Elixir

There are all sorts of products out there selling themselves as cures for Parkinson’s. I usually see or hear about these on social media or from support group members. When I see these, I always experience hope and skepticism. The hope that one day I won’t have to live with this lousy disease, and the skepticism that something like a derivative of giraffe urine will make it possible.

I always try to cling to the hope, but the skepticism usually creeps in and causes me to fall from the ladder of hope. Mind you, the skepticism is well earned. Unfortunately, there are many people out there who prey on suffers of chronic disease and their willingness to believe anything in hope of a cure. In fact, I would pay anything also, but I will not sacrifice the integrity of science. In other words, there better be an empirically sound study, showing the benefits of sipping giraffe piss before I try that quaff.

Recently, I saw a supplement I had never heard of being touted as the next great thing for PD. With hope in my heart, I went to search for scientific articles, all the while skepticism was ringing in my head. The ringing was squelched when I came across an article, but became loud again when I read that the supplement had only been used by 10 people for the study and the results were mixed. No follow up articles have been written and no further scholarly studies administered. Skepticism was now yelling in my head, “if this is so great, why was the last “study”published in 2008?! Maybe it’s because it doesn’t work!”

Yet, I want it to work. I want that magic elixir. I want to be unburdened of my reliance on science. I want to leave my skepticism behind. I want a glass of giraffe pee. Please.