If you don't believe it, why comment on it?

Question

I had just posted a question about oil-pulling and braces. I didn't receive a real answer, only people telling me it didn't really work and that I was a sucker for believing it did.

I didn't ask "do you think this works?" I didn't say "I think this worked for me, please comment!" I asked a real question looking for someone who had tried this before. I was unable to find the information I was looking for on the internet, so I thought I'd come here in case anyone else knew the answer.

There is no need to be rude and comment when you don't have an answer. I see no point in that or what good it does other people. Especially in a forum called "alternative medicine".... shouldn't people reading a post there be a little more open-minded about what they are going to read?!?

To Harold D: I actually deleted the question, I didn't block it. I was so ticked off that I just deleted it.

My question was asking if it was okay to oil-pull with braces. I explained that I had read how it pulls parasites and live organisms and bacteria from your body. I explained the great success I've had with it and described somethings it helped me with. One of the posters told me that i was sucker for believing it and that it couldn't do that. Another poster said that there was no evidence that it did anything and did I really have any positive experience with it?

I was angry because I didn't post it as a question to whether or not it worked. I stated that it worked for me and my only question was: as it is said to extract metal from the body, was it safe for braces?

I didn't see the reason why these people had to be rude and accuse me of not really having a good experience or being an idiot. That did nothing to help me or answer my question in any way.

Kalos - You are exactly what I'm talking about. Why be rude?

I know I'm not the only person here. I chose the alternative medicine forum because alternative medicine encompasses "bizarre treatments". Why would you even post here on this forum if you don't believe in being open-minded and exploring alternative methods? That makes no sense.

Answer 1

I'm with you on that; I can't tell you how many times I've asked for advice in dealing with my paruresis, only to have people who don't understand tell me I don't really have that problem or give really stupid answers. It also really ticks me off when people ask religious questions and get 20 "I don't believe in that" answers or, like you're talking about, they go to questions about alternative remedies just to slam them. Some people just can't keep their mouth shut about things they don't agree with or don't understand. Whenever I ask a question about things like that, I usually say in the details that I only want helpful answers (not that people who give crappy answers even read the details), and if I get a crappy answer, I make sure to always give it a thumbs down. If the answer is really bad and hurtful, I send an IM or email letting the answerer know that; usually people are intending to be bad, but occasionally you find people who honestly thought their answer was good or didn't understand what you were asking.

Answer 2

It's because opinions are like belly buttons... everyone's got one.

Some people just love to share their opinion when a remotely similar topic is brought up because they believe in their opinion so strongly. I've seen the exact same thing happen in several questions in Alternative Medicine, religion, and political questions.... it's just stupidly ridiculous.

One thing I make sure of with every answer I post is that I at least address their question, even if I don't believe they're doing something that's good. Heck, I'll straight out tell someone if I don't believe what they're doing is healthy for them (because I believe it would be irresponsible if I didn't tell someone how dangerous something they were asking about is)..... but I will ONLY do that if I'm able to answer their question.
I'm not going to tell someone how to take certain drugs or anything that could cause them harm (as an example)... but I'll answer their question as best I can and tell them how dangerous they can be.


I think one of the biggest things with people posting responses that don't even address the question is because a lot of people consider this like a Bulletin Board (where people can answer things and have conversations in threads), not a Question/Answer place.

.....Can you tell some of those people have annoyed me, too? ;-) LOL!

Answer 3

To answer your question - -

I believe that oil-pulling is supposed to help clean heavy metals from the body. That would include the blood stream, the organs, the bones, the tissues and the brain.

It should have no effect on your braces since they are not actually inside your body.

Answer 4

I often wonder why people feel the need to write something rude or nasty when legitimate questions are being asked.

I did not read your initial question, but I do think you speak for many, many people when you say that people should respond to questions only when they have experience or first hand knowledge in answering.

I hope that those rude and obnoxious answers will lessen as a result of your comment.

Answer 5

Since you have your questions blocked from being viewed and you didn't post your question here, then you give us nothing but your word that you didn't imply in any manner that people couldn't give you their own views.

It would be nice to be able to see just what it is you are talking about. As it is, I personally have no real idea of whether or not you have a legitimate complaint in this case.

Additional: I should have more specifically stated that your questions in your profile are selected by you as being "Private", thereby making them blocked from public view. Whether or not you deleted your question then wouldn't be apparent since I couldn't view any questions you may have asked.

I wasn't trying to be offensive in my statements pointing this out, to anyone who gave me the thumbs down. I was simply pointing out that without knowing what occurred by being able to view it, then making an unbiased opinion concerning the matter would be difficult at best.

Concerning your other question, I would say that the practice of oil-pulling might slowly break down the metals in your braces, but if you keep it to a maximum of twice daily it shouldn't cause any more harm than normal wear and tear from other substances and foods.

As regards the comments you received to it, then sure, some of them might have been meant to be rude. But others seem like people were concerned about you and simply showed their concern in a bad way. If they thought it was a bad practice for you to be doing, then it would have better served you to state why, then to include their other comments if they felt it necessary. And, as you point out, since the forum is about trying different approaches, then people shouldn't be dismissive of them based only on the fact that they are different.

Answer 6

Look - you're not the only person on this forum. If you start a public question, who are you to demand that only people who share your belief in bizarre treatments can add to the thread ? The public interest requires hearing both sides.

Incidentally, you can be so open-minded that your brains fall out. This happens a lot with altmed enthusiasts.

Answer 7

Right on sister! Same thing goes for people people commenting on questions people ask about God. They my not believe but they sure have to say somethinng negative about it.