Garlic and Other Things

 

It is not news to anyone that we live in the age of information. This is a good thing, overall, but recently a saying has arisen, 'TMI' which means "too much information". You will hear this when someone reveals some intimate details about their health or other very personal information.

I am going so far as to say that this is starting to apply, for me, for almost everything else too. We are all familiar with 'the most recent studies suggest that', only to realise that the most recent study totally refutes the last study on the same subject. I am sure you recall the butter vs. margarine debate, the egg and cholesterol controversy, the 8 glasses of water vs. over hydration theory, and many others, too numerous to mention.

We find this in politics also. The burn the garbage vs. put it in the landfill dilemma, is Harper the best or the worst Prime minister ever, do we pay down national debt or do deficit financing to fund programs, and on and on.

No matter what the issue, when one goes to Google for information and research, one will find contradicting articles, studies, and opinions on virtually every subject. Where is the truth in all of this? And are we seeking truth or are we trying to simply bolster our own already firmly held conviction on the matter. I find myself doing the latter all to often.

This, of course, makes the researcher skeptical about the information he or she is receiving. Take the latest two studies on the efficacy of Vitamin  D, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and Garlic, and their supposed positive effect on health issues such as colds and other common human ailments. The studies say that there is little or no value in taking these supplements. Because I beg to differ, I am suspect of these so called studies. Who is behind them and what is their agenda? The drug companies? Just saying.

As for the four substances mentioned above, I can only go by what they have done for me. I have nothing to say about Echinacea, but as for Vitamin D: My mild skin condition is held in check by the sun light I expose myself to, and D in supplement form in the winter months. I know this for a proven fact through trial and error. Vitamin C and garlic: C taken with raw garlic cloves, early enough in the first stage of a cold, there is either a cure or at worst, the symptoms are very mild and will last only three or four days as opposed to seven to ten days. But, that is just me. It may or may not work for you.

Am I skeptical when I read the latest studies on home cold remedies? You bet. But no more so than when I read any other study, poll, or news report about anything. Everyone has an agenda these days, but I will think for myself, thank you very much.

 

**For only US$29.95 I will send you my own formula of Vit C/garlic combination in easy to take capsule form, as a preventative or to nip that coming cold in the bud. Shipping and handling included.

 

Just kidding. I have no agenda on this blog other than to vent. If you are naïve enough to send me money, you will simply be improving the lifestyle of this new 'senior'. The 'package' will be lost in the mail, I guarantee.