# Tell Me About ZIJA: Scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182 "2005-07-19T19:01:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/82 "2011-01-04T20:39:42Z")
Wow, another “perfect food”. Perfect/super foods seem to come along at the rate of at least once a month. All offer the promise of extra long life, freedom from disease and maybe even impeccable sexual performance. Which makes me wonder, why do we need so **many** different superfoods? Isn’t one enough? I love the bit about “800 documented studies” for Zija (snappy name there, by the way). When supplement promoters are not asking us to rely on testimonials, they are employing the Gish Gallop technique of deluging us with supposedly vast numbers of studies which, on closer examination are almost always a) imaginary, b) irrelevant, c) performed in tissue culture or rodents d) small pilot studies using very few human subjects or limited by bad study design. The Zija advocates in this thread seem to be relying on a)-c). I appreciate **paperbackwriter** ’s detailed evidence-based analyses in this thread. To slightly rephrase one point that was presented - the more extensive the laundry list of complaints that a supplement or food is supposedly good for, the less likely it is that the product is beneficial for any one of them (there are many examples, but one that comes readily to mind is cider vinegar). The preferred phrase during the 19th century heyday of snake oil was “Good for what ails you.” One small quibble - the more we learn about acupuncture the less it qualifies as alternative medicine proving itself through sound research. Increasingly it appears that acupuncture’s effects are indistinguishable from placebo (not only does it not seem to matter where the needles are placed, but the skin doesn’t even have to be punctured - devices employing “sham” acupuncture where piercing of the skin is only simulated have been shown to produce effects comparable to actual acupuncture). > [@MontanaZijaMan](#): > > I trust my body and listen carefully to what it tells me. I often wish my body would STFU, especially after I eat beans or Mexican food. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/83 "2011-01-04T21:29:03Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > We haven’t had A Very Special Thread in ages. It’s not quite up to par as the Black European Nobility Guy or Cow Muties Girl but it’s still memorable. It’s almost to the point we’re going to have to expand the Very Special Posters wing. You forgot about Ear Candle Guy and the Gamefly Shill. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/84 "2011-01-04T21:54:48Z")
> [@MontanaZijaMan](#): > > There are many supporters of Morniga around the world and over 800 **ducumented** studies. The year is young, but this is the front-runner for Freudian slip so far… ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/85 "2011-01-04T22:07:59Z")
Okay, this thread is a fascinating study in shillery and skepticism, and I would like to join in the general plaudits for **paperbackwriter** and his fight against ignorance. However, I cannot let this slip by, even though it was posted a very very long time ago by the very same illustrious **pbw** : > [@paperbackwriter](#): > > To take another example, here are well-done studies on acupuncture that, while not proving the existance of chi, do prove it has a therapeutic effect that can match or even exceed anti-inflamatory drugs. Cite? It is my understanding that there has never been a single placebo-controlled study that has proven the efficacy of acupuncture. Yes, some (somewhat questionable) studies have shown some efficacy for acupuncture, but never any greater efficacy than placebo. [One of many cites](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769056/?tool=pmcentrez) If you wish to recant your statement in light of more recent evidence, that’s great. After all, you posted that a long time ago. But if you would like to maintain the position that acupuncture works, perhaps we should open another thread? ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/86 "2011-01-04T22:37:32Z")
The cite you posted talks about analgesic effects of acupuncture, while I mentioned anti-inflammatory effects, so I don’t think they contradict each other. Analgesia and anti-inflammation are certainly related, but they are not the same. That said, I honestly don’t know if I have the energy to engage in a debate on the medical evidence for acupuncture. It was said as something of an aside, in any event, so you may consider the specific example to be withdrawn, if you wish. The point I really wished to make is that, just because something is “alternative,” that doesn’t automatically make it garbage. Alternative medicine deserves the chance to make its case for biological effectiveness just the same as conventional medicine. Zija, on the other hand, fails to make its case. The most strident proponents don’t even bother making their case, while others are making very limited cases for the parent tree. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/87 "2011-01-04T22:51:11Z")
Since Zija is the perfect food and Dr. Bianchi is such an educated guy, I’m sure he’s developing a program to feed the world’s malnurished, and his company, Adept Solutions is footing the bill. Or it this one of those perfect food sources that is so rare, and so expensive to harvest/sequence that the only people that can really benefit from Zija is multi-level marketers and people with lots of discretionary income? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/88 "2011-01-04T22:52:13Z")
Screw _that._ I wanna know more about these studies that say nicotine is good for you and we should eat more saturated fat. (Bonus points if they say smoking weed is beneficial to the lungs, and doubleplus bonus points if they also claim vodka soothes an inflamed liver.) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182/89 "2011-01-04T23:05:08Z")
[moderating] Since this question was posted in 2005, it has been answered and answered and answered, and the thread keeps coming back to life. If someone has anything _new_ to say about the Zija scam, please start a new thread. And don’t start it in GQ unless you have a specific question that can receive a definitive answer. [/moderating] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-zija-scam/313182.md?page=4)