A Look At Dr. Weil’s Vitamin Advisor
It’s getting dark, it’s getting cold, it’s getting winter. And the market for vitamin and health supplements will sore. Pardon me, soar.
Man With A Mission
Who better to turn to for advice than Dr. Andrew Weil, who made himself a name in the field of “integrated medicine” and frequently appears in public – from Larry King to Fox News, he has been there. The man has to know what he is talking about.
For our convenience he runs a website where you just have to fill out a questionnaire to get his words of wisdom about what supplements you need to make it through the impeding coldness and, well, the rest of life.
Good Boy
So, I filled out that inquisitional catalogue and at least pretended to be a really, really good boy: Vegetables and fruits? Twice a day. Milk? Two servings per day. Fish? Twice a week. Physical exercise? More than two times per week (well, yep, definitely). Any illnesses, medications I use, bad medical history among family members? Nope, nada.
And what do I get recommended? That I need a daily antioxidant and multivitamin and Omega-3 capsules.
Over-Supplementation
If you read my article about the different vitamins, you know that over-supplementation can lead to hazardous effects. And given the answers I provided it is very likely that I get all nutrients under the sun in sufficient quantities. Dr. Weil’s idea about what I still need becomes more questionable and even amusing when his website then mentions:
A challenge with taking multiple supplements is that you may end up getting more of a particular ingredient than you need which can be more expensive than necessary and potentially dangerous.
A click on “Calculate My Vitamin Packs” – that supposedly calculates the “exact dosages” I need – then informs me that per day I need two of the doctor’s multivitamin and one of his antioxidant pills and two Omega-3 capsules. All for the “special price” of just $49.57 with shipping. Per month. That’s $594.84 per year.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner?
A representative of Weil Lifestyle LLC told ABC News:
It should be noted that Dr. Weil donates all of his after-tax profits from all supplement sales to the Weil Foundation to support integrative medicine education and research. We always follow with the statement that taking supplements does not excuse you from eating a health-promoting diet.
Really, where? All I can tell is that I’m recommended supplements that due to the lifestyle I indicated are not necessary and may even be harmful. The Skeptic’s Dictionary’s entry for “integrative medicine” mentions that it “integrates sense with nonsense”, meaning science with non-science. Given this evidence that’s seems to be a pretty good assessment.
Invest In Health
Take those almost $600, invest it in a balanced nutrition and working out and you have the best bet on being healthy for a very long time to come.
And the common cold? A supplement won’t cure it and you are better advised to follow the recommendations found in this article: wash your hands and get enough sleep.
Picture courtesy of Darren Hester.
3 Comments
do not be fooled by the fact that he gives all of his profits after tax to a charity. Im 99% positive that he A. – gets a huge salary that is “before” tax and then whats left goes to the charity which again i bet he is the CEO of that foundation and takes a hefty salary as well there. Its all about marketing if you can sell ketchup as the next great cancer killer, you will be a make a crap load of money before anyone finds out you were faking it.
just my 2 cents
Hydro, yes, there is at least the possibility it happens that way.
Wow. I mean, wow. Sure if you had filled out the form with a “regular diet” or whtvr, but with that diet he still recommends that? Of course, recommending a tablespoon of flax seeds every day for omega-3 isn’t as profitable as omega-3 capsules…
The problem is people lack critical thinking. People who tell the truth like Noam Chomsky are called radicals, and the whole merry-go-round of media providing its customers (corporations) with whatever nonsense they want to plug, goes on.
This guy’s pulling a brilliant scam. Can’t be sued, people will think he’s great unless they look at the fine print (noone does), and he comes out looking like just a nice person who wants to help people be healthy.