The “Natural News” and the Dangers of Pseudoscience!
I just came it came across this website called the “Natural News”. It’s complete bullshit. It’s gotten over million followers on Facebook and has it’s readers fooled with article after article of pseudoscience, misinformation and conspiracy theories. Please don’t be fooled by these crazy sites. It’s vitally important to be skeptical about everything but there’s a difference between being a healthy skeptic and bat shit crazy.
Quick example, Dr. Oz. Well respected cardiothoracic surgeon is married to a practitioner of holistic healing and he pushes miracle cures with absolutely no scientific evidence to back up his opinion. Another perfect example. Dr. Ben Carson, this bat shit crazy doctor was a neurosurgeon (now retired) and yet he preaches and believes the most unscientific of things. Most recently he stated that being gay is a choice. What’s worse is this moron is planning to run for president.
It’s easy to believe these kinds of people. You want to believe them, they are doctors we should be able to believe them. Sadly we can’t because people like this make the first mistake of science and that is believing in their opinions over the facts. The Natural News is promoting their crazy opinions using pseudoscience to win people over.
So what is pseudoscience? It’s a good question. The basic definition is “a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.” What these people and sites do is manipulate aspects of science fact to suit their own opinions or claims.
Please try to use some common sense when decided what to believe in. As I said, being a skeptic is a good thing but there’s a difference between being a skeptic and bat shit crazy. Talk to real doctors. Notice I said real doctors. Read articles from reputable sources. Not just one source, many sources. Say you read an article on a site like Natural News and it blows your mind with the amazing things it’s telling you about how vaccines being harmful. Now, do your own search and ask why should I believe what that site told me. Does this for everything. There’s a reason why almost every single doctor in the world promote flu shots and vaccines for example and it has nothing to do with them “Bowing to big business” or some other conspiracy theory. It has to do with the science and fact behind them. Pseudoscience is a crafty and some people play it very well. But, you can avoid falling for it by just using a little common sense and looking at the facts instead of the opinions.
Opinions based on the kinda pseudoscience the Natural News and other bat shit crazy blogs and Facebook pages promote are dangerous because they breed stupidity and ignorance. I have seen so many posts by friends that believe the most outrageous things because they believe these kinds of sites and pages. They want to believe them because deep down they justify their own fears and insecurities and they fall hard for this crap. Worst of all is that this kinda of misinformation often leads to death. I am not joking here. There are a great many examples of people that have died because they have chosen to believe in opinion over fact. From the religious extremists to the anti-vaxxers and beyond.
If you’re interested in learning, maybe understanding or researching what I have said a little more here are some great articles I have found. Or better yet, do your own research just to make sure I am not filling your head with my own brand of pseudoscience.
And, that ends my rant for the day.
What is Pseudoscience?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hot-thought/201205/what-is-pseudoscience
Natural News: A Truly Deadly Brand of Pseudoscience
http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/who-do-you-know-who-believes-in-the-most-deadly-kind-of-pseudoscience
(I liked the article so much I had to make my own “Natural News” image for this article)
