Fantastic, if depressing, write up from a young man diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and the animosity he faced from a forum of fellow sufferers. Why did they hate him so? Because he dared to say that the FDA didn’t approve of drinking industrial bleach.
http://thewelshboyo.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/bleachgate/
I think the worst thing about alternative (aka shitty) medicine is that it preys on people who are already suffering, many of them suffering from something that they’ll have to deal with for the rest of their lives. Not only does fake medicine not treat their conditions, it can make them worse, make them sick for other reasons, and apparently make them too insane to accept that drinking industrial strength bleach is not healthy.
As someone who has chronic conditions, I cannot tell you how often I have to tell people to fuck off with their advice that I get stabbed with needles, drink magic water, or eat untested chemical shit. Seriously. I have to concentrate not to go Hulk, because it’s just absurd.
Well Meaning Idiot: Oh, you’ve been suffering from [x] for years and are treating it imperfectly with expensive conventional medicine, well, I sometimes have headaches, and [insert woo here] works so well for me.
Me: I think masturbation has more scientifically proven beneficial effects, and it’s free. Maybe stabbing myself repeatedly in the face will make me feel better. Is there a cure for dealing with stupid people?
Well Meaning Idiot: St. John’s Wort?
*Shoots self*
Ashley's co-blogger is a third year student at Northwestern University who runs on coffee and snark. . At some point, she'd like to make people sit on couches and tell her about their feelings, but right now she writes in different places around the internet and makes silly faces when she doesn't know what to say. She's the president of her local Secular Student Alliance affiliate, and she is on the Secular Woman speakers bureau. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Secular Student Alliance
3 comments
1 ping
Alice
August 15, 2010 at 10:26 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I was just Googling “bleachgate” to see how well we skeptics were doing on raising awareness, and found this through that. I love this post – it made me laugh out loud! Thank you for writing it. I hope there are some good fellow skeptics out there in LA. It’s been such a breath of fresh air for me finding others on the Internet.
A forum moderator myself, I was horrified by the ones running this supposedly helpful place deleting an official safety warning, as well as allowing Rhys to be bullied and then banning him. He’s got a lot of terrific action going, and giants like Ben Goldcare and James Randi have tweeted about the issue – whoopee!
ashleyfmiller
August 15, 2010 at 11:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks
LA’s got a great skeptic community, I’ve just recently started getting into it. I didn’t realize that there were people who thought like me and hung out because of it.
Flatware Sets
November 22, 2010 at 12:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
you can say that alternative medicine is cheaper too and usually comes from natural sources ..*
Link Roundup: Bleachgate « Purely a figment of your imagination
August 15, 2010 at 11:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] up we have Ashley‘s contribution, a witty and test look at the story from the point of view of someone who also [...]