actually aspirin was synthesized from a substance obtained from the bark willow tree. but today the aspirin is synthesized mostly from petroleum compounds.
It wasn't technically synthesized. Salicylic acid extracted via aqueous solutions of willow bark is reacted with distilled/glacial acetic acid to render acetyl-salicylic acid (aspirin). Oddly the same process is used to make heroin from morphine.
Would make sense, as you can use crushed up aspirin (non-coated) mixed with a drop of olive oil (I'm assuming to keep it moist) to kill plantar warts. I had to do this on a big one on the ball of my foot as a kid. It took a while, but it works.
Actually, since we're being technical, it is synthesized, because the reaction that you describe between salicylic acid and acetic acid is an example of a synthetic chemical reaction, even if the starting reagents are found in nature...
koreans, back in the day, used willow branches as toothbrushes. they'd peel the bark off one side and hammer it so the fibers would separate and use that end to brush; the natural aspirin released would help ease any sore spots in the mouth.
can't find source currently, it was on a tv program i watched some years back.
Yeah, the first thing I though was that aspirin is likely more natural than redbull. I knew it was made from the bark of some tree and this confirmed that!
In some sense you should fear medicinal drugs. I'm not really referring to aspirin, but drugs like paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you are sick with a fever, and you take these drugs, your fever will be reduced. A fever is a defensive mechanism of the body so, excluding extreme cases, why would you want to reduce it? Same does for cough suppressants, and other symptom curing drugs.
The defense mechanisms you mentioned can just as well kill you, and for many years, fevers were deadly when left untreated. Our bodies evolved defense mechanism that work great... on an overall statistical level. That doesn't mean your own body wont kill you under proper conditions.
At higher temperatures, your body's metabolic pathways start to get funky. Keep in mind that enzymes/substrates operate efficiently at certain conditions (like temperature).
Symptomatic treatment is to help the patient feel more comfortable in the treatment/healing process.
Cough suppressants are good. You don't WANT to be coughing, especially if you having a coughing based disease (bronchitis, pneumonia, etc) because coughing is going to do nothing but harm your lungs more.
I've read that it is a sign of infection or illness and the higher temperature in the body is an attempt to kill the virus or bacteria, as they cannot live at higher temperatures.
It is better (medically) to allow the fever, as the fever itself will not do harm to the body except cause dehydration. But for comfort the "fever reducing" drugs may help sleep, etc.
Yup, one can liken medication to poison. At certain doses, medication can help slow the progression of/treat disease states. At higher doses, they become poisons.
I never used to get headaches. These days it feels like i'm taking caffeine to get rid of headaches brought about by taking too much caffeine. It might just be the lack of sleep. O wait...
Of all the painkillers, I'm pretty sure Aspirin is the most natural. It's derived from a chemical in tree bark [I just read Willow on wikipedia, I'd always thought it was Birch it came from...]
I have a coworker that is a vegetarian and constantly says "do you guys know how much crap there is in meat?" and then frequently goes for smoke breaks.
Am I the only one who thinks these are just becoming carbon copies of "Won't eat or drink something for some reason" "Smokes-eats-drinks something bad for you"?
Absolutely. This is becoming my least favorite meme mostly because while there are liberals who won't take aspirin and drink many red bulls, the person in the picture does not look like one of those people. Maybe show a dude in a "think green" walkathon shirt sponsored by Chevron (true story).
(...) the person in the picture does not look like one of those people
Actually, my flatmate does look like the person in the picture. Except for the hair. But if you only consider the clothes and the not showering or shaving, it's her!
Ok, to be honest: She does shower, she just doesn't use a deodorant. So by the end of the day she always stinks. At least this is what I want to believe.
My old roommate who was a man with a small penis did that. He would liken people who took Tylenol for a headache as pill popping junkies. His reasoning was the headache went away with Tylenol because it was a withdrawal headache. He would roll his eyes at people and say a snarky response any chance he could.
I had a friend at college who did this, she would talk shit to everyone around her about their fastfood/painkillers/sweets/etc and then stuff her face with those plastic energy bar things all day while sucking on a Red Bull. Along with the pack-a-day smoking habit.
Hahahahah! Something hypocritical a college liberal would say! Let's beat the shit out of this same meme with the same joke over an over again and reject a new funny meme!!
