“Getting to the Root” . . . Really? Who are you kidding?
Do we really look that stupid . . .?
Last night, I was indulging in some brainless post-dinner TV sitcoms. During one commercial break, I noticed two ads in a row claiming that their product works better than most of its kind because of its ability to treat the cause of the problem. The first ad was for a dandruff shampoo that was above its competitors because it was able to “get to the root” of the condition. The second ad was for a skin cream that helped to combat dryness, and was superior to other moisturizers because it claimed to “treat the source” of the dry skin.
I found these claims to be both inaccurate and entertaining, because if these products truly were addressing the root or source of the issue, there would no longer be a need for the products themselves, which wouldn’t be so great for business. Hence, many of our “solutions” for medical conditions these days are far from being solutions. In fact, most of them act as band-aids, covering up the symptom(s), without ever coming close to the underlying reason the person developed the condition in the first place. It’s like watching person after person tripping over a big log in the road and then treating their wounds after they’ve fallen and calling it a solution. Imagine people rushing over after each person falls, attending to their wounds, using product after product to sterilize, treat and cover their cuts. Whereas the obvious and true solution would be to remove the log in the first place, preventing the falls and wounds. But then, no one would need all the people rushing to help the wounded victims or their “products”. Business wouldn’t be very good for the victim treaters if everyone was able to take care of themselves.
So what does “getting to the root” really mean then, you may be asking. Take the dandruff commercial for example. If they were to be completely truthful when they claimed their product “gets to the root” of the problem, the product would look more like a booklet with information about what was actually causing their recurrent dandruff. Of course it’s not that their scalp is deficient in zinc or coal tar (which are literally some of the main active ingredients in the shampoo), but that there is something internal going on that is causing their bodies to produce these symptoms. Topical treatments for conditions can sometimes be helpful to calm the condition down a bit, but it is certainly NOT a permanent solution. In the case of dandruff for example, the flakes are typically connected to a yeast or oil production. The question shouldn’t be, “well, what can we PUT on this topically to kill it or treat it”, the question should be, “what internally is going on that is CAUSING the yeast and oil production?”
I’ve seen dandruff resolve once people start to eat optimally, address hormone imbalances, reduce the tendency to develop yeast conditions through dietary changes and possibly some supplements for a short period of time to rebalance the body’s flora and immune system. Reducing sugar and processed foods is a big one here. In addition, often times the shampoos that are meant to treat the condition are actually too harsh for the scalp, drying it out, causing more oil production, further exacerbating the problem. For most, switching to more natural, gentler, and less toxic hair products and changing their diets takes care of the problem. This approach is a more true solution, because it addresses the internal reason that the external symptoms are manifesting, therefore getting to the actual root cause.
Symptoms are never random occurrences. They appear as a signal to our bodies that something is not balanced and needs attention. Whether it’s emotional, physical or even spiritual, there is always a reason for not feeling or looking well, and until those reasons are addressed and attended to, the symptoms will continue to recur and/or even evolve in to other new symptoms. Then again, doesn’t that work pretty well for companies selling products?
So the answer to the question in the title, “who are you kidding, do we really look that stupid?” My answer is, I really hope not. Next time you’re offered a “solution” for your symptom(s), take a second and just ask your logical self if it makes sense. Is this really a solution? Is this really going to fix my problem? Or is this actually just entertaining to me now that I know the truth.
