Response to Atkins Lawsuit
theomnivore.com has a delightful take on the lawsuit by Jody Gorran against Atkins. (There is an official response to the Gorran lawsuit at Atkins.com.) My thoughts? Read on.
May 31, 2004
April 04, 2004
Burn the Shirts!
When Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez arrived to conquer Mexico, he ordered his men to “burn the ships” that had carried them to the new land. This forced them to decide if they were going to “fight or die” (as it is claimed he said to them).
I did my own version of it today: I got rid of all the clothes that I fit into 6 months ago. Of course I didn’t so much burn them as brought them to the consignment shop, and of course Cortez’s men did not have the option of going down to the local Wal-Mart and buying a new ship, which I could do if I need bigger pants. But it’s a metaphor, so we’ll let the incongruities slide. At least they are out of the house, and buying bigger clothes will be a lot more of a conscious effort than just starting to wear different pants from a different hanger.
December 06, 2003
Anti-Atkins group (PCRM) is a PETA front
ConsumerFreedom reports that that the AMA has censured the so-called “Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine” (PCRM). Important points include:
- “This misnamed ‘physicians committee’ represents a tiny fraction of America’s doctors who place animal-rights ideology above their patients’ health
- PCRM has asserted itself as a home for anti-meat, pro-vegan nutritionists who are committed to removing beef, dairy, poultry, and other animal products from the American diet for good.
- The established medical community has soundly rejected PCRM’s dietary advice in the past.
- The American Medical Association has written that it
finds the recommendations of PCRM irresponsible and potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of Americans.
- In a separate public censure, the AMA marveled at
how effectively a fringe organization of questionable repute continues to hoodwink the media with a series of questionable research that fails to enhance public health.
- PCRM has long-standing ties with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has funneled over $850,000 to its medical front group.
Most Americans are too smart to knowingly take dietary advice from PETA. But when animal rights activists put on the sheep’s clothing of the medical profession, it becomes harder to know who’s credible. Force-feeding animal rights propaganda to Americans doesn’t sound very ‘responsible’ to me.
Personally I’m amazed at the FUD that surrounds the entire low-carb way of eating, but to have it cloaked behind a political agenda (and PETA is nothing but a political action committee) at the utter disregard of people’s health is disgusting.
Fortunately my doctor was well-informed about it. After having been on Atkins since the end of August I went from this picture in May to this picture in mid-October.
Note: Yes I know that the Consumer Freedom group also has an agenda, but I wasn’t suggesting anyone take their advice either. My reference to them had was simply because they were the source material for the AMA’s censure. The American Council on Science and Health has also had concerns about the mis-representation of the PCRM and also had questions about low carb as well.
Of course the ACSH also refuses to believe that a calorie is not a calorie as was shown in a recent study. Dr. Atkins and others said this for a long time and were consistenly scoffed at. They all complained that Atkins hadn’t done enough scientific research. Now there is a study that showed exactly what he said. It will be fun to see how folks respond.
Update (2004-02-11): PCRM illegally obtained Dr. Atkins medical records and falsely accused him of being obese at the time of his death. Read The Truth about Dr. Atkins' Weight.... Not that his weight has anything to do with the validity of his claims about low carb eating, which have been demonstrated for 30+ years ....