SCIENTISTS are often telling us how to live, based on the thousands of complex problems that plague our complex lives.
We don't sleep well, we sometimes struggle to reproduce and what we eat is likely to kill us before we retire.
So when the miracle process is publicised, we might well leap at it, forgetting that many scientific discoveries and inventions are part of a long-term process, often aligning to a popular trend, and even more often sponsored by companies that want to see results that favour their own products.
Such is the case with the development of pills that can mimic the effects of exercise, designed for people with spinal injuries but obviously a boon for those who are overly fond of the couch.
Or there's the British study which suggests drinking half a litre of water before powering down a high-protein breakfast will enhance weight loss. That particular study is sponsored by the US Pork Board and the European Hydration Institute.
We know perfectly well what we're doing wrong, a lot of the time.
If we desire these scientific miracles then we must first acknowledge, deep down, that we are physiologically going about things the wrong way.
We have to own up to a bit of a guilt trip about what we eat and how infrequently we exercise. But there is no pill. Science won't transform you.
So who do you listen to? Try listening to yourself for a change.
Your body is allowed to start hurting, as you age. You can't vault farm fences like a teenager any more.
When you bend down to pick something up from the floor, you look for something else to do while you're down there.
But only you can take ownership of your own guilt.
Scientists want to change the world, and get the glory, but they've got more chance of curing cancer than curing obesity.
Do you think a person with cancer is waiting for an absolute cure? They go to battle with what is on offer right now.
It's up to you to do battle, rather than read what scientists can offer.