Dr. Douglass' Money-Making Scheme

Nasarius · 9th July 2004, 02:21 PM

I keep seeing this as an ad on the FoxNews website:
http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/RHB/W6RHDB16/

He purports to debunk "junk medicine' and pseudoscience while peddling his own brand of pseudoscience.

One particularly obvious lie is at the very end:

Quote:

Here I share the secrets about today's two most effective therapies that NOBODY ever told you about. They kill cold, flu and pneumonia viruses

Yeah, okay. You can cure viruses. Sure

Also watch out for:
* DDT is good for you!
* Flouride saps and impurifies your precious bodily fluids!
* UV radiation isn't really a mutagen!
* H2O2 is better than holy water!

Benguin · 9th July 2004, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Douglass'

Would you trust someone who can't get the grammar of his own surname right?

Hellbound · 9th July 2004, 02:44 PM

I see a lot of misinformation and misuse of statistics there:

To argue against eating vegetables, he talks about vegetarians...ignoring the fact that most vegetarian problems are due to a lack of other areas rather than an abundance of vegetables.

For Alzhiemer's her shows the correlation-causation fallacy. Aluminum does show up in Alzhiemer's patients, but its unlikely to be the cause of the disease (more likely an effect).

On melanoma he points ot the fact that lifeguards have a lower rate than office workers. I spewed coffee on this on. Office workers rarely get out in the sun and tend to be paler, so they are more likely to be affected by exposure. The lifeguards have had exposure, develop darker skin, and most are bright enough to know to use sunscreen when they'll be out on the beach for hours at a time. In other words, the office worker is less likely to realize what strength and how often to apply sunscreen, and is more susceptible anyway because he's paler. The study doesn't necessarily support his argument.

On prostate cancer, he says the PSA make syou more likely to die of cancer. Well duh!! Those in a high-risk category are more likely to have a PSA, you %^&%^$# idiot!!! Of course the percentages are higher!!! Again, not enough info to support his theory. He goes on to say the rate of missed cancers hasn't gone up....if they're missed how the ^%&% would we know?

On heart-disease he talks about the dangers of a very low-fat diet. Yes, a very low-fat diet is bad. However, that doesn't mean a high-fat diet is good. Apply the same argument to salt: Experts say a low-salt diet is bad for you. If you don't get any salt at all, you can die very quickly. This does NOT mean you should increase your intake of salt to high levels. This is an excellent example of the Either-Or fallacy.

Low Cholesterol makes a similar mistake...low cholesterol may increase risk of a particualr type of stroke, but high cholesterol increases risks of other types. You have to find the area where the risks balance. In other words, at 200+ your risk for this type may drop by, say, 80%. But your risk of other types goes up much more than that. He shows only one aspect, instead of looking at the whole situation.

He ignores a lot of information on hydrogen peroxide, including the fact that the free radicals (those extra oxygen atoms he touts) are a major cause of cell damage related to aging. IN fact, he talks about anti-oxidents earlier, then seems to contradict himself here talking about free oxygen being a good thing.

The ones I haven't mentioned are either poorly backed (i.e.-although studies may support his view others do not), controversial, unproven, or hes spouting things I'm not familiar enough with to argue against.

garys_2k · 9th July 2004, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Benguin

Would you trust someone who can't get the grammar of his own surname right?

What's wrong with it? His name does end with two consecutive s' and the apostrophe was used as a possessive.

Benguin · 10th July 2004, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by garys_2k

What's wrong with it? His name does end with two consecutive s' and the apostrophe was used as a possessive.

I was being tarty. But I hadn't realised it actually did end with two instances of the letter s. You're right about apostrophe use.

It's still bunk!

pgwenthold · 10th July 2004, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Huntsman
He ignores a lot of information on hydrogen peroxide, including the fact that the free radicals (those extra oxygen atoms he touts) are a major cause of cell damage related to aging. IN fact, he talks about anti-oxidents earlier, then seems to contradict himself here talking about free oxygen being a good thing.

