It seems some of the most animated discussions on this forum concern sensationalistic headlines relating to our health, especially when it comes to toxins to which we may be exposed or conversely to healthful things we are privileged to enjoy, here in Panama. We are (fortunately) a skeptical bunch. But not all scientifically oriented. And many of us are (appropriately, IMO) antiauthoritarian. How's a person to critically evaluate very technical stuff?
Over at the All Things Medical group I have posted an NPR relating to this topic, of course all are welcome to participate by joining the group.
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Dottie, I don't buy from any of those sites either (too expensive), but, like you, I think they have much to offer. I also don't listen to all the "good" science pushed by others on here. Like I told Gordon recently, we were told for years that cigarettes were safe, and told this by doctors, no less! We need to do our own research and not just follow others along blindly.
Unfortunately, there are many people who have no idea where or how to "do their own research." Just searching on the internet for a variety of sources is not enough. The internet is a wonderful thing but also full of dangerous misinformation. Our tendency to find the "answers" that we want to find leads to further dissemination of faulty information. This is where urban legends, conspiracy theories and all sorts of misinformation come from. I am hesitant to listen to anyone who is not an independent expert and an expert is not someone who found their info on the internet.
Not disputing that the internet is full of dangerous information, and all humans' tendency to view/absorb selectively from absolutely any source.
However, would be interested to know how you would define an "independent expert".
For example, does it have to be the person who performed the bench research, independent of any funding, to fit this qualification?
Agree of course with all of the above. We have minds for a reason! (If we can keep them healthy)
And if there is much interest on a particular topic, and people have access to a variety of sources, it can't be harmful to share and discuss.
Unless of course the conversation degenerates into something else entirely.
There actually is a very good social media mantra which you could even use your graphic skills to reproduce if you want to do some good in this tiny little world of Boquete Ning.
Before posting, I THINK:
Do I belong in this conversation? and, w.r.t. my posting,
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
Now, the nature of the ning beast is that we will not always follow these suggestions in the heat of the moment. For most of us, and I know Fran would agree, it is good to have and to use the delete feature when we realize we have not.
And actually, Jay, you can't deny it---we know you know how to use that button as well.
Sometimes owning your "stuff" means admitting when you made a mistake.
Slainte!
Dottie, it's foolhardy to mistrust all scientific research based on a very limited number of scientists who have shown to be engaged in biased studies. There are bad apples in every barrel. But the number of outright con artists and unqualified practitioners of alternative medicine, pushing dubious products and methods, far outweighs the number of legitimate scientists who are dishonest. Bona fide, credentialed scientists have reputations to uphold within the scientific community, and their work is overseen by reputable institutions of higher learning.
BTW, Louise, I have no objection to anyone engaging in a debate about the issue you have raised, but if your goal is to moderate the comments here, I think you might be better served to post your topic as a personal blog or on your own group, where any comment can be easily deleted.
In response to Gordon's comment.
No, I have absolutely no desire to moderate this forum (we have others enthusiastically doing so!). Plus, we have a medical group discussion list for that! But everyone seems to like being more visible here, it seems, so they answer my cross postings directing them there, often without even reading the main (linked ATM) posting which contains the meat of the matter.
Having said that, I guess I must confess to espousing civility because it seems to discourage a lot of folks from using this site. They tell me, "Had it with being "Ninged!".
And I do feel bad when a discussion I have innocently started begins to degrade into what seem to me to be personal attacks by innuendo. So as a mediator in another realm (medical legal), I may say something.
BTW, anyone can easily delete any comment anywhere on Ning that you might upon further reflection choose to delete for any reason, including that it is not honestly responsive to the discussion.
If you think that this thread you started degraded at some point into "personal attacks by innuendo, I suspect you have not spent a lot of time on any of these "chat" groups. Pretty tame stuff here in .ningland. Yawn....
Ha! So true. And probably a good thing I don't.
BullyNing a local pasttime, eh?
Sadly, we do tend to learn by example.
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