Today's Miracle Elixers

Pictured above is an ad featuring my paternal great-grandfather, Eliza Craig (about 1869-1949). This was an ad in a local Indiana newspaper, The New Castle Courier Times, around 1940. I’m sure my ancestors were so proud that he was featured so prominently in this ad. I would like to point out that clearly the tv infomercials did not originate the idea of making an advertisement with the appearance as if it was news coverage. It was around as this ad illustrates back in the early 1900’s. My great-grandfather says “Ton Kal better than any other medicine taken.” Ton Kal was one of the miracle elixirs that were so prominent, often part of the traveling medicine shows, that were popular up to about the 1940’s. They were often sold in fairs or by traveling salesmen. Sometimes, as in this case, they were sold at the local drug stores. Most of these involved many ingredients which typically included a high alcohol concentration. They typically promised cures to a multitude of ailments. Some of you might remember one of the classic Andy Griffith Show episodes where Aunt Bee is taken by the medicine man and ends up intoxicated, embarrassed, and arrested by her nephew Andy.

The Medicine Shows had their roots in the Dark Ages of Europe, and they ended in this Country in the early 1950’s. While the medicine shows and miracle elixirs like Ton Kal are a thing of the past, I am reminded this week we have never been free of the various reincarnations of the medicine show even today. With the internet, I would venture that we are bombarded with much more quackery than the generation of my great-grandfather.

The good news is that the quackery and frauds are always eventually exposed for the lies that they are, and subsequently go away. For example, the Ton Kal which my great-grandfather proudly endorsed is now completely extinct. A google search for “Ton Kal” for example, yields absolutely no relevant hits. It’s as if Ton Kal never existed. However, the bad news is that there is always some new form of quackery. Did you ever wonder how to keep from getting drawn in by the quack?

This week, I was reminded (in a quite unpleasant manner I might add) just how difficult it can be for each of us to make good decisions and avoid quackery of all sorts. In the course of networking, I came across a potential opportunity for collaborative work with someone. Much of my own professional work is informed by the science of Applied Behavior Analysis that has progressively developed through a proud history of research since the 19^th Century. Today’s Applied Behavior Analysis is grounded in what is referred to as evidence-based treatment, which amounts to scientific research that supports the methods. As the Autism Science Foundation and other reputable sources encourage, choosing evidenced-based interventions are one of the most important considerations in avoiding quackery.

Unfortunately, other often well-meaning individuals don’t see the wisdom of evidenced-based practice. After a short networking meeting, we received a follow-up email from the other individual (whose favored method of practice is rooted in a theory which started in the 1970’s and has absolutely no reputable research to test it’s efficacy) stating: “…I have a problem in that I like you guys and think that we can make things work. However, I do not use and WILL NOT USE THE BEHAVIORAL PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHOLOGY, in my practice.  I believe it in inhuman and in conflict with my Christian faith…” By the way the all-capitals (“shouting”) is an exact quote from the email, not my emphasis; and I will not be making things work here.

Each of us must make decisions everyday about a multitude of choices, and it is undeniably overwhelming at times. I don’t just mean choices of therapeutic interventions, but all sorts of choices. Take foods for example. If we were to eat every “super food” (currently a trendy term) that was recommended, I would guess that we would probably be lucky to stay at under 15,000 calories per day. The internet only compounds this overwhelming amount of choices and recommendations for the best, whether it be treatments, food, fitness, investment opportunities, what schooling or training to pursue, or any multitude of areas in which we must make decisions. We inevitably must turn down choices which seem to be good ones.

As for myself, my ideal for decision making is based largely in the idea of empirical or scientific support. Keep in mind that while testimonials can be very powerful and impacting, often we can find strong testimonials both for and against anything. Sometimes the seller and the testimonials are genuine. Other times they are intended to mislead. It can be nearly impossible to ascertain the difference. In the end, does it really matter much if the quackery was from someone who was genuine in their efforts but misguided or the person was intentionally trying to mislead and exploit. Either way, you come out the loser.

I offer the following thoughts for a few reasons. Obviously, I was quite bothered by my personal experience this past week, and I find writing about something is often a good way for me to resolve an issue, let go of it, and move on. More importantly though, it’s so very important to have a solid plan for our decision-making. None of us will make the perfect choice every time. Each of us will at times be misled. Each of us will at times make the wrong choices.

Sometimes, the wrong choice causes us great harm. This may be harm to our health, harm to our financial status, or various other sorts of harm. Other times, the wrong choice may seem to have no serious consequences. For example, often herbal remedies do not cause harm or injury, even if they do not fix what is purported to be fixed.

I leave you though with this thought. Even those seemingly innocuous wrong choices are often harmful in this sense. The wrong “harmless” choice often does mean a missed opportunity for gaining the benefits of the correct choice. Most of the choices that we make require some sort of investment. When we say “investment”, we tend to think of money. However, the investment may also be our time or our energy. Regardless of which resource that we invest in a choice, we always have a limit upon that resource. I only have so much money. I do not have an endless supply of time, just as I do not have an endless supply of energy. When I make the wrong choice, I am often losing an opportunity. The opportunity to make that right choice may pass. I don’t have enough money to do all of the possible solutions, so I miss the best one through my wrong choice. Sometimes, there is only a limited window of time when something is possible or will be effective. May you thrive in your own decision-making and may each of us have the wisdom to avoid being the victim of the next Ton Kal.