Being Sexy Doesn't Necessarily Make you Right

So, if you are amongst the "I have a job during the day" people, you have probably missed the daytime television gem "The Doctors". On the show, 4 medical doctors, each possessing enough bone structure for 3 people, sit behind a shiny desk and dispense pop medicine.

Paging Dr. Cheekbones...

Mostly they're harmless. They say a lot about eating whole grains and vegetables, remind people not to smoke and get enough sleep, which is always good, and they stay away from fads and trends for the most part. It's usually only background noise as I'm writing or studying or cleaning house or whatever. Really, the only reason it's ever on is because I get distracted by that tall drink of water up there on the right while surfing for something to ignore.

But today...today they pissed me off. Someone wrote in and asked how to prevent their frequent cold sores. Their advice? Don't share drinking glasses, throw away your toothbrush after you have an outbreak so you don't 'get it again', and don't eat peanut butter. There's nothing that makes a man less sexy than giving out bunk information about herpes.

Put that sexy neck away, you misinforming so and so...

First of all, it's practically impossible to pass cold sores (usually caused by herpes simplex virus 1 or HSV1) via a glass. You get HSV1 from direct skin-to-skin contact, and no other way. However, it makes many people feel better to keep glasses, towels, etc. to themselves when they're having an outbreak, anyway, which is certainly not going to hurt anyone.

Secondly, once you have cold sores, you're not going to get them again, so you can keep your toothbrush. As soon as a body is infected with HSV1, it starts creating antibodies that prevent re-infection after re-exposure. This is basic immunology. Doctors should know this.

Thirdly, one of them said that "kids often will get cold sores in their mouth..." NO. They get canker sores in their mouth, which are completely different. Healthy people don't get cold sores in their mouths - only people with no immune system (HIV+, organ transplant, etc.) do.

inside = canker sore outside = cold sore

Fourth, it is wise to avoid peanut butter, and other foods rich in an amino acid called arginine. I'll give them that.

But what really pissed me off that they didn't even mention the fact that there are highly effective, safe, and inexpensive prescription medications available to prevent frequent or painful cold sores. They didn't need to name names, (which are acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir) but they should have at least mentioned that there are effective meds available.

So yeah, The Doctors are dead in my book. Harsh? Maybe, but I also just found out that Dr. Sexypants was also The Bachelor once, which I just can't hang with. I don't mean to offend anyone who enjoys watching it, but I hate that The Bachelor exists and is popular in a country that legally defiles the civil liberties of American citizens in the guise of 'protecting the sanctity of marriage'.

But mostly they're dead because they gave bunk info about herpes, which is my biggest pet peeve next to people cracking gum or clipping their nails on the bus.

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