I must have been in a stupor yesterday, because how else could I have missed what seems to be a merger between US News & World Report and Andrew Weil, M.D, N.U.T?
It must be true because I can think of no other possible explanation for this:
US News & World Report, May 2, 2017
"Here are five essential oils that, along with a healthy, nutrient-rich diet and daily physical activity, will give you that extra boost that you need to
I took out the spam link to the guy's site. How on Earth did this obvious (and obviously crazy) marketing article get into a well-known magazine?? Let's take a look at the oils in the article, the claims, and the sources of these claims. Be prepared to be unimpressed.
1. Peppermint Oil: Nothing about weight loss, just this: [Peppermint] is a natural energizer that reduces fatigue and improves focus." Source: This same Dr. Josh Axe. Who happens to be..... an INTERNET SUPPLEMENT PEDDLER.
And guess what? Axe sells superfoods! One can only imagine how distressing this must be for Dr. Oz, the "Superman of Superfoods."
Here is a "superfood" from Josh Axe's supplement site. Yes, it turmeric, which just killed a health 30-year woman because it was given intravenously. And when we were kids, this was just called soup. You can sell it for a lot more if you call it bone broth today, though. But, you'll get boned in the process.
Chiropractor Axe's bone broth superfood. Yeah - this will work.
2. Lemon Oil- Source: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. It does not mention one word about body fat. But it does claim that aromatherapy is effective against: "depression, indigestion, headache, insomnia, muscular pain, respiratory problems, skin ailments, swollen joints, urine associated complications...antibacterial, antibiotic, antiviral... alzheimer (sic), cardiovascular, cancer and labor pain in pregnancy." Aside from all of then, these claims are valid.
3. Grapefruit- "[A]ctivate[s] enzymes in the body that work to break down body fat." Source: Axe's site. So does everything else, that is what our cells do. Grapefruit also inactivates certain liver enzymes that process drugs, which can cause toxicity because of an artificially high dose.
4. Ginger- Nothing about weight loss, but it "naturally reduces pain and swelling, which helps keep you active and burning more calories." Source: The same crazy article in Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
5. Cinnamon- "[A]iding weight loss and reducing sugar cravings." Source: Another article from US News & World Report (!!). At least they are self-citing a real article by Melinda Johnson, MS, RDN, Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Arizona State. She knows what she's talking about. I doubt she's so delighted about being associated with this idiocy.
US News & World Report needs to avoid being a phony science, alternative medicine-promoting rag, which makes Dr. Oz-like nonsense claims and were written by a self-promoting chiropractor. What's next? Voodoo? Bloodletting?
Perhaps they should focus next on circulation, because if there is any justice in this world, their own circulation is gonna take a hit.
Josh Bloom
Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science
Dr. Josh Bloom, the Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, comes from the world of drug discovery, where he did research for more than 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry.