This is a funny one. How can he claim anti-oxidants are good (apparently because oxidation is bad) and then still tout peroxide (one of the best oxidants around) and claim that UV light isn't damaging (UV light oxidizes DNA!)?

Soapy Sam · 10th July 2004, 12:35 PM

Well, as a bleach and bactericide, H2O2 is better than holy water. Don't know if it works on vampires though.

garys_2k · 10th July 2004, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pgwenthold

This is a funny one. How can he claim anti-oxidants are good (apparently because oxidation is bad) and then still tout peroxide (one of the best oxidants around) and claim that UV light isn't damaging (UV light oxidizes DNA!)?

I get the impression that his advice isn't probably "that" far off of standard, but he is selling stuff.

He says antioxidants are good, yes, but he claims peroxide is good for killing diseases. Maybe he suggests snorting H2O2 only when you have a cold or sinus infection.

As for the bit on the lifeguards, he may just tell people that sunlight alone isn't the problem, that it's the nonuse of sunscreens that must be avoided. That may be right (in other words, use sunscreens and don't worry about exposure, but just trying to avoid the sun is more likely to result in a burn because avoidance isn't a good strategy).

I didn't know about that other cancer test, though. I'm going to have to do some Googling on that one.

9th July 2004, 02:21 PM	#1
Nasarius Muse Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 672	Dr. Douglass' Money-Making Scheme I keep seeing this as an ad on the FoxNews website: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/RHB/W6RHDB16/ He purports to debunk "junk medicine' and pseudoscience while peddling his own brand of pseudoscience. One particularly obvious lie is at the very end: Quote: Here I share the secrets about today's two most effective therapies that NOBODY ever told you about. They kill cold, flu and pneumonia viruses Yeah, okay. You can cure viruses. Sure Also watch out for: * DDT is good for you! * Flouride saps and impurifies your precious bodily fluids! * UV radiation isn't really a mutagen! * H2O2 is better than holy water!
Nasarius Muse Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 672	__________________ "Did you understand the music...or was it all in vain?" ~ Roger Waters

9th July 2004, 02:27 PM	#2
Benguin Too Chilled For The Anti-Homeopathy Illuminati Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,902	Quote: Douglass' Would you trust someone who can't get the grammar of his own surname right?
	__________________ It has been said cats have nine lives which, if true, makes them great candidates for experimentation. 100,000 medical doctors say go read this before quoting their articles. Probably. Voltaire "Atheism - the vice of a few intelligent people"

9th July 2004, 07:29 PM	#4
garys_2k Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 756	Quote: Originally posted by Benguin Would you trust someone who can't get the grammar of his own surname right? What's wrong with it? His name does end with two consecutive s' and the apostrophe was used as a possessive.
garys_2k Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 756	__________________ - Gary

10th July 2004, 12:24 AM	#5
Benguin Too Chilled For The Anti-Homeopathy Illuminati Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 1,902	Quote: Originally posted by garys_2k What's wrong with it? His name does end with two consecutive s' and the apostrophe was used as a possessive. I was being tarty. But I hadn't realised it actually did end with two instances of the letter s. You're right about apostrophe use. It's still bunk!
	__________________ It has been said cats have nine lives which, if true, makes them great candidates for experimentation. 100,000 medical doctors say go read this before quoting their articles. Probably. Voltaire "Atheism - the vice of a few intelligent people"

10th July 2004, 11:03 AM	#6
pgwenthold Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 12,074	Quote: Originally posted by Huntsman He ignores a lot of information on hydrogen peroxide, including the fact that the free radicals (those extra oxygen atoms he touts) are a major cause of cell damage related to aging. IN fact, he talks about anti-oxidents earlier, then seems to contradict himself here talking about free oxygen being a good thing. This is a funny one. How can he claim anti-oxidants are good (apparently because oxidation is bad) and then still tout peroxide (one of the best oxidants around) and claim that UV light isn't damaging (UV light oxidizes DNA!)?
	__________________ "Baseball is a philosophy. The primordial ooze that once ruled our world has been captured in perpetual motion. Baseball is the moment. Its ever changing patterns are hypnotizing yet invigorating. Baseball is an art form. Classic and at the same time...progressive. Baseball is pre-historic and post-modern. Baseball is here to stay." (Stolen from the side of a lava lamp box, and modified slightly)

