shadesofmauve | Self-medicating for Science (Reply)

My face is reacting to something, as it occasionally does. Usually if my face gets red and itchy it's a sign that my system's been hit with greater-than-usual amounts of the Demon Estrogen, but I don't think that's the case.

It's a mild misery, but a misery none-the-less, and over Turkey day break, too, so I decided to Do Something About It. I soon found myself in the natural-health-gunk section of a Poncey Grocery Store, faced with yet more mysterious and totally unresearched tinctures and goos which promise to Heal You Naturally! Without Chemicals! From Plant Extracts! Cures Scaring, Itching, Botches, Blotches, Halitosis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome! Not Tested On Animals! Not Tested on People, Either!

Let's take a moment to remember that Natural does not equal Healthy. E.G. arsenic, belladonna, and pufferfish liver, among others. These products are occasionally tested to see whether they do any immediate, noticeabl harm. They are not tested for efficacy. Of course, neither are the unnatural chemical cosmetics and goos.

I'm sick of ignorance and don't want to shell out $10 a bottle for some shit that doesn't do anything, and I've finally realised that the only way I'm going to get information I can trust (especially with my slightly abnormal immune system) is to be my own guinea pig.

Amazingly, the most noticable effect of my expiriment has been to make me mildly gleeful about my misfortune instead of miserable. Why? CAUSE I'M DOIN' REAL SCIENCE! YEAH!

So far, the actual medecine is doing a slightly better job of healing, and much better job of killing the itch, but the right-side is soft and supple and not icky-rash peeling. And it's shiny. I'll tell ya now, when they say that vitamin E oil is absorbed quickly, they are lying through their hemp stained teeth.

I plan on performing further Vit. E tests in future. It's really supposed to help scars and stretchmarks. I have a lot of scars, but they don't match so there's no real control group. I'd have to use photo evidence. Perhaps I'll expirament on the Oh-My-God-I'm-A-Girl puberty stretch marks on my hips. I think right cheek oiled, left one plain, with a weekly comparison, is probably decent research methodology.

If you wish to suggest alternate expirimental substances, do so, but be warned that I plan to do exhaustive testing with THIS $8 bottle of goo before I buy a different $8 bottle of goo.