Biomedical Scientist Answers Pseudoscience Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

Pseudoscience Support (0s)

• Dr. Andrea Love, a biomedical scientist, fact-checks false health claims.

What is pseudoscience? (11s)

• Pseudoscience refers to beliefs or practices that appear scientific but lack repeatability, reliability, or credibility.
• Pseudoscience claims are often based on anecdotes rather than evidence.
• Pseudoscience often starts with a nugget of truth but exaggerates it beyond reality.

Flat Tummy Tea (36s)

• Flat tummy teas are glorified laxatives that speed up digestion beyond normal.
• They flush out undigested food, causing diarrhea and dehydration.
• The perceived flat tummy effect is due to rapid food removal and dehydration, not weight loss or toxin removal.

Chiropractors (1m17s)

• Chiropractic is a $15 billion industry founded on the belief that joint and nerve issues cause all ailments.
• Chiropractic is a pseudoscience, with limited evidence supporting temporary relief for certain types of low back pain.
• Chiropractors (DCs) are not medical or scientific experts.

Anti-Science (2m19s)

• There has been a dramatic rise in anti-science and pseudoscience beliefs, coinciding with social media prevalence and the politicization of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Vaccination rates for preventable diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella have dropped, posing a public health concern.

Autism and Vaccines (3m7s)

• The myth linking vaccines to autism originated from a fraudulent 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, who lost his medical license.
• Wakefield's paper falsely claimed a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism symptoms in children.
• The paper was retracted in 2010, but the damage was done, leading to increased fear and lower vaccination rates.
• Over 60 years of data show no relationship between vaccines and autism.

GMOs (4m30s)

• GMO papayas were created to resist the papaya ringspot virus and 90% of papayas are GMO.
• Eating GMO papayas does not change human DNA because the DNA in the papaya is broken down by pepsin in the stomach.

Health Influencers (5m25s)

• Red flags to identify potentially misleading health influencers:
  • Evoking strong negative emotions related to health.
  • Making absolute statements about the causes or cures of health conditions.
  • Selling products or services related to their claims.
  • Having a conflict of interest, such as working for a company whose products they promote.
  • Speaking outside of their area of expertise.

Homeopathic Medicine (6m31s)

• Homeopathy is a pseudoscience created in the 1700s based on the principles of "like cures like" and "the law of infinitesimals."
• Homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point where there is no active ingredient, making them ineffective.
• Some homeopathic remedies can be dangerous, such as teething tablets containing belladonna, which have caused seizures and deaths in babies.
• The belief in the effectiveness of homeopathy can lead people to forgo actual medical care, which can have serious consequences.

5G (8m26s)

• Cell phone towers emit radio frequency waves, which are a low-energy type of radiation.
• Radio frequency radiation is non-ionizing, meaning it cannot penetrate the body and cause damage.
• The amount of radio frequency radiation emitted by cell phone towers is not harmful to humans.

Organic Foods (10m0s)

• Organic foods are grown using organic pesticides, which are chemicals that have not been synthetically altered.
• Conventional pesticides can be synthetically altered to improve their specificity.
• Organic produce may have residues of pesticides, but the levels are minuscule and not harmful to humans.
• Washing produce in water is recommended to remove any pesticide residues.

Cleanses and Detoxes (11m20s)

• The body's organs naturally detoxify the body.
• Juice and smoothie cleanses or detoxes do not remove toxins from the body.
• Stringy things seen in the poop during a cleanse are mucus and sloughed-off intestinal cells, which can harm the GI tract.

Lyme Disease (11m52s)

• Lyme disease is not as easy to get as people think.
• The risk of getting Lyme disease is very low, with only two species of ticks in the US that can transmit the disease.
• Higher risk areas for Lyme disease are the Midwest and the Northeast.
• Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be effectively treated with antibiotics.
• Some tests sold directly to consumers that claim to diagnose Lyme disease are not FDA-approved and are not accurate.

Non-Fluoridated Toothpaste (13m22s)

• Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance found in minerals, soil, and the environment.
• Communities with higher fluoride levels in their water have lower rates of cavities.
• Fluoride has been added to water and toothpaste for over 75 years, significantly reducing dental carries.
• Claims that fluoride is a neurotoxin are unfounded; the toxic dosage is far beyond what is consumed through fluoridated water or toothpaste.
• Fluoride in water is added at 7 mg per kilogram, and a child weighing 22 lbs would need to drink 50 7 L of water per day to reach the minimum threshold for skeletal effects.

Gluten-Free (14m34s)

• Gluten is a structural protein found in certain grains like wheat, barley, and rye.
• Avoiding gluten is only necessary for individuals with medical conditions like celiac disease.
• Claims that European wheat has less gluten or that pesticides in American wheat cause gluten sensitivity are false.
• Gluten quantity in wheat is similar across countries, and Europe imports millions of pounds of American wheat.
• Perceived gluten intolerance while traveling may be due to rushing and stress, leading to air swallowing and bloating, rather than gluten itself.

Reliable Study (15m56s)

• The hierarchy of evidence determines the reliability of a study.
• Small sample sizes and opinions are at the bottom, followed by animal trials and in vitro data.
• Human studies, especially randomized controlled trials that are blinded, are considered the gold standard.
• Meta-analyses and systematic reviews, which analyze multiple studies together, provide high-quality evidence.
• Reputable journals like JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) and PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) publish reliable research.
• Peer-reviewed studies that align with other research in the field are more credible.
• Cherry-picking, or relying on a single study to support a claim, is not a reliable approach.

Artificial Sweeteners (17m47s)

• Studies linking aspartame, sucrose, and saccharin to cancer and other disorders were conducted using rats with a genetic predisposition to developing bladder crystals and tumors.
• The rats were fed an unrealistic amount of saccharin (close to 10% of their body weight per day).
• Follow-up studies using rhesus macaques and human data have shown that saccharin is not linked to cancer in humans.
• The stigma associated with saccharin has been transferred to other artificial sweeteners.

Supplements (18m53s)

• In the United States, the dietary supplement industry is worth nearly $60 billion.
• Unlike FDA-approved medications, supplements do not have to prove their effectiveness or benefits.
• Vitamin C supplementation does not reduce the duration, severity, or prevent respiratory illnesses.
• A study found that over 50% of immune-boosting supplements misrepresent their contents, and some fail to mention certain ingredients.

Crystals (20m13s)

• There is no scientific evidence to support the belief that crystals have energetic powers or vibrate with personal energy.
• The perceived benefits of crystals are likely due to the placebo effect, which can be powerful in making people feel like they are recovering more quickly or experiencing fewer symptoms.
• The placebo effect should not replace science-based medicine.

Fasting (21m0s)

• The claim that fasting can help cancer patients is harmful and misleading.
• This claim originated from in vitro studies where cancer cells were deprived of nutrients, causing them to die.
• However, fasting in humans is not the same as depriving cancer cells of nutrients in a petri dish.
• Fasting can actually be harmful for cancer patients as it deprives the body of essential nutrients and calories needed for the immune system to function effectively.