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Airborne Under Fire

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  • Airborne Under Fire

    A while back, our dear Adrian was feeling under the weather, and asked for advice on how to beat a cold or flu. "One word: Airborne," said my wife. Tutusue replied, "I second this one word! The stuff is amazing. So many people I know swear by it. I even like the taste!" Pua'i Mana'o gave a thumbs up, too. And even I became a believer. As I type this, there are three barrels of Airborne on the kitchen counter, and I've got one on my desk.

    But the scientific and medical community is starting to speak up about Airborne, and giving good reason to be skeptical. In fact, as the story unravels, I'm starting to feel a bit the fool. After all, I recently came to believe (like our pediatrician does) that most cough syrups are placebos. How could I doubt them, and not the little fizzy tablets to which I'd started to attribute miracles?

    To be sure, believing you're getting better or beating a bug is often all you really need to march your way through the day. The power of positive thinking, reverse hypochondria, whatever you want to call it.

    But if you too have been enamored of this best-selling creation of a school teacher, read on:

    Does Airborne Really Stave off Colds? (ABC News)
    Airborne said that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with "care and professionalism" by a company specializing in clinical trial management, GNG Pharmaceutical Services. GNG is actually a two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study. There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors. The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated... Airborne insists the results are valid, but the company is removing all references to the study from its Web site and packaging.
    Created By A School Teacher! (David Cowan)
    Without actually saying so, the package implies every which way it can that Airborne is a medicine that prevents or cures colds. But did you notice the asterisks on the four sentences containing any reference to actually treating colds? I scoured the package for clarification, but I had to literally use a magnifying glass before I could make out the footnote in fine, fine print that read: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease... So if this product wasn't intended to treat colds, why should we take it at the first sign of cold symptoms, and why use it in airplanes, carpools etc.? What does it even mean to REPEAT EVERY THREE HOURS AS NECESSARY? Necessary to do what? It doesn't make any sense, but the manufacturer Knight McDowell Labs knows that few people will ever notice.

    Airborne Baloney (Scientific American)
    Harriet Hall, a retired U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and family physician who studies alternative medicine... looked up Airborne's ingredients in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and found no evidence that any of the ingredients prevents colds. Worse, vitamin A is unsafe in doses greater than 10,000 units a day, and Airborne contains 5,000 units per tablet and recommends five pills a day or more. The only positive finding was for vitamin C, for which some evidence indicates that taking high doses may shorten the duration of cold symptoms by one to one and a half days in some patients. But the large amounts needed may cause side effects. "There's more evidence for chicken soup than for Airborne," Hall told me. "In the absence of any credible double-blind studies to support the claims for Airborne, I'll stick to hand washing."
    I suspect I'll still probably pop a tablet into a glass of water the next time I get the sniffles, just in case... but my days of evangelizing Airborne are over.

  • #2
    Re: Airborne Under Fire

    And I still love the stuff. Along with it, I love, love, will only take Alka Seltzer Cold&Flu when I am in the throes of viral attack. There is something to be said for the relief that the plopplopfizzfizz provides, along with the vitamin shot (per airborne) or tylenol/aspirin combo (a la ASC&F). Effervescence has soothing properties and calms a variety of symptoms.

    pax

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Airborne Under Fire

      I take it instead of a vitamin! AND I took it all week in Hawaii on vacation.
      I do feel more energy from it...who knows if it works or not?
      Since when is psycho a bad thing??
      Sharing withother survivors...
      www.supportandsurvive.org

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Airborne Under Fire

        Originally posted by pzarquon View Post
        [...]I suspect I'll still probably pop a tablet into a glass of water the next time I get the sniffles, just in case... but my days of evangelizing Airborne are over.
        I'm a fan and will continue to use it, too. I've not found anything to ingest that can cure a cold but I do feel Airborne and probably other supplements help boost the immune system and that, in turn, helps thwart the virus.

        Last year I had 3 colds. That's more than I had in the previous 10 years. For some reason my immune system wasn't doing a happy dance in 2006. I do feel that Airborne gave me a boost so that none of the colds knocked me out and they were all of shorter duration. I'm fine with it being the placebo effect...whatever works!

        I was 2 days into a 4th cold when I had a first appt. with a naturopath; one that was scheduled a month prior. As she was taking my history I mentioned this being cold #4. She casually mentioned that she'd take care of it! I'd never had accupuncture; never thought I would. But, when she suggested it, I rolled my eyes, sighed and told her to have at it. I became a human dart board! The cold was completely gone by that evening, never to return. I was stunned!

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        • #5
          Re: Airborne Under Fire

          thanks pzar for the info. unlike the others, i'm a bit bummed. even if it's just a placebo effect, i'm bummed that the product is pretending to be what it's not...
          525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Airborne Under Fire

            I was always inder the impression that is only boosted the immune system. Not that it cured a cold...it just boosted your immune system to ward off colds...thats why i only take it when I travel or the kids get sick.

