AIRBORNE
Okay, so I have this cold. I get colds rarely (once every two or three years) and usually they aren't severe. This one attacked me on Friday but it's well on the way out now.
The biggest change that I've noticed since my last cold (two years ago) is the number of people who have come up to me to recommend Airborne. This is a product with high doses of vitamin A (5,000 IU) and vitamin C (1,000 milligrams), as well as vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, selenium, echinacea, ginger, forsythia, honey suckle, and a plethora of Chinese herbs, including Chinese vitex and isatis root.
Everyone seems to have a story about how Airborne has spared them the miseries of a cold or that "it wasn't as bad as it would have been."
Apparently this product has been promoted on the Oprah Show -- which, of course, only feeds my skepticism. So, I've done a little Google research of my own.
The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter suggests that this product might actually be risky for women. In particular, high doses of vitamin A are dangerous for pregnant women, and if taken over a long period of time increases the risk of osteoporosis.
Furthermore, one of the herbal ingredients, Chinese vitex, has been linked to increases in blood pressure.
On top of that, previous research indicates that there is no verifiable evidence that high doses of vitamins C or A (or any other vitamin) will actually prevent a cold or alleviate cold symptoms.
Airborne has done some research to prove that their product works. But their research is too informal and their sampling too small (120 participants) to be generally accepted. This doesn't mean that Airborne doesn't work -- only that Airborne has not demonstrated in a verifiable way that it does. Yes, there is anecdotal evidence of effectiveness. But you can also find anecdotal evidence of ineffectiveness.
So, for now, I think I'll stick with my caffeine free mango herbal tea which makes absolutely no medicinal or nutritional claim for itself -- but costs less, tastes good, and makes me feel a whole lot better.
1 comment:
Boy, Brad. I wish I would have had that kind of "healthy" scepticism that you seem so well blessed with. It would have spared me from some unnecessary heartache (and money!).
Yes. Always research things first. I want to avoid like the plague any salespeople (though I realize they're trying to make a living, so I want to be gracious). I especially dislike this insistence (along with incentive) that you must make up your mind NOW.
Sorry. Those thoughts just set me off. Thanks.
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