Chemicals Are All The Things

My last post was quite an emotional outburst, and public emotional outbursts usually end terrible for me.  I haven't been brave enough yet to go back to it.  Someday I will, and someday I will speak on sexual education of the young.

But until then, I have another problem with the internet, and that is how often I'm forced to come across people I like, know, love, respect, or just are regular Facebook acquaintances, posting things that seem like science, but is actually pseudoscience.  And, as Josh recently found out, not everyone knows the "P" in pseudoscience is silent.  I'm here to tell you it is.

Next, this is my newest pet peeve, and that is the broad use of the word "chemicals".  This Article and This One are excellent better researched articles on this topic than what I'm going to provide for you.  Technically, you could call me out as a hypocrite for spouting my opinions without properly researching them first. The articles are about the Food Babe, maybe you've heard of her? I haven't, but I don't circuit the healthy living all natural food blogs because they are too full of pseudoscience, much exhibited by the Food Babe.  But she states that “There is just no acceptable level of any chemical to ingest, ever.”And that is what irks me the most.  The blatant over use of the word "chemical".  Did anyone take chemistry in high school?  It's basic science knowledge, and I'm not being all intellectual here, I do mean BASIC science, that everything is made of chemicals.  I'll repeat in Internetese:  CHEMICALS ARE ALL THE THINGS! 

Example:
Waters' chemical equation is H2O
Salts' chemical equation is NaCl or if you will, Halite, or sodium chloride.  All mean the same thing.
Chlorine is a chemical that is put in our drinking water to kill bacteria.  Would you rather drink pool water or lake water or ocean water?  One is filled with chlorine, one is filled with fish poop, and one is filled with salt and fish poop.
There is a chemical equation for all organic things...lots of OH's and C's in them.  Josh could fill you in on these, I never took organic chemistry.
The sand at the beach is mostly SiO2. Or Silica, or quartz, if you will.  Unless you are at an ocean beach because some of them are made up of carbonatious chemicals, commonly known as sea shells, or Tums/chalky antacids, or as I call them, Mommy's night time candy.
 Vinegar is a known superfood cureall make everything okay.  Not only is it a chemical...it's also an acid.  Shit.
All oils, including the most precious of all oils, coconut oil, are chemicals.  You break those chemicals apart (a glycerin chemical connected to 3 fatty acids) and separate them, and you get biodiesel.  No matter what oil it is...it all makes biodiesel. 

Milk is a chemical, and it's ever so slightly acidic (6.7 and 7 is neutral), but is close to neutral.  That's why you put it in your eyes after you touch them with capsaicin (Follow link for chemical equation and to learn its' history).  Capsaicin is the chemical in jalepenos that makes them spicy and hot.  The milk's pH helps neutralize the pain.

The air we breath is a chemical.

Now, I'm not saying all chemicals are good, but please, please, so you don't look like a giant dufus, think about what you are saying and what it really means.  You cannot communicate your message well, if you aren't saying what you think you are saying. 

And please, never believe what you read on the internet without research, confirmation, and peer reviewed credibility. I'm skeptic about the peer reviewed part though, groupthink is a real thing.