# Concerning misinformation on medical issues **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799 "2013-12-08T04:59:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/1 "2013-12-08T04:59:28Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever done this before. Here goes: Sir, I believe you have been horribly irresponsible, and your arch and snarky response to being called out only underscores your irresponsibility. “General Question” is not the forum for random unsubstantiated musings approaching Conspiracy Theories, with little respect for facts. > [@Flouride - dental savior or poison?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flouride-dental-savior-or-poison/675744/44): > > Thank you for your stern rebuke. How crass of me to make comments on the forum unless I had fully researched them first. You really put me in my place. I’m going to stand in the naughty corner for the next 30 minutes. Although I disagree with some of your comments, I just can’t be bothered to respond to them. I’m not the type to get my knickers in a knot over forum comments, as I’m sure you’re not. But I am amazed you think my comments only serve to discredit sensible well-founded evaluations of our medical and medical products industries. I didn’t know I had the power. > Anyway, have a nice day. So, essentially you are agreeing that you are rambling on about topics you know nothing about, have no interest in researching, and refuse to discuss when challenged on facts? You, essentially, are willing to disseminate misinformation about the medical products and healthcare industries? When challenged on unsubstantiated or disproven assertion, you believe the appropriate response is meaningless snark? You do a serious disservice to this message board. I would recommend you review the masthead before posting in the future. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/2 "2013-12-08T05:41:52Z")
Linky linky? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/3 "2013-12-08T05:41:53Z")
Link? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/4 "2013-12-08T05:43:08Z")
Jinx. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/5 "2013-12-08T06:50:14Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Linky linky? > **[Flouride - dental savior or poison?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=709794)** > > I keep hearing on these news shows how some doctors r saying we should avoid flouride. What’s the deal - is it poison, and worth it to find toothpaste without it? Or is it fine to brush the teeth long as we don’t swallow it? Is it effective to brush... And yes, **Duke of York** seems to be much more interested in polemic than addressing the actual subject of the thread. Well deserved Pitting, IMO. Meanwhile, rather than clutter up the GQ thread further, I’ll respond to his snark here: > [@Duke of York](#): > > I can see at least a dozen posts that do not answer the OP’s question, including yours. So are you only picking on posters who disagree with you? 1. I wasn’t picking on you, I was politely suggesting that you pay closer attention to the rules of the GQ forum. I point out that a moderator essentially agreed with this opinion. 2. Posts 11 and 13 in that thread both directly address the OP’s question. Which of yours, in that thread, does the same? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/6 "2013-12-08T09:12:46Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Linky linky? That little blue (purple? blueish?) arrow to the right of the Duke’s name in the quote in the OP is a link. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/7 "2013-12-08T10:44:35Z")
> [@Flouride - dental savior or poison?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flouride-dental-savior-or-poison/675744/40): > > I hope you are joking, although I must admit it was not very funny. > Here’s another doctor joke to amuse you. Hey, doctor, I have a strawberry growing in my ear’ doctor" I’ll give you some cream for it" No, you thicko, it _is_ funny, because anyone who would take it seriously is a _complete fucking idiot_ who needs a hefty dose of reality and to stop reading so many crappy conspiracy theory websites. This guy appears to be your typical “WE CAN’T TRUST TEH DOCTORZ” nutcase, appealing to cases from decades ago and ignoring any pertinent evidence that applied in the meanwhile. He has no idea what he’s talking about, and his lack of information is pretty obvious to anyone with even a layman’s understanding. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/8 "2013-12-08T11:22:51Z")
Unrelated to his Hamness but related to medical misinformation, this week in Spanish newspapers: Ministry of Health to regulate homeopatic “medicines” like regular ones; about 2/3 of pharmacies sell homeopatic snake oil. Stop the country, I want off. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/9 "2013-12-09T02:10:37Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > This guy appears to be your typical “WE CAN’T TRUST TEH DOCTORZ” nutcase, … I would like to point out that **I** do not [blindly] trust doctors, medical products manufacturers, or their regulators. Trust is not the issue; information is. We have all the information we could need to make rational decisions about our health care, and just about everything else, _right at our fingers tips._ There’s just no excuse for spreading misinformation. It just destroys the credibility of people who raise real concerns. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/10 "2013-12-09T02:26:28Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Unrelated to his Hamness but related to medical misinformation, this week in Spanish newspapers: Ministry of Health to regulate homeopatic “medicines” like regular ones; about 2/3 of pharmacies sell homeopatic snake oil. > > Stop the country, I want off. Hey - don’t pick on snake oil salesman - at least you get oil - I’m guess the homeopathic version contains 12X dilution of snake oil - or water as the rest of the world calls it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/11 "2013-12-09T02:32:04Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Linky linky? > [@Alessan](#): > > Link? FYI, if you hit the blue icon next to the quoted person’s name, it will take you to the quoted post in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/12 "2013-12-09T08:45:31Z")
