Medical Marketing

I read a very interesting story in today's edition of The National highlighting the swing by the medical fraternity from fat as being the major culprit for heart disease to carbohydrates, especially sugar. So how come has the fat theory been king for so long.

Well, according to the article, fat was the victim of 'Medical Marketing'. What does this mean. Well they cite the example of Ancel Keys a researcher at the University of Minnesota in the 1950s. Prof. Keys punted the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol were responsible for heart disease. So strong were his beliefs that he used very powerful means to promote his ideas. A quote from the article;

For several decades Prof Keys used a potent mix of hand-picked data, denigration of critics and sheer force of personality to persuade official bodies in the US to promote carbs over fat in dietary advice

So strong was the spell woven by Prof Keys and his followers that repeated failure of large clinical studies to back their claims made little difference.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/technology/heart-disease-is-sugar-the-real-killer#ixzz2JBOVxTBA
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Although it has been difficult for the Sugar lobby to make its point they are now being listened to and the medical fraternity is beginning to sway towards sugar and away from fat. Now I don't want to get onto the conspiracy theory bandwagon. I am sure that Prof. Keys was motivated by a sense of duty to promote a theory he believed in.

What I do want to discuss is whether this concept of Medical Marketing is occurring today. The internet is a source of much punting of alternative health options. Many of these theorists have little scientific backing, but use strong marketing tactics.

The Alternative Medicine industry love their conspiracy theories and crush any argument against their claims with unproven accusations of conspiracy between government, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. The problem is that they can cite many successes for their treatments.

What worries me is that many dread diseases can spontaneously enter periods of remission. I worry that people who are ill will forgo life saving medical treatment for the promise of a 'natural' cure. I am not an expert in this sort of thing. I would like some of these alternates to be true. It would be wonderful to think that we could cure illnesses without having to dip into our medical aid, or need medical aid at all.

What I do believe in is using natural health products to support and improve the efficacy of prescribed medications. I am not yet ready to chuck out my prescribed medications or my natural supplements just yet. What do you think?

Just as an aside. I am so confused by reading that sugar is bad, sugar is good; reading that fat is bad, fat is good; reading that cranberries are bad, cranberries are good that I don't know what to give up so I have decided to give up reading.