Good for you, man. Good for you! Good for you! — J-Man (Christopher Walken); Envy (2004)
A few days ago, while in the grip of influenza, I was told the following (by someone younger than me and with less life experience, never mind a tendency not to grasp the facts of a situation, no less):
"Take the vitamin C powder and the flu pills separately, because one is natural and the other is not. There are no studies that show that the effects of mixing the two are favourable."
Um, OK, whatever. Hold up for a minute or six there, Honey. I know your elevator doesn't quite reach the top floor (thanks to your Bible-based theories about how Genesis or Exodus — I forget which, because I tuned out — explains/validates why your COVID-19 antivax stance is justified) and it's not your fault, is beyond your control, but that's a new one on/to me. Sure, I'm no stranger to the general "what's natural is always good for you" argument/fallacy, but not quite in this context.
Arsenic is natural. It is thought by some that, in small doses, it might be good for you (in the same way that trace elements are, if I'm not mistaken). However, too much of it will kill you (which is also true of trace elements). Bees, scorpions and black mambas are also natural, but their venom can also kill you. Hell, for that matter, shrimp and peanuts (of which, the latter is considered health food by some) are also natural, but they can kill people who are allergic to them.
So, from whence cometh the idea that "natural is good for you"? I know not. It is a logical fallacy.
On a related note, while I'm debunking nonsense: All that "natural" and supposedly "organic" food you eat is made of chemicals, too. (Anyone who has taken Science lessons long enough to encounter the Periodic Table can confirm this.) Chemicals are not categorically bad for you. (Yes, certain ones like Chlorine, Fluorine and Sodium very definitely are, in their pure/non-compound forms. The key phrases here are "certain ones" and "pure/non-compound forms".)
That's just some food for thought.
Post thumbnail image: The chemical compounds in an all-natural banana
