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Farewell to The Healthy Skeptic

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This is just a short post to let you know I’ve decided to retire The Healthy Skeptic and merge it with my professional site, chriskresser.com. I don’t have an exact date for the switch, yet, but I expect it will happen in 2-3 weeks.

Why the change? When I first started The Healthy Skeptic, my intention was to challenge mainstream myths about nutrition, health and disease. The first myth I took on was the idea that cholesterol causes heart disease. Since then I’ve tackled several subjects, ranging from heartburn/GERD, hypothyroidism, diabetes & obesity (diabesity), essential fatty acids and fish oil, and depression.

But while I continue to maintain an attitude of skepticism about mainstream medicine and nutrition, I’ve come to feel that the title “The Healthy Skeptic” is too narrow and limiting.

Skepticism is reactionary, in the sense that it always arises in response to an existing idea, belief or meme. It’s a useful attitude and analytical tool, but it does not characterize my approach.

Ultimately, I want to present a positive vision of holistic health and wellness that is defined more by what it is than what it is not.

Okay, enough about me. What does this mean for you, as a reader?

Not much. The transition should be completely seamless for you. The look and feel of the new site will be almost identical to this one (rather than chriskresser.com). There’s nothing you have to do. No new web address to remember. Everything will happen in the background. Ah, the wonders of technology.

Starting in about 2-3 weeks, when you click on a link with “chriskresser.com” in the address, such as:

http://chriskresser.com/heartdisease

you’ll automatically be redirected to this link:

http://chriskresser.com/heartdisease

This means that all “Healthy Skeptic” links will continue to work; they’ll just be redirected to the new location.

I’ll be creating a new Facebook page called “Chris Kresser L.Ac” and inviting those of you who are already fans of The Healthy Skeptic on Facebook to come join me at the new page. More on that to follow. My Twitter account (chriskresser) will stay the same.

The name of my podcast (currently “The Healthy Skeptic podcast”) will also change, though I haven’t settled on a name for it yet. Any ideas? Please leave them in the comments section.

The only other change to be aware of is that the email updates you get from me if you’re a subscriber will come from “Chris Kresser L.Ac” instead of “The Healthy Skeptic”. If you stop receiving email updates all of a sudden, please check your SPAM folder and make sure to add “Chris Kresser L.Ac” to your safe list.

I think that covers it. Back to the series on natural childbirth. I’ve taken a little break from the podcast since Sylvie was born, but will be recording the next episode soon. We’re going to have Chris Masterjohn back for part 2 of our cholesterol interview, and then Paul Jaminet shortly after.

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37 Comments

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  1. First off, let me thank you and congratulate you for a fantastic site!

    Now, regarding the name change, I have to say I’m glad I got to know you when the site was still the Healthy Skeptic… otherwise I’m almost certain I would not have remembered who you were just from your name and last name, making it difficult to come back to the site that easily, even though I was impressed with the info here (luckily Google still directs you to this site when searching for the Healthy Skeptic!)… I found this site when I was on a quest for answers about my health and doing a ton of research, and, although I found good information on other sites as well, months later, YOURS is the ONLY site I remembered without having to look at my notes, and that is solely because of the title “healthy skeptic”. Now, of course, I’ve made note of your name, but I fear for those first seekers who, like me, don’t remember people’s names so easily. Maybe “medicine for the 21st century” will help? In any case, I mention it because you might want to keep that in mind if you look for new names for your podcast and want to attract new users… for people who aren’t good with given names it really helps to have another type of identifier. Of course, over time “Chris Kresser” has and will continue to become that identifier in and of itself, but it’s not as quick and immediate and requires more effort for new devotees (sorry, I work in marketing and publicity and this sort of thing comes up all the time!).

    As a side note, I have to say that I agree with those who have posted that skepticism mainly suggests a questioning attitude (and not in a limiting way), and it’s hard to think of a better fit for your approach or a better name for your podcast. (Also, the qualifier “healthy” tempers it just the right amount… you’re letting people know with that that you are not just going against the grain for the sake it.) I think skepticism is something that is greatly lacking in medicine and you identified a key niche to fill. To me, your site is fantastic because of its measured, intelligent, scientific approach. There are too many sites out there that just go with what is currently the status quo in medicine (e.g. the Mayo clinic site) and it’s painfully slow evolution in the face of new evidence, OR go off the deep end into alternative approaches no longer grounded in a solid scientific approach. I really am thankful for all the information and analysis you share with us, and your brilliant, easy-to-understand way of explaining it. You are an excellent teacher, and I hope many more people come to know of your work.

  2. If this is so, why do I get through on the old one, but a 404 on the Chris Kresser site? Doesn’t make sense to me, dude.

    Nina

  3. For a second I thought you were going all Matesz on us and were now advocating C-sections and corn oil : )

    You’ve got the name recognition that makes Chris Kresser the perfect blog name.

    Kurt

  4. I, like many others, was worried when I saw the title “Farewell to the Healthy Skeptic.” Thankfully, I was thrilled to read that you will still be sharing your thoughts via podcast under a new name and location. I have learned a lot from you and the guests on your show. My dietary choices and understanding of nutrition get better everyday , thanks to the knowledge you have shared with me.

    Congratulations to you and your wife! I look forward to learning more from you soon.

    Sarah S.

  5. oohhh, you scared the heck out of me for a minute there! I’m glad you’re just merging the sites, and I truly do appreciate all of the wonderful information that you have provided for your readers. Thanks!

  6. From a marketing/branding standpoint, it would seem useful for the book and podcast to have the same name (or a similar one), no? From what you’ve hinted in reference to the book you are planning (basing it on the 9 steps you have on the site), Healthy Skeptic is too limited. Someone above suggested the word “mindful”, which has potential given your interest in meditation (although it’s used so much it’s becoming cliche). Someone else mentioned “evolutionary”, which is interesting (although I bet “evolutionary wellness” is already taken (and it’s a bit new-agey, I think).

    The Healthy Human Code has a primal/paleo/evolutionary ring to it, and the two meanings of “code” give it some richness. It would be a bit audacious as a book title given the prescriptive connotation of “code”–but potentially also a bestseller! I could totally see myself giving it to my boyfriend and telling him “this is the one book you MUST read–if you read this and still won’t change your ways, I will stop bugging you forever!”. Honestly, I plan to live and be healthy well into my 90s, and I want another healthy human to keep me company!

  7. We all agree that skepticm is healthy, but Chris wants to change the name/brand. I agree with him that it no longer describes what he is all about (hey–maybe you should sell it to Denise Minger–she’s the expert at picking apart the studies!).

    But seriously, let’s try to help him find a podcast name that’s as good as the Healthy Skeptic, and more descriptive. The more suggestions the better. Brainstorm!

  8. If you are still looking for a new name, Chris, how about “The Healthy Skeptic In You” – meaning in us?

    Wendy

  9. I love what you have to say, Derek, about how you like to describe yourself as one when approaching mainstream medicine. I strongly believe that the medical model requires a very healthy dose of skepticism to navigate its pitfalls. Allow me to quote Jurassic Park’s Ian Malcolm that gets to the point of how I feel about the medical model, “You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stopped to think if you should!” Insert table slam here.

    I also agree with your comment, Derek, about the skepticism can be a positive connotation. It suggests that you are going to think for yourself. I love that. Empower yourself with the knowledge. Love it.