            Apparently I am the only one who thought it was just a precaution??
            Since when is psycho a bad thing??
            Sharing withother survivors...
            www.supportandsurvive.org

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Airborne Under Fire

              Originally posted by blueyecicle View Post
              I was always inder the impression that is only boosted the immune system. Not that it cured a cold...it just boosted your immune system to ward off colds...thats why i only take it when I travel or the kids get sick.

              Apparently I am the only one who thought it was just a precaution??
              Me too. I take it when I know that I am going to be in a big crowd or in a/c, like a mtg room with no fresh air, or an airplane. I don't take it every day or even every week, but look for it instead as an immunity booster if I am going to be around a lot of people or the kids/hubby/coworkers are sick (rare). When I am actually dealing with a cold or flu, I rely upon alka seltzer cold&flu (see above). And I swear by that stuff.

              pax

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Airborne Under Fire

                Originally posted by blueyecicle View Post
                [...]Apparently I am the only one who thought it was just a precaution??
                No, you're not the only one, Blue! I think of it as 'prevention'...trouble is, I never remembered to take it 'til I had symptoms.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Airborne Under Fire

                  Heh. Like I said, I'm not tossing 'em out just yet (spent too much on the stuff!), and I have personally attested to their apparent effectiveness and created other believers in the process.

                  I think I'm mostly disappointed in myself for not being skeptical in the first place, for not picking up on the many clues examined in detail in these write-ups, for basically wanting to believe in another "alternative medicine" thing -- for cheering the "created by a school teacher" pitch -- without seeing it from a more cynical angle... since I consider myself a pretty serious cynic. Remember ear candles?

                  Sure there are vitamins in it, and vitamins are good (though the warning about its Vitamin A concentration deserve attention), but that means there's nothing particularly special about the Airborne formula at all. Just buzz marketing.

                  But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and use it. Having read all this stuff, though, I'm wondering if the effects will be quite so clear to me next time 'round!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Airborne Under Fire

                    to me, what gives Airborne merit is the combo of vitamin + effervescence. Having been a fan of alka seltzer since teenhood, I appreciated Airborne coming on to the market because no product prior to it mixed in vitamins instead of painkillers.

                    pax

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Airborne Under Fire

                      I have been using Bioastin. It has helped fighting off colds and flus so far. It also helped me with my hives and it really does work against sunburn. I still got the burn on the skin but no redness or peeling. My friend has a cold that wouldnt go away and he took the Bioastin for 3 days and his cold went away finally.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Airborne Under Fire

                        My favorite part of the ABC News article is where the Airborne company's CEO condescendingly pats the consumer on the head with this comment regarding the "clinical study":

                        >>"We found that it confused consumers," Donahue said. "Consumers are really not scientifically minded enough to be able to understand a clinical study." <<

                        http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/sto...1664514&page=1

                        Last time I looked my knuckles were not dragging on the ground. This kind of comment immediately raises red flags. Downright insulting. Snake oil salesman tactics, IMHO.

                        There are at least a few ingredients present in Airborne that can be potentially hazardous:

                        Chinese Vitex: may cause increase in blood pressure (hmmm---that "increased energy" feeling?)

                        Potassium and magnesium: potentially harmful to those with kidney disorders

                        Vit A (especially in the doses recommended by Aiborne): potentially harmful (we're talking fatal here) to those with liver disorders

                        Vit C (in the doses recmmended by Airborne): diarrhea, abdominal cramps

                        Thre are more but I think you get the gist. To each his own, but I'll stick to my hot tea with lemon and lehua honey, thanks.

                        No disrespect to those who may find it helpful---just a note of caution.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Airborne Under Fire

                          It is just like everything else...moderation is the key.
                          I would never take it every day or take it more than 3 times a day.
                          They should lower the recommendations and re-label it with cautions.
                          I saw the vitamin content and didn't even read the directions! I just assumed it would be too much for my body when I compared it to my other vitamins...I dont take! LOL
                          Since when is psycho a bad thing??
                          Sharing withother survivors...
                          www.supportandsurvive.org

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Airborne Under Fire

                            Originally posted by WindwardOahuRN View Post
                            Chinese Vitex: may cause increase in blood pressure (hmmm---that "increased energy" feeling?)
                            I have such low blood pressure no wonder it made me feel better! I am scarping the barrel to get 100/70
                            Since when is psycho a bad thing??
                            Sharing withother survivors...
                            www.supportandsurvive.org

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Airborne Under Fire

                              Airborne, Jr. (grape) has only 1250 I.U. of Vitamin A.

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