MCS writes about how hard it is to get information in this day and age.
That is, information that is true, not propagated by the almighty
dollar.

Newsgroups like this one is one answer.  This group gets cluttered up at
times by peddlers wanting to sell something and by psychotics who want
to propagate their pet theories or whatever.  But the idiot fringe and
the salesmen cannot help but speedily show their true colors: it's in
the nature of the beast.

So howzaboudit?  Let's keep the information coming and ignore the other
dreck.

Jack

One point that author is missing is that there is no
such thing as "true information". Every single bit of
information that is there applies to some class of things (or
people, or whatever) and does not apply to others.
   That is why we have a brain - to clasify information and
analyse how it applies to particular case and to what extent.
Multiple information sources have to be analysed, and probabilities
for them being correct have to be estimated _by every single
individual_. The hope that there will be some higher authority
(doctor? governemnt? Furher? God?) who will give you unambiquious
and perfectly optimal for your case calls for action is wain and result
of intelectual laiziness.

 If infromation could be a simple and straightforward actionable item,
we would not need a brain but only reflexes.

Unfortunately this intellectual infantilism and hope in the big brother
that will decide everythign for you dvells heavily on US society. That
is why everybody have to carry extensively heawy burden of paying for
all this approving authorities, these self-encloused and self-righteous
societies (like lawyers or doctors), that are sitting in sacred
atmosphere of their offices are deciding things that everybody should
have a right (and a responsibility!) to decide for themselfes. We should
pay them for the services and information they provide (depending on
quality of that information and services), and not for telling us
absulute truth proclamations or _allowing_ us to do something.

Regards,
Evgenij

All of what you say is true.

But I would add that scientific studies do not always come to the same
conclusions. Sometimes this is due to chance and sometimes it has to do
with populations studied and detaisl of how the study was done. It is
an unrealistic expectation to assume that every study will always get
the same results. That is why we usually try to wait for several
different studies to show the same thing before we accept the results.

The same unrealistic expectation is at play when people post the
results of one or a few small studies and then express dismay that all
of this is not being immediately adopted. It just never occurs to them
that the issue is not settled. (But it does not stop them from
complaing in the mext breath about the contradictory studies and
advice).

Allison , while I agree with you now, at the time there were so many
studies, one was not expected to question the  source. (green tea or alcohol
benefits). Not only did we have the studies, we had Drs  advising people to
take those things , including aspirin. I now know no matter what it is most
anyone can prove anything they want dependending on how they slant their
criterias and who they are representing. . The world is not about each of us
protecting each other, the world is about containing wealth and carving out
a niche and deception often enough. .

When you

thanks look into that.

Allison its iffy on this. No exercise is not good. I personally have seen
what happens though when well intentioned people try to exercise where I
live in bad weather. I have seen people just drop out. I have seen adults
get asthma . Its just not conducive to exercise outdoors sometimes. From
personal experience, I would always not exercise , on bad air days and hope
for better days to come. Unfortunately we are now experiencing Warning level
air where i would strongly advise those who can attain that warning to
listen. Unfortunately its getting worse to go to work , wait in traffic and
even breathe this air coming into home. Its a tragic nightmare if you can't
afford to move. Our city has changed to basically old people , newly arrived
immigrants and the poor peple who now are the only ones left. When I say
only thats still allot of people. We are literally being poisoned and my
final twenty years will probably be living in poverty somewhere to escape
this mess. Personally I have no idea how sane people who has asthma overcome
the daily stress from this let alone normal people. If I wanted to better my
life and do things I literally couldn't .I have tried to ask for help in
getting out of here, no one cares. Our society is everyperson for him or her
self and we have the role models to back that statement up. But this is life
and I realize many people around the world probably have it much worse.( I
have taken world geography via telecourses
) Anyway back to topic thanks for the information. I didn't know this about
Consumer Union. Are all ionizers basically useless?  Do you know?  I know
about ozone purifiers and to avoid them.