We have too much trouble brewing in our community. Yes, OUR community. The siding of teams with the rage to go to war is tearing down OUR community. Libel, gossip, and bad business ethics are making us all look very foolish and unprofessional. There isn’t a legal standard of behavior and ethics among our community, but we should be practicing in a much higher plane without an agency to require it of us. To our readers and consumers of products we promote, you have an opportunity to hold us accountable. It’s good to choose a method or company that is in alignment with your needs and values, but turning it into some territorial blood bath has got to stop. I’m calling for peace.
Isn’t the idea of bringing natural wellness to humanity a call for peace for our bodies? It’s an invitation to learn how to bring peace to our overall wellness. Yet we engage in verbal battles that rip each other to shreds. How hypocritical of us. Being a Wellness Advocate should be about bringing holistic wellness. An overall wellness for mind, body, and spirit..as well as for our relationships within our community. We should be aiming for this overall wellness that brings peace in every aspect of our lives. Essential oils are not just good for our physical health, but also for our emotional and spiritual wellbeing. When we use them only for one area, we miss out on the powerful effects they have for our holistic health.
Some websites have begun to remove slanderous information and to them I say, “Thank YOU!” Thank you to all those who are removing older posts that were filled with drama, slander, gossip, and so much more. However, bloggers who keep up old blog posts (with open comment sections) that allude to the slander look foolish since the links are no longer valid. Regardless of some sites removing the pages, these bloggers continue to tear down the community by keeping their posts active.
Our Natural Path Wellness Advocate Community has the opportunity to turn all of this around. If we’re not actively pursuing a better avenue and method for raising awareness then we’re part of the problem. We owe it to ourselves, our readers, and consumers to raise the bar of business and educational ethics among ourselves.
What’s Imperative?
It’s an urgent matter for us to continue to share well written research that will transform the entire health care industry as we know it. But we need to do better.
When quoting people or companies, we MUST provide the following evidence:
screenshots
exact quotes
tweets
fb page
links to all of the above
Quote EXACTLY what they said, NOT your interpretation of ‘what you think they meant’.
This is a troublesome practice that I’ve seen on countless blogs in our community. Words get manipulated, taken out of context, and released to the public. This not only causes huge misunderstandings, but unnecessary defamation. If you practice this unethical habit then you put yourself and others in danger. If you don’t have documentation, admit you don’t have evidence, and proceed to say things you have no evidence for (and stating them as fact) then why do you expect anyone to believe you?
Or anything you say?
“I heard from someone…blah blah blah.. about *this company* did “this and that” …is gossip. Written defamation is libel. I guess if you want to get sued then have at it. I prefer to use caution. Don’t gossip.
Even if you think you have evidence, think it through before posting. Consider talking to a lawyer first. Otherwise you could end up in court and that is not only costly, but beyond stressful. Here’s a little tid bit a lot of people aren’t aware of. Even if you think you’re totally innocent (and even if you are) it doesn’t stop someone from dragging your arse through court and you would need to pay for someone to defend you. If you feel it’s urgent to raise awareness of something be cautious of which words you use. Using terms like “allegations” and “suspected of” is quite different than *stating* they broke a law. And just because people or companies are petitioning the courts with their stories, doesn’t mean their stories are 100% accurate.
Got Scientific Evidence?
Check and use several resources.
Make sure they are all legit.
Even if you have several references, they could all be wrong. Use caution.
Check for plagiarism. One, or even two, websites that seem legit, might not be.
Using sites like Wikipedia, the Dummies books, and other similar sites don’t lend to the credibility of your article. It’s fine for some types of articles, but when it comes to providing scientific evidence then it’s best to have more consistent (and credible) references. Even Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, urges college students NOT to use his site for academic purposes
Legal:
Have a disclaimer in the footer of your articles and have a legal page. Please speak to a lawyer for consultation on what you need to include. Even WebMD has a legal page with disclaimers.
Quoting scientific websites such as Pubmed (US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health), government sites, and universities are more reputable. Make sure you give the source with a link back.
Here is a list of sites I have found to be useful and credible:
National Center for Biotechnology Information
PubMed
National Library of Medicine
History of Medicine
American Journal of Medicine
National Center of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
USDA Plant Database
HerbMed
Aromatic Science
Information to inspire better research articles:
Guideline for writing your first research paper (Yale)
Writing for Medical Journals (presentation)
How to write a good research blog post
American Medical Association (Medical Ethics) Be sure to see their Advertising and Publicity ethics .
This is not the end of this conversation, in fact it’s just the beginning. I’ve seen far too much negative coming from our community and we need to raise the bar higher. Stay up to date with this series by subscribing by email. It’s crucial that we stand together on this.
*Disclaimer: As an Wellness Advocate I provide my personal opinion and experiences with essential oils, and am not endorsed by dÅTERRA Corporate. None of what I testify of has been evaluated by the FDA, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I am not a registered medical professional and I encourage you to discuss your health concerns with your own doctor. I simply share resources and tools to raise consumer awareness. Read my full disclaimer here.
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