Chris Kresser

Chris Kresser is an American acupuncturist, anti-flu vaxxer, cholesterol denialist and promoter of his own version of the paleo diet. Kresser has made a number of dangerous health suggestions, for example, he has argued against flu vaccination and recommends that pregnant mothers drink raw milk and skip the vitamin K shot for their newborns.[2][3] He thinks that everyone should eat a high-fat paleo diet.Do You Believe That?

Chris Kresser
Against allopathy
Alternative medicine
Clinically unproven
v - t - e
Potentially edible!
Food woo
Fabulous food!
Delectable diets!
Bodacious bods!
v - t - e
“”Acupuncture, unlike most drugs, has the potential to cure disease.
—Chris Kresser[1]

Kresser advertises himself as a "health detective".[4] On December 5th 2019 Kresser revealed that he doesn't know how to read forest plots.[5]

Irrational beliefs

Acupuncture

Kresser is a fanatical acupuncture proponent who claims that it has the potential to cure disease. He has written that acupuncture "stimulates the body’s self-healing mechanisms. And the body’s ability to heal itself far surpasses anything western medicine has to offer."[1] He provides no scientific evidence for this statement. The scientific consensus is that acupuncture is ineffective for a wide range of conditions.[6] It has been impossible to find consistent evidence for acupuncture after more than 3000 trials.[7][8]

Opposition to flu vaccination

Kresser has received criticism from medical experts for his comments against flu vaccination.[2] He dismisses any positive studies and promotes "natural" alternatives, such as bone broth, fermented cod liver oil, paleo diet and vitamin supplements.[2][9]

Vitamin K injections

Kresser argues against Vitamin K injections for newborns.[3] He made the false statement that "Vitamin K injections have not been adequately tested for safety." In reality, the injections given at birth are safe and side-effects are incredibly rare.[10][11][12][13]

Cholesterol denialism

Kresser is a cholesterol and statin denialist.[14][15]

Criticism

Retired family physician and skeptic Harriet Hall has written:

Why would anyone go to Kresser for advice about vaccines? He's an acupuncturist, for Pete's sake! His whole livelihood is based on a prescientific system of mythological qi and meridians. His website offers inaccurate information and questionable advice on diet, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disorders, skin health, heartburn, and depression. He even offers a paleo detox program.[2]

Chris Kresser is known for misleading people on cholesterol and saturated fat, he constantly reads papers wrong thus presenting false evidence and try to fool people to follow for his paleo diet.

Kresser has also received criticism from those in the paleo community for his promotion of dairy products.[16] Dairy is forbidden on the paleo diet because humans did not consume the milk of animals until they were domesticated. The earliest evidence of dairy is from the Neolithic of the seventh millennium BC (roughly 9000 years ago).[17] Kresser advises against a strict paleo diet and has supported the consumption of kefir.[18] Loren CordainFile:Wikipedia's W.svg says Kresser's advice is ill founded and unscientific.[16]

gollark: Do not do this or you will have done this.
gollark: Wrong.
gollark: Buy computer things, specifically.
gollark: Exchange money for goods and services. This can be done. It is known.
gollark: What?

References
  1. Chinese Medicine Demystified (Part VI): 5 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You Where Drugs and Surgery Can’t. Chris Kresser.
  2. An Alternative “Truth” About Flu Shots
  3. Chris Kresser: The Healthy Baby Code
  4. Do You Need a Health Detective?. Chris Kresser.
  5. Joe Rogan Experience #1393
  6. Ernst E (April 2009). "Acupuncture: what does the most reliable evidence tell us?". Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 37 (4): 709–14.
  7. Acupuncture Doesn’t Work
  8. False Claims for Acupuncture.
  9. RHR: The Truth about Flu Shots (And What to Do Instead). Chris Kresser.
  10. Are the Ingredients in the Newborn Vitamin K Shot Safe?
  11. That Black Box Warning on Vitamin K Shots
  12. Here's The Truth About Vitamin K For Newborns
  13. Evidence on: The Vitamin K Shot in Newborns. "Side effects from vitamin K injection given at birth are incredibly rare and if they are seen, they end up being case reports due to rarity. I could not find any case reports using the most recent version of vitamin K used in the U.S., in which the infant became severely ill or died from it."
  14. The Diet-Heart Myth: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not the Enemy. Chris Kresser.
  15. The Truth about Statin Drugs. Chris Kresser.
  16. Kefir Consumption Ill Founded at Best
  17. Humans have been using milk and dairy products for 9000 years
  18. Kefir: The Not-Quite-Paleo Superfood
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