Posted by Orac on July 26, 2007 I’m pretty sure it was.
The dream needed a little bit more of a zingy ending, though, like waking up and finding Bobby Ewing still alive or finding out that everything that happened at the hospital was the fantasy of an autistic boy.
Or something like that
I have no idea what’s going on.
Ah, now it makes a LOT more sense. Thanks for fixing that.
~David D.G.
Ah, now it makes a LOT more sense. Thanks for fixing that.
~David D.G.
This doesn’t have anything to do with the post, but I’m reading a book published in the 1860s about livestock feeding. I guess some things never change:
At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Agricultural
Society of England, held some time ago, the subject of the
nutrimental value of condimental cattle food was discussed.
As there is scarcely any kind of quackery, from spirit manifestations
to Holloway’s pills, that has not got its believers,
there were, as might have been anticipated, some voices raised
at this meeting in favor of Thorley’s food; but the sense of the
meeting was decidedly against it. Professor Simonds pronounced
it to be worthless.
There was a better bit earlier on:
The inventor of condimental food, and the numerous fabricators
of that compound, claim for it merits of no ordinary
nature. Its use, they assert, not only maintains the animals
fed upon it in excellent health, but it also exercises so remarkable
an action upon the adipose tissues that fat accumulates
to an immense extent. Moreover, it is said that an animal
supplied with a very moderate daily modicum of this wonderful
compound, will consume less of its ordinary food, though
rapidly becoming fat.
Now, if these assertions were perfectly, or even approximatively,
true, Mr. Thorley would be well deserving of a
niche in the temple of fame, and stock-feeders would ever
regard him as a benefactor to his own and the bovine species;
but I fear that Mr. Thorley’s imagination outstripped his
reason when he described in such glowing terms the wonderful
virtues of his tonic food.
Orac, I just happen to be looking for spokespersons for my topical nitric oxide bacteria products (which are still in development, not yet commercially available). The suggestion of Kevin (originated during an altered mental state) that you would be an excellent spokesman for woo-mimetic products (such as my NO bacteria stuff) is one that deserves further consideration. I would be more than happy to supply you with what ever reasonable quantities you would need to test it upon yourself so you would be able report your experiences and either endorse it (or not). At this time I am not making any “medical” claims, only that it will raise your NO level (which is really hard to measure) and that you will feel better. Of course if you do need to lose 40 to 45 pounds I think it will help, but not in 6 weeks. More like a year or two. I would be happy to supply you with my research so you could make an informed decision.
Of course if you are not “brave” enough or are worried that you might find it to be active despite expecting it to be woo (it isn’t) I understand. I know you highly value your reputation as a “woo-buster”. But erroneously labeling a good treatment as “woo”, is as bad as labeling a “woo” treatment as good.
Knowing that you would not want to be perceived as biased, I won’t offer you any compensation.
One of the products is a NO bacteria containing aqueous gel lubricant. The concept is the bacteria release NO, which stimulates nitrergic nerves, and also activates soluble guanylyl cyclase releasing cGMP and causing “relaxation” 
. No doubt there could be some “zingy” dream endings associated with that.
Well, if it wasn’t a dream can we have your recipe for a food coloring based diet pill? You could surely create a niche market for it based on its safety and tolerability. We’ll just ignore that little efficacy question…
Orac, I had another idea, as I was waking up, not quite a dream, but definitely an altered state. I was thinking that a treatment that is a woo-mimetic is the “ideal” treatment. Patients who can only accept woo would be able to accept it, and since it isn’t woo, it would have real effect in addition to the placebo effect.
In thinking of how to market my woo-mimetic, I had the idea of a “tag team” of Orac and Egnor, along the lines of the Jesus and Mo example. Along the lines of the great marketing “debate” “tastes great” and “less filling” used to market a certain light beer. The two of you could tour the country debating whether it was good for you because our physiology evolved to have these bacteria on our skin, or good for you because we were made from dirt and these are dirt bacteria.
A “stealth” effect of raising NO levels is that it increases rationality. Acute low ATP in the brain (such as from hypoglycemia, acute metabolic stress or low NO) causes a delusional state (as in the runners high). That is a low NO state. Increasing NO levels increases the ATP level and would tend to reduce the delusional state of low ATP. (I am working on a blog on this in the context of postpartum psychosis, and hope to post it this weekend, but it is getting rather long, 20 pages currently). As distasteful as working with Egnor would be, you would know that the market segment he can reach would be in most need of the anti-delusional effects of increased NO. The more they use it, the less delusional they will become.
July 26, 2007
July 26, 2007
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July 27, 2007