The age of the internet has brought with it a host of scams, rip-offs, and fake products that make snake oil salespeople of the past look like saints. But the silver lining is that we are developing a thicker and thicker skin to their methods, with the result that we often misidentify real products as illegitimate.So a netizen asked the people of the internet toshare their wisdomon what things that appear to be scams actually work pretty well. There was a pile of interesting suggestions, so get comfortable as you read through, make sure to upvote your favorite examples and comment your thoughts and experiences below.This post may includeaffiliate links.
The age of the internet has brought with it a host of scams, rip-offs, and fake products that make snake oil salespeople of the past look like saints. But the silver lining is that we are developing a thicker and thicker skin to their methods, with the result that we often misidentify real products as illegitimate.
So a netizen asked the people of the internet toshare their wisdomon what things that appear to be scams actually work pretty well. There was a pile of interesting suggestions, so get comfortable as you read through, make sure to upvote your favorite examples and comment your thoughts and experiences below.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Many people can’t believe this but: Vaccines are actually Safe and Effective!
Vinegar and news paper to clean windows.I thought the ink would come off and make an even bigger mess.Almost turns the window invisible.
Vitamin D supplements. it’s much more important than any of us realized.
The original snake oil, while not at all functional, wasn’t intended to be a scam, at least as far as we know. Chinese traditional medicine posits that oil taken from the skin of a Chinese water snake may have some medicinal properties, and was likely brought into the English languagethrough Asian railway workers in the 19th century.Interestingly, oil taken from a Chinese water snake has a particularly high concentration of omega−3 fatty acids, more than salmon and the fish oils many people use as supplements. While just omega-3 fatty acids aren’t magic sure, they are not harmful and do have some health benefits. However, the real scams began when salespeople in the US, unable to procure Chinese snakes,turned to using rattlesnake oil.
The original snake oil, while not at all functional, wasn’t intended to be a scam, at least as far as we know. Chinese traditional medicine posits that oil taken from the skin of a Chinese water snake may have some medicinal properties, and was likely brought into the English languagethrough Asian railway workers in the 19th century.
Interestingly, oil taken from a Chinese water snake has a particularly high concentration of omega−3 fatty acids, more than salmon and the fish oils many people use as supplements. While just omega-3 fatty acids aren’t magic sure, they are not harmful and do have some health benefits. However, the real scams began when salespeople in the US, unable to procure Chinese snakes,turned to using rattlesnake oil.
The whole “hold your breath to get rid of hiccups” trick.Thing is, most people just don’t know the proper way to do it or why it works.It’s got nothing to do with simply holding your breath. It’s got to do with using your lungs to hold down the diaphragm and stop it from spasming.You breathe in until you cannot fit literally anything else into your lungs. When your chest is as full as humanly possible then you hold it and within about 15 seconds the hiccups are gone.
How effective Medical cannabis is on Parkinson’s and MS.You watch the videos and the effects are like the patients are paid actors before. But it’s real, and it works.
Yoga. I have severe upper back pain and went to months of physical therapy. I couldn’t keep up with the millions of appointments and started doin yoga as a way to stretch my upper back instead. I was doing it for 30 mins each day and forgot that I had pain. It’s so annoying that it does what people say it does because this whole time I thought they were just being annoying but they’re 100% right. There’s an app that is called “Down dog yoga” it’s a blue dog as the logo, that’s the app I really enjoy! You can Customize time and focus area so you can fit things in when you have time
In an even more convoluted twist, one of the original snake-oil salesmen, as we think of the term today, was a man named Clark Stanley, sometimes called the “Rattlesnake King,” who sold, you guessed it, what he said was oil from rattlesnakes, which was supposed to cure all sorts of ailments. He was exposed as a fraud in 1916, which is likelythe reason we still compare scam products to snake oil.
