{"id":60,"date":"2008-03-19T08:46:22","date_gmt":"2008-03-19T15:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=60"},"modified":"2008-03-19T09:57:35","modified_gmt":"2008-03-19T16:57:35","slug":"things-that-dont-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=60","title":{"rendered":"Things that don’t work"},"content":{"rendered":"\t

The world is full on inventions and advancements. Everyday we are told our lives are getting better; however as I sit and think about all our vaunted progress, I wonder how much is real, and how much is hype.<\/font>Lots of things just don’t work, or at least any better than they did 100 years ago. In no particular order here are things that don’t work.<\/font><\/p>\n\t

Pain Relievers<\/u>:\u00a0 <\/font>I’m sorry. I’ve taken aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen…pretty much everything on the planet…..zero effect. Argue if you like, but I can tell you I’ve never been able to tell a difference. The headache gets better….because time passes, it has nothing to do with the pill. Pain relievers also do not work for sore muscles.<\/font> <\/font>I’ll tell you what does work: For headaches caffeine works OK in certain circumstances. For muscle soreness steroids work (both the shot and pills from the doctor). Marijuana works every time for all kinds of pain (not that I’ve ever tried it).<\/p>\n\t

Cough Syrup<\/u>:<\/p>\n\t

Doesn’t work, at all. Waste of money.<\/p>\n\t

Diets<\/u>:<\/p>\n\t

I’m sorry; they don’t work. Your body has a set point it must gather sometime in your late teens or early twenties….and it wants to stay at that point no matter what you eat. It will tell you you are hungry to get you back to that point. <\/a>You can certainly lose weight….that is very true; however, you will gain it back…often more than you lost in the first place. Almost everyone does.<\/p>\n\t

The next great diet pill will not affect whether your body stores calories as fat; it will trick your body into lowering its set point. Then you can eat anything you like, and you’ll lose weight anyway.<\/p>\n\t

On another note, gaining muscle will more likely help your weight loss than eating less (since people have proven unable to change their eating habits).<\/p>\n\t

Expensive Face Creams<\/u>:<\/p>\n\t

My mom likes face creams, and usually has very pricey ones. I have also tried various kinds over the years. They work in the sense that they make your skin look better for the next few hours than if you did nothing (small, but negligible effect), but make no mistake…they are not making you younger; they are not rolling back the clock. They are like diets. The older you are, the more likely you are to have an expensive face cream….the fatter you are, the more likely you are to be on a diet.<\/p>\n\t

I’ve seen the before and after pictures for some of the creams; all I can say is that I’ve never see any affect like that with anyone, nor do I have a first hand account of any experience like that. All the difference I can see is that the lighting is better in the “after” photo and the person is smiling slightly (but not enough to show a wrinkle), and has their hair combed.<\/p>\n\t

I’ll tell you what does work though: Make-up. Even though I’ve never tried it, I can say it really does affect the way your face looks for the entire day, and if worn well, makes you look better. It just isn’t really your face, but oh well. Retin-A works for acne and clears your complexion….it doesn’t roll back the years though.<\/p>\n\t

Marriage<\/u>:<\/p>\n\t

Actually, I’m just kidding about this one. That’s funny though. It doesn’t work very well for reasons I’ve mentioned in the past (people live too long, there are too many other eligible people around, women can make enough money to do it on their own if necessary, etc.)……..but it does work in some cases, like dieting I suppose.<\/p>\n\t

Teeth Whitening Toothpaste<\/u>:<\/p>\n\t

Doesn’t work at all.\u00a0 Waste of money.\u00a0 You pay a few more bucks a tube and get no results.\u00a0 The gels with applicators do work okay\u00a0though, if you’re patient enough to follow the regimen.<\/p>\n\t

Ok…that’s enough. I will stop now. I’ve gotta run.<\/p>\n\t

I’ll tell you one thing that does work<\/strong>, without a doubt:<\/p>\n\t

Sun tan lotion<\/strong>. Now that’s an invention!<\/p>\n\t

<\/font>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world is full on inventions and advancements. Everyday we are told our lives are getting better; however as I sit and think about all our vaunted progress, I wonder how much is real, and how much is hype.Lots of things just don’t work, or at least any better than they did 100 years ago. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3IMYj-Y","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=59","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":0},"title":"These are the days of our lives…","author":"kellio","date":"March 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I have not done much to speak of lately.\u00a0 Most days are the same, just a little bit different. My new job hasn't been all that busy (although that will change soon enough).\u00a0 Work can actually be better when you're busy and a little boring when you aren't.\u00a0 I've learned\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "What I'm doing"","block_context":{"text":"What I'm doing","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=45","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":1},"title":"Stupidity stresses me out: My love affair with Customer Service","author":"kellio","date":"January 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"My heart rate increases even before I call customer service....in anticipation of stupidity. Customer service excels at impossible loops, deflecting accountability, repeating themselves, giving unrelevant\/inaccurate information, telling the customer they should've behaved differently, and suggesting the \"put the finger in the damn\" solution. I avoid calling if at all possible,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stories\/Observations"","block_context":{"text":"Stories\/Observations","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":76,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=76","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":2},"title":"You’re only as old as you feel","author":"kellio","date":"May 8, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Isn't that what they say? As if thinking you're younger can actually make it so? My wrist injury has made me face aging for the first time in my life. I remember years ago I said \"Youth will not rust in my possession.\" I was like 15 or so. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=76#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":80,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=80","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":3},"title":"A cure for aging","author":"kellio","date":"June 9, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I've read a fair amount lately about resveratrol (found in red wine, said to slow aging), and other related compounds that affect SIRT1 and SIRT2 gene expression, as well as people trying to mimic the effects by caloric restriction (something found to increase life spans pretty dramatically in lab animals).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"biology\"","block_context":{"text":"biology","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?tag=biology"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":128,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=128","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":4},"title":"Roger Federer, the Story of Jesus, and the mind of God","author":"kellio","date":"February 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I would like to point out that Roger Federer is a little girly: I mean the guy cried.\u00a0 I don't think its only because he lost; I think he loves tennis, and was touched by the fans, and is aware of his place in tennis history, etc....but the fact still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inside My Head"","block_context":{"text":"Inside My Head","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":178,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=178","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":5},"title":"The Kingdom","author":"kellio","date":"June 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I've never seen anything like Saudi Arabia.\u00a0 I would not call it awe, or interest.\u00a0 I would describe it as a dull itch looking for an outlet, an uneasy boredom. Most of my exerience in the Middle East has been with more moderate countries:\u00a0 Turkey, Morocco, and to a lesser\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}