here’s my thing about pseudoscience bullshit: medicine and science involving the body, that’s mostly objective stuff. even the placebo effect is a measurable thing. but we know what the liver does, we know what the spleen does. we’ve known for a long time because you can cut open a body and do tests on the organs inside. some organs are obvious: the lungs breathe air, the heart circulates blood, the intestines digest food. others aren’t–i still think nobody knows what a gallbladder is for. so when your mother asks me to take drink some cayenne pepper and maple syrup concoction to “detox” my body, i tell her that’s bullshit. because it is. your body doesn’t need an outside detox, that’s what the liver is for. these new agey medicines are all snake oil sold by pyramid schemers. you can argue with me all you want but it’s true, everyone knows its true. like tim minchen said, if it worked, it wouldn’t be called “alternative” medicine, it would be called medicine.
now, the mind, that’s a different thing. i’ll accept some pseudoscience for stuff involving the brain, because it’s much more mysterious. we’ve been sleeping for millions of years and scientists still don’t quite understand why, or what happens while we sleep. that’s a powerful mystery, let me tell you. why are we conscious? why are we smarter than other animals? this is all stuff that science doesn’t have a clear answer for. so things like meditation and positive thinking, i think actually work, or at least help, and when you forget that, you start to lose yourself a bit. that’s what i was thinking while i was staring at those mugs at seven virtues, at least. sometimes you let the negativity creep in and you’ll see a mug with “compassion” written on it, for instance, and you’ll scoff and walk away. but today i looked at them and was reminded that those are all virtues i have forgotten to practice. especially for myself. so: i’m sorry. that’s my start, right here, right now. i’m sorry.
