Miracle cures, magic potions all snake oil to me
Whenever I run across health information, I put it in my mental filing cabinet for future reference. That's not to say that I always follow what I learn, but it's there if I need it.
And I'm certainly not suffering for a lack of information. In the past year or two, in fact, it seems like my meager mental capacity can't handle the glut of health information.
Someone or some organization publishes a new study almost hourly that reveals new wisdom about our bodies and how they could work better.
For example, I happen to know that coffee drinkers have one of the lowest suicide rates of any beverage consumers. Will I drink more coffee? I don't know. Apparently, it can also be addicting and cause headaches.
Maybe I will take an aspirin a day because it is supposed to be good for the heart. But I had better make that a low-dose aspirin because that protects against colon cancer more than the regular dose.
While I'm at it, I should consume more fish oils and wash them down with a beer. The beer's ingredients, not the alcohol content, are good for teeth and prevent colon cancer. The fish oil is supposed to be heart healthy, but I'd better make sure my immune system is normal because otherwise it could be dangerous.
ThereÕs almost always a piece of junk mail in our box that gives information on a newly discovered remedy for an assortment of problems. I'm just hoping no one sees that kind of mail or they'd be left with the impression that someone in our home has eczema, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, varicose veins, estrogen imbalance and gout.
It all reminds me of the episode of "The Little House on the Prairie" when a traveling salesman boasted that his elixirs were cure-alls for whatever ailed the fine people of Walnut Grove. By the end of the show, many characters were worse off than before the magic potions, and Doctor Baker had to save the day with traditional remedies. It was a close call for Harriet Olson.
Herbal remedies and food information are surely helpful in some circumstances. But all the conflicting information makes me a little inflamed, or slightly irritated....I think aloe would be just the thing to fix that.
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