{"id":5879,"date":"2025-06-02T15:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T20:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=5879"},"modified":"2025-06-02T15:03:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T20:03:11","slug":"why-cant-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/why-cant-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Can’t I?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On days when you\u2019re craving something you can no longer eat without suffering the consequences, it\u2019s tempting to ask why can\u2019t I? This can be especially true when other people with the same diagnosis can tolerate something you can\u2019t. It\u2019s hard to watch them enjoying the thing you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"large<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The easy answer is, you can. You can consume things that will hurt you. A better question is why would you want to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mean, I know why you may desire a certain crunch or a perfect mix of chocolate and mint, but how can it be worth harming yourself to have it? I\u2019m guessing that such a choice is most often made because we don\u2019t really believe that we\u2019re hurting ourselves. We think that as long as we don\u2019t overdo, we\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, this is true. A few dips of a chip in salsa may not be enough to trigger an adverse reaction if you have MCAS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other cases, such a test could be deadly. A bite of peanut butter could trigger anaphylaxis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is key to learn as much as you can about any condition you\u2019ve been diagnosed with so you know the potential risks. From that point, you can make the best decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is that going to look now that medical journals are changing, the NIH has morphed, AI is generating fiction, and scientific research funding is diminishing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not sure. For over 20 years, I\u2019ve relied on peer reviewed studies published in major medical journals or posted on https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/<\/a> Now it feels like we\u2019re going back to the days when that may not be possible. This time it won\u2019t be because technology and data don\u2019t exist, but because reliable facts get obscured by fiction even in publications and institutions that were previously grounded in the best science has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is dangerous for those who constantly press the Why Can\u2019t I? button. They\u2019ll soon be able to justify all manner of risky activity. And their doctor may be uniformed or misinformed by manipulators of technology and information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want reliable information, now is the time to find some internationally respected doctors, researchers, area experts, journalists, and public health officials who are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and unwavering. Follow them on social media and rely on resources they vet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On BlueSky:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Noor Bari \u202a@njbbari3.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helen Branswell \u202a@helenbranswell.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. David Fisman @dfisman.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. T. Ryan Gregory @tryangregory.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Bill Hanage \u202a@billhanage.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Zo\u00eb Hyde @drzoehyde.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez @jljcolorado.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr, Abraar Karan @abraarkaran.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. A Marm Kilpatrick \u202a@disease-ecology.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Anthony Leonardi \u202a@fitterhappieraj.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ryan Marino @ryanmarino.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof Christina Pagel \u202a@chrischirp.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kimberly Prather \u202a@kprather.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan \u202a@rajlabn.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Angie Rasmussen \u202a@angierasmussen.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Eric Topol \u202a@erictopol.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Lucky Tran \u202a@luckytran.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam \u202a@yaneerbaryam.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ed Yong \u202a@edyong209.bsky.social<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On X (mostly because she\u2019s entertaining)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ashley Winter @AshleyGWinter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. And, as the last few years have shown, some doctors pivot away from evidence due to political pressure. Keep an eye out for that. Believe me, I\u2019d love to leave social media out of the picture, but it\u2019s going to be an important resource in the US for the next few years as we navigate AI and changes in public health priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you hope to reach optimal health, your answer to why can\u2019t I may be vastly different than your friend\u2019s or family member\u2019s. They may try to push you their direction armed with information that appears legitimate but was generated by a non-human hallucination. Your doctor may be lost in the fog of opposing forces that are currently clashing regarding medical and public health policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those with chronic disease and unpopular (not a scientific measure by the way) conditions will be facing a stronger than ever undertow when trying to get diagnosis and treatment. It\u2019s going to be tough to make good health decisions for awhile because all information must be double-checked and triple vetted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find resources like those above and use them as a life jacket to keep afloat in these stormy seas. We will get to shore, but it may be a long, exhausting swim! In the meantime, it\u2019s more critical than ever to be your own best advocate!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On days when you\u2019re craving something you can no longer eat without suffering the consequences, it\u2019s tempting to ask why can\u2019t I? This can be especially true when other people with the same diagnosis can tolerate something you can\u2019t. It\u2019s hard to watch them enjoying the thing you want. The easy answer is, you can. … Continue reading “Why Can’t I?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[3847,3844,3848,3845,3846],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5879"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5879"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5882,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5879\/revisions\/5882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}