Leahey.org

Wandering around inside a dollar store today, I noticed “protein enriched” nail polish remover was on sale. Protein. Enriched. The bottle said this would help “maintain healthy finger and toe nails”.

Protein enriched nails.

I wondered, how exactly could a product maintain the *health* of a portion of the human body that is composed of dead cells? So I flipped the bottle over and took a gander at the ingredients. This was a non-acetone based mix, so it was essentially ethyl acetate, alcohol and water. But then, there at the end, I came across the ingredient that made this “protein enriched”. Gelatin.

Gelatin is essentially rendered animal connective tissue. It is most definitely a protein, so I guess they can’t be called out on false advertising. Its hardly keeping the nails “healthier”, however. My best guess is any difference in the texture of the nails is caused by the temporary filling in of the tiny pits in your nails with the gelatin.

Problem is, the gelatin isn’t bound to your nails by anything. So the feeling won’t last.

But it doesn’t have to! If you’re taking nail polish off, you’re probably going to be putting nail polish back on. So most people won’t have their nails bare long enough to feel them return to their previous rough state. And for those that do, enough time will pass that they will no longer correlate the rough nails with the nail polish remover.

I know this is kind of miniscule, but it got me to thinking. Stay with me.

I considered, what would a person who only buys “protein enriched” nail polish remover, say to me if I told them exactly what I just wrote in the first portion of this post? They would probably respond with their own (anecdotal) personal experience. “I’ve used the plain stuff, and it leaves my nails dried out”.

Thats always the defense. “Works for me”, “I feel better when I x”. “I have more energy when I use y”.

Anyone I’ve ever tried to talk rationally to about some pseudoscience, the answer is always the same. From magnetic bracelets to herbal “remedies”. Their product, their system, method, or practitioner, is different.

And just then, I realized something.

The single thing that they are all lacking. (I choose the word lacking here not in a condescending holier-than-thou kind of way, just as a simple fact — for better or worse) They all refuse to believe they are susceptible to the placebo effect.

And I know what people would say! They’d say, what harm is it doing? If taking a pill that isn’t actually doing anything, makes them feel better, what bad can possibly come of it?

The harm comes in the fact that they truly believe there is a mechanism of action that is viable. So, they go to the chiropractor when they have migraines. The migraines pass naturally, but they believe it was the working of the chiropractor. Now, in the future, when they face another illness or condition, they’re going to turn to what worked last time.

Only maybe this time, the time they lose going the “alternative” route, will be more costly. Maybe this time, by the time they see someone who can really help them, its too late.

So, kind of answering a question I get asked a lot, usually when I’m done thoroughly “taking all the good” out of something, or “naysaying”.

“What harm can it do?”

Non-skeptical thinking in the small scale, leads to non-skeptical thinking in the large scale.

There, it can do an infinite amount of harm.

So to all those who think I’m just being a downer (none of which will read this), or I’m raining on their parade. As corny as it sounds: its not because I don’t care, its because I do.