My process:
As I touched upon in my first blog post, I draw upon a variety of sources to arrive at the recommendations that I make. Some supplements, such as creatine, have a vast amount of scientific research backing them (in the case of creatine, likely because athletic performance is a big business) and are thus 'no-brainers'. Others, such as dietary suggestions or more niche herbal supplement suggestions, have not attracted as much scientific research. There is almost always some research out there, but many times the body of evidence is only suggestive of benefit(s), rather than conclusive. There are a variety of reasons for this, that may vary case to case, but the relatively small amount of research on many of these remedies is likely due in part to the fact that there is little opportunity to patent or otherwise turn them into a business, so research funding just isn't there.
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That said, although I value empirical evidence based in the scientific method first and foremost, I don't believe it is the only form of evidence that exists, or matters. Doctors and practitioners work with hundreds if not thousands of patients and observe first-hand what works and what doesn't, and thereby 'collect' data that is certainly not as controlled as a double-blind clinical trial, but which I think is still worth taking into account. The same point applies to medical traditions like Ayurvedic medicine, which has been treating people for hundreds/thousands of years, despite not involving clinical double-blind trials. I believe that important lessons have been learned, even if a statistically significant test cannot be pointed to.
So, much of the information I draw upon comes from podcasts, websites, and books which have been produced by doctors and health practitioners. I have also tried everything on this site myself, carefully observed my results, and typically spoken to a number of other people who have done the same, and/or read though online forums of people using the remedies, in depth.
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It may be helpful to illustrate my 'process' with an example. One of the supplements I recommend in my general health suggestions, and in my second blog post on immune support, is Epicor. I first heard of Epicor in 2018, on a podcast with a health practitioner who said it was helpful for immune function. I then looked into the research on it. Although the body of research was quite small, it was encouraging. I then looked up the product on Amazon and read through the reviews in some depth, and also read through forums on Reddit where people discussed their experiences. People were quite positive about its ability to help them from getting sick. At this point, given the recommendation of a qualified health practitioner who works with hundreds of patients, potentially promising research evidence, and positive reviews and testimonials, I was convinced to try it. After all, it's a nutritional yeast that has been used for decades and the only likely risk was a bit of temporary gut distress (e.g., gas). The potential upside clearly seemed to outweigh the potential downside.
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The next several months happened to be pretty intense. I was traveling a LOT, including multiple international trips, and I had more low quality sleep nights and higher alcohol consumption than usual. I also had contact with people who were sick. Typically, these would have been surefire triggers to me getting sick 2-3 times during this period. However, I didn't get sick once. At that point, I suggested Epicor to several close friends and family members who are open-minded and enthusiastic about this kind of stuff. Over the next few months, they in turn reported similar results.
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At this point, I felt comfortable suggesting that others more broadly take a look at Epicor and consider trying it. In fact, I felt a bit of a moral responsibility to share this information. Here is something I know about that I believe will make people healthier and has very little apparent potential downside. To keep that information to myself and NOT share it would have made me uncomfortable. This is how I feel about much of what I have learned and why I wish to share it with you. Thank you for reading!