> [@j666](#): > > I would like to point out that **I** do not [blindly] trust doctors, medical products manufacturers, or their regulators. Trust is not the issue; information is. Oh, I don’t blindly trust the medical establishment either. But I don’t blindly assume that whatever they support is wrong. And that’s what this guy’s error is. It’s like the typical “health warriors” - believe in anything, so long as the medical establishment doesn’t support it. Never mind evidence. > [@](#): > > We have all the information we could need to make rational decisions about our health care, and just about everything else, _right at our fingers tips._ There’s just no excuse for spreading misinformation. It just destroys the credibility of people who raise real concerns. Damn straight. It’s gotten to the point that I become straight-up suspicious when I hear anyone saying “natural” as a good thing. Why? Because jackasses like Joe Mercola and Mike Adams have essentially poisoned the word when it comes to medicine, and if a site has “natural” in its name, it’s usually a pretty even bet just how thick the woo will be layed on. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/13 "2013-12-09T11:43:52Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Unrelated to his Hamness but related to medical misinformation, this week in Spanish newspapers: Ministry of Health to regulate homeopatic “medicines” like regular ones; about 2/3 of pharmacies sell homeopatic snake oil. > > Stop the country, I want off. Wait, isn’t this a good thing - I mean, assuming they’re currently not regulated at all. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/14 "2013-12-09T11:49:03Z")
It would be a better thing if we didn’t have 2/3 of pharmacies selling the stuff. Which means there’s also a lot of people buying the stuff. And my sister in law is far from the only doctor using the stuff… The regulations are going to take into account (rephrased) “actual proof that they work” (amen, it would wipe them off our shelves) and also “the recommendations of the somethingsomething homeopatic association”, which appear to be pissed that some brands are labeling anything as “homeopatic” and “using inappropriate dilution techniques”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/15 "2013-12-09T12:24:40Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It would be a better thing if we didn’t have 2/3 of pharmacies selling the stuff. Which means there’s also a lot of people buying the stuff. And my sister in law is far from the only doctor using the stuff… > > The regulations are going to take into account (rephrased) “actual proof that they work” (amen, it would wipe them off our shelves) That is what I thought. > [@](#): > > and also “the recommendations of the somethingsomething homeopatic association”, which appear to be pissed that some brands are labeling anything as “homeopatic” and “using inappropriate dilution techniques”. :smack: I find this [Mitchell And Webb sketch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVV3QQ3wjC8) appropriate whenever homeopathy comes up. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/16 "2013-12-09T14:08:07Z")
Personally, I don’t think **Duke of York** goes far _enough_ in his distrust of doctors and dental fluoride. It is well known that plaque is a figment of the liberal media and the dental industry to scare you into buying useless appliances and pastes. Now, I’ve heard the arguments on both sides, and there is nothing to convince me of the need to brush your teeth. I got rid of my teeth at a young age because… I’m straight. Teeth are for gay people. That’s why fairies come and get them. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/17 "2013-12-09T15:54:59Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > That little blue (purple? blueish?) arrow to the right of the Duke’s name in the quote in the OP is a link. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > FYI, if you hit the blue icon next to the quoted person’s name, it will take you to the quoted post in the thread. Well for the love of Og. Technology man, who knew? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/18 "2013-12-09T16:01:48Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Well for the love of Og. Technology man, who knew? Ditto! Is this new or have I been oblivious all this time!? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/19 "2013-12-09T16:13:11Z")
Goddamned fucking idiots who keep banging the “industrial waste” drum. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799/20 "2013-12-09T16:13:39Z")
That’s a basic vBulletin feature. Right handy one. The blue button that is. Industrial waste drums are basic features of arguments of total alt-med twatbuckets. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-misinformation-on-medical-issues/675799.md?page=2)