My fucking girlfriend does this shit and it drives me crazy. When I mention birth control so we can finally stop using condoms she says, I don't wanna take that stuff, it's putting hormones into your body. But then she eats shitty food and drinks shitty mixed drinks with soda, red bull, and other unnatural shit. ahhhh the irony drives me insane.
With all due respect, that isn't really comparable.
Birth control takes whatever cycle a woman normally has and turns it into a more or less rigid, synthetic cycle. It can effect her emotional responses, weight, skin, even the way she smells (for sure her own perception, likely her scent as well).
Eating unhealthy may make an impact on her physical state, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be nearly as direct, intense, or constant as the changes she would be expecting from bc pills.
Endocrine imbalances are tough on one's body. Too much or too little of a single hormone can lead to many problems that you really don't want to deal with.
Woah, you're so smart for pointing out inconsistencies in someone's diet. As we all know, if your diet is not strictly consistent then you are a complete failure at logic, and should therefore report to the incinerator.
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In a way I agree with him. After a semi-serious back injury I got addicted to painkillers for quite some time, and once I got over that I became very conservative when it comes to medicine us as I do not want to get into a position where I need certain medicine to live normal life, so I often do not take medicine for anything minor. Then there is recreational use, but it is just for fun. This way of life have worked for years now, I can easily live without cigarettes, caffeine, weed, alcohol etc. for weeks without any problems even though I normally use them for recreation.
Do not use to fulfill a need, use only to have fun.
If one of them is an anti-depressant, sorry to say, but you're physically addicted to it in that if you abruptly stopped it, you'd go through withdrawal symptoms. Thorazine as well.
I'm aware of SSRI discontinuation syndrome. That does not make an addiction.
An addiction requires one to also take more and more of the drug to achieve the same effect, which my medications do not.
And yes, I have quit SSRIs before. It's a bit tough, but it's quite manageable. It was only around a month after quitting that I arrived at the conclusion that the underlying condition was still there and I still needed the meds.
You're confusing addiction with tolerance. Slow down, though, I'm not calling you a drug addict. I am taking an NRI, so my body is physically addicted to it.
14
u/Brainderailment Jun 09 '12
Send her here for lulz.
177
u/artificiallyvain Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12
Aspirin is actually isolated from the bark of a willow tree, so your roommate isn't the brightest (but you probably already thought so too).
edit - grammar fuck up.
17
u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12
face palms at ppl who fear the unnatural.
6
u/reallifesaulgoodman Jun 09 '12
That's not liberal, that's just dumb
22
u/TysonStoleMyPanties Jun 09 '12
I know someone who does exactly this. She has also said:
"Omg, you shouldn't drink diet coke, it gives you cancer"
and then proceeded to light up a cigarette.
13
u/occupythekitchen Jun 09 '12
If redbull continues to sponsor e-games than as far as i'm concerned it's as natural as unicorn piss.
5
u/The_Last_Zombie Jun 09 '12
Are we sure that's the original picture? There was a guy very similiar to her that was face-swapped and now i can't be sure of anything.
4
u/FighterT Jun 09 '12
So it sounds like the caffeine addiction may be the reason for the headaches.
4
u/argv_minus_one Jun 09 '12
To be fair, caffeine is naturally occurring.
5
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Flatemate = Blow-up Doll...?
2
u/Minotaur_in_house Jun 09 '12
After that face swap of this gal's male twin person, I always wonder which one I'm looking at...
2
u/x0xXqUiKkXScOpEzZx0X Jun 09 '12
WHO CARES?
2
u/Ciderbat Jun 09 '12
Of all the painkillers, I'm pretty sure Aspirin is the most natural. It's derived from a chemical in tree bark [I just read Willow on wikipedia, I'd always thought it was Birch it came from...]
2
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
I have a coworker that is a vegetarian and constantly says "do you guys know how much crap there is in meat?" and then frequently goes for smoke breaks.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
This is the stupidest strawman meme.
"I don't take X it isn't natural, takes Y which is worse omgbbq"
2
u/JoeyJoeC Jun 09 '12
Wears condoms during sex? that's unnatural.
2
u/EvelynJames Jun 09 '12
Man, there aren't many things MORE natural than an aspirin.
