Critical Thinking
We spent the weekend in QC again, oh joy oh bliss. It was okay; we got to pick out Dominic's swing set and Eric's sister, who spoils Dominic rotten, bought him a little toy tent and some toy camping dishes. He loved those and played with them all day yesterday and all morning today. I have had approximately twenty cups of 'coppeee.'
MIL is doing well; yesterday she got up and dressed, complete with wig. She looks good and is feeling stronger. This week she'll decide whether or not she will have a bone marrow transplant.
I was scandalized by one thing this weekend, though. I mean, I know she's the kind of person that buys the cut-price 'psychology' books. I know she buys into any sort of weird 'nutritional' information that comes along. However. Yesterday, she said that she felt that it was the flu shot that caused her leukaemia, then said 'Look! This book has all sorts of statistics - it shows that a high percentage of people who get the flu shot get cancer.'
Well, then she shows me the book. First, do you suppose the author is a doctor? a nurse? someone who has medical training? No. Not a good sign, eh?
Then, I open the book and flick through it. Guess what? Published by a vanity press. Now, say that I've bought into the system, but I do believe that if your book is good enough, it will be published by a mainstream publishing house, no matter how controversial the content. Controversy sells. Crap? not quite so much.
Just to make it ten times worse, there is a) no index and b) no references. Again, maybe I'm just a defendant of the status quo, but it seems to me when you write about medical issues, you need some reputable studies, done on a wide population base, to back up your assertions.
OH! but wait. In the introduction, the author openly states that, of the books that she quotes, she has read some, skimmed some, and just looked at the titles of some. However, it doesn't matter, because the only truth that is worthwhile in this is your own personal truth. Right. Cool. Because my own personal truth tells me that eating poutine for lunch every day will make me lose ten pounds.
Huh. Where did that spare tire come from?
This book would be harmless enough, I guess, but not for someone who doesn't have the critical thinking skills to separate the good from the sensational. As Eric himself pointed out, his mom may have many good qualities, but a sceptical attitude towards printed matter is not one of them.
(Oh, and just in conclusion, of COURSE you would see a statistical correlation in leukaemia after vaccination; it is a disease that strikes the young and the elderly, the populations that are the most frequently vaccinated. Gah.)
Anyway, if you're still reading, kudos to you. Have some as-yet-unmade lemon pie and tell me something nice.
MIL is doing well; yesterday she got up and dressed, complete with wig. She looks good and is feeling stronger. This week she'll decide whether or not she will have a bone marrow transplant.
I was scandalized by one thing this weekend, though. I mean, I know she's the kind of person that buys the cut-price 'psychology' books. I know she buys into any sort of weird 'nutritional' information that comes along. However. Yesterday, she said that she felt that it was the flu shot that caused her leukaemia, then said 'Look! This book has all sorts of statistics - it shows that a high percentage of people who get the flu shot get cancer.'
Well, then she shows me the book. First, do you suppose the author is a doctor? a nurse? someone who has medical training? No. Not a good sign, eh?
Then, I open the book and flick through it. Guess what? Published by a vanity press. Now, say that I've bought into the system, but I do believe that if your book is good enough, it will be published by a mainstream publishing house, no matter how controversial the content. Controversy sells. Crap? not quite so much.
Just to make it ten times worse, there is a) no index and b) no references. Again, maybe I'm just a defendant of the status quo, but it seems to me when you write about medical issues, you need some reputable studies, done on a wide population base, to back up your assertions.
OH! but wait. In the introduction, the author openly states that, of the books that she quotes, she has read some, skimmed some, and just looked at the titles of some. However, it doesn't matter, because the only truth that is worthwhile in this is your own personal truth. Right. Cool. Because my own personal truth tells me that eating poutine for lunch every day will make me lose ten pounds.
Huh. Where did that spare tire come from?
This book would be harmless enough, I guess, but not for someone who doesn't have the critical thinking skills to separate the good from the sensational. As Eric himself pointed out, his mom may have many good qualities, but a sceptical attitude towards printed matter is not one of them.
(Oh, and just in conclusion, of COURSE you would see a statistical correlation in leukaemia after vaccination; it is a disease that strikes the young and the elderly, the populations that are the most frequently vaccinated. Gah.)
Anyway, if you're still reading, kudos to you. Have some as-yet-unmade lemon pie and tell me something nice.
posted by Coco at 10:17 a.m.
9 Comments:
I have nothing nice.
I'd like a cup of Copee though.
Those books make me so mad, there really are people out there that prey about the sick. It's orrible.
Hope the best for er treatments.
Someone's missing an "H" on her keyboard. :)
How about the controversy regarding vaccinations causing autism?
I guess your MIL is grasping at straws, which could be one of the stages in her illness.
Desperation for an explanation - quite common really. However, sceptical is not a word. Skeptical, probably is.
*smooch*
Enjoy your coppeeeee and be glad you haven't been invited to go camping in the backyard yet.
Ooooh what type of playset?
We need a new one cause they outgrew the old one already. But we are not getting one until we move to a new house next summer hopefully.
LOL at the coppee. In my Starbucks drinking days, this is exactly what Conner would call mine.
Your coppee mommie?
And in the grocery store, he would spot the bottles of Frappucino on the shelf and ask me if I needed any.
It must be something about the double fs. I get:
coppee for coffee
ossis for office
muckin for muffin
Very interesting read about your MIL. *smooch* <------ That's my something nice.
She should get her information from the internet, where everything is true. I'm glad the MIL is feeling better, Coco.
Puffy, the jury is still out on vaccinations being one cause of autism, imo. If it is then the percent of kids diagnosed with autism should show a drop beginning soon, since thimerisol was removed from US children's vaccines a few years ago..
My theory is that some batches of vaccine were way over-loaded with thimerisol when the three vaccines were combined into one and some weren't. Since the drug companies are not required to save samples of all batches we will never know.
I myself have a negative, allergic reaction to thimerisol, as about 10% of people do (something like that - I can't remember the exact percentage.) For me, it's a systemic reaction--I feel very ill, shaky, and may pass out--which I have done in a dentist's chair. And yet my baby, like all babies, was given a vaccine that contained a full concentration of thimerisol.
This was done for the convenience of the health care industry. Vaccines could be safely stored in liquid form instead of mixed fresh before use. Much quicker. Saved money.
Oops. Sorry to rant in your blog, Coco.
Thanks for the explanation, Swami. I didn't know the details or the reasons why the vaccinations were possibly considered to be a cause of autism.
Glad she's feeling better!
My brother's MIL did a similar thing when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's been several years now, and she believes all sorts of "normal" things are the cause of it. She now juices daily, and avoids all the "causes" of cancer. To her credit, she has not received any medical help and seems to be in remission.
HI.
Hope MIL continues to do better.
I'm a hypocodriac (sp) so don't let me near this book!
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