Technology Scavenger Hunt by Amy Urffer

ajurffer — 2024-09-20 20:53:03 UTC

ajurffer — 2024-09-20 21:04:55 UTC

Side Effects of Clove

ajurffer — 2024-09-20 21:05:17 UTC

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 01:50:46 UTC

My Thoughts on the Advertisement

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 01:52:48 UTC

This is an attention grabber-type ad found on Tik Tok to showcase a 'quick fix' way to lose weight. It highlights using hot water and a large amount of ground clove. It's targeted to overweight persons who are desperate to lose weight and have probably failed at lifestyle change. I don't think there are any diversity or inclusivity considerations with this ad; to me it appears neutral in that way. While I think that using clove as an herbal medicine may have some uses for some people, supplements such as this one should be managed by a health professional. Based on the information about clove below, there are possibly some uses for it as a health supplement.

My Thoughts on the Reel

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 11:47:48 UTC

This reel's target audience is wide. I think this influencer is hoping to reach mostly women of all ages and varying degrees of health and health awareness. There is no indication that the influencer is backing up the information he is sharing; he is relying on you trusting what he says. When I looked into who he was, I couldn't find any actual credentials of Cory's. I could easily find that he is a health and fitness influencer with a particular interest in brain health, and a former body builder.

My Thoughts on the Podcast

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:06:27 UTC

This podcast was found using a general search on nutrition podcasts. I think the target audience is fairly educated young-to-middle aged women who are seeking a healthy lifestyle. This specific episode discusses a type of eating disorder called 'orthorexia' which is an obsession with healthy eating. What I like about this podcast is the two women who created and host the show are registered dieticians and actively remind their listeners to be aware of the information they consume on social media regarding health. These RDs are licensed and have to meet continuing education requirements. I think the topics they discuss have an impact on the decision-making of their listeners. One thing I didn't see online were links to any evidence-based research or scholarly sources, which would lend them additional credibility.

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:11:47 UTC

My Thoughts on the Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:19:55 UTC

This article was found in a very broad search of 'is wine good for me?' This is the type of question that I'd bet the internet gets thousands of times per day. As always, WebMD did not disappoint. I don't think the article targets a particular gender, race, ethnicity, or background, but I do think it targets existing drinkers--and I'll tell you why. It highlights the positives of wine drinking, and in some ways downplays the negatives. I even found some contradictory and confusing information: on the positive side, the article mentions drinking red wine in moderation can reduce inflammation and possibly prevent some cancers, including colon. A few paragraphs down, it states that one drawback of drinking wine is there is evidence that it is linked to some cancers, including colon. What?! As a nurse, that's confusing. The article states at the top that it has been 'medically reviewed' and lists the name of an MD. I think this gives the reader a false sense of security that the information within is legitimate. However, I saw no links to scholarly articles showing evidence-based research, for either stance. WebMD could be the death of us all!

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:34:32 UTC

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:38:55 UTC

My Thoughts on the 'Meme' Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-21 12:46:59 UTC

This article is a collection of health and nutrition memes and either the debunking or endorsement of the information within. They are commented on by a dietician who has an MSc (Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics). I think the article is aimed at younger people of both genders who rely on social media to get their information. Some of these memes can be harmful because they give no context or are outright lies, and the dietician who wrote the article debunks or explains each meme in easy language. He links a few sources, although not scholarly, and links to his 'about' page to lend him a bit of credibility.

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 01:43:34 UTC

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 02:17:42 UTC

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 18:22:54 UTC

While clove has anti-obesity properties as supported in this scholarly article, the outlandish claims in the Tik Tok ad that fat will melt away are extreme and not evidence-based.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 18:29:00 UTC

This article supports the notion that certain regimens (like meal commercial diets) have been associated with weight loss, but there is nothing substantial. The commercial doesn't offer the consumer any solid facts to back up their program.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 18:34:55 UTC

Based on this article, there is not an abundance of research on Orthorexia, but there is some. The research that is referenced in this article is pretty accurately discussed in the podcast, including the discussion regarding comorbidities and quality of life. Overall, the podcast aligns with the evidence in the article.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 18:45:40 UTC

This article does mention something that Cory talks about in his video: flavonoids, which lends him some credibility. However, this article does not discuss the inferiority of the health benefits of milk or white chocolate, although what Cory says makes sense. The research also stresses dark cocoa/chocolate in moderation is beneficial, but too much could be harmful.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 18:56:41 UTC

This article convinced me there is some evidence-based research that wine can have some positive health effects. In this research, both HDL and sleep quality improved in wine drinkers over the mineral water-drinkers.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 19:02:30 UTC

Since this post contained many memes, I chose one to focus on, which was Apple Cider Vinegar and weight loss. This linked article summarized a systematic literature search, which ultimately revealed that research is insufficient to conclude if Apple Cider Vinegar is effective for weight loss.

Fact Sheet

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 19:12:05 UTC

NCI's fact sheet on artificial sweeteners contains some useful information for consumers. It covers all of the artificial sweeteners that we are commonly encountering in the U.S. Focusing on sucralose to compare the article above, there is currently no clear and consistent evidence that it causes negative health consequences in the current recommended amounts. This fact sheet does not compare natural sugar to each artificial sweetener.

My Thoughts on the Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 19:18:26 UTC

The forbes article gives some inforamtion regarding sweeteners and points out some comparisons with real sugar. The misspelled Chron's Disease (Crone's) doesn't do anything in the way of credibility, although references and sources at the bottom of the page are supplied and most appear to be scholarly.

My Thoughts on the Commercial

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 19:20:43 UTC

Where do I start? Marie Osmond, a celebrity American sweetheart, has been pushing the Nutrisystem program for years. This video found on YouTube is sad. Marie says, "I was overweight, and that is unacceptable!" The word unacceptable to label oneself due to obesity is unacceptable, but this isn't the time to get on that soapbox. The ad touts 'metabolism burning shakes' and 'craving crusher shakes' without telling you what they contain. This ad targets women in the Baby Boomer generation who want to lose weight fast without having to plan on their own or change the way they think about food and nutrition. I didn't see any scholarly references in the commercial to back up the claims being made.

Link to Scholarly Article

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 20:25:30 UTC

This publication outlines a randomized clinical trial that ultimately showed that protein powder was beneficial for healthy older men.

My Thoughts on the Video

ajurffer — 2024-09-22 20:27:51 UTC

Although this influencer didn't verbally cite any sources, I felt like he was providing information that seemed reliable and at the very least could be fact checked. Unfortunately, at the end of the video, he promoted his own brand of protein powder, which gave the whole video an undertone of a sales pitch. He seems to be targeting anyone who will listen and potentially purchase his product.