Car Talk And Your Health

Sure, this may have been in jest. But, consider for a moment what it says if it wasn’t in jest.

Tom and Ray Magliozzi write a column (and have written a book) called "Car Talk" which is syndicated nationally. They answer reader questions related to automotive issues and news, and also have a podcast. In a recent column, there was an interesting letter from a physician, the full text of which can be found here.

“You mentioned in a recent column that ethylene glycol (antifreeze) is toxic to animals. Is it also toxic to humans? I'm a doctor, and I prescribe a medicine for my patients that cleans out their colon called Go-Lytely (which makes a person do anything but go lightly). The main ingredient in Go-Lytely is polyethylene glycol, which sounds an awful lot like ethylene glycol, or antifreeze. So, when I prescribe Go-Lytely to prepare my patients for a colonoscopy, am I really prescribing antifreeze? If so, could I just tell my patients to down a gallon of Prestone and save themselves a trip to the pharmacy? – Dan

Let’s just say that I really, really hope, that this wasn’t an actual reader question.

Worse yet, I really, really, really hope this wasn’t an actual question from a physician. My faith in all that is health care may be fully and completely destroyed.

If this is truly the case - a sincere question - then “Dan” needs to go back to organic chemistry, or perhaps read a few labels a little more carefully. If this is “for real”, then we have yet another reason to be cautious and concerned about “the world’s best health care system”. But nonetheless, go forward, and Go-Lytely. Tread with caution, ask lots of questions – and read the labels.

Photo credit: Wikipedia