Thursday, January 15, 2009
Despite the advances of our modern society, there is still no cure for the common cold. This unfortunate truth has opened the door for an astonishing number of pseudoscientific “remedies” claiming to shorten, prevent or cure colds. Perhaps the most notable example of such treatments is Airborne, a “health” supplement that appears to be as popular as it is useless.
In 2006, ABC News investigated the so-called clinical evidence behind Airborne. Airborne claimed that a study with 120 subjects sponsored by GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc. showed significant cold improvement over a placebo, but ABC News found something quite different. GNG Pharmaceutical Services Inc. turned out to be just two men, neither scientists nor doctors, who had created the company for the sole purpose of fabricating clinical evidence.
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The FTC concluded that "there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by the defendants that Airborne tablets can prevent or reduce the risk of colds, sickness, or infection."
Such corruption did not go unpunished, and soon there was a class-action lawsuit against Airborne championed by the Federal Trade Commission. In March 2008, Airborne agreed to a $23 million settlement for its wrongful advertising claims. According to the press release sent by the FTC, it concluded that “there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by the defendants that Airborne tablets can prevent or reduce the risk of colds, sickness, or infection.” Airborne was then forced to remove from its products any claim that it could treat any disease.
This should not have come as any surprise. Upon inspection of the side of a box of Airborne, one can clearly see an exclamation proudly proclaiming that Airborne was “created by a school teacher.” This statement is a fair representation of the level of scientific integrity that went into such a product. There were no clinical trials to verify its effectiveness, nor was there any scientific precedent behind the use of any of its ingredients. So why do people always think they feel better when they use it?
There are two reasons people tell friends to buy Airborne, even though it doesn’t work. The first is known as “reporting bias.” If someone takes Airborne every time he gets sick, he is going to remember all the times he felt better afterward and forget the times he continued to get sick. Secondly, a cold always goes away eventually, so Airborne can receive the credit of a successful recovery that the immune system deserves. This illusion, in part, is known as the placebo effect, and certainly does not justify the use of Airborne.
But even in the face of scandal, Airborne is not shutting down its factories and pulling its product from the shelves. They are still making enough money to make the $23 million fine just seem like the cost of doing business. Not enough people read the news to know that Airborne doesn’t work, and it is certainly easy to deceive yourself into thinking it does. Airborne has already established a brand known for treating colds, so it does not suffer from removing its false advertising claims. The best solution is for the customer to do a little research before jumping to hasty conclusions when it comes to their own health and well-being.
— Folmsbee is a Topeka junior in neurobiology.
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Comments
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
This is a great piece. It is tough to find published criticism of the "natural remedies" we find out in the market these days. There are thousands of items on the market with similar hype to Airborne. These items range from detox and cleanse supplements to herbal remedies. The science they are based on is no better than that for traditional Eastern medicine at best and manipulative at worst.
I hope to see more articles like this in the future!
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
It is my belief that one should not write on topics about which they are ill-informed. It is also my belief that one should not hold strong opinions (much less impose those opinions) on anything without having any knowledge or experience on the topic.
Just a few points from the perspective of a former supplement industry professional:
If people are suing Airborne because it didn't cure their colds, then I'm going to sue Pepto-Bismol for that time i took the recommended amount and still kept throwing up. No product on the market, be it drug, supplement, or herb, is going to work for every single person who tries it.
On top of that, Airborne itself is simply a combination of about twenty vitamins, herbs, amino acids and electrolytes which have been found by many to be helpful in symptoms of the common cold. These are ingredients that are said to build up one's immune system, keep one hydrated, and prevent lethargy. While Airborne itself may not have undergone clinical trials, I assure you that its ingredients have.
The main point that I wanted to make was the language that was used in describing Airborne. The writer of this article claims that it's useless and that it doesn't work. Those two statements may be true for some; they may even be true for many. But not for all. In my years working with supplements I found this to be true of literally everything on the shelves in a vitamin store.
Bear in mind that the same holds true for drugs. Except, unlike the case with drug nightmares from Vioxx to aspirin, to my knowledge Airborne has never killed anyone or had severe side effects.
But notice how I said "to my knowledge." Perhaps when writing a piece that calls a supplement useless, one should use that same qualifier. The author's examples of two (the only two, i suppose, in the author's perspective) reasons that people buy airborne imply that the placebo effect is the reason for Airborne's success, that it doesn't actually do anything, for anyone, ever. Maybe the author needs to talk to someone outside his immediate circle of friends who doubtless agree with everything he writes. Because, while I agree that many people do not see any results with Airborne, I have also seen many people who do, and the results have nothing to do with the fact that "a cold goes away eventually." According to people who have taken this product and liked it,if the product is taken at the first sign of a cold it will prevent the cold from going any farther than the initial sniffles and tickle in one's throat.
Unfortunately, the supplement industry is misunderstood and seen as a bunch of New-Agey healer folk who dance naked and sing songs in the woods while collecting cramp bark. It's not that way. Nothing is ever that black and white. Any supplement, just like any drug, doesn't work for everyone.
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
also a comment in re: to connern's comment: are you SEERIOUS??? It's TOUGH to find criticism of natural health products? SERIOUSLY?
You need to get out more, man.
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
Ashley's comment was amazing. Very thorough and well thought-out. She is obviously one of the most intelligent people out there. Listen to her.
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
Thanks for that :)
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