Philly.com – by Andrew M. Seaman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – About half of American adults believe in at least one medical conspiracy theory, according to new survey results.
Some conspiracy theories have much more traction than others, however.
For example, three times as many people believe U.S. regulators prevent people from getting natural cures as believe that a U.S. spy agency infected a large number of African Americans with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
J. Eric Oliver, the study’s lead author from University of Chicago, said people may believe in conspiracy theories because they’re easier to understand than complex medical information.
“Science in general – medicine in particular – is complicated and cognitively challenging because you have to carry around a lot of uncertainty,” Oliver said.
“To talk about epidemiology and probability theories is difficult to understand as opposed to ‘if you put this substance in your body, it’s going to be bad,'” he said.
For the new study, he and his colleague used data from 1,351 adults who answered an online survey between August and September 2013. The data were then weighted to represent the U.S population.
The participants read six popular medical conspiracy theories and then indicated whether they had heard of them and whether they agreed or disagreed with them.
Like the theories about conspiracies to infect African Americans with HIV and to prevent citizens from accessing alternative medicines, the other theories on the list had mistrust of government and large organizations as themes.
They include the theory that the government knows cell phones cause cancer but does nothing about it, that genetically modified organisms are being used to shrink the world’s population, that routine vaccinations cause autism and that water fluoridation is a way for companies to dump dangerous chemicals into the environment.
Some 49% of the survey participants agreed with at least one of the conspiracies.
In fact, in addition to the 37% of respondents who fully agreed that U.S. regulators are suppressing access to natural cures, less than a third were willing to say they actively disagreed with the theory.
With regard to the theory that childhood vaccines cause psychological disorders like autism and the government knows it, 69% had heard the idea, 20% agreed with it and 44% disagreed.
The only conspiracy theory with which more than half of the respondents disagreed was that a U.S. spy agency infected a large number of African Americans with HIV.
The survey results suggest people who believe in medical conspiracy theories may approach their own health differently, the researchers said.
For example, while 13% of people who did not believe in any conspiracies took herbal supplements, 35% of those who believed in three or more theories took supplements.
Overall, the researchers say people who believed in conspiracies were more likely to use alternative medicine and to avoid traditional medicine.
“Although it is common to disparage adherents of conspiracy theories as a delusional fringe of paranoid cranks, our data suggest that medical conspiracy theories are widely known, broadly endorsed, and highly predictive of many common health behaviors,” the researchers wrote in a research letter online March 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Oliver said the findings may have implications for doctors.
Instead of viewing patients who believe in conspiracy theories as crazy, he said doctors should realize those patients may be less likely to follow a prescription regimen.
“It’s important to increase information about health and science to the public,” he said. “I think scientific thinking is not a very intuitive way to see the world. For people who don’t have a lot of education, it’s relatively easy to reject the scientific way of thinking about things.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1lLueQV
JAMA Intern Med 2014.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/health/Youre_not_alone_Medical_conspiracies_believed_by_many.html#v26VjoZFiormXfby.99
OK, well I guess I’m one of those medical conspiracy theorists.
A somewhat random but related question, for anyone here who might know: a friend of mine was just signed up for Medicaid. He would rather have not done so but was forced into it through an unexpected emergency room visit.
He is supposed to have a 1-hour intake interview over the phone, and he has been told that he will be assigned a primary care doctor and he is “required” within 30 days to have a “baseline physical.” Does anyone know what these (intake and physical) may include and any pitfalls to be wary of? He would rather participate in as limited a way as he can get away with. He does not know his “patient rights” to refuse anything (labs/x-rays, inquisitive questions, prescriptions, follow up visits), and doesn’t know how he can find out reliable info on what his rights are. He is nervous about refusing any of it because he has been told that Medicaid will take care of the huge emergency room bill he otherwise has no way of paying. Any thoughts and knowledge on this would be appreciated!
The more I learn about how to take care of myself, the less I want to have anything to do with this medical system.
I did a search of “what are a Medicaid patient’s rights” (There is also a pdf of the “Bill of Rights” avaiable).
http://www.medicaidpatients.com/medicaid-patient’s-rights/
From this one, it looks like there are variations depending upon the State you live in.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/patientrights.html
http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-State/By-State.html
Hope it helps a little.
Here’s what he can expect at the physical:
http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Quality-of-Care/Downloads/Medicaid-Adult-Core-Set-Manual.pdf
BTW- He can expect a full, nude, physical examination.
Thank you so much for finding these, Angel! 🙂
It is very hard to find specific information about this topic because there is so much contradictory info out there, and also a lot of low-level info that doesn’t say very much.
Mostly, he is dreading getting sucked into a system that is going to somehow force him to get vaccinations or take medications, have all sorts of tests or procedures, or being treated against his will. He wants to live a good live as he wishes, and then be allowed to die whenever that may be, without any interventions (including medicines) to prolong life artificially but in a diminished manner. And with the nagging of strangers who do not support his wishes. Because of his older age, he is concerned that he is at risk of losing his autonomy and rights.
Does he have an Advance Directive? If not, he needs to ASAP.
http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3289
I don’t know how reliable the answers are, but maybe you can get some questions answered here:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_lose_Medicare_or_medicaid_eligibility
Very good point, Angel! I think he does not, and I just downloaded some forms for him to look over. Thanks…
More Zionist crap. If the headline didn’t do it, the first sentence will.
The use of the term “conspiracy theory” discredits all facts because it’s a “trigger term” that causes people to make an association with some maniacal character from TV or movies.
Look at EVERY fictional character on TV who doubts or questions our government, our medical establishment, or their policies. Isn’t is always someone of questionable sanity? (Cosmo Kramer comes to mind) When the TV-brainwashed American hears anyone question the government, or if they head the term “conspiracy theory”, they make an association in their minds with the lunatic they know form the tube, and ignore the knowledge as insignificant, crazy, or at least, unimportant.
That’s how the television conditions you to adopt certain attitudes toward people or ideas. As proof of this, look at the amazing similarities in TV characters that transcend ALL of the allegedly “competing” networks, and you’ll find:
1. Every father is an idiot.
2. Every homosexual is moral and wise
3. Every civilian gun owner is either a lunatic or a criminal
4. Every Arab is a screaming madman.
5. Every Jew is gentle and wise
6. Everyone who questions the government is insane
7. Every drug dealer is black or Hispanic
If they weren’t trying to drum certain ideas into your head with these endless messages, don’t you think ONE network would invent a character who breaks the mold?
Good points, Jolly Roger.
Last night the topic of the Malaysian jet was brought up at a family gathering. The old man thought it had been hijacked. The middle aged man who works for a government agency derisively mocked “conspiracy theorists.” The teenager who is currently studying the events leading to WW2 in school wondered why we make fun of conspiracy theorists these days, when it is quite clear that conspiracies have set off wars throughout history.
Very good points Jolly Roger. I had noticed what you are saying, it is very true. You have a great way of laying it out.
“Instead of viewing patients who believe in conspiracy theories as crazy, he said doctors should realize those patients may be less likely to follow a prescription regimen.”
If they’ve done even a moderate amount of research, they’ll likely be inclined to take NO prescription drugs whatsoever (me).