On the other hand, if the purchase and ingestion of that substance causes me to believe that I'll be well, and this somehow boosts my resistance to the disorder it supposedly treats, then why not let me at it?
No reason at all if that's the case, have at it! (although I do have reservations about some 'herbal' medicines with naturally formed compounds which are just as capable of causing nasty side effects and harmful interactions as anything that comes out of the labs of Pfizer or Glaxxo, or natural treatments which aren't active but still cost an arm and a leg, or those which form parts of cosmologies that are so crazy that if you can get people to believe in them, you can get people to believe in anything.) As I say, I have my own faith-based treatment; there's precious little evidence that zinc and vitamn C do a damn thing except make me feel like I'm doing something other than feeling sorry for myself. (As the old adage goes, a cold lasts a full week if left alone, but only seven days if treated).
My worry is that echinacea appears *not* to be a placebo, which can only have either a neutral or positive effect. It appears to be genuinely active and regretfully it's effect seems to be negative. I just hate to think of you taking something intended to shake off a cold which could actually be making you more miserable!
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Date: 2003-12-03 07:28 pm (UTC)No reason at all if that's the case, have at it! (although I do have reservations about some 'herbal' medicines with naturally formed compounds which are just as capable of causing nasty side effects and harmful interactions as anything that comes out of the labs of Pfizer or Glaxxo, or natural treatments which aren't active but still cost an arm and a leg, or those which form parts of cosmologies that are so crazy that if you can get people to believe in them, you can get people to believe in anything.) As I say, I have my own faith-based treatment; there's precious little evidence that zinc and vitamn C do a damn thing except make me feel like I'm doing something other than feeling sorry for myself. (As the old adage goes, a cold lasts a full week if left alone, but only seven days if treated).
My worry is that echinacea appears *not* to be a placebo, which can only have either a neutral or positive effect. It appears to be genuinely active and regretfully it's effect seems to be negative. I just hate to think of you taking something intended to shake off a cold which could actually be making you more miserable!