Mehm said:
some general points and questions..
-Placebo is extremely strong and can absolutely replicate the effects of something like acid given the right circumstances.
I wouldn't go as far as acid, but fuck yeah you are right - try the non-alcoholic beer trick at a party and see how strong placebo effect goes
Mehm said:
-A lack of credible studies doesn't show that X supplement is inactive. That is a logical fallacy. Binglpaws, until you show some studies specifically saying that noots don't work, you can't really make that claim. I assume that you have seen such studies though.
I have, but I'm not in a position to go research again and find them again - the info is out there for anyone.
I never made such a fallacy - I never claimed a lack of studies proves anything, unless I'm mistaken (aside from my true belief that, were noots actually a viable product for the normal, healthy-ish masses, there'd be the studies so that piracetam would be at every grocer next to the fish oil and vitamins). If I say tribulus does not work, it's not because there's a lack of studies, it's because there are studies that show it does not.
But - it's not up to me to provide the studies to refute something. If you want to say that supplement X works, or that such and such politician said something, or whatever - and it doesn't sound too legit, the burden of proof rests on your shoulders, not mine, it's as simple as that.
Mehm said:
My questions..
-Most people agree that taurine (an amino acid) has a stimulating effect. Is this because everyone is taurine deficient?
I dunno about most - I guess I'm of the group that doesn't notice a difference between my caffeine+gatorade I make at home, and red bull which has taurine. I've also never noticed anything from the much higher dosages of taurine in bodybuilding supplements I've used, although I get enough protein, and thus, likely that I get optimal levels of all amino acids (heh, I guess that "enough protein" would guarantee that by definition lol).
Is everyone experiencing an effect? Then my guess would be everyone is slightly deficient. It happens, just look at omega3's, american diets suck when it comes to omega3's, so simply correcting that subtle deficiency actually does help one.
Mehm said:
-Do noots alter neurotransmitters levels and other biology? If so, they're probably doing something..
I wouldn't disagree with that, my disagreement is with their purported 'cognitive boosting' abilities in otherwise sharp, healthy adult specimens.
Mehm said:
-What is considered a supplement?
I presume you don't want the dictionary version because you would've looked yourself

. My definition would include the obvious stuff (any herbs and chemicals not found in the foods we eat, supplement food items such as protein powders, weight gainers, multivit/minerals, individual amino acids <although I can't recall ever recommending anyone get a specific amino, they're abundant in protein if you eat enough>, caffeine/ephedrine, fuck I guess I'd even consider some hard(er) drugs supplements, as I definitely viewed adderall as a supplement during my college days...
Anyways guys my views are pretty clear and I'm glad to respond to anything from this that wasn't clear, but I'm done with the back and forths on arguing any specific supplements. This is simply because we can go on forever, like literally make this a fifty page thread, with no real point. If anyone wants to start a tribulus thread or something targetted and specific I may be interested + plz link it, but I think I've made my views on most of these very clear. I've got little interest in having the noot debate (and homeopathic, etc) again, yet here I am... if anyone's got *specific* supplement questions of the bodybuilding variety, feel free to dump them into the thread over in steroid subforum we have going to discuss supplements there and I'll gladly discuss them, but I'm gonna be bowing out of the noot/homeopathic arguement at this time guys (unless neuronal perception comes back, that's prolly all that can get me going in here again

).