Thread by @steak_umm

during this pandemic it’s vital to stay wary of charlatans peddling “miracle cures” that are “all natural,” such as colloidal silver or herbal remedies. many people are afraid and extra susceptible to scams. please counter falsities if you see them with both data and compassion

the "naturalistic fallacy" is when someone equates what is "natural" with what is "good." unfortunately, people do this all the time with medicine, food, and other material trends. please remember that nature on its own can range from healthy to poison, and compassion to murder

many material benefits can be found in nature, some of which may alleviate stress during these chaotic times. that said, we must reestablish trust in our medical experts who are currently testing treatments around the clock to ensure clinically sound safety and efficacy

our institutions are not perfect. humans will always make mistakes, but they improve upon their mistakes through scientific processes that are necessary for life today. without these processes and regulations, the market would be flooded with dangerous ideas and treatments

many people feel lied to and left behind by our institutions, partly due to communication failures, part to misinformation, part to real mistakes, and part to the fact anyone can share anything online as a "fact." we now see this lack of trust having repercussions on a mass scale

it's easy to post about data from trusted institutions to echo chambers of those who already have faith in those institutions. the hard work is going to people in our lives who need to hear these facts, but can only hear them from real relationships, not holier-than-thou lectures

it's good to keep an open mind, but once you've consulted expert consensus and credible contrarians, a time comes to (virtually) close it

combat misinformation, but remember the person behind the screen. you can't help those on the ground from a high horse

steak-umm bless