Natural remedies & pseudoscience

We all know those people who sport a lot of tie-dye and culturally appropriated dread locks, are deeply invested in astrology, swear by healing crystals and organic food, and talk a lot about “vibes” and “energy.”  On the generous side of things: these people are often very health conscious, support local businesses and sustainably grown food, are often really empathetic, and exemplify a healthy sense of critique (albeit often taken too far) in which they are skeptical of harmful chemicals and such. On the more destructive side of things: these people might not believe in vaccines or other forms of important medicine that can prevent and cure illness. 

At least a couple other blog posts this week have been about vaccines so I won’t say much on the subject, other than that while it’s very dangerous ideology with far-reaching effects, it’s also not completely unbelievable that people buy into it. Not only does anti-vaccine rhetoric harm individual children and families, but entire communities and cities. However, I will say that the rhetoric of anti-vaxers does not completely shock me. The biomedical establishment is vast, seemingly all-knowing, and also somewhat distant. It’s really hard to get medical questions answered, to feel heard, and to feel like you genuinely have a choice about your health in such a beaurocratic and broken system. I’m not condoning the refusal to vaccinate your children at all, but I think it makes sense that a group of people feel so disenfranchised by the healthcare and insurance system that they end up clutching onto anti-vaccination ideology. Capitalism has shown us again and again that profit is valued over human lives, so the anti-vaxer rhetoric looks to me like a lot of people who went too far with their distrust for big pharma. It’s unfortunate that these folks can’t distinguish between life saving vaccinations and other misleading and profit-driven medicines (like the pink pill or heartburn medicine, for example), but it’s important that we try to understand why they might have such intense distrust for the biomedical industry.

Onto the way less harmful sides of hippie/from-the-earth practices and beliefs, I think analyzing how/why people belief in it (or STRONGLY disagree with it!) is super interesting! We love to critique astrology, crystal-based healing, and other non-scientific ways of understanding the world. Critique might even be too nice of a word to use here, because a lot of criticism of these things is extremely shaming and condescending. I think it points to our culture’s positivist approach to wellness and epistemology, and our overall distrust of things that can’t be proven. Even though fad diets/wellness habits seem to gain popularity really quickly, I would say that we’re still extremely critical, especially in academic circles. 

Natural/organic/non-GMO/synthetic-free diets/habits make people feel like they have control over what they’re putting into their bodies. In a chaotic world, we love to feel like we have control. Having “scientific” proof for everything also makes people feel like they have control. Both the uncritical belief in “natural” medicine/food and the complete disavowal of those things illuminate our desire to feel like we have power in a world that’s mostly out of our hands. 

Crystals/astrology are fun and remind us to believe in things that can’t entirely be proven. I honestly do not believe that astrology can tell me anything about myself or others, or that crystals can relieve pain or promote mental clarity, but I wish that I did. I wish I had more faith in things that are mysterious and magical, and I think as a culture we could all benefit from some faith in things that don’t follow scientific logic. Above all, we should really just let people do what makes them happy in peace, as long as they're not hurting others. We all have objects/habits/rituals that don't make a lot of sense but give us some sense of contentment, and I think that these behaviors should be embraced.