One warrior in an Indian tribe had a persistent problem with an upset stomach. So, naturally, he visited the medicine man at his tent.
The medicine man listened carefully to the symptoms and gave the complaining Indian a leather thong to take with him, advising him to chew on it for the next 7 days and then report back to him.
The Indian did just that and reported back to the medicine man a week later.
He was asked if there had been any improvement, and he had to reply, unfortunately, that, "No, things are still painful in the gut." So the medicine man suggested that he continue his regimen for another week and report back to him again.
After another week at chewing the thong, the Indian visited the medicine man again. Frustratingly, he reported that the thong was being well bitten into but for some reason his stomach problems persisted. The sage medicine man offered that, "Well, these things are often a function of enough time going by before the problem is cured." He directed yet another week of chewing and a third follow-up visit to him at that time.
So the week went by, and the Indian STILL was suffering, but dutifully reported back to the medicine man, who naturally asked him about the current status, to which there was only one logical reply: "The thong is gone but the malady lingers on."
