Just a rant (all comforting thoughts accepted)

[Elizabeth I]

So the secretary at my office informed me today that it is dangerous to take a hot shower (no, not from the chance of scalding yourself.) UNLESS, that is, you have this very special filter on your shower head. Apparently the heat of the water causes all the chlorine and "other chemicals" to be released into the air, as well as PVCs from your shower curtain if you have a plastic shower curtain, and you breathe all this in. I'm not sure how the shower head filter would help with the shower CURTAIN.

She asked me why water has to have "all this chlorine and fluorine and bacteria and copper" in it. I pointed out that if there's chlorine in the water, there's precious little bacteria, and that she could have her choice between chlorine and cholera. Or dysentery. Or infant diarrhea.

This person also refused to take any prescription meds when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and "cured" herself with apple cider vinegar, honey and cayenne pepper, leading me to believe that either (a) the original diagnosis was incorrect; or (b) the placebo effect is alive and well.

She also did not have her son inoculated (it's a foreign substance in the body) and he wound up getting temporarily kicked out of school until she brought him back with an up-to-date shot record.

Help.

[This Guy]

Hopefully they are better at filing and answering the phone than they are at using logic ;)

[Lisa Simpson]

I have a shower filter but only because our water is heavily chlorinated and the chlorine really burns my eyes. As for the RA, my second son has JRA, and it waxes and wanes. He'd actually had several good years, but it looks like it's back. :( That's just the way of chronic illnesses.

[Hamradioguy]

This person also refused to take any prescription meds when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and "cured" herself with apple cider vinegar, honey and cayenne pepper, leading me to believe that either (a) the original diagnosis was incorrect; or (b) the placebo effect is alive and well.
Help.

That formula (or one like it) was the favorite of Doctor D.C. Jarvis who wrote the 1958 best seller "Folk Medicine". No evidence that I know of that it really worked. Tell your friend that when Dr. Jarvis died in 1966 his Barre, Vermont office was dismantled and shipped to the Shelburne Museum where it is displayed as a "19th Century Doctor's Office". If being sick I had my choice between 19th century medicine or 21st century medicine it would be an easy choice.

[Pompeii]

You could say: Wouldn't it be nice if we could all avoid death and disease just by purchasing a simple shower filter? Oh, I definitely want to move to that planet!

[Rasmus]

So the secretary at my office informed me today that it is dangerous to take a hot shower (no, not from the chance of scalding yourself.) UNLESS, that is, you have this very special filter on your shower head. Apparently the heat of the water causes all the chlorine and "other chemicals" to be released into the air, as well as PVCs from your shower curtain if you have a plastic shower curtain, and you breathe all this in. I'm not sure how the shower head filter would help with the shower CURTAIN.

Well, it's the chloreine, of course, that washes all the evil chemicals out of your shower curtain. So if you use the filter, the water cannot dissolve your curtain anymore.

She asked me why water has to have "all this chlorine and fluorine and bacteria and copper" in it. I pointed out that if there's chlorine in the water, there's precious little bacteria, and that she could have her choice between chlorine and cholera. Or dysentery. Or infant diarrhea.

How much chlorine do you guys ave in the water, anyways? The legal maximum here is 0,05mg/litre. Taking a stroll past any swimming pool should flood your body with many times the amount you could possibly digest from that in a lifetime.

Help.

"That's awfully sweet of you, but I only take cold showers." :D

[Starthinker]

But is she pretty?

[Oroborus]

But is she pretty?


I'm thinking she's got to be. Or rich.

Things tend to balance out.

[fuelair]

The person is actually referring to the belief that hot water releases certain PCBs(IIRC) from the plastic mostly now used for home plumbing. That makes her wrong twice (wrong about what is released and wrong about any functional danger from what really is).

Only the cayenne pepper - of that group - might have helped - if it had a reasonable amount of capsaicein in it (cap - the heat ingredient in chili peppers (jalapeno, serrano, habanero etc.) - is a pain reducer if the pain is stronger than the heat). A gentleman who had aids had, due to it, a condition that made his feet/legs feel like he was going through glass shards when he walked. He was treated by being anesthetized (local) , having a very strong capsaiscein ointment spread over his feet and legs and wrapped for a couple of hours - he could feel the heat through the anesthetic effect. After the wrapping was removed and the cap carefully cleaned off, the man was able to walk perfectly well for 6+ months before needing re-treatment. This was on an episode of Scientific American Frontiers several years ago.

[Moochie]

I have a shower filter but only because our water is heavily chlorinated and the chlorine really burns my eyes. As for the RA, my second son has JRA, and it waxes and wanes. He'd actually had several good years, but it looks like it's back. :( That's just the way of chronic illnesses.

There are many, very sensible reasons to filter your water, none of them woo in the least.

Best wishes to you and yours.

M.

[Polaris]

I have a shower filter but only because our water is heavily chlorinated and the chlorine really burns my eyes. As for the RA, my second son has JRA, and it waxes and wanes. He'd actually had several good years, but it looks like it's back. :( That's just the way of chronic illnesses.

I used a shower filter similar to yours when I rented a house with the town's water tower literally in my back yard. I suspect getting the full blast of the chlorine when they stocked it led to the unbearable itching after each shower, and the psoriasis. The filter was a waste of money.

