Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives by Michael Specter

Author:Michael Specter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Epistemology, Decision-Making & Problem Solving, Reference, Research - Forecasting, Philosophy & Social Aspects, SCIENCE, Philosophy, Science (Specific Aspects), Forecasting, Research, Science - Philosophy, Social aspects, General, Science - Social aspects, Mathematics, Belief and doubt, Education, Science And Public Policy
ISBN: 9781594202308
Publisher: Penguin Press
Published: 2009-10-15T07:45:02.709000+00:00

4

The Era of Echinacea

Not long ago, for reasons I still don’t understand, I began to feel unfocused and lethargic. Work was no more stressful than it had ever been, and neither was the rest of my life. The bulk of my savings had been sucked into the vortex of the newly recognized black hole called the economy. But whose had not? I try to eat properly, exercise regularly, sleep peacefully, and generally adhere to the standard conventions of fitness. It didn’t seem to be working. My doctor found nothing wrong and my blood tests were fine. Still, I felt strange, as if I were lacking in energy—or in something. So I did what millions of Americans do every day. I sought salvation in vitamins.

First, though, I had to figure out what variety of salvation to seek. There are many thousands of pills, potions, powders, gels, elixirs, and other packaged promises of improved vitality for sale within just a few blocks of my home. I walked to the closest store, a place called The Health Nuts, and told the proprietor I was feeling sluggish. He nodded gravely and took me straight to the amino acid section. To counteract my deficit of energy, he recommended a supplement of glutamine, which is one of the few amino acids that passes the blood-brain barrier. When people are under stress—physical or psychological—they begin to draw down on their stores of glutamine. “This stuff repairs brain cells and it’s good for depression, too,” he told me. A leaflet attached to the bottle described the amino acid as a magical aid for mental acuity. (“It is helpful with focus, concentration, memory, intellectual performance, alertness, attentiveness, improving mood, and eliminating brain fog & cloudiness”). I dropped it into my basket.

The store also had a garlic section—not actual garlic, but various pills with names like Kyolic and Garlicin, GarliMax and Gar lique, all of which claimed to possess the healing properties of garlic, which for centuries has been thought to help ward off the common cold, clear up respiratory infections, and soothe sore throats. Garlic, its advocates claim, is also effective in treating heart problems, lowering cholesterol, and keeping arteries free of blood clots. I grabbed a bottle and moved on to the main supplement section, where multivitamins in every conceivable size, shape, dosage, strength, and formulation were lined up in rows. (There were vitamins for vegans, and for people allergic to gluten, for those who don’t need iron and those who do; and there were specific pills for every age group, from the fetus right through to the “well derly.”) Antioxidants were next to them, all seemingly fueled by the “natural” power of prickly pear, goji, and açaí, the intensely popular Brazilian berry that supposedly offers benefits such as rejuvenation, skin toning, and weight loss, not to mention prevention of various illnesses like heart disease. There was also something called “BlueGranate,” a combination of blueberries and pomegranates, both of which “possess wondrous health properties,” as the bottle put it.

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