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Bad People

47. Bad Influencer: Can you spot pseudo-scientific health claims?

Bad People

BBC

Society & Culture, True Crime, Unknown

4.41.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 2009, Belle Gibson shared on her blog that she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and had only four months to live. She then began documenting her journey of healing via clean eating. When Instagram launched a year later, she quickly amassed a following of 200,000 people, becoming one of the very first wellness influencers. But was she just taking advantage of people's wishful thinking? In this episode of Bad People, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss how “wellness” has been conceptualized as a concept that remains forever out of reach, why the veneer of credibility can be so hard to break through, and the famous sceptic Barry Beyerstein’s advice on how to identify pseudo-scientific health claims. Warning: This episode includes descriptions of cancer treatment, and mentions a threat of suicide. CREDITS Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen Producer: Simona Rata Music: Matt Chandler Editor: Rami Tzabar Academic Consultants for The Open University: Lara Frumkin and James Munro #BadPeople_BBC Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, Gary Lednika here with Alan Shira and Michael Richards to say the match of the day top 10 podcast is back

0:07.4

We'll be ranking our footballing top 10s and debiting. It was right. Well, it's don't be me. Not a champ. It's Gary

0:14.8

First season wonders to goalkeeping blunders. Nothing is off the table. You had a few blunders in your day. Did you Gary?

0:22.0

Yeah, match of the day top 10. Listen only on BBC sounds

0:27.4

BBC sounds music radio podcasts

0:32.0

Sophie, have you ever taken a derivative of the bark of the willow tree to treat pain?

0:39.0

Not intentionally. No. Oh, so you've never used aspirin. Oh, I see what's happening here. I thought you'd become a poet

0:45.6

I may have taken aspirin. Yes. I also hope that you've never needed to use a substance from European

0:53.0

Unitals for your treatment. I know. No. That's where the anti-cancer drug pack the tax will come from. Okay. I see what you're saying

1:02.5

So there's a stream of thought that medicine is unnatural while alternative medicines are natural

1:09.3

But medicine is just what we call things including natural things that have been shown repeatedly and in control settings to help treat or cure illness or disease

1:17.0

And I think that peddling pseudo-scientific medical cures is one of the most harmful and if done intentionally

1:25.5

Predatory and malicious things someone can do and it makes me incredibly angry

1:34.0

Have you ever bought a treatment that you later realized was complete? Yes. No

1:39.3

My crystals work just fine

1:41.6

I don't know on this episode of bad people the case of an influencer who reminded the world that when it sounds too good to be true

1:48.8

It probably is all the clips in this episode are from the documentary that influencer the great Instacon made by minofilms for BBC 3

1:56.1

This episode includes descriptions of cancer treatment and mentions a threat of suicide

2:00.5

It may also contain some strong language. I'm Dr. Julia Shah criminal psychologist and I'm Sophie Hagen stand-up comedian and this is bad people

2:11.4

Our story starts in Melbourne, Australia in 2009 a young

2:16.2

Conventually attractive blonde white woman bell Gibson shares on her blog that she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and has four months left to live

2:24.4

She then chronicles how she treats herself with healthy eating and alternative medicine

...

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