’s conduct a little thought experiment. First, for the sake of this thought experiment let’s assume that you have no morals, ethics, or conscience. You are comfortable lying to people, even if they are sick, and even if it will harm their health.

Your task is to get as many people as possible to believe that small bits of plastic can improve their health and treat their symptoms. This is not as difficult as it may at first appear, and the payout can be huge. Small plastic stickers can be mass produced for pennies. The primary investment will be creating and maintaining a website. Then, if you can get people to believe that the plastic stickers are magical, the money will come rolling in.

What claims should we make for the stickers? Let’s stay away from anything that has an objective outcome, so we won’t claim that they can be used as an antibiotic to treat pneumonia, or as a way to treat heart attacks. I also understand that in the US and other countries, they take a close look at claims made to treat specific diseases, but you can make vague “structure function” claims with abandon, so let’s go with those. We can always imply that they are effective for diseases, even serious ones like cancer.

These types of claims can include weight loss, improved energy and mental clarity, improved sleep (but be careful not to use disease terms like “insomnia”), and relief from common cold symptoms and everyday aches and pains. These health claims have the additional advantage of being very common, so our potential market will be huge.

Steve Novella nails it again, and provides a handy tool for evaluating suspicious claims made by alt-med purveyors on the internet.



Sid

[Orrex]

1. Sometimes I wish that I had no scruples

It would be easy to make a killing by preying on the hopes of the credulous and the desperate.


k/r

[MineralMan]

9. Hell, I'd start a religion. That's the key to wealth without

much effort.

[mopinko]

10. ++++++

[SidDithers]

23. Yeah. I'd be rich, if it weren't for these damn ethics...

Sid

[arcane1]

37. Heck, I could make a killing just off the people I know!

Damned ethics

[bemildred]

2. Cool. "non-transdermal disks".

Guaranteed not to do anything.

"Quantum bullshit" == an infinitesimal piece of bullshit.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

25. quantum bullshit---it behaves like a particle

of bullshit or a wave of diarrhoea, depending on the expectations of the observer.

[bhikkhu]

3. Airborn makes a good case-study for that

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/airborne-admits-false-advertising/

The absurd thing is how they came out with a huge carefully crafted ad campaign after losing the lawsuits. Essentially they stopped making any claims at all, but relied on the word-of-mouth, memory and brand recognition left over from when they were making false claims. All with a straight face, and no apologies.

[mainer]

4. Alas, there are quite a few snake-oil consumers on the left

Combine the words "ancient" and "natural" and certain members of my family will open their wallets. The same members who refuse to get flu shots.

[MineralMan]

7. Caveman Health Remedies

Harness the power of our ancient, cave-dwelling ancestors for your health.

(never mind that those cavemen died in their late 30's, with no teeth left and painful, infected sores all over their bodies.)

[MineralMan]

5. Quantum Memory Stickers

They remember that they're supposed to improve your health, based on being placed near an effective medication for a short time. The Power of the Observer is in each sticker.

[tridim]

6. And remember kids, huge corporations never sell snake oil!

And they never advertise their crap on primetime television, heavens no!

Keep asking your doctor for more, he will be more than happy to take your money.

[MineralMan]

8. Yah, like Polio and Smallpox Vaccines and antibiotics that

have saved the lives of millions of people. And those blood pressure medications that have prevented countless strokes. All worthless and manufactured only to increase the profits of billionaires.

Yes...all pharmaceuticals are snake oil. Sure they are! I read it on Natural News!

{Sarcasm Smiley Intentionally Omitted}

[tridim]

14. I didn't say all pharmaceuticals are snake oil.

[MineralMan]

15. No, you just damned an entire industry.

I can read.

[tridim]

17. Do you believe Statins work as advertised?

For one example.

And no, I will not be your strawman. I am NOT anti-science nor anti-medicine.

I am anti-bullshit, no matter who sells it.

