4 Bits of Expert Advice To Strengthen Your Mind To Survive TV Commercials
The all-out assault of Rx drugs, junk and fast food for humans and pets, and supplements can be survived through these tips
I am still amidst the throes of a rare IBS attack, one that I believe I suffered as a result of eating food with a misleading food label.
I laid down with a heating pad yesterday and found a new television show: I Shouldn’t Be Alive.
I first watched the story of a young family who survived being stranded in Northern Nevada wilderness in the middle of winter. The incident occurred in the early 1990s, and the TV show is a bit newer (2005), but the story was well-made and compelling.
After about ten minutes, however, I started to wonder if I was going to survive the all-out onslaught of commercials for products that no one needs. Even including pharmaceutical commercials, every one of the products was “optional.” To make matters worse, most, if not all, of the products were potentially harmful.
The Attack of the Commercials didn’t exactly take me by surprise. But it did stun me. Writing these bits of advice is part of my personal recovery.
Listen To The Warnings and Cautions
The Advertising God must think I have plaque psoriasis because I can reliably tie the prescription drug Otezla to that health condition even though the only commercial TV I watch are sports and occasional nature and outdoor shows.
I can’t say precisely what Otezla is, except it’s a “once-daily pill.” The “warnings” about what could happen if you take this drug for plaque psoriasis and “psoriatic arthitis” are lengthy. In addition to the “warning” I’ve shown here, the drug can cause “severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.” Otezla is also associated with increased depression. These problems affected almost 20% of those who took the drug.
Cool, cool, I think I will ask my doctor for this medication today.
Pharmaceutical company advertising for specific drugs is banned in every other country around the world except New Zealand. That’s right: these “special” commercials for mysteriously-named drugs are only available here in the U.S. and one other, small, country.
Turn the sound off or leave the room while they are on. If you see an ad for a specific drug, even if you might have the health condition it addresses, use Nancy Reagan’s advice about drug pushers from the 1980s: “Just Say No.”
Decline Purchases of Prepared Dry Pet Food
I just wrote about the real reason for dried, specially-made food for dogs and cats: profit for the owners of industrial food companies. When the Otezla commercial ended, another for Purina “Microbiome” pet food came on.
I don’t know what kind of person would work for this large company and put this type of false, misleading information out to pet owners, but I do know that there’s nothing in a Ralston-Purina bag that