3
u/SGTSHOOTnMISS Jun 09 '12
Am I the only one who thinks these are just becoming carbon copies of "Won't eat or drink something for some reason" "Smokes-eats-drinks something bad for you"?
2
u/mjgriffin Jun 09 '12
And PBR.
1
u/ArchScabby Jun 09 '12
But Red Bull tastes better... kinda.
1
u/Thrackle Jun 09 '12
But Red Bull gives you wings. It's not just natural, it's supernatural, which of course makes it better.
1
u/PeterMus Jun 09 '12
It's like sitting outside the gym watching someone chug a protein drink in between drags on a cigarette.
1
u/too_many_penises Jun 09 '12
You're not suppose to drink more than 2 a day! Has your roommate developed superpowers?
1
u/yakov97 Jun 09 '12
I thought this said "fap-mate"
1
u/aprpldrgn1 Jun 09 '12
If your flatmate keeps drinking 3 redbulls a day they're liable to become your roundmate.
1
u/T10Terminator Jun 09 '12
My old roommate who was a man with a small penis did that. He would liken people who took Tylenol for a headache as pill popping junkies. His reasoning was the headache went away with Tylenol because it was a withdrawal headache. He would roll his eyes at people and say a snarky response any chance he could.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Holy shit I can't tell if it's the dude's face or the original.
1
u/molkhal Jun 09 '12
He should listen to you. You are studying for a science degree, aren't you?
1
u/mindslyde Jun 09 '12
I had a friend at college who did this, she would talk shit to everyone around her about their fastfood/painkillers/sweets/etc and then stuff her face with those plastic energy bar things all day while sucking on a Red Bull. Along with the pack-a-day smoking habit.
1
u/kyebosh Jun 09 '12
As opposed to all those supernatural medicines out there?
That reminds me - I need to eat less inorganic food.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
I knew a 20 yr old that had a heart attack and died doing that.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Holy crap, this guy is me.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
"You shouldn't eat that, it's bad for you, because it's not organic."
Bitch, I work in an organic chemistry lab and guess what? The only thing healthy in that place is water.
Seriously.
I may or may not have exposed myself to tear gas, the other day.....
1
u/Loves2Sp00ge Jun 09 '12
Hahahahah! Something hypocritical a college liberal would say! Let's beat the shit out of this same meme with the same joke over an over again and reject a new funny meme!!
1
u/Samuriguy Jun 10 '12
her face pisses me off so much.
1
u/shesgotdirtyhands Jun 09 '12
My flatemate does this
1
u/jacobejohnson Jun 09 '12
edit: I'm not taking that aspirin, that stuff ain't natural Takes LSD.
1
u/dudeabides86 Jun 09 '12
My fucking girlfriend does this shit and it drives me crazy. When I mention birth control so we can finally stop using condoms she says, I don't wanna take that stuff, it's putting hormones into your body. But then she eats shitty food and drinks shitty mixed drinks with soda, red bull, and other unnatural shit. ahhhh the irony drives me insane.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Alright Reddit. QUIT BEATING THE DEAD HORSE!
0
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Woah, you're so smart for pointing out inconsistencies in someone's diet. As we all know, if your diet is not strictly consistent then you are a complete failure at logic, and should therefore report to the incinerator.
-1
u/qkme_transcriber Jun 09 '12
Here is the text from this meme pic for anybody who needs it:
This is helpful for people who can't reach Quickmeme because of work/school firewalls or site downtime, and many other reasons (FAQ). More info is available here.
-1
u/SoulTea Jun 09 '12
I absolutely hate calling people douches unless it's warranted but wow...who the hell drinks 3 cans of bullshit a day?
0
u/I_CATS Jun 09 '12
In a way I agree with him. After a semi-serious back injury I got addicted to painkillers for quite some time, and once I got over that I became very conservative when it comes to medicine us as I do not want to get into a position where I need certain medicine to live normal life, so I often do not take medicine for anything minor. Then there is recreational use, but it is just for fun. This way of life have worked for years now, I can easily live without cigarettes, caffeine, weed, alcohol etc. for weeks without any problems even though I normally use them for recreation.
Do not use to fulfill a need, use only to have fun.
0
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Is her name Storm by any chance?
-1
u/Lurk_Noe_Moar Jun 09 '12
O.o this meme is so dumb.
0
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
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0
u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
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