Weighted blankets. My partner has anxiety disorder (I don’t) so I bought one for her as a gift while we lived apart. I didn’t think they would make any difference to me. She moved in, and I slept under it for the first time… I can’t get a good night of sleep without it now. It’s literally a 10x improvement to my sleep, and I discounted it because I thought it wouldn’t do anythingI guess you could say I slept on it for too long 😎👉👉
Meditation. When I was an alcoholic and drug abuser, my friend use to tell me about meditation to help with anxiety and stress. I thought “b***h we use Xanax around here, no one’s got time to meditate” we no longer use Xanax, and have the time to meditate:)
I had a weird smelling basement. Someone said to get aromatic cedar blocks, sand them down and leave them there. I thought, no way this could work. But it did. The smell is totally eliminated.
In a twist that shouldn’t surprise any 21st-century person, Clark Stanley’s rattlesnake oil didn’t even contain any snake oil. On the one hand, the presence of snake oil wouldn’t have made a lick of difference, but it seems like a colossal risk to sell a fake product that doesn’t even have the magic ingredient it’s marketed for. His reputation was destroyed when this uncomfortable fact was discovered andhe was fined $20.
Does a dog thundershirt count? Had an anxious dog with storms/loud noises, got him one, and while not perfect, he did seem to calm down with it on more often that not.
Salt water swish and gargle for toothache and sore throat (as long as it’s not something like strep). Source: currently have strep and ain’t nothing working. Otherwise even the dentist tells me to salt water swish if I get tooth pain or something stuck. Total relief.
While snake oil might be on the decline, there is no shortage of modern quackery, from medicinal Tibetan singing bowls to expensive dietary supplements that have minerals and vitamins found in the most basic veggies and fruits. These days, there is less pressure to persecute these salespeople, because, let’s face it, a fool, and their money will be parted pretty quickly anyway.
wearing sunscreen / spf everyday is the simplest, cheapest and very effective anti-ageing.yet a lot of people still ignore, prefer overpriced overrated cream, facelift and some invasive surgery.
I was suffering with plantar fasciitis for over six months. I tried new shoes, new insoles, pills, and physical therapy but none those things fixed it. A friend kept suggesting I try these gel toe separator things like they wear when painting toe nails. I thought it was silly but they were only $10 on Amazon, what do I have to lose? I wore the neon blue gel thing at night feeling very silly. After The first night my foot hurt like hell but after the 2nd it felt a whole lot better. I wore it for two weeks straight and plantar fasciitis was gone. Those things were like magic.
Exercises that use just your bodyweight, like push-ups, bodyweight squats, stuff like that. Can legit be done in place of weight training if you’re not just trying to get large.
This is going to sound ridiculous, but infrared light therapy. I have an autoimmune disorder and some old injuries from childhood, so I’ve struggled with chronic pain and moderate-severe fatigue for most of my life.After my first experience in one of those beds, I spent the next week or so with no pain and the energy to actually get stuff done without being even a little tired afterward.I have no idea how it works, I just know that I don’t hurt now and my inflammation numbers have been cut in half. That doesn’t even happen on my immunosuppressant.
Neti pot aka nasal saline douche is amazing if you have seasonal allergies, a cold or a sinus infection. Anecdotally it can also help reduce severity of COVID infections.
If you have a fireplace with a glass door. Wet some paper towel and dip it in the wood ash. Then wipe it liberally onto the glass so everything has a thin amount of ash paste on it, then scrub it and wipe it clean with another wet paper towel. Rinse and repeat for dirtier sections.My wife and I spent hours trying to clean it before with detergents, vinegar, etc. But this had it completely cleaned and crystal clear in maybe 10 mins.
Breathwork.I know I know you’re like “Consciously breathing is stupid.” But we unconsciously do it our entire lives and rarely think about it. Our breath changes based on our moods, thoughts, and actions. Have you ever forgot to breathe when you were lost in thought or worried? When you’re angry, do you notice that you probably take shallow breaths in your chest? Our breath is the mind-body connection and can change our moods and minds in just a few minutes.You don’t have to go full Wim Hof, but these are great:+ psychological sigh (2 count nasal inhales, long slow mouth exhale)+ box breathing (inhale 4 count, hold 4 count, exhale 4 count, hold 4 count, repeat)+ bedtime breath (nasal inhale 4 count, hold for 7 count, mouth exhale for 8 count)Edit to add:I love the free app Unwind. It’s simple, no sign ups, with 3 great timed breathwork options.
