🕗 Science, Sales, Scams and Scienceploitation Ep. 312

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Dr. Michael Koren joins Kevin Geddings to introduce the concept of "scienceploitation." He explains that many marketing tactics in the health and supplement industry are disguised as scientific claims. For example, phrases like "supports immune health" often sound convincing but are meaningless without specific, evidence-based backing from rigorous clinical trials. Dr. Koren also highlights the benefits of participating in clinical trials, noting that involvement gives a behind-the-scenes look into how the healthcare industry works.

Be a part of advancing science by participating in clinical research.

Have a question for Dr. Koren? Email him at [e-mail]

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Music: Storyblocks - Corporate Inspired

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Episode Transcript

Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to the MedEvidence Monday Minute Radio
Show hosted by Kevin Geddings ofWSOS St Augustine Radio and
powered by Encore Research Group.
Each Monday morning, Dr.
Michael Koren calls in to bringyou the latest medical updates
with insightful discussions.
Medevidence is where we helpyou navigate the real truth
behind medical research, withboth a clinical and research

(00:20):
perspective.
So sit back, relax and getready to learn about the truth
behind the data in medicine andhealthcare.
This is MedEvidence!

Kevin Geddings (00:31):
Dr.
Michael Koren is with us ahorse medical doctor,
cardiologist, research scientist.
He also directs the effortsthere at ENCORE Research Group,
where people like you and me canparticipate in leading-edge
clinical research, benefit fromjust some amazing healthcare,
but also benefit from being atthe leading edge of healthcare
and a lot of you have differentchronic conditions or other

(00:52):
challenges.
I would encourage you to reachout and see how you can
participate in clinical research.
Uh, benefit society, but also,just as importantly, benefit
yourself.
Go to encore docs.
com, spelled E N C O R E, encoredocs.
com.
Dr.
Michael Koren joins us onMonday mornings.
Doctor, what would you like totalk about this morning?

Dr. Michael Koren (01:11):
So thank you for that nice little plug and
get to something that I've beenthinking quite a bit about,
which is a term calledscienceploitation
Scienceploitation- Okay.
So have you, Kevin, gotten alot of texts and emails in the
last year on these scams?
I get them.

(01:32):
For example, somebody says hi,I'm Elena from Best Buy and your
resume came across my desk.
Give me a call and we'll figureout how to help you.

Kevin Geddings (01:41):
Oh yeah.

Dr. Michael Koren (01:43):
We're just getting inundated with these
things and we see the most inthe medical space and typically
they're for medical supplements,but they can be for procedures
and other things.
And they'll say something likeoh, come in for a research study
, when in fact they're justtrying to get you in under the
premise that it may be for freeand in fact they're trying to
sell you something the premisethat it may be for free and in

(02:05):
fact they're trying to sell yousomething.
Or they'll be trying to sell asupplement and they'll use these
vague terms like "supports theimmune system.
Well, that sounds great, butwhat the heck does that mean
exactly?
That's a very different way ofmarketing something compared to
oh, this product reducedhospitalizations during the cold
and flu season by 25%.
So the second claim is an actualscientific claim that would

(02:28):
have to be approved by the FDAand the first one is a bunch of
marketing mumbo-jumbo.
Interestingly, sometimessupplement companies do actually
run clinical trials and we'vedone some of these.
Okay, and a friend over theweekend sent me a supplement
that he and his wife is takingfor magnesium and at first I was

(02:49):
a little skeptical.
It said it "promotes brainhealth, which is a typical
marketing claim.
But then, when I read thedetails of this particular
product, they actually had runclinical trials and during these
clinical trials they found thatpeople could recall things
better if they took thesupplement, compared to not
taking the supplement.
And it was a real double-blind,placebo-controlled clinical

(03:10):
trial.
So I was very impressed and Iput out the word that this is
the type of product I would buy,because there's Truth Behind
the Data, there's something outthere that's more than just a
bunch of marketing.
So one of the things we like todo at our ENCORE research sites
is we like to help peoplebecome better healthcare
consumers, and we do this, ofcourse, through MedEvidence, but

(03:33):
also through participation inclinical research.
So everybody I think withoutexception who does a clinical
research trial will come out ofthe experience and say that they
just know a lot more about howthe whole health care system
works and what to trust inhealth care and how to find
really credible informationabout things that would help
them and their families.

(03:53):
So again, that's part of ourmission and again, let's say
that a part of our mission is tohelp people navigate the
science exploitation that'subiquitous.

Kevin Geddings (04:04):
Well, once again , if you have any questions
about that you know.
Another good source forlearning about, you know,
supplement information and otherchronic health conditions would
be to check out MedEvidence.
com.
Right, Dr.
Koren?

Dr. Michael Koren (04:16):
Absolutely, and again, that's our concept of
having discussions, typicallybetween two very knowledgeable
physicians, and the public caneavesdrop on these discussions
and get a good sense for what'strue, what's not true, what we
know, what we don't know, andalso the process about how we
learn about the things that wedon't know.
So it's a fascinatingdiscussion.

(04:37):
I love being part of it andhopefully other people
appreciate these conversations.

Kevin Geddings (04:42):
Yeah, it's so different than you know so many
folks.
I was talking to some peopleover the holiday weekend that
get their, which is soaggravating.
They'll get their healthinformation or information about
various medicines or vaccinesor what have you from an
influencer on Instagram or oneperson is talking.
We don't have.
We have no clue about theircredentials.
We have no clue about whatactual research they're
referencing and there's also nodiscussion back and forth, right

(05:04):
.
So I know it's easy to consumethat when it's one person
delivering it, but the approachthat MedEvidence takes is much
more comprehensive and much moretrustworthy.

Dr. Michael Koren (05:14):
Well, I appreciate that and I would
wholeheartedly agree.

Kevin Geddings (05:18):
Well, once again , we appreciate you, Dr.
Michael Koren.
We hope you have a good day,you doing okay coming off the
4th of July.
Tough to get started on aMonday morning.

Dr. Michael Koren (05:26):
Yeah, it is, but I want to do a shout-out for
WSOS.
I had a really wonderfulexperience on the 4th.
Some friends invited us ontheir boat.
We took it out in the water inSt.
Augustine to watch the fireworkdisplay.
We took it out in the water inSt.
Augustine to watch the fireworkdisplay, which was absolutely
fabulous.
We had the best seats in thehouse from the boat and they
were playing WSOS during theentire firework presentation.

(05:47):
So thank you, kevin, for thegreat accompaniment to an
incredible show.

Kevin Geddings (05:52):
Well, thank you, Dr.
Koren.
We'll talk with you next week.
Be safe out there, okay.

Announcer (05:57):
You bet you too.
Thanks for joining theMedEvidence podcast To learn,
you bet you too.