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Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

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71–80 of 221 posts

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#71

i'm not saying anything about the content of infowars but I can't believe how much money people will spend on "supplements", and pills and artificial products. and yet, somehow don't have any money for fruits, vegetables and beans. i can only imagine, there's something broken in how people are being raised.

You're underestimating how many people live in food deserts and basically don't have access to fresh food. That might seem like a nitpick against a larger argument, but I think it serves as a good example for why you need to take a close look at the environment that these people exist in as a whole, and that it likely goes beyond their innate habits or those of just their immediate family in childhood.

People who value fresh produce are going to go out of the way to get it. If enough people do this, environments will adapt to that demand. NYC Chinatowns used to be quite poor and discriminated against, but they were still able to establish their own supply chains that provides cheaper and fresher vegetables than anywhere else in the city because vegetables are a quintessential part of Chinese cuisine. Food deserts, like gentrification, is a concept that assumes that demand follows supply, which is the opposite of how things actually play out in real life.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is my "demographic", exactly? I'm not outraged, I'm amused... in a "bless your heart" kind of way.

The demographic who likes an opportunity to flag wave their superiority

I really don't need a snake oil peddling lifestyle brand that rhymes with "poop" to wave that flag, thanks.

The matrix would have been fine without that detail.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#73
post #58
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As opposed to the massive Homeopathy industry in Germany? I think the overall healthcare industry plays a part but I would bet that this is more of a human problem and less of an "american healthcare system is bad" issue. Germany has a massive homeopathic industry including brick and mortar stores, you could go to Asia and look at traditional chinese medicine. People love the idea of easy fixes where you can drink so…

On homeopathy, I will say that when my mother in law's cancer got to the point where no more treatment was possible, she went home and diligently took her homeopathic "medicine" sent by her German health insurance. At first I thought it was 100% nonsense, but I realized it gave her a sense of agency over her situation, which was good for her (until she got too sick to do anything for herself). So only 98% nonsense.

German health insurance does not send out any medication, it also will not pay for homeopathic medicine anymore, but that's very recent and is not yet finalized

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#74
post #48

Worth reading just to learn of the existence of "activated cashews" Our enzyme-rich, activated, and dehydrated cashews are a mineral-dense protein. Pure, alkaline water awakens the nuts' dormant properties, increasing digestibility and micronutrient, vitamin, and enzyme count. These raw, activated, bio-available nuts are a low-glycemic source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. As well as a product for sale at infowa…

Processing corn with alkali actually does improve its nutrition, maybe there’s something real going on here too? I wouldn’t automatically discount it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization

> I wouldn’t automatically discount it

Of course, but that's sort of the crux of the supplement business - take any substance that has any study that shows potential benefit, pump it up as the secret magic substance and peddle it with no real oversight.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#75
post #10

I once read an inspiring post from a european user who explained why these companies generally succeed. Namely, that formal treatment and healthcare for the underlying condition targeted by the "wellness" product is prohibitively expensive for American customers, and so snakeoil thrives in the absence of legitimate medical science. you could literally bankrupt these companies in less than a fortnight with single paye…

Got any numbers on US sales for these sorts of products vs. in the EU or elsewhere? I spent two years in the Czech Republic and Czechs seemed just as likely to believe in all sorts of woo as Americans. In fact the irreligiousity of Czechs seemed to make them more likely to believe in new age mumbo jumbo (while Americans seem more likely to favor sketchy faith-based alternative healing methods, at least if they're rel…

Herbalife operates in the EU. I don't think the EU is some magical land free of morons, it's just marketed differently.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#76
post #2

I was surprised to see how much money Infowars was making shown in the court documents. "Let us make our prime target market idiots" seems to be a profitable path.

At the extreme side of this, the grifters who target people who already fell for time-share scams prove this.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#77
post #70
post #48

Worth reading just to learn of the existence of "activated cashews" Our enzyme-rich, activated, and dehydrated cashews are a mineral-dense protein. Pure, alkaline water awakens the nuts' dormant properties, increasing digestibility and micronutrient, vitamin, and enzyme count. These raw, activated, bio-available nuts are a low-glycemic source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. As well as a product for sale at infowa…

Not sure what your point is. It's well established that soaking nuts and seeds so they begin to sprout is healthier. I realize that it's written with a marketing slant, but it's not wrong. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprouting#Nutrition

I'm trying to understand how the link you provided supports your claim. What is the supporting text, and how does the quote from Goop above relate?

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#79
post #15

i'm not saying anything about the content of infowars but I can't believe how much money people will spend on "supplements", and pills and artificial products. and yet, somehow don't have any money for fruits, vegetables and beans. i can only imagine, there's something broken in how people are being raised.

People understand they have a problem and don’t know what to do. They prioritize things they think will help, to the exclusion of generally healthy and good things (veggies, etc). I think it’s human nature, although I’m sure good parenting helps. Although I know some really smart people who spend $100/month in athletic greens and other well advertised snake oil. Pretty much all OTC supplements are bogus or have littl…

I realize I am painting with a broad brush here, but a lot of Americans love the idea of 2 things:

1. Magic pills which cure them

2. Not eating vegetables

So this is not a shock to me at all. Such folks I am sure pin their hopes on things which are more convenient and do not require lifestyle changes.

Re: Infowars and Goop sell the same exact pseudoscientific "wellness" products

#80

What does it tell us about the web that two websites that appear so different converge on the same business model? I guess it's hard to make money on the web.

Some kind of capitalistic horseshoe theory maybe?

"Seeking max profits always leads to the same point, regardless of where you start."

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