RosieH

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, but Sue, my understanding is that to date there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that reiki offers anything more than placebo. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise if you can offer some proof of its efficacy (and I reiterate, I think placebo effect is massively powerful).

Catsuit on Tina tonight, looking pretty foxy. It's pleather you know. However, this abortion of a cover of Devil Gate Drive is making me want to rip my own ears off.

Nope. Never have, not since I was about 11.

Think there's a marked difference between a child riding on the pavement to get from A to B, and a child racing along the pavement with friends - of course that's putting pedestrians at risk and the parents were completely out of order to allow it. Save the racing for the park. And Woof, I get that sometimes you need to go on the pavement, but if that's the case, how come you don't wheel your bike? Adults riding on the pavement is out of order and I've noticed it a lot more since the advent of the Boris bikes (unconfident cyclists trying them out maybe?) I've had to jump out of the way on quite a few occasions lately and it pisses me right off. If you're on a vehicle then you should be on the road. Bah.

Minkey, sorry to be dense, but I don't know what that means. Narnia, as for the cough, for me the only thing that really helped was keeping my chest warm and keeping plenty hydrated - hot showers, avoiding cold air, and some nice linctus that, while I don't think it does anything to cure the cough, at least means the throat is less irritated and I think less susceptible to the next coughing bout (at least that's how it felt).

Dulwichmum, that's an excellent summary, thanks. I'm due to change next month, and in spite of being uncool, have always stuck to the blackberry because, like you, I'm constantly emailing. For that reason, I'm quite excited about the Torch. Is shiny shiny nice, but functional. I want it now.

You're right of course Karter. The placebo effect has been shown to be very powerful.

David, while the godly Goldacre is doubtless right about all things, the bit about the spleen made me think of psychosomatic ailments that could indeed produce very real physiological effects on account of "over-thinking", no?

Who DOESN'T love a chicken with their pint? Was it still flapping?

I like a nice bit of claret with my fry up, but I imagine a beaujolais nouveau would be rather super too.

Where were you when I was working for them, Jah? Could have done my job for me.

annaj Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > One thing that does have a very good evidence > base, Sean, is paracetamol for fever ;-) SLAPDOWN!

Sean - you're freakishly paracetamol and decongestant immune? Lots of others of us find them effective ;-)

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- but > according to Rosie et al we're all just Jeremy > Clarksons. No, numbnuts, Harry and Paul are Clarkson in disguise. You're, like, way hotter than Clarkson and you wear altogether better jeans ;-) My point is about the hysterical "they're all out to get us" mentality that the Parking Patewayo sketches espouse. I expected something a bit more intelligent and a little less Daily Mail from Paul Whitehouse is all. Parking wardens who target you illegally? B@stards. Parking wardens who target you absolutely legally? Suck it up.

Crikey Sean, that's taking martyrdom to a whole new level - not even paracetamol to ease the acheyness?

Nick's so down with the kids - he helps his son with Mario Bros (pronounced like alien-twin boy band Bros). Am I mad, it's Mario Brothers right? I know it's spelt Bros, but you don't pronounce Mr as mrr do you? Oh god, he's making me want to headbutt a wall.

Would punching someone in the face have the same effect?

Sean, while I think that's absolutely true of herbal medicines, what's the deal with acupuncture? I assume placebo, but I'm too lazy to look it up...

Ah, I missed it. A broken woman, I went to bed early and will be watching on iplayer later. I caught 2 minutes of Hugh Hendry afore I slept though and thought he was a right cocky cunt. And now Clegg's on Desert Island Discs...

Huguenot, an X-ray would also help diagnose pneumonia. Narnia, I wouldn't worry too much. A few years ago, following a bout of pneumonia caused by Scotland, I had a cough that lingered for about 5-6 months. It was annoying as hell and also debilitating (weak and wheezy is no fun). My GP sent me for X-rays, blood and asthma tests, all kinds of malarkey. It was taking too long (wait weeks for one test, negative results, wait weeks for next test), so I went private. Ended up blowing a grand on a private GP (intravenous vitamins anyone?) all to be told I was probably still a bit weak from the pneumonia and just needed time to get over it. Gradually it went away. Probably would have gone away quicker if I had spent the thousand pounds on a nice beach holiday instead.

Brothel Express

Sigmund Freud might think it was hysteria and that he secretly wants to kill you. I know this is unhelpful and I apologise, I know nothing of Chinese medicine, it just reminded me of Anna O.

I think it's offensive because not only is it not funny, but it's Harry and Paul written by Clarkson: traffic wardens disguised as bushes to catch the unaware..? STOP PARKING WHERE YOU SHOULDN'T AND YOU WON'T GET A TICKET YOU UNFUNNY TEDIOUS FUCKS. It's so offensive it makes me offensive.

Where are we going Ridgley? Saying Paul and Harry aren't funny?

Music Q: Which seminal 80s (and 90s) guitarist might the French think was a bit pissed off? A: Johnny Marr (j'en ai marre - I'm fed up en francais)