Airborne and Supplement Scam Alert

I'm sure you've seen the news: the makers of Airborne has settled a class-action lawsuit for making deceptive claims regarding their so called "cold buster". They now have to pay 23 million dollars in damages to the plaintiffs and are offering refunds to anyone who has purchased their products, ever.

And my question is, why now? And why only them? Our grocery store shelves are packed with vitamins and supplements of made to treat all sorts of ailments (but not designed to cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease). Echinacea for colds, ginseng for memory, St John's wort for depression, shark cartilage to cure cancer, and a plethora of other pills all claiming to be the next big breakthrough for all natural health. The makers of these drugs - YES, THEY ARE DRUGS - make the same sorts of claims that are made by Airborne and yet they get away with it everyday. Why?

Now I am sure that some of you, reading this, are already shouting at your computer: "HOW DARE YOU! MY WORKS WONDERS FOR MY !!!" And I am not here to argue that you don't feel relief, just to simply point out that independent study after study has shown these drugs to be no more effective than a placebo. In short, it is your mind that makes you feel better and nothing else. But if this is true, and it is only your mind that gives you your relief, then what is the big deal with letting people think what they want to think? After all, parents tell children about Santa Claus everyday, and that little fib brings years of joy to them. The simple answer is that when the truth about Santa is learned, all the child will suffer is disillusionment; while in the case of these drugs, the suffering can be much worse. I have known more than a few individuals who have turned to "all natural" remedies for ailments ranging from a cold to colon cancer and at best, the drugs they receive from their local shaman (grocery clerk), do nothing. But at worst, these illnesses,treatable with modern medicine, are left to chance as to whether they get better or cause irreparable harm.

So what is my beef with the natural remedy biz? In short, they are selling chemicals they intend for consumers to ingest that can have radical effects on the human body. All this under the guise of wanting to help the common man by providing an alternative to the "pricey drugs" offered by "Big Pharma" with little or no oversight by the people we trust to protect our food and pharmaceutical drugs. It's true! I could make a pill filled with dirt and market it as long as I don't make any specific claims as to what it does! I just need obscure and broad language like "Promotes healthy immune system" and then follow it up with "The claims made here were not evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose any disease".

Thats it. Then I put the pills in bottles and ship them out. And as long as no one dies or gets ill from eating my dirt, I can keep this going for years! (And don't any of you do steal my idea, I might just do this if I suddenly become broke and unscrupulous). At this point I hope not to have converted any of you, just perhaps inspired you to do your own research and learn the (unbiased) facts about the things you're spending so much money on.

And for the record, sharks do get cancer. Ask any marine biologist or employee at Sea World, they'll tell you.