Antibiotics

[Thropplenoggin]

It's hard to know what to make of medicines in the light of the many double-blind trials in which the placebo effect seems to outweigh any intrinsic benefits of the pills themselves (I'm thinking here of a TLS article on anti-depressants, but I believe it applies to other medicines).

The advice seems to be: keep taking the pills, even if they're made of sugar, so long as someone in authority has told you its something else.

[Alison]

I think another point worth making about Simon (and Ressurection Man, for that matter) is that he rarely engages in a discussion - he lobs in a grenade & then runs. When people ask him a question, or challenge his (usually) contentious statements, he rarely responds.

Yes, I've noted that tendency from my very early forays into forum world.

[Flosshilde]

It's hard to know what to make of medicines in the light of the many double-blind trials in which the placebo effect seems to outweigh any intrinsic benefits of the pills themselves (I'm thinking here of a TLS article on anti-depressants, but I believe it applies to other medicines).

The advice seems to be: keep taking the pills, even if they're made of sugar, so long as someone in authority has told you its something else.

Yes; perhaps the 'pink medicine' needs to be re-introduced.

[Thropplenoggin]

Yes; perhaps the 'pink medicine' needs to be re-introduced.

Actually, red-coloured tablets are proven to be more 'effective'. Again, the placebo effect!

[ahinton]

Marketing ploy, to frighten people and, hence, to make money. Did your granny feel the need for introducing friendly bacteria into her diet? Or your Mum or Dad, did they live long without this cynical ploy?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11926609

gwrthfiotig. or dimbuggio

Thank you for this. I suspected that, were there more than one word for this, at least one of them would be an explosion of consonants and I am clearly not disappointed! "Dimbuggio"? Sounds very pejorative and potentially insulting, just as member Bryn might appreciate that the signs that I see coming from Bath to Herefordistan via the anti-police commissioner district of Newport and Y Fenni that tell how to get to Brynbuga.

But friendly bacteria might well be introduced advantageously into the diets of some people because of what they've had before some effects of which they might needfully try to counteract; all that we inhale and imbibe might be, or turn out to be, potentially or actually harmful, so I see no particular concern in principle about the pro- and anti- biotic persuasions...

[ahinton]

Oh, My Good Lord, sorry, like DimParcio (no parking allowed) DimBuggio (no bugs allowed) the Welsh are, occasionally, odd.

Really? OK, so "dim" is a negative prefix in Welsh; I understand that now. What I don't understand, however, is how the Welsh can possibly market dim sum under the circumstances other than as a pejorative term applicable to someone's lack of skill in arithmetic, peut-être...

[ahinton]

Yes, I've noted that tendency from my very early forays into forum world.

What's early Fauré got to do with any of this?

[MrGongGong]

Actually, red-coloured tablets are proven to be more 'effective'. Again, the placebo effect!

Indeed they are
(as is NOT having someone praying for you )

BUT

Having had massive doses of intravenous antibiotics I would say that without them I would probably not be here today.......

[ahinton]

Indeed they are
(as is NOT having someone praying for you )

BUT

Having had massive doses of intravenous antibiotics I would say that without them I would probably not be here today.......

Then let's all raise a glass to the efficacy of antibiotics (when appropriately used)!...

[MrGongGong]

Then let's all raise a glass to the efficacy of antibiotics (when appropriately used)!...

indeed

(Talisker if you are buying )

[scottycelt]

Indeed they are
(as is NOT having someone praying for you )

BUT

Having had massive doses of intravenous antibiotics I would say that without them I would probably not be here today.......

Well if you don't want to thank God, I suppose a Scotsman is the next best thing ...

[Resurrection Man]

"pseudo-reasonable and sanctimonious" and "froth and bubble!". Both combinations describe the essential components of Simon's approach to just about any discussion here, in my experience. Note how "madman" (the term Simon actually applied to Beethoven in relation to the late quartets) becomes "some of LvB's last works were affected by his mental and physical condition". Should anyone care to check the archive of the old BBC message boards, they will also find that "about 90% of the BNP's manifesto was little different from that of most other parties" was not quite how Simon expressed himself when addressing the question of the neo-nazis he refers to.

As to the pseudonym "Nethersage", my use of it is laid bare in my profile at r3ok.com for all to see. The point about "Simon-Says" is the children's game it derives from. All about deception, trickery and following the authoritarian diktat, what?

Popcorn anyone ?

[Flosshilde]

Well if you don't want to thank God, I suppose a Scotsman is the next best thing ...

Actually Tallisker distillery is owned by Diageo, which has its headquarters in London. (according to Wikipedia, the name 'Diageo' "is composed of the Latin word "dias", meaning day, and the Greek root "geo", meaning world, and is meant to reference the company giving pleasure every day, everywhere", which might please Scotty, even if the ownership doesn't)

[jean]

...the Latin word "dias", meaning day...

Spanish, surely?

Latin is dies.

[Frances_iom]

Spanish, surely?

Latin is dies.

it's all greek to me! - dia geo - across the world ?