I have tried many forms of snake oil, have yet to find one that totally cures my pain. Oddly enough, I have found no modern medicine that totally heals my issues thus my reasons to focus on holistic solutions and non-traditional methods. Native Americans used natural remedies to heal and alleviate conditions. Who's to say their remedies are not effective. Same deal with acupuncture. Chinese have used it for centuries. I personally tried it a few years ago, when I had the money and it helped me. I find that holistic, non-traditional methods are helpful, especially when compared to opioids, pill-popping, etc.
Interestingly, snake oil gets it's reputation not because it is itself ineffective, but, it was because so many counterfeiters piled in selling cheapfakes, while simultaneously inflating cure-all claims. (citation, Smithsonian Magazine on Stanley Clark). Snake medicines are still used commonly in various types of Chinese medicine.
Keep in mind that the term "Snake Oil Salesman," was a twisting of the truth. Yes, it originated with Chinese immigrants from the 1800s. Among the items the Chinese railroad workers brought with them to the States were various medicines, including snake oil. Made from the oil of the Chinese water snake, which is rich in the omega-3 acids that help reduce inflammation, snake oil in its original form really was effective, especially when used to treat arthritis and bursitis. The workers would rub the oil, used for centuries in China, on their joints after a long hard day at work. The story goes that the Chinese workers began sharing the oil with some American counterparts, who marveled at the effects.
It is these American counterparts that dissembled the truth by creating ineffective variations of the formulas hence the twisting of the term, "Snake Oil Salesmen."