Epsom salt baths. They rapidly help recovery and I don’t know why I ever believed people saying it’s an old ‘wives tale’.During the pandemic I rode my bike ~150+ miles a week, each day id do an Epsom soak for 15mins and I’d be good to go the next day.Honorable second mention: Win Hoff method. Ice baths suck a*s. But they do your body wonders. I couldn’t get used to it, and bitched every time. But dammit do they help recovery time.
Cranberry juice. At the first sign if a UTI I drink a bit of natural cranberry concentrate in a big glass of water. I get immediate relief.
Sleepy time tea. I always thought it was just a tea that’s nice to drink before bed but sleepy time extra actually puts my d**k in the dirt. Chamomile and valerian root are legit natural sedatives.
Hot water, baking soda, and aluminum foil to clean tarnished silver. I was amazed when I dropped in a piece and watched the tarnish disappear almost instantly.
Aloe vera for burns and skin conditions. Also, ginseng.
Tea tree oil for skin tags. Cover in tea tree oil using a cotton ball - you can tape the cotton ball over it too. In a couple of days it shrinks, dries up and falls off.
EMDR therapy for PTSDSounds like total b******t - and it actually worksAlso for more complex subconscious memories - like early childhood core memories, there are reprogramming methods to change those entirely as well, but these require a lot more work with a specialized psychotherapist.The human mind is highly pliable, the negative experiences of our past can be molded like putty into a new positive experience
Not sure if this is mainstream now but air fryerGame changer and so much better than cooking in the grill or ovenI don’t really care that you don’t use oil I just like how easy it isI don’t have kids but I’d like it even more if I did, it’s so good at stuff like frozen chips or chicken nuggets
Hopping on the opposite leg when you have water in your ear after swimming - works every damn time
I have serious, lifelong, horrible insomnia. I’ve tried every non-narcotic (and some narcotic) sleep aid you can imagine, melatonin is spotty and only works in the right conditions/makes me so groggy for 24 hours, benadryl is pretty terrible for you long term, etc. etc. etc. I tried valerian tea and it tasted like socks and did nothing. Then I learned that valerian takes a high dose to be effective, so I tried it in pills, and it seemed to help but it gave me a stomachache. Then a friend created a high dose valerian tincture for me. I swear on everything a dropper of that under the tongue for 2 minutes has almost the exact benefits as taking a xanax. You can properly feel it kicking in and you just drift off to sleep. There’s a reason they call it nature’s valium.
WD40 cleans candle wax off your living room carpet. If ever in doubt, consult an old housewife.
I had a couple mouth surgeries and was told putting a tea bag in my mouth would stop the bleeding. Bled non stop til I had a brew going on in my mouth
Rain-X and Bidet attachments. Not at the same time tho
Placebos are shockingly effective.Not great, but larger than zero.
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Dry needling.The idea that you can stab me in select nerves with a needle and it will suddenly “fix” everything sounded like the epitome of b******t. However, I had a bad shoulder from my football days and it always was sore.I went to a physiotherapist in Canada and they suggested dry needling + “the tumbler” (a high-intensity vibrating massager). I was skeptical, but I was losing mobility in my right arm; didn’t really have anything to lose.I was converted after the first session. I recovered almost all my mobility in 2 session. The clicking in my shoulder stopped. It didn’t hurt to stretch anymore.I don’t know who I could endorse this service for, but for me, it was a game changer and any time I hear someone talking about a shoulder pain, I point them towards this combination.
Retinol.One of the few ingredients in cosmetics that is actually scientifically proven to work. You do need to get the good stuff (depending on your country you might actually have to get a doctor’s note to get the high concentration product) but it does improve your skin.
Apple cider vinegar can do a lot. There are some websites that tout it as a cure all. It’s not, obviously, but things like rashes, sunburn, dry scalp or dandruff, etc, it really does work.
