3 ms·

This reminds me of one of the wildest stories I ever read on the internet. Person flew to Cameroon to intentionally infect himself with hookworms to treat asthm

This reminds me of one of the wildest stories I ever read on the internet. Person flew to Cameroon to intentionally infect himself with hookworms to treat asthma. Reports positive results! So much so that he started a business selling kits for people to self-infect without the need to travel. https://www.autoimmunetherapies.com/ https://www.autoimmunetherapies.com/ The business still seems active, but operates outside the US after it caught the attention of the FDA. The original story is long gone (rip kuro5hin!) but is thankfully archived. https://web.archive.org/web/20060523232308/http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2006/4/30/91945/8971 https://web.archive.org/web/20060523232308/http://www.kuro5h...

rz2k 3y ago
Radiolab did a story on this, and the lack of critical thinking on their part was somewhat of a turning point. I realized that many of their stories were just a chaotic collection of impulsive ideas, rather than anything that was organized with context or presented with responsibility and wisdom. Apparently it had the same effect on a lot of listeners, because they did a short followup where they said they did nothing wrong, and refused to acknowledge any responsibility for effectively making an advertisement for a business that was likely to harm people. It actually stood in stark contrast to This American Life. They made some smaller mistake, and the next week they spent the entire hour identifying all the things that lead up to the error, and going into excruciating detail about why they believed their mistake was even an more serious one than most listeners realized. I don’t listen to many podcasts anymore, but I thought the two responses taught me a lot about journalistic ethics, and how to identify when to continue reading or watching. Is this news source casual about getting details wrong? Do their individual stories fit in context of a larger story they are telling about the world over many years? Are they careful about what reporting will lead to a rush to judgement or bad decisions by readers and viewers?
- kridsdale3 3y ago
  Radiolab also fucked up in their story about some kind of Agent Orange chemical used in Cambodia that messed up a village. Robert Krowlwich (sp?) came off as just a big self important jerk, even in their "we are so sorry we were so insensitive" episode. He basically refused to admit he had hurt people.
DontchaKnowit 3y ago
Funny, my dermatologist just told me about a similar scenario where a study found that pig whipworms seemed to help IBS significantly
leechy 3y ago
I lost most of my allergies after using leeches against knee pain. Would totally recommend.

rz2k 3y ago

Radiolab did a story on this, and the lack of critical thinking on their part was somewhat of a turning point. I realized that many of their stories were just a chaotic collection of impulsive ideas, rather than anything that was organized with context or presented with responsibility and wisdom. Apparently it had the same effect on a lot of listeners, because they did a short followup where they said they did nothing wrong, and refused to acknowledge any responsibility for effectively making an advertisement for a business that was likely to harm people. It actually stood in stark contrast to This American Life. They made some smaller mistake, and the next week they spent the entire hour identifying all the things that lead up to the error, and going into excruciating detail about why they believed their mistake was even an more serious one than most listeners realized. I don’t listen to many podcasts anymore, but I thought the two responses taught me a lot about journalistic ethics, and how to identify when to continue reading or watching. Is this news source casual about getting details wrong? Do their individual stories fit in context of a larger story they are telling about the world over many years? Are they careful about what reporting will lead to a rush to judgement or bad decisions by readers and viewers?

kridsdale3 3y ago
Radiolab also fucked up in their story about some kind of Agent Orange chemical used in Cambodia that messed up a village. Robert Krowlwich (sp?) came off as just a big self important jerk, even in their "we are so sorry we were so insensitive" episode. He basically refused to admit he had hurt people.

DontchaKnowit 3y ago

Funny, my dermatologist just told me about a similar scenario where a study found that pig whipworms seemed to help IBS significantly

leechy 3y ago

I lost most of my allergies after using leeches against knee pain. Would totally recommend.