Not long ago this afternoon on Labor Day, Minnesota state representative Mary Franson shared this on one of her Facebook pages (the one upon which she writes "Fighting to free the people I represent from a communist governor").
We've posted a screengrab above. Here's Franson's comment and we embed the video below it:
This video makes a lot of sense - are we being desensitized.
Here's the YouTube from Matthieu Cameron, of Alexandria, Ontario, who's an Enagic Distributor, 5G conspiracy theory adherent, anti-vaxxer and so much more.
Let's consider the source. Look at the product this fellow is selling. Enagic (the logo is in the lefthand corner of the video) is one distributor of "Kangen Water" machines, which create ionized water. It's touted as a miracle cure, but as Laura Johannes reported in the Wall Street Journal back in 2012, The Positives and Negatives of Ionized Water:
Some doctors and scientists say the companies' claims aren't backed by good high-quality studies. "Human evidence is lacking, safety profile is lacking and it's very expensive," says Catherine Ulbricht, co-founder of National Standard Research Collaboration, a Cambridge, Mass. scientist-owned group that evaluates natural therapies.
"There is no basis for any health claims at all" for alkaline drinking water, adds Santa Barbara, Calif., gastroenterologist John Petrini, past president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. After it is digested, food and water goes into the stomach and—no matter what pH it was when it entered—ends up leaving the stomach at a pH of about 6.8, Dr. Petrini says. And no matter what you eat, your body has effective mechanisms to keep your blood in a narrow range between 7.35 and 7.45, he adds.
Chemists say it's logical that acidic or very alkaline water could be useful for cleaning, but there's no evidence that the pH of water has any specific effect on skin or pores, says Washington, D.C., dermatologist Tina Alster.
Roberto Car, a professor of chemistry and physics at Princeton University, says the alkalization process described by Chanson sounds scientifically plausible, though he hasn't examined the machine. But Chanson's claim that alkaline water contains microclusters of molecules more readily absorbable by the body is "nonsense," according to Dr. Car and others.
"Rubbish," adds H. Eugene Stanley, a professor of chemistry and physics at Boston University. The structure of water—including how its molecules cluster—isn't yet fully understood, scientists say.
Wikipedia includes more recent scientific consensus:
Water ionizers are often marketed on the basis of health claims which are normally focused on their putative ability to make water more alkaline. A wide variety of benefits have been claimed, including the ability to slow aging,[7] prevent disease, offer protection from nuclear fallout,[8] give the body more energy, and offset the effects of acidic foods.[5]
There is no empirical evidence to support these claims, nor the claims that drinking ionized water will have a noticeable effect on the body.[9] Drinking ionized water or alkaline water does not alter the body's pH due to acid-base homeostasis.[7] Additionally, many have inaccurately claimed that the process of electrolysis changes the structure of water from large non-bioavailable water clusters to small bioavailable water clusters, called "micro clusters". However, there is no evidence such changes occur during electrolysis, and these claims not only contradict basic principles of chemistry,[3][10] and biology,[10] but if such chemical changes did occur it would be biologically harmful.[10]
In 2019, Cooking Light asked Kangen Water Is Supposed to Be Healthier—But Is It? and concluded, "No."
That's the business background of the "expert" Franson shares on Facebook.
As for the central claim that temperature guns damage the pineal gland, AFP's Marion LeFevre reports Taking your temperature with an infrared thermometer does not damage the pineal gland.
Poynter's Cristina Tardáguila reported Infrared thermometers won’t blind you, damage your neurons nor affect your meditation.
As far as the use of temperature guns being used to get Americans used to having guns pointed at their foreheads: get a grip.
Franson's health care advice drew the ire of a local doctor in the Facebook post's comment section:
I'm not sure which is worse. How ignorant this video is or the fact that my elected representative chooses to believe this idiotic nonsense. Your negative posts regarding public health topics such as HPV vaccines, mask wearing, and covid conspiracies do nothing to improve my job as a health care provider. Please use basic science and medical knowledge before posting such utter trash. You aren't helping anyone with such bizarre opinions.
Folkestad practices Family Medicine at the Bertha and Henning Clinics run by the Tri-County Health Care system in Wadena region.
Another commen cuts to the chase:
Nah. The first thirty seconds were enough to tell me this is too stupid to watch the rest of it.I still like your politics, but sharing stuff like this is gonna alienate your rational constituents.
Bonus Franson nincompoopery
Yesterday, a Max Hailperin tweeted:
But just in case that changes pic.twitter.com/IVHQfbTdsK
— Max Hailperin (@MaxHailperin) September 6, 2020
Jeepers, what would the Mayo Brothers say?
Screengrab: Franson shares a peculiar YouTube from a guy who sells a machine for new, improved water.
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email [email protected] as recipient.
Heard the one about temperature guns last week, during an interview with the school superintendent on local Park Rapids KDKK radio. A "caller"suggested that the kids would all become desensitized to having a gun placed at their forehead if the schools took their temperature. The fear mongering is despicable.
Posted by: LWC | Sep 07, 2020 at 08:18 PM