Tiger Balm.
that Liquid IV stuff. it’s legit, it will give you a lot of electrolytes, probably way more than an average person ever takes lol. is it some sort of super energy drink or someting? nah, but if you are working out or doing some sort of a sport or a physical activity, it really does help you stay hydrated better, I personally think it’s better than things like Gatorade.
Herbal teas for ailments. I get very bad panic attacks, but drinking hot chamomile tea actually brings me “back down” when one tries to start. By the end of drinking a full cup of camomile tea, my panic attack is gone. Peppermint tea is really good for menstrual or any sort of muscle cramps (I have endometriosis AND adenomyosis and it works as well as an Advil for me). Peppermint tea also helps you sleep because it’s a muscle-relaxant.
Tart cherry juice for sleep.Hemorrhoids cream works for undereye bags just dab a tiny amount and don’t get it in your eyes. This also helps bruises go away faster.Milk of magnesia to prime your face before foundation.. it will help keep your makeup on all day
The new electric-shock bands as treatment for travel sickness.I have SEVERE travel sickness. Like, have had to call an ambulance before, get sick in some kinds of building, yes even if I am the one driving kind of travel sickness. I have tried every possible solution to this c**p.A couple of years ago I found out of about the electric shock bands. The acupressure bands have always actually made me feel worse so I was skeptical, but I took a risk. They are straight up miraculous.For example, my wife doesn’t drive and her family live 3 hours away. Going to see them used to entail me taking medication and going immediately to bed on arrival and still feeling ill the next day. Now if I remember to keep the band on during the journey and for like an hour or so after the journey the effects are minimised so much its more like a mild headache.Also in this category: travel sickness glasses. They look ridiculous, but they do have an effect. Not gonna stop you being sick, but they help a little.
I’m going to collect more data on this but personally for meWhen I feel that scratchy feeling in my throat I drink a very small amount of everclear and avoid the week or two of coughing.It’s worked 19 out of 19 times
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Supposedly digesting Local Honey will stop you from getting seasonal allergies.
If you have hiccups, just remind yourself you’re not a fish. It’ll fix your hiccups. Im not even joking
Magic Eraser
Nasal irrigation. If you have headaches that start in your back, upper teeth, it’s probably a chronic sinus infection. Sinuses are empty spaces and channels in one’s head. They fill with mucus and can simulate dental pain. If you don’t have a nedi pot, you can use a coffee cup. Just snort slowly through one nostril, jiggle your head around while rubbing your neck and face for 20 second, then blow your nose.
I forgot what it was called but I couldn’t believe it actually worked, my grandmother would buy some cheap medicine from some small and frankly cheap looking storesOne was some sort of paste like medicine that was purple and smelled kind of funny, when I was young my brother accidentally slammed a door into my toe nail nearly breaking the whole thing off and splitting it in twoMy grandmother then comes back to my family’s apartment and puts on the purple medicine on my toe, no joke when I say it healed in what, three to five days I think? Anyways my toenail is then fully healed, no pain or problems years after the accidentToo bad she didn’t have that stuff on her when I ended breaking my other toenail….
Snake oil. It is high in Omega-3 and an effective anti-inflammatory.
Spoonful of sugar to cure hiccups. Works for me every time.
Adults drinking pedialyte before a night of drinking.Digging my fingers into my squishie to hold off hypnic jerk and sleep well.Fancy tea tasting better than cheap stuff. Just got reminded today! I’ve been sipping on jasmine all day! So hydrated and happy.
Melatonin.
Huffing isopropyl alcohol wipes for nausea
Warts. ANYTHING you convince someone will cure a wart, will cure a wart. You can pay a kid a quarter for a wart and it will disappear. You can paint it with fluorescent paint and shine a UV light on it and if they believe your trick it will go away. You can slap a bandaid on it and it will go away. This is well-documented. (I did a research project on the topic in the early stages of getting my doctorate.)
BluetoothWizardry if you ask me
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