Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
This month we are focusing on stress and stress management. Maybe you noticed, stress is an inescapable reality of life. And guess what? If there was no stress, there would be no life! We need stress. Stress can kill us or make us stronger. We need stress in very small doses, doses that cause us to adapt. This type of stress makes us stronger. Chronic stress, that goes on and on with no end in sight will eventually kill us. Learning to work with stress for your betterment is what lies ahead in March. They don’t call it March Madness for nothing.
But this blog is not about the stress of basketball.
It is about the stress of making informed choices for our families and ourselves regarding health and well-being.
Health and decisions regarding your health can be stressful. One of the most stressful statements to me in health is… “Experts agree”!
Let me explain:
How many times have you heard this, “experts agree”, and said to yourself, “well they are the experts after all. Why wouldn’t I take their advice?”
Every time I hear “experts agree”, I feel like I am being asked to turn off my brain and find safety in numbers instead of asking questions.
Let me give you a rationale for my skepticism.
In health and healthcare the need for generalizations is apparent. What is good for some is probably good for most. If exercise is good for me, then it is probably good for you too. If overeating is bad for me (even though I am pretty good at it), it is probably bad for you too. If getting a chiropractic adjustment regularly is good for me… You get the idea. Some things can be generalized and don’t really require the weighted opinion of an expert. Experience and common sense can take you a long way.
What about those circumstances when our common sense and experience don’t take us as far as we need to go?
We rely on experts! And what is an expert? Unfortunately, in our country, it is anyone who knows more than we do. Take my ski buddy Dave. I can point to essentially any pair of skis on the mountain, and he has some opinion about it. I have no idea if he knows what he is talking about or if I am merely gullible. It doesn’t matter. He sounds like an authority and since he certainly knows more about it than I do, he appears an expert to me.
But is he? (I’ll let his wife answer that!)
So much of the time we tend to defer to people who know just enough more than we do. And so, a real expert can be hard to spot.
What then, is an expert? Turns out the answer is slightly more complicated and nuanced.
True, an expert has spent a good chunk of his or her life studying a particular field in an attempt to master something, like playing the violin, studying Anglo Saxon sound laws, skiing, surgery, or… whatever. They have put in their time and sweat, and to borrow a phrase from the gym, their reps. They have done their time.
But not everyone who puts in his time is an expert.
So how does one know when he is dealing with an expert or someone who has merely put in their time?
An expert can handle criticism and is willing to agree to disagree. According to my friend Geoff, they are always willing to learn and adjust if needs be. They want truth. They also know that most problems have multiple solutions. And even more important a true expert will say, “I don’t know”.
The most recent example of “experts agree” came during our time in COVID-Land. “Experts agreed” on everything and those who didn’t were not allowed a seat at the table. There was only one solution, and the rest were ridiculed or banished.
Is it OK to question the medical authorities? YES! Particularly if it appears only one solution is correct.
When “experts agree” BEWARE! And also BE AWARE!
“Experts agree” can very quickly become a mob of white coats compliance enforcers, without the pitchforks. It should not be this way. We should be asking questions. Lots of them. Blind compliance seems like a safe idea. But informed consent is a much safer one.
Practically speaking, measles is back in the headlines and for the medical establishment there is only one correct answer, vaccination. No questions asked. But now RFK, Jr. is asking questions and recommending things like Cod Liver Oil. Be ready for the “experts agree” crowd to lose their minds.
Keep an open mind and don’t stress out. Don’t be forced into anything. Make an informed choice.
I leave you with a quote from one of the foremost 20th century philosophers of science, Karl Popper, “The growth of knowledge depends entirely on disagreement.”
Maybe a more comforting statement would be “experts disagree”.
Think about it.
Cheers,
Ks
PS I never thought I would agree with a Kennedy:) Here’s a link to the Cod Liver Oil write-up and you’ll find an order link in it too: You Can Always Do Better
Double Cheers!