[MineralMan]

19. Do you mean to ask if they lower cholesterol levels?

If so, then yes, they do work. Is that necessary? I'm not sure. I take atorvastatin daily. It's generic now, and costs next to nothing. My cholesterol is down, and I'm having no side effects. Will it reduce my risk of a heart attack? I do not know. I get the necessary liver blood tests, as recommended by my physician.

There are alternative cholesterol reducers, too. The few that actually work have the same list of possible side effects, too, as the statin drugs. It's a crap shoot. But, my atorvastatin is always at the same dose, costs less than most of the alternatives, and has the desired effect of bringing my LDL numbers down. I pay $12 for a 90-day supply. Go do the comparison with the few alternatives that have the same effect or claim to have the same effect.

The atorvastatin is more cost-effective.

[tridim]

21. They are advertised as reducing the risk of heart disease.

Something that has NEVER been proven in research.

Yet, Statins are still heavily advertised and are by far the most popular medication sold by big pharma.

[MineralMan]

26. Actually, there's a disclaimer about that

for all of the statins. No, they haven't been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, but high LDL levels are definitely linked to atherosclerosis. So, doctors prescribe them to their patients, who make a decision whether or not to take them. Now that atorvastatin is available as a generic, many people who could not afford the non-generics are now taking the generic medication.

They definitely lower cholesterol if taken, in the vast majority of people. The dangerous side effects are rare, and most physicians are on the lookout for those. It's a patient decision, really. I didn't take them until the generic was available. The low cost, combined with the potential to reduce my risk, makes it a fairly easy choice.

I don't take any brand-name medications. Both of my hypertension meds are cheap as dirt. They're generics, and work just fine to keep my blood pressure under control. At one time, they were not generic, and were very expensive. There are still brand-name hypertension medications on the market. I wouldn't buy those, as long as the generics are effective, which they are in my case.

I get no pressure from my doctor to use brand-name drugs. I pay no attention to consumer-oriented advertising for pharmaceuticals. I pay even less attention to the claims of the big businesses who sell supplements and alternative medications. I have a broad range of knowledge of pharmaceuticals, and recognize the false claims of the snake oil companies for what they are.

I understand how the pharmaceuticals function to produce their results. I take no medications I don't need, and waste no money on brand names when effective generics are available. I buy no supplements whatsoever, but eat properly to make sure I get all of the necessary nutrients.

Both Big Pharma and Big Supplement are in the business of relieving consumers of their money, if not their ailments. As with everything, the consumer must exercise due diligence. And, at the doctor's office, everyone needs to ask whether a generic drug is available that will have the desired effect. In almost all cases, there is, and the doctor will be happy to write a generic prescription.

I expect pharmaceutical companies to try to sell their products. I expect the same from the vendors of alternative remedies and the like. That's the business they're in. I'm in the business of making my own decisions, so that's what I do. I recommend that others do the same, and not be taken in by advertising. Let others do that.

[Orrex]

27. Please provide a list of "alternative" "medicines" that have been proven in research.

[NuclearDem]

31. Minchin Rule!

Alternative medicines shown to work = medicine

[Orrex]

32. Which is, of course, another way of saying that alternative medicine doesn't work.

I'm okay with that.

[Hissyspit]

38. No, he/she didn't.

[NuclearDem]

12. More of that false dichotomy nonsense.

Just because Big Pharma behaves unethically and sells bad drugs, doesn't mean a Venus flytrap extract will cure cancer.

[Orrex]

13. LOL.

Keep asking your doctor for more, he will be more than happy to take your money.

As opposed to the multi-billion dollar "alternative" "medicine" industry, which never accepts money for its "services."

[tridim]

16. Yes the two industries are similar in their snake oil sales.

But only one of those industries markets directly to doctors and pays huge financial incentives to sell their snake oil.

[MineralMan]

18. No, actually they are not.

They're very different in their sales strategies. And not all doctors automatically prescribe the latest whiz-bang pharmaceutical. In fact, most doctors lean toward generics, due to the cost factor. New pharmaceuticals do get prescribed, for sure. And patients often almost demand them.

