Snake oil?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="Trump">Trump</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="tax">tax</span> <span word="cut">cut</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span>”. <span word="Snake">Snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span>?</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Yeah">Yeah</span>, <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span>, <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="fat">fat</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="snakes">snakes</span>. <span word="Snake">Snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="forms">forms</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="voodoo">voodoo</span> <span word="medicine">medicine</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="effective">effective</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="seldom">seldom</span> <span word="fully">fully</span> <span word="understand">understand</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="works">works</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="traditional">traditional</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="medicine">medicine</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="believed">believed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="relieve">relieve</span> <span word="pain">pain</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="incredible">incredible</span> <span word="wonders">wonders</span>.</p><p><span word="Incredible">Incredible</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="here">here</span> (<span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sense">sense</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="impossible">impossible</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="believe">believe</span>) <span word="because">because</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="medicinal">medicinal</span> <span word="effectiveness">effectiveness</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="dubious">dubious</span>, <span word="doubtful">doubtful</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="questionable">questionable</span>, <span word="especially">especially</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="West">West</span>, <span word="where">where</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="medicinal">medicinal</span> <span word="cure">cure</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="vigorous">vigorous</span> <span word="scientific">scientific</span> <span word="proofs">proofs</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="checks">checks</span>, <span word="privately">privately</span> <span word="concocted">concocted</span> <span word="remedies">remedies</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="necessarily">necessarily</span> <span word="controversial">controversial</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span>, <span word="thing">thing</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="whenever">whenever</span> <span word="someone">someone</span> <span word="sells">sells</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="bottle">bottle</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="never">never</span> <span word="modest">modest</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="efficacy">efficacy</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="does">does</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="relieves">relieves</span> <span word="pain">pain</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="generally">generally</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="feel">feel</span> <span word="better">better</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="leaves">leaves</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="that">that</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="touts">touts</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="miraculous">miraculous</span> <span word="cure">cure</span>-<span word="all">all</span>, <span word="curing">curing</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="everything">everything</span>, <span word="from">from</span> <span word="pain">pain</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="neck">neck</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="liver">liver</span> <span word="cancer">cancer</span>.</p><p><span word="Another">Another</span> <span word="thing">thing</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="of">of</span> <span word="course">course</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="all">all</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="snake">snake</span> <span word="oil">oil</span>. <span word="It">It</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="medicines">medicines</span> <span word="purportedly">purportedly</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="tiger">tiger</span> <span word="bones">bones</span>. <span word="Even">Even</span> <span word="though">though</span> <span word="tigers">tigers</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="largely">largely</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="driven">driven</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="extinction">extinction</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="parts">parts</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>, <span word="we">we</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="hear">hear</span> <span word="tiger">tiger</span> <span word="bone">bone</span> <span word="this">this</span>, <span word="tiger">tiger</span> <span word="bone">bone</span> <span word="that">that</span> – <span word="as">as</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="before">before</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="often">often</span>.</p>
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