Monday, March 17, 2008 . 3/17/2008
I don't know about you, but I find it rather annoying that there are people out there who have the nerve to take advantage of the gullible. I also find it annoying that there even are gullible people out there. Most people have probably heard this already but the makers of Airborne are offering refunds to people who bought (into) it:Concocted by second-grade teacher Victoria Knight McDowell and her screenwriter husband Thomas Rider McDowell, Airborne promised to “boost your immune system to help your body combat germs” and instructed users to “take it at the first sign of a cold symptom or before entering crowded, potentially germ-infested environments.” The company’s folksy “created by a school teacher!” slogan and insistence that the product be stocked with real cold, cough, and flu medicines instead of with dietary supplements, helped turn the company into an overnight success, as did an appearance by Victoria Knight McDowell on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
But in February 2006, ABC News revealed on Good Morning America that Airborne’s much-touted lone clinical trial was actually conducted without any doctors or scientists, just a “two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study.” Soon after the plaintiff notified Airborne of his intent to file suit in March 2006, the company stopped mentioning the study and began toning down the overt cold-curing claims in favor of vague “immunity boosting” language. Next, in 2007, the Federal Trade Commission and a group of state attorneys general began investigating the various “cold busting” claims that Airborne has made since its launch in 1999. Those investigations are continuing.
Airborne’s basic formula contains Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as other nutrients common in multivitamins; the amino acids glutamine and lysine, and an “herbal extract proprietary blend.” CSPI cautions that Airborne may provide too much vitamin A, since just two pills provide 10,000 IU—the maximum safe level for a day—and the package directs customers to take three per day. In addition to several flavors of the original formula, other Airborne products include “Power Pixies,” an artificially sweetened powder version for children; Airborne Seasonal, which is described as a “non-drowsy formula containing a nutritional blend which promotes normal histamine levels”; Airborne On-the-Go; and Airborne Nighttime.
“There’s no credible evidence that what’s in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt, who reviewed Airborne’s claims. “Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that’s been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed.”
Read on...
Now, I guess I could understand if someone bought into Airborne's claims simply because there is so much pseudoscience/quackery out there that it can be hard to tell what's real and what isn't, and not everyone is interested in science or knows about the placebo effect. But when there is evidence that it doesn't actually work, as well as an explanation as to why, and you STILL think it does.. well then there is no hope for you. From LiveScience:
Last week the makers of Airborne, an herbal supplement once claimed to help prevent and cure the common cold, agreed to pay over $23 million to settle a false advertising class action lawsuit.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence that the remedy worked as initially advertised, many of Airborne’s defenders believe that the supplement is effective, and that people wouldn't use the product if it didn't work. There was a similar reaction earlier in the winter when the efficacy of children's cough medicines was questioned.
The idea that people wouldn't continue to do things if they didn't work is very common, and on a superficial level it makes some sense. It's also absolutely false.
People do things all the time that don't work—and they do them again and again. The problem is that it's often not clear whether something "works" or not, especially when it comes to health issues. A body is not like a car, for example. A car either works or does not work, and the remedies taken to fix a problem either work or do not work. This is pretty clear-cut.
Personal experience
Medical issues are far more ambiguous and subjective. We know, for example, that the placebo effect can reduce the pain that a person feels even though they were not actually given a painkiller. Let's look a little more closely at the testimonials for Airborne, as posted by users for an ABCNews.com story:
One wrote, "I used it and works for me. I used to suffer from colds, but for some reason taking Airborne has reduced the frequency significantly." Another, reflecting a touch of conspiracy theory, wrote "Airborne has always worked for me and my family. It may not be FDA approved, but it still works. Someone is afraid that it really works and got scared that it just might be a good thing."
How do the Airborne users know that the product worked? Because they didn't get a cold? Maybe, but not everyone catches a cold when they expect to, even when others around them are sick. We (and they) don't know how many colds—if any—the person would have gotten if they had not taken the herbal remedy. If they used Airborne and didn't get a cold, they will likely assume the supplement prevented it. On the other hand, if they used the remedy and did catch a cold, they may still believe that the medicine worked, assuming that the pills probably prevented two or three other colds! As decades of research on placebos shows, whether the preventive measures actually work or not has little to do with whether people believe they do.
Danger of false cures
While colds are miserable but pretty minor, a mistaken belief in the efficacy of medical treatments has killed many people.
People used to believe that disease was caused by an imbalance of fluids in the body called humors. There were four humors: yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Working under this premise, physicians treated patients by trying to restore balance among the humors. Bloodletting was a common treatment (veins would be opened with knives and leeches applied to sick patients), along with the use of laxatives and purgatives. A minority of patients (those who didn't die from severe blood loss or infection) recovered and thanked the doctors for their effective treatment.
Airborne's CEO, Elise Donahue, claimed that "Airborne ... helps your body build a healthy immune system. When you have a healthy immune system, then it allows your body, on its own, to fight off germs."
It is certainly true that having a strong immune system helps fight off disease. But there are many ways to boost your immune system, and most are cheap or free. Getting enough exercise and sleep are two ways, and (unlike Airborne's pills) they are proven and don't cost a dime.
Speaking of multi-vitamin pills and supplements, it also kind of annoys me to see people who say, "Oh, I almost forgot to take my multi-vitamin!" We're talking about fit, healthy individuals here, people who eat three times a day. Multi-vitamins are meant either for children, people with vitamin deficiencies, the really ill and/or disabled, and old people. They are for people who can't take care of themselves properly. I am willing to bet that most people who take multi-vitamins get more than enough vitamins from the food they eat. And yeah, there is such a thing as taking too much of a vitamin. All in all, you're supposed to consult a doctor (not a quack, i.e a "naturopath") to determine whether or not you even need to take a supplement. More info can be found here. 1 Comments - Post/view comments