"Natural" and "alternative" supplement vendors market directly to the consumer, using bogus information in many cases, to sell their nostrums, the majority of which have no real effect at all on the undiagnosed illnesses of the people who purchase them. These vendors sell whatever they can market to whomever they can sell them to, without the benefit of needing a real diagnosis before buying them.

Are pharmaceutical companies sometimes predatory in their marketing? Yup. Ask your doctor whether a generic medication is available for your diagnosis. He or she will gladly prescribe one for you. Lots of pressure to prescribe generics from the Insurance companies. I haven't taken an name-brand medication in many, many years. I get prescribed effective medications by my physician. They work. I get better or get a situation under control.

What I don't do is pay money for non-functional alternatives that are sold through false information and deception. My prescription medications are less expensive than typical "alternative supplements." They work, too.

[Orrex]

20. That's also the industry with a long and ongoing record of proven results.

Further, it's unreasonable to dismiss pharmaceuticals as a monolith of "snake oil" because the great majority do provide a demonstrable benefit with (largely) known side effects.

"Alternative" "medicine," in stark contrast, has no track record of demonstrable success. Actual medicine also self-corrects through ongoing review and testing; there has never been a case of one "alternative" "medicine" scheme being used to disprove another.

[Hutzpa]

11. These guys are no longer snake oil salesmen

we are now dealing with outright gangsters disguising themselves as businessmen, better believe it.

There is no more empathy.

[Phil1934]

22. proven in subjective tests

The definition of subjective is belonging to, proceeding from, or relating to the mind of the thinking subject and not the nature of the object being considered

[davidthegnome]

24. Just one example

of the kind of junk available to be purchased on the internet. Let's see... "May get rid of pimples! 80% of our users had results they said were good!".

Of course, a lot of "real" medicines don't work nearly as well as advertised either... but some of this stuff is just ridiculous. You know, you can probably buy a "magic" blessing on some website somewhere, for 5 bucks. Someone will pray for you, or wave incense and candles and chant something, and suddenly, your illness, fear of heights, whatever... just vanishes, poof.

I wonder though, if the placebo effect is enough in some of these cases? Some times things work just because people believe they do.

[SidDithers]

28. Check out Reiki Distance Healing...

yup, you can get someone to perform remote reiki, for the low, low, low price of $37.

Or, buy a remote reiki subscription, for only $35 weekly.

And I'm sure there are people out there paying for this.

What is it that's said about a fool and their money?

Sid

[davidthegnome]

30. Foolishness - but desperation too.

It's sad that some people are so frustrated, so desperate to feel better, that they will purchase this stuff that... realistically, somewhere in their mind, they know isn't really going to help them. I have a hard time with companies that offer false hope, that make all of these wild claims, promising you the moon... and in the end, deliver.. well, nothing.

It can be fairly easy to manipulate and take advantage of very unhappy people - but I rather despise the people who do so. Money isn't worth our souls.

[h2ebits]

29. Thanks for sharing. . . .

Article is well-worth reading and incorporating into my "sniff test" on many topics--not just alt-med purveyors. Sales is a field that brings out the creative forces of obfuscation in order to make as much money, get as much power, etc. as possible. Just look at the line of crap that the media is throwing at all of us. The false "studies" and the blatant lies that people believe. It's the big con regardless of topic.

[SunSeeker]

33. Great post. Reminds me of those plastic "Power Bands" they sell for $29.99.

They claim it improves balance and strength 500%. They got sued, and just dropped the 500% from the claim. They're still selling them even though they absolutely do not work.

http://www.exercisebiology.com/index.php/site/articles/do_power_balance_bracelets_or_bands_work/

[SidDithers]

34. Thanks for that link...

good stuff.

Sid

[INdemo]

35. When I read the first paragraph of this I seriously thought

you were referring to the Republican party.

[immoderate]

36. "Quantum" does now, what "turbo" did twenty years ago.

--imm

[X_Digger]

39. Or 'neodynium magnetics' {sic}. Or 'atomic' from the 50's. n/t