[JonnyFive]

There was some group going on about the evils of PVC products and how they cause cancer, etc. that I emailed a month or so back.

They weren't very willing to provide me with any links to reliable studies supporting their conclusions. Their web site linked to one that I could find, and it didn't support their arguments.

Somehow I think they're full of something, and it ain't candy.

[Crazycowbob]

Well you never know, she could have really bad water! :-D

I know here in the big city of Lubbock, you can practically walk on the stuff.
Where every other major city in the state I've driven to has a big sign at the city limit saying "Superiour Water System" the one outside of Lubbock says "Approved"!!!

Needless to say, we buy our drinking water from elsewhere.

[luchog]

I know here in the big city of Lubbock, you can practically walk on the stuff.
Where every other major city in the state I've driven to has a big sign at the city limit saying "Superiour Water System" the one outside of Lubbock says "Approved"!!!

Here in Seattle, the water quality varies widely depending on which reservoir you're on. Mine is pretty clean as far as microorganisms go, but is very high in chlorine/chloramine. Add to that that I'm fairly highly sensitive to chlorine compounds, and I have to have a good shower filter or my skin goes insane. Actually past time to replace mine, and my skin is letting me know it.

[Brian Jackson]

...and "cured" herself with apple cider vinegar, honey and cayenne pepper

I'd tell her to order more Chinese food and she'll be fine.

[Elizabeth I]

Well you never know, she could have really bad water! :-D

I know here in the big city of Lubbock, you can practically walk on the stuff.
Where every other major city in the state I've driven to has a big sign at the city limit saying "Superiour Water System" the one outside of Lubbock says "Approved"!!!

Needless to say, we buy our drinking water from elsewhere.

I went to college in Lubbock (guess where?) I don't remember the water tasting that bad, but my mother used bottled water in the coffee maker. My husband grew up there and he has the world's hardest teeth.

Anyhow, the minerals in the water may not taste very good, but I'm not sure they'll hurt you (except an OD of fluoride.)

[joelblanchette]

She asked me why water has to have "all this chlorine and fluorine and bacteria and copper" in it. I pointed out that if there's chlorine in the water, there's precious little bacteria, and that she could have her choice between chlorine and cholera. Or dysentery. Or infant diarrhea.

Clueless people such as this woman never worry about the right toxins. Chlorine and fluorine can be harmful, but you'd notice if there was too much in the water quickly. This woman is probably vaguely aware that chlorine was once used as a chemical weapon (for a brief time in WW1), but she fails to see the difference between 100% chlorine and 0.05% chlorine. Fluoride might have some potential risks, but they are probably very slight. Copper is normally excreted by the human body, and only becomes toxic if it accumulates in nerve tissue and the brain (which would require massive dosing or metabolic problems).

Bacteria are a real problem, but as others have pointed out, chlorine handily resolves that. It's funny. We don't have too many outbreaks of cholera, dyptheria, or even good ol' e.coli here in North America, though they are endemic in much of the world. Could it be the cholrine in our water? Nah! The other toxin that one might see in water is lead if the plumbing is old. Before its toxicity was well understood, lead was used in making solder and pipes for use in plumbing, among other things. In the case of well water, one might also want to be on the lookout for other mineral nasties like arsenic, radium, uranium, and so on, depending on the soil.

Ironically, I think she might be wrong about the heat. When I put cold tap water into a tall glass only half-way, I usually let it sit for a few minutes, because there is a faint but unpleasant smell of chlorine otherwise. I've done the same with hot water and there is no smell, though I am not about to try to down a glass of scalding hot water. Not even for science! :)

This person also refused to take any prescription meds when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and "cured" herself with apple cider vinegar, honey and cayenne pepper, leading me to believe that either (a) the original diagnosis was incorrect; or (b) the placebo effect is alive and well.

I'm all for "natural" solutions, but let's be real. What makes us dominant on this planet is our ability to exploit nature and make it do things that evolution never got around to. I take medication for high blood pressure. It's very much manufactured, and it sure as heck doesn't grow on a tree. But I am also trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle with a better diet, more exercise, and some serious weight loss. This will likely obviate the need for the pill, but if it doesn't I will continue to prove that I deserve my status as "superior life form" by taking my medication.

And yes, I'm being facetious about being superior. ;)

She also did not have her son inoculated (it's a foreign substance in the body) and he wound up getting temporarily kicked out of school until she brought him back with an up-to-date shot record.

It's too bad reproduction doesn't require a minimum IQ... Unfortunately, I doubt she ever go the shots for her son. She probably just presented them with a forged immunization record. Which means she is not only risking his health (and life), but that of every other child at his school. Even with immunizations, it's still not a very good idea to expose children to measles and rubella and such. Our bodies get invaded by "foreign substances" all the time. You know, things like food, water, air, and such. As far as I know, we can't survive in a vacuum (literally), but this woman is more than welcome to try to prove me wrong...

Help.

You obviously don't need it. Your coworker wouldn't even recognize it as such. My only comfort is knowing that if she has arthritis, it will be back, it won't be merciful, and she will either learn the hard way that modern medicine isn't such a bad thing, or her continued stupidity and ignorance will be very, very painful. Sorry, but I can't sympathize for this woman though I do feel badly for her son.

By the way, do you know what the basis is for her convictions?