Discerning health facts from fiction
Our access to information is greater than it has ever been.
The internet has made this possible. This surplus of information in many ways is still a challenge. Trying to sift through information and find the gold from the pyrite can be overwhelming. We’re dealt bias, opinions, and conflicts of interest and it takes some digging to find some clear-cut truths. Even then it’s questioned.
Over the years I’ve found some great sites with phenomenal coverage on topics and also where I dig to cover a topic myself.
Before introducing them, I think it’s important to go over how to tell health fact from health fiction:
Look for conflicts of interest.
Be wary of problem/solution tactics, "treatment" sales, marketing competition, snake-oil salesmen, etc.
Consider ancestral traditions on health.
What was prized? Is it a new fad? Does it satisfy our needs? Is it a modern idea? Did an industry popularize it? Did agricultural changes or new technology play a role in it’s craze?
Discernment of the source.
Government (doesn't care about our health), Food product marketing (doesn't care about our health), Pharma companies (do not care about our health), Climate/animal activists (do not care about our health)
Who to trust with health
- People who passionately research how to be the healthiest version of themself, people who believe/know that humans are designed to thrive, people who researched their own health conditions and have experienced Western medicine flaws, parents who research their child’s medical conditions, healthy people. Your own experience – trust your body!
Here is a list of websites, books, and all things research.
First, of course, the gold standard of finding research. PubMed® comprises more than 36 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. It takes some sifting through and some getting used to if you’ve never before read into the literature, but it’s worth learning to be able to digest the information on your own.
This website is a gold mine. If you haven’t heard of the WAP Foundation, the diet principles are based on Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price. My favorite articles on this website are written by people in the space like Dr. Thomas Cowan and Christopher Masterjohn.
Another place to find the work of Chris. His depth is unmatched. If you have a specific question related to Nutritional Sciences you will likely find answers within his work. His library of information has been growing for a while.
This is the censored library by Dr. Mercola. He has many books which are just as informative. His articles are well-sourced and his stance is strong for the truth. He was on the “disinformation dozen” during the plandemic due to his unapologetic concerns regarding the vaccines and other control grabs pushed with the official narrative. His articles here are great.
I came across this database a while ago and I have no idea who made it but it’s golden. It has research from medical literature linked in all topics. The creator was clearly likeminded in topics. While it is a “KetoScienceDatabase” it’s much more than than. It has information on vegan diet harms, various diseases and treatment via diet, and so much digging that can be done.
Another one for finding supporting research on topics. Click on one of the general topics and funnel the resources down to what you are looking for. It’s great if you want to push for a loved one to move away from the Standard American Diet and try an ancestrally-consistent diet if they have X, Y, Z health problems and you’d like to show them some references. While the references are geared towards Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction, think of this as restricting ultra-processed carbs – not natural carbs from honey, fruit, dairy, etc. (Unless the benefit comes from being in that ketogenic state.)
This is Mark Sisson’s blog (the father of the paleo movement). He has articles on topics someone may be questioning when it comes to this unconventional way of eating. The articles are easy to understand which makes them great to send to friends and family to inform them on related topics.
Dr. Axe’s website is known and loved. He is not biased for the most part, which allows you to use your best judgement on the topic. He has articles on just about everything you could think of. And they’re sourced.
This website is incredible. Kudos to who made it. My favorite section is the history information. The website does represent the Carnivore Diet, but I use the information more so as a claim-to-fame for animal product maxing in general. You’ll find time-tested ways on eating on this website which is interesting to read all about to say the least.
See my list of must-read books here.
Appreciatively, Mia
