The Kruse Missile Defense System

I'm hoping this will be the last post I'll have make addressing the phenomenon that is Jack Kruse MD,DDS aka Leptin Man, Dr. Duvet, Quack Frost, Quilt, Digisurgeon etc.etc.   According to Melissa McEwen over on Paleo Hacks, there are some bigwigs in the community who are concerned enough about this that they are planning to address it in concert publicly soon.  I say, the sooner the better.   Kurt Harris recently informed us of the severing of any ties that may have  existed between Jack and Mark Sisson.  This is encouraging to learn.   However until then there are those who are inferring motive on some of his more outspoken detractors such as Melissa and myself and countless others who haven't devoted entire blog posts to the matter.   

One of the more common defenses of Kruse I've seen lately, particularly following PaleoFX, is that Kruse is a genius and those who don't get him simply don't understand his brilliant ideas.  They are often accused of not reading Jack's genius manifestos.  Sound familiar?  I've coined/spoken of this "baffling with bullshit" (BWBS) phenomenon here before.  Use enough big words, sound knowledgeable/comfortable enough using them, and for good measure have a few letters after your name, and bingo!


 I think Dean Dwyer summed it up best:  

Ah Jack Kruse. I must admit I am a huge fan of this man. But let me give you some perspective because he is a polarizing figure. Just to clarify, anyone who is looking to shake up any old establishment is going to be considered polarizing so I don't say that as an insult to the man.

He is a damn smart dude. And he knows he is a damn smart dude. And he knows he knows more than almost everyone he is talking to. And that's the rub. That is what throws people off. They get caught up in their own insecurities and in my opinion feel inferior around him. So instead of trying to understand seek to undermine him instead.

Luckily for me I have no such insecurities around him because the man knows stuff and thinks on a level that makes my head hurt. So I see a MASSIVE opportunity to learn a lot from him. As he said to me one night while we were chatting, "Dude I'm a neurosurgeon." While I must admit I never thought I would see "dude" and "neurosurgeon" in the same sentence, he is right. He is a freaking neurosurgeon. He runs in a world I will never run in and as such, he has insights that I will never discover on my own.

I couldn't disagree more strongly.  I tried to comment on Dwyer's blog but it went into the internet IONOsphere apparently.  Not wanting to make a nuisance of myself, I didn't bother to track it down, but if I'm being preemptively censored, wowzers is all I can say to that!  In any case the comment was of the notion that Dwyer has been BWBS.  He seemed to hang firm on that note, see his comment exchange with Karen P.  

When I read comments like Dean's about Kruse they are insulting.  Not because he named me, or anyone for that matter, but it's the flipside of Gatewing's schtick.  Dean is humbly acknowledging that Jack is much smarter than he is, and he is unqualified to question his science.  However because Dean sees Jack as brilliant, he's somehow smarter than not just Dean but everyone else in the room including any who might dare criticize.  Dean is making assumptions about others' level of intelligence and knowledge.  To Dean, if he reads this, I would say this:  If you're not qualified to critically assess Kruse's theories, try not to infer that others are in similar intellectual positions.  Best to stick to lauding Kruse if you so desire, but best not to judge others and imply that they are too insecure in their inferior intellects to admit their inferiority.  How do you know if their intellect is inferior and/or how secure they are in their knowledge anyway? They might just possess a superior intellect to yours.   I'm pretty sure I do.  Does that insult you?  I'm not sure which attitude is more insulting, Dean's or Gatewing's.  The latter being the "I'm a smart guy -- Yaley at that! -- and even I don't understand this so you can't either" act.  In any case, this tactic seems to be the most effective of the Kruse Missile Defense System.

Another major component of the KMDS are the sentiments expressed like those of an Eric S posting over on Paleo Hacks:  The "well it can't hurt" defense.  I would say that with the Leptin Reset, there wasn't much that could hurt.  Try the BAB, no snacking and candlelight after dark thing -- if it works for you, great.  If not, no harm no foul!  However I would say that even there Kruse was giving some bad advice.  I don't care if I'm going to live an extra year or so if my core body temperature is lowered a few degrees, it is not mentally healthy for me to feel cold and unable to warm up.  One of the most uncomfortable feelings for me is feeling cold and unable to warm up no matter how many blankets I pile on.  So when someone complained of this on PH and Quilt replied that "good, you want to be cold", I'd dare say this is harmful advice.  Clearly someone is being counseled to feel like crap in order to reap unspecified benefits once their leptin receptors have been "reset" ... whatever that means anyway.  So next came the Cold Thermogenesis protocol or CT.  Now this was provided free of charge complete with scientific mumbo jumbo to BWBS, and ice is not all that expensive to come by, so what's the harm here, right?  Well, I'd say when you have folks on his forums talking about extremities turning blue and white and going numb and Jack saying, apparently, that his own torso has been numb for six months, Houston, we have a problem.  Couple that with outrageous claims, such as Jack saying he immersed himself in a tub of ice water for 2-4 hours at a time, and I would say we're definitely stepping over the "first do no harm" line.  For those not following along on Twitter and such, at TEDx last Saturday, Jack spoke of intentionally gaining 25 lbs, undergoing elective surgery (lipo or tummy tuck?) without anesthesia (or w/o post-op pain killers) and injecting MRSA!  That last one I think is what has finally woken up the sleepers who have kept quiet aside from isolating themselves from Jack (BTW, I don't necessarily fault these folks based on their individual situations.  My career/business does not hinge on my internet affiliations and writings, others' do).

In this day and age, the fear of infection with invasive surgery is likely greater than the fear of the procedure itself failing.  As I related in the comments on my previous post, that part is personal to me because my Mom contracted a staph infection when she had total knee replacement around a year ago.  This past year was an arduous one for her, including an extra hospitalization for antibiotic treatment, several courses of oral and IV AB's, removal of the implant/placing temporary spacer, 3 months of daily IV AB's and several more months waiting period to make sure the bacteria had been eradicated.  I feel like I got my Mom back finally only 6 weeks ago when she had the new implant placed.  Actually I'm THRILLED beyond words!!!   The thought that anyone would knowingly bring a more insidious AB-resistant agent anywhere near an operating room of any sort disgusts me.  And if he's making it up for sensationalism -- as I believe he is, or he's just delusional -- that disgusts me even more.

OK ... let's hope this is the final word/rant on all of this from moi :-)