by Physicians Weekly | Mar 8, 2016 | Business of Medicine, Doctor's Voice, Patient Relations
Fads come and go in medicine, like everything else. But unlike the mainstream trends, medical fads can be quite dangerous if not deadly. Science is well researched, yet, it often seems patients rather take their medical advice from celebrities than the medical experts. And unlike doctors and other healthcare professionals, celebrities are not required to support their positions with any degree of evidence. Fad medicine is here but does it need to stay? Diets A large part of fad medicine evolved around food. We saw the Atkins’ diet and the South Beach diet soar then crash. Now, the Paleo diet seems to be all the rage. This is a diet supposedly eaten by those in the very early stages of human civilization. It is proclaimed to be healthy, yet those we are hoping to emulate had a life-expectancy half of what it is today. And now there is the gluten-free everything. Sure, some patients benefit by this type of diet because they are afflicted with certain medical conditions. It was not meant to become the latest food fashion. There is a healthy way to eat but these diets are just names to make a profit. Juicing And then there is juicing. Apparently, blending your usual foods into a juice is more healthy. Ever notice how much juicers cost? Those companies seem to be making loads of money. Yet, the food you are ingesting is the same as if you actually ate it rather than drank it. Since it is liquid, it passes your stomach more rapidly so you get hungry sooner. If you would otherwise not eats fruits and...
