Weird health claims about magnesium

Here’s a point you don’t see every day:

“While there are lymph nodes in both armpits, there is no expulsion of lymph from the left armpit, an observation that should be apparent to anyone with armpits.”

Indeed! I have armpits, and that is apparent to me. (That is, it is clear that neither my left nor right armpit is a lymph-leaker.)

Skeptical pharmacist Scott Gavura ended up having to write that sentence while debunking some particularly weird health claims about magnesium for ScienceBasedMedicine.org, such as: “3/4 of the waste in your lymph expels through your left armpit” and “rubbing magnesium oil on your feet will eliminate body odour.”

What the hell? It never cease to amaze me how confidently people can just make shit up and pretend it’s actually knowledge and wisdom. Homo sapiens is just astonishingly good at bullshit! Wikipedia on bullshit:

“The term ‘bullshit’ is sometimes used to specifically refer to statements produced without particular concern for truth, clarity, or meaning, distinguishing ‘bullshit’ from a deliberate, manipulative lie intended to subvert the truth.”

Scott’s whole article is worthwhile, and I’ve added this snippet to my Epsom salts guide, which explores magnesium-as-medicine in detail.