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Once in a while I get an email from somewhat angry readers who have “loosely” checked out some of our natural health suggestions. And often without even trying them out, are outraged that I even suggest anything other than traditional medicine can cure diseases.
And on more than one occasion I get the “insulting” comment:
“You’re nothing but a snake oil salesman!”
Well, first of all to take one part of the issue out, I’ve never sold any pills, drinks, or supplements. I only provide information on what I’ve experienced to be helpful.
And what I suggest (yes, sometimes in my books) is most often free to practice (like exercises and diet change) or can be bought cheaply in supermarkets (like garlic).
But more interesting than what I do is the stigma of being a snake oil sales man.
Because that may actually not be as bad as it sounds.
Science in the medical profession may actually be catching up with snake oil sales men and biting their own poisonous words in the butt.
Let me explain what I mean.
You see, snake oil has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to heal all kinds of inflammation and pain; especially arthritis pain. It’s still sold in many traditional Chinese pharmacies.
I’ve never tried it myself but doubt that it would have survived hundreds of years in the very advantaged Chinese herbal medical system if it didn’t have some benefits.
When Chinese railroad workers came to the US to build the Transcontinental Railroad, they brought their beloved snake oil with them and apparently used it to help ease the pain of their European co-workers.
But as is often the case with new discoveries, especially when they work, everyone and their brother jumps on the wagon to try to profit from it. Snake oil sales men popped up everywhere and their snake oil often included very little or any effective snake oil in their bottles.
You can see the same thing happening in today’s herbal medicine…
As soon as something is considered good for your health, there are hundreds of manufacturers ready to slap the hype on their label. And quality isn’t always the first priority.
This is the case with low quality Vitamins and herbs sold in many supermarkets and on the Internet that are often loaded with toxic fillers, have low quality ingredients or even ingredients that sound like the originals but have totally different functions.
In the 17- and 1800s, this was even less regulated than it is today.
But the snake oil hype gave rise to the first big propaganda campaign for the established medical profession against natural medicines and for their medications and methods.
Obviously they didn’t want the Chinese to rule everything (sounds familiar?).
In the late 1800s’ “Snake Oil Sales Men” had gained their widely known bad reputation. That reputation is then stamped on anyone who doesn’t agree 100% with the traditional medical profession.
I’m not whining. I’ve a funny angle I’m finally getting to.
You see, today, one of the biggest developments in modern medicine for drugs to treat anything from high blood pressure to Alzheimer’s and cancer, lies in the very creature that has been so harshly criticized.
In fact, for over ten years now, doctors have been using a couple of FDA approved drugs developed from the deadly saliva of snakes saving people in the middle of a heart attack and stroke. And it seems to be quite effective in such a drastic situation.
According to medical researchers, drugs developed from snake venom proteins seem to be more effective and cause fewer side effects than medications used before.
So there you have it. We’ve come full circle. Who’s the snake oil salesman now? Maybe the medical system!
The lesson to take from this is: things are not always the way they seem. What we may take as the worst insult may actually (when looked at rationally) be the biggest compliment.
So if you want to learn about various natural health solutions, check out the links to our various guides on the right hand side of this page.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any guide on snake oil. But we are working on a guide for arthritis that will be published soon. Who knows, maybe some snake oil secrets will come up there.
And if you’ve ever tried snake oil yourself for pain relief, please let us know how it worked in the comment field below.
And on more than one occasion I get the “insulting” comment:
“You’re nothing but a snake oil salesman!”
Well, first of all to take one part of the issue out, I’ve never sold any pills, drinks, or supplements. I only provide information on what I’ve experienced to be helpful.
And what I suggest (yes, sometimes in my books) is most often free to practice (like exercises and diet change) or can be bought cheaply in supermarkets (like garlic).
But more interesting than what I do is the stigma of being a snake oil sales man.
Because that may actually not be as bad as it sounds.
Science in the medical profession may actually be catching up with snake oil sales men and biting their own poisonous words in the butt.
Let me explain what I mean.
You see, snake oil has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to heal all kinds of inflammation and pain; especially arthritis pain. It’s still sold in many traditional Chinese pharmacies.
I’ve never tried it myself but doubt that it would have survived hundreds of years in the very advantaged Chinese herbal medical system if it didn’t have some benefits.
When Chinese railroad workers came to the US to build the Transcontinental Railroad, they brought their beloved snake oil with them and apparently used it to help ease the pain of their European co-workers.
But as is often the case with new discoveries, especially when they work, everyone and their brother jumps on the wagon to try to profit from it. Snake oil sales men popped up everywhere and their snake oil often included very little or any effective snake oil in their bottles.
You can see the same thing happening in today’s herbal medicine…
As soon as something is considered good for your health, there are hundreds of manufacturers ready to slap the hype on their label. And quality isn’t always the first priority.
This is the case with low quality Vitamins and herbs sold in many supermarkets and on the Internet that are often loaded with toxic fillers, have low quality ingredients or even ingredients that sound like the originals but have totally different functions.
In the 17- and 1800s, this was even less regulated than it is today.
But the snake oil hype gave rise to the first big propaganda campaign for the established medical profession against natural medicines and for their medications and methods.
Obviously they didn’t want the Chinese to rule everything (sounds familiar?).
In the late 1800s’ “Snake Oil Sales Men” had gained their widely known bad reputation. That reputation is then stamped on anyone who doesn’t agree 100% with the traditional medical profession.
I’m not whining. I’ve a funny angle I’m finally getting to.
You see, today, one of the biggest developments in modern medicine for drugs to treat anything from high blood pressure to Alzheimer’s and cancer, lies in the very creature that has been so harshly criticized.
In fact, for over ten years now, doctors have been using a couple of FDA approved drugs developed from the deadly saliva of snakes saving people in the middle of a heart attack and stroke. And it seems to be quite effective in such a drastic situation.
According to medical researchers, drugs developed from snake venom proteins seem to be more effective and cause fewer side effects than medications used before.
So there you have it. We’ve come full circle. Who’s the snake oil salesman now? Maybe the medical system!
The lesson to take from this is: things are not always the way they seem. What we may take as the worst insult may actually (when looked at rationally) be the biggest compliment.
So if you want to learn about various natural health solutions, check out the links to our various guides on the right hand side of this page.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any guide on snake oil. But we are working on a guide for arthritis that will be published soon. Who knows, maybe some snake oil secrets will come up there.
And if you’ve ever tried snake oil yourself for pain relief, please let us know how it worked in the comment field below.
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