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A woman I work with pumps her 5 year old daughter full of this crap, to \"protect her from swine flu.\" I keep telling her to check with her pediatrician. I read that the high levels of some of the vitamins and herbs or whatever in Airborne can be dangerous for small children. Some people don't listen. They think the more, the better, when it comes to vitamins and herbal supplements.
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But, but, it was invented by a school teacher! It says so right on the box! It has to work!
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@WraithSama: I never understood that as a pitch. Was it supposed to mean the inventor was rilly rilly smart? Or that it wasn't one of them egghead scientists, so it was a good common-sense thing?
I mean, I never really look at pharmaceuticals and think \"If only teachers made more of these.\"
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@floraposte: I think the idea is that a teacher who has to deal all day with grubby, germy, children would have more incentive to develop an effective vitamin cocktail to prevent sickness.
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I'd feel like a real ass if I were one of the people who had to ask for a refund on magic.
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What about the Walgreen's version - Wal-Borne?
Not that I'd purchase any, but I saw it and laughed several times.
@Wrathernaut: All this confusion. It sounds like the real problem is a case...
::pulls sunglasses off::
...of a Borne Identity.
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
@Wrathernaut: Went to Walgreen's yesterday and their receipts announced that you can get a partial refund or a free flu shot.
www.walbornrefund.com
I bet they are going to ask for a receipt for each refund you try to claim. Hmmm... I wonder where I filed my \"Germ Defense\" recepits for November of 2006?
Suck it, homeopathy.
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I filled out the forms for the Airborne refund and never got crap from them. Maybe since this one is an actual paper form, I'll have better luck. I have to admit that I was a sucker for that crap back before I found out that it was all B.S.
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I'm pretty sure using a neti pot is helping me withstand colds/flu (and, when I got a cold, made it mild and of short duration).
A lot cheaper than airborne, too.
@atashida:
Just a quick note, but it isn't hard to find research showing that the Neti Pot's claims are bunk.
How do you know that the neti pot \"made it mild and of short duration,\" anyway? Did you see into the future? Did you somehow get a glimpse of both your neti-pot using and neti-pot free selves?
Oh, and a second note: While the Neti Pot's claims are largely bunk, the underlying method is not necessarily so. If you have allergies, obviously removing the allergens from your nasal passages will lessen symptoms. Running water through your nose will not, however, reduce the numbers of virii and bacteria throughout your body.
Most of the Rite aides where I live have closed. i wonde if that is because they are trying to cut down on the number of claims that they will have.
I still use Airborne and other equivalents when I get a cold. I knew before the lawsuit even happened that what the box claimed was crap - all you had to do was look at the back to know it's just a vitamin bomb and nothing more. Still, personally I find that the vitamins do help me - they may not help me get over my cold more quickly, but I feel a little better and have a bit more energy through the ordeal, which is worth it.
Besides, if you drink OJ while you have a cold it's the same thing. Airborne & OJ are just a ton of vitamin c + fluid to help your sickness along. I just tend to stray from the OJ because I have bad teeth & OJ is the equivalent of battery acid on your enamel.
@PillowTalk: agreed totally. it's fizzy, tastes ok, and makes me feel a little better. I regard them as liquid vitamin supplements, nothing more, nothing less. exactly as you say, not unlike a glass of orange juice, only without the blood sugar spike.
@glater: And if you're one of them lot who can't stand to drink water, giving it a little fizzy flavour can motivate you to stay extra-hydrated, which is supposed to help you get well. Nothing wrong with that, I say. :)
I've actually bought airborne & used it, but not for anything cold/illness related. My stomach used to be upset during long flights, and a fizzy tablet of something citrus-y (or ginger ale) makes me feel much better. Maybe it's all in my head, but it was a pretty convenient way to feel better. I like the tablet containers, also. Nice design.
What I don't understand is why/how Airborne is still sold.. I might be mistaken, but I would swear I still see it on shelves..
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No refund for me. :-(
I didn't buy any snake oil.
Wonder when they're gonna go after the people with the rub on stuff for whatever is bothering you. Headache? Rub this chapstick on your forehead! Chest pain? Rub some of this goop on it! Death? Just rub some of this anti-death cream on it!
@BZMedia:Actually there is some scientific research to support that particular headache treatment. Any oil like peppermint or eucalyptus when rubbed on the forehead causes the blood vessels to enlarge and thus increase blood flow which has been shwon to ease headaches and/or lessen their severity. As a long time headache suffer, I found this research years ago. I could only find the correct oils at health food stores before.
@BZMedia: Some medicine can be used via skin contact. LSD for example can be absorbed through the skin.
@BZMedia:
Whenever I see that stuff in a pharmacy alongside the real medicine I automatically don't trust the pharmacist. If a pharmacist can sell that crap then they aren't in business to actually help people.