In Actual Fact…

Complimentary Medicine: As you can imagine, I’m all in favour of it. I have a €50 excess on my health insurance, so if my doctor can give me a pack of tablets that a sales rep has left her, rather than a prescription that I’ll have to pay for at a pharmacy, great!
Complementary medicine on the other hand, I’ve always filed somewhere between “further testing required” and “the work of outright charlatans”. So when I received a relatively well-produced piece of spam from a U.K.-based company yesterday containing the line

“…bring this ancient spice to the west and provide all those suffering from cancer-causing illness the ability to reduce the disease…”

it was going straight to the trash folder until I noticed their main selling point:

“In February 2005, The Sun published an article stating that by using the ancient Thai spice called Kha it could ‘help protect against cancer’. Tests show that this spice used to flavour food appears to kill cancer cells.”

Now, I’m not saying this stuff is useless – it’s a tasty spice, after all. It might even have medicinal properties. Nor am I saying that you’re preying on a group of a people who might be desperate for something, anything that gives them a sliver of hope, that they’ll try anything, even something which might alter the effectiveness of drugs they’re taking which have been proven to actually be beneficial. After all, you’re so convinced that this stuff works that the first month is free. However, if you’re hoping that I’ll believe that your product really does have all the properties you claim based on a quote from the Sun? Well, let’s just say I think I can see how gullible you expect your prospective customers to be.
German Phrase For Today: “Wechselwirkungen” – Oh it can get all mixed up with other stuff and, ooh effects and stuff - very complicated - don’t think about it.
Song playing as this was published: Joe Jackson “It’s Different For Girls”