The products in this shop are not medicines. They have not been successfully tested for efficacy, or to find the correct dosage to use. I teach children that this matters, because when people are sick, and their loved ones are sick, they are vulnerable to unscrupulous people.

In England, children are taught about placebos, and double-blind trials. Double-blind trials are common questions on GCSE exams. A double-blind trial is one whether neither the patient, nor the doctor (researcher) knows which participants in the study received the real drug with

an active ingredient, and who received a placebo. Of the three products in this picture, one is likely to have a “placebo effect” - making those who use it feel better. But it doesn't stop people from being infected, and it hasn't “passed” clinical trials. It's not a medicine.

If you want to believe that “placebos work”, and give your money to unscrupulous people, then you are an adult. You can find research studies that suggest listening to Christmas music “boosts immunity”. Music is NOT medicine. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

The mask I'm wearing is not a medicine either. It's what's called an “NPI” (Non-pharmaceutical intervention) and it's tested in fundamentally different ways. You can't do a double-blind trial on a mask. I promise you, you KNOW you are wearing them. Doctors KNOW too.

Masks work, in the same way that cycle helmets and hi-vis jackets work. You don't test them by removing them from a control group. If an advocate for masks makes money from selling masks, they are not being inappropriate or unscrupulous. They are not making false claims.

Some people claim that “masks don't work”. That's nonsense. It's a little like claiming that this lovely, comfy Bosie sweater doesn't work. (Bosie, if you want to send me free stuff, please get in touch) The mask is comfy too.

I don't receive monetary payment for the promotion of masks. I use a nom de plume, but I'm very easy to identify. It might cause conflicts with my work. If you want to help me out, like and share my original music. A Christmas song about us. Shoulder To Shoulder (original)

Actually, I do receive some financial benefits from wearing masks. I don't get sick and pass on illness to my wife. I get sick pay, but she doesn't. She would lose thousands of pounds if she got sick. Here I am making a delivery for her business.

When I teach, I try to mention trustworthy sources of information, such as the truly excellent nhs.uk website. But this will never come up on an exam, so we can't justify lesson time to let students access these resources themselves. cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/t…