Salutations, traveler of The Internets! Welcome to William's Bloody Hell, so named after our founder, Sir Bloody William.
He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
image was rumoured to have been
commissioned after a bout of unpleasantness
in the White Chapel district of London. Do enjoy your stay and peruse our many, varied offerings, much of which cannot be found elsewhere!
::Today's soundtrack: Electric Six "I Buy the Drugs" ::
I don't understand why people go for herbal remedies. There's all of this crap out there these days like ginkgo biloba, ginseng, flaxseed oil, beechwood complex, rhino horn extract, and eye of newt or whatever (some of those may or may not be real) and people are willing to pay exorbitant prices for them to do whatever it is that they do. Like green tea. I was watching some television the other night and in one block of commercials there were three different items which boasted having green tea in it. Apparently, there is nothing green tea can't do up to and including lowering cholesterol, weight loss, and preventing cancer. That's right, cancer.
The main thing though is that if you're an herbal remedy consumer, have you actually even thoroughly read the labels on these things? In case you haven't, you should know that on nearly all of them there are disclaimers which say all the claims they make, all of the benefits they say they can produce, and so on have not been substantiated by the FDA. That's right, they say ginkgo biloba improves memory, but there are no scientific studies that prove it. Instead of buying ginkgo I just take a ten dollar bill and throw it away once a month. It's cheaper.
Speaking of unsubstantiated claims, have you even noticed what is missing from the adverts and the labeling of the product HeadOn? You know, that stuff you apply directly to your forehead? That's right, the commercial and the box make absolutely no claims whatsoever! It doesn't say why or what you are going to achieve by applying it to your forehead anywhere. Why are you rubbing that stick of wax on your forehead? For a headache? And it didn't work? I can't possibly imagine why! Especially since the box doesn't say what to use it for anywhere on it. You may as well smear chapstick on your brow as far as I'm concerned.
And what about that ridiculous cold and flu prevention product Airborne? It's basically a mish-mash of herbs and antioxidants and a boatload of vitamin C and promises that if taken at the first sign of a cold, it will shorten the duration, and even prevent you from catching a cold if you take it before a probable exposure in a crowded environment (i.e. an airplane). However, once again there were no scientific studies or research done to prove these claims or even if the product is safe. In fact, the main selling point of the product is that it was "developed by a school teacher!" I am not kidding. This is what makes people buy this stuff? I'm sorry but I fail to see how a school teacher is qualified to make an effective cold remedy. I mean, seriously. How is a school teacher any better than say an electrician or gardener? I might be half convinced if it were a university professor of some sort of science at least, or maybe a family doctor or a pharmacist even, but a school teacher? Why do people put the trust of their health in the hands of someone with that profession? And yet millions upon millions have and still do, shelling out inordinate amounts of money for something that does not necessarily work.
People, listen closely as I spell this out for you: there is no proof that any of these herbal remedies work for anything at all. Maybe you think it makes you feel better, so good for you on that for achieving the placebo effect, but are you really willing to give up twenty dollars for a month's worth of pills that don't do anything? I might be able to understand it if they were cheap (seeing as to how there were no clinical trials to pay for), but they're not! Stop showing these companies that you are a gullible fool willing to try anything that says "all natural" on it and quit buying these silly products! Buy something that actually has scientific evidence to back up what it claims to do! It isn't rocket science!
William the Bloody (skeptic)
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