9th July 2004, 02:44 PM	#3
Hellbound Abiogenic Spongiform Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: In a handbasket Posts: 8,942	I see a lot of misinformation and misuse of statistics there: To argue against eating vegetables, he talks about vegetarians...ignoring the fact that most vegetarian problems are due to a lack of other areas rather than an abundance of vegetables. For Alzhiemer's her shows the correlation-causation fallacy. Aluminum does show up in Alzhiemer's patients, but its unlikely to be the cause of the disease (more likely an effect). On melanoma he points ot the fact that lifeguards have a lower rate than office workers. I spewed coffee on this on. Office workers rarely get out in the sun and tend to be paler, so they are more likely to be affected by exposure. The lifeguards have had exposure, develop darker skin, and most are bright enough to know to use sunscreen when they'll be out on the beach for hours at a time. In other words, the office worker is less likely to realize what strength and how often to apply sunscreen, and is more susceptible anyway because he's paler. The study doesn't necessarily support his argument. On prostate cancer, he says the PSA make syou more likely to die of cancer. Well duh!! Those in a high-risk category are more likely to have a PSA, you %^&%^$# idiot!!! Of course the percentages are higher!!! Again, not enough info to support his theory. He goes on to say the rate of missed cancers hasn't gone up....if they're missed how the ^%&% would we know? On heart-disease he talks about the dangers of a very low-fat diet. Yes, a very low-fat diet is bad. However, that doesn't mean a high-fat diet is good. Apply the same argument to salt: Experts say a low-salt diet is bad for you. If you don't get any salt at all, you can die very quickly. This does NOT mean you should increase your intake of salt to high levels. This is an excellent example of the Either-Or fallacy. Low Cholesterol makes a similar mistake...low cholesterol may increase risk of a particualr type of stroke, but high cholesterol increases risks of other types. You have to find the area where the risks balance. In other words, at 200+ your risk for this type may drop by, say, 80%. But your risk of other types goes up much more than that. He shows only one aspect, instead of looking at the whole situation. He ignores a lot of information on hydrogen peroxide, including the fact that the free radicals (those extra oxygen atoms he touts) are a major cause of cell damage related to aging. IN fact, he talks about anti-oxidents earlier, then seems to contradict himself here talking about free oxygen being a good thing. The ones I haven't mentioned are either poorly backed (i.e.-although studies may support his view others do not), controversial, unproven, or hes spouting things I'm not familiar enough with to argue against.

10th July 2004, 12:35 PM	#7
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,885	Well, as a bleach and bactericide, H2O2 is better than holy water. Don't know if it works on vampires though.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,885

10th July 2004, 08:37 PM	#8
garys_2k Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 756	Quote: Originally posted by pgwenthold This is a funny one. How can he claim anti-oxidants are good (apparently because oxidation is bad) and then still tout peroxide (one of the best oxidants around) and claim that UV light isn't damaging (UV light oxidizes DNA!)? I get the impression that his advice isn't probably "that" far off of standard, but he is selling stuff. He says antioxidants are good, yes, but he claims peroxide is good for killing diseases. Maybe he suggests snorting H2O2 only when you have a cold or sinus infection. As for the bit on the lifeguards, he may just tell people that sunlight alone isn't the problem, that it's the nonuse of sunscreens that must be avoided. That may be right (in other words, use sunscreens and don't worry about exposure, but just trying to avoid the sun is more likely to result in a burn because avoidance isn't a good strategy). I didn't know about that other cancer test, though. I'm going to have to do some Googling on that one.
garys_2k Muse Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 756	__________________ - Gary