Saturday, May 23, 2020

Naturopath versus Scientist: Boosting Immunity [ND Merola; Australian Academy of Science & Nobel Laureate]


here, a naturopath versus a Nobel Prize winning scientist:

 001. ND Merola states in the YouTube videos:

 001.a. "Boost Your Immune System Naturally With Lifestyle" [saved 2020-04-24]:
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[tags: #NDMerola #immuneboosting #illogical]
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"I'm doctor Merola, I'm a licensed naturopathic doctor in the State of California [...] so today we are going to be talking about natural ways that you can boost your immune system [...] today we are going to be talking about lifestyle modification [...] the second video is going to be going over natural therapies that you can use to help boost your immune system [...suggests] diet [...] colorful fruits and vegetables [...their] vitamin C [...and] hydration [...and] exercise [...and] stress management [...and herbs that are] adaptogens [...and] sleep [...and] sleep supplements [...and] hand washing [...catching your] coughs and sneezes [...]";

quite a promise, to be "boost"ed. Well, eating healthy is not a state of being boosted.  Its the state of normal, and for covid-19 that means not immune.  That's a co-evolutionary fact: host versus virus. Vaccination is truly a form of immunity, or surviving infection. With herbs and teas potentially medications, not lifestyle; and supplements are not lifestyle they are....supplements [unregulated via DSHEA].  Typical naturopathy: junk mixed with what mainstream healthcare, in part, advises. Marketed as "natural". Supplement boosterism!

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[tags: #sellingsupplements #immuneboostingpromises #shallowresearch #cherrypicking]
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"[from the description] this is part two of my mini-series on natural ways that you can strengthen your immune system. The first video went over lifestyle and behavior, and this video covers natural therapies that you can use in addition to a healthy lifestyle to create a strong & resilient immune system [...]";

promises, promises. I think these are 'above and beyond normal' claims.  And know we get NOTHING that has penetrated conventional medical standard of care, which is highly rigorous in its vetting and comparison.  I wonder why?

"01:23 - Nutraceuticals discussed: vitamins A, C, D; zinc; selenium; epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG); quercetin; curcumin. 09:45 - Botanicals discussed: elderberry (Sambucus nigra); licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.); astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) [...]";

things that have been around for so long, without making a dent in 'rigorously-vetted medical standard of care'.

"disclaimer: everything talked about in this video is solely for educational purposes. It is not meant to treat, cure, or diagnose any condition. Consult with a licensed naturopathic doctor or integrative physician before making any changes to your current lifestyle, medications, or supplements [...] I've created a free handout on ways that you can support your immune system naturally, which you can find here [at her practice...]";

and yet a provider-account supplement seller link is provided. It is meant to treat, cure, diagnose...in the 'self' kind of shady-unsupervised way.

"references: Immunomodulatory and Antimicrobial Effects of Vitamin C [PMID: 31662885]; Vitamin D: Nutrient, Hormone, and Immunomodulator [PMID: 30400332]; Role of Vitamin A in the Immune System [PMID: 30200565]; The Role of Zinc in Antiviral Immunity [PMID: 31305906]; Getting a Knack for NAC: N-Acetyl-Cysteine [PMID: 21311702]; Oxidative stress (Quercetin*) [PMID: 29682215]; Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms [PMID: 30670267]; Glycyrrhizin, an active component of liquorice roots, and replication of SARS-associated coronavirus [PMID: 12814717]; A review of recent research progress on the astragalus genus [PMID: 25407722]; scientific evidence-based effects of hydrotherapy on various systems of the body [PMID: 24926444...]";

it's great to have references. Yet not great when it is 'narrow cherry-picking'. That's why, I think, none of this has transformed the medical treatment world.  It does not compare well -- to whatever, as in all ese -- in terms of expense, safety, efficacy aka risk-benefit.  It does persist in Naturopathyland.

"[and here's the back-end] Fullscript. To purchase high-quality supplements (and receive 15% off for a limited time) on Fullscript you can create a free account here [her MLM portal? {her name is in the commerce link}...]";
 
ka-ching. And if you order now, you'll also get this... Though not seeing patients during a lock-down and having huge student loans and etc. to pay monthly.


002. the Australian Academy of Science has up the YouTube video "Boosting Your Immunity? The Latest from Science with Prof Peter Doherty [Ep.010]" [saved 2020-04-24]:
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[tags: #AAS #PeterDoherty]
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wherein we're told:

"[from the description] About us: The Australian Academy of Science is an independent organization representing Australia's leading scientists. It recognizes excellence, advises government and promotes science education and public awareness of science. About our channel: We create and upload videos reviewed by experts in scientific fields and other leading academics to ensure scientific accuracy [...from the video] hello, I'm Paul Richards with the latest from science [...] as the world waits for a vaccine against covid-19, our main defense mechanism right now is our own body [...] who better to talk to about that than the University of Melbourne's Professor Peter Doherty who shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine for discoveries about immunity [...]";

good stuff.

"[Doherty speaks of an initial] innate immune response [...that's] nonspecific [...and then the] adapted immune response [...which is] specific [...host] why do immune systems behave different between people? [...PD] we don't really have a lot of knowledge of that [...] why some normal people respond better than others is not all that clear [...] we do know of some genes that can be absent, particularly from the innate side of things [...other things might matter such] being at different stages of the menstrual cycle [...there's] tremendous amount of research to be done [...] the very serious study of human immunity is really fairly recent [...]";

so, modesty, admission of more science needed.

"[host] one of the most searched questions on Google recently has been 'how can I boost my immune system?' [...] is there an easy answer to that question? [...PD] not so far as we know [...] some people believe in things like echinacea and so forth.  My understanding is that they really haven't checked out all that well when people have done proper trials [...] some people genetically are set up to respond and some aren't [...] so, we don't know [...but dangers include] undernutrition [...possibly] being overweight [...] it was a big risk factor for the 2009 influenza pandemic [...] despite all the claims in the pharmacies and drug stores and so forth that boost your immune system, we don't know whether any of those things have any validity at all quite frankly [...] the terms are thrown around [...] as human beings, we like to think that we can influence things [...] there's not a lot of evidence though, quite frankly unless you are talking about vaccines [...] often you are asked the question by people who don't want to think about vaccines and I always tell them that vaccines are what you should seek [...]";

so much for "boosting".  Yet naturopaths, all the while, promote the purchase of supplements, supplements, supplements.  Invested in their sale, ideologically and financially.

003. a word on naturopathic standards by way of some research: 

 003.a. here's a great recent example, a Bastyr University press release [the ND's alma mater]:
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[in "Bastyr University Now Offering Free Virtual Wellness Coaching Visits in Response to COVID-19" (2020)]
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"Bastyr University, a leading university in the natural health arts and sciences [...] Bastyr is a nonprofit, private university offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, with a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural medicine. Recognized globally for its rigorous curriculum and strong research, the University has two campuses, one in Kenmore, Washington, and a campus in San Diego, California. Bastyr's international faculty teaches the natural health sciences with an emphasis on integrating mind, body, spirit, and nature";
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ah, the epistemic conflation of a school of thought claiming to be scientific.  After all, spirit isn't science-based, an neither is naturopathy's junk therapeutics like Bastyr's homeopathy posed as "particularly effective".
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