During my regular chats with my mum, the conversation quickly turns to her health problems and how her GP has not helped. Yet the health advice from her Chiropodist is fiercely defended when I challenge its scientific basis. Why does the health advice from her Chiropodist, which is anecdotal, have such a strong influence on my mum ?
I remembered listening to a radio programme where the concept of an Uncle Albert Syndrome was discussed. There is a lot of public health information available for example on reducing weight, a balanced diet, increasing exercise, reducing alcohol consumption and how stoping smoking will extend your life. But in every family there is an ‘Uncle Albert’ who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney and has a balanced diet of cooked breakfast, fish and chips and pies and who is living a healthy life well into their eighties! When compared to public health information, which is science based, many people follow Uncle Albert!
There are many reasons for people relying on their Uncle Albert for health guidance rather than science based health information. For example the reliability of public health information. There seems to be regular headlines that contradict some earlier study. Should we eat more or less butter, drink a glass of red wine per day or abstain, drink more or less coffee? - all of these questions, and many more have swung between yes - maybe - no over the last thirty to forty years.
There are subtle reasons for accepting health evidence from Uncle Albert. In the case of my mum’s Chiropodist, who has many clients, he can gather examples of what medical solutions are working and what is not. With the NHS resources stretched he is filling the gap between them and low level aches and pains that irritate but are not serious enough to book an appointment with the GP.
At the end of my chats with my mum, I usually receive clear instructions to go off and buy whatever her Chiropodist has recommended which luckily only requires a few clicks on a web site. His track record so far is: the special fruit juice for her stomach which didn’t work and had adverse consequences, the copper band for arthritis is still under review and the knee brace to reduce the pain on her knee seems to be working. The easy acceptance of evidence for health of an Uncle Albert is very complex. For many of the complex and serious health problems such as cancer, diabetes etc. then a science based approach will be always be needed. But for the everyday minor aches and pains then it looks as though finding a good Chiropodist could be the best solution.