Many of the more intelligent vendors do make some attempt to show the patient a better way of living. It may be camouflaged as a condition for producing the best effects of the remedy; instructions about avoiding this or that undesirable item of diet while taking the "cure" are commonly found on the leaflet wrapped around the bottle. Such advice may have far more effect on the patient’s body than any active ingredient within the bottle. If genuine improvement does occur, it can be fairly directly traced to (1) some simple advice of a corrective nature, administered with the preparation, (2) absence of any damaging drug in the remedy and, not by any means least, (3) discontinuance of a more hurtful and suppressive treatment.

Any reader who has had personal experience of benefit following the use of one or other of the many "natural remedies" will no doubt be able to decide which of these three factors was most applicable to his or her own case.