Naive.

I was having dinner tonight in the local Japanese (actually Korean) noodle place when I overheard a conversation that I just have to share.

A young man and a young woman, mid20s, by the look of them. Not a date, maybe just friends. He started telling her that he'd been to see some sort of therapist about his allergies, and went on to describe how they put a vial containing a possible antagonist in your hand, then see whether you can generate any force with your arm (they push down on your arm gently, you resist). The idea is that if the vial contains something you're allergic to, you won't have the strength. They do this over and over again with different allergens.

He said to her that they'd told him this was because the electromagnetic field of the allergen interfered with the electromagnetic field of the body (which seemed to him to be entirely reasonable, I guess).

They'd tested the things he knew he was allergic to, and sure enough he was indeed allergic to pollen and dog hair. But then, he told her, they had tested for other things and it turned out he was allergic to things he didn't even know he was allergic to! And even better, not only could they cure the allergies he knew he had, they could also cure these extra ones! And only $85 each!

There's something almost touching about this sort of naivite. He didn't stop and think "hang on.. this guy's in the business of selling allergy 'cures', so it's in his interest to diagnose lots and lots of allergies". And before you jump in, yes, I'm sure your cousin Vicky was cured like this and has never looked back.

He said that part of the cure involved being hooked up to a machine (which, I can imagine had a few dials and stuff, probably a couple of LEDs too) which did something that neutralized the electromagnetic field. And then, no more asthma, no more hay fever. And no more of those allergies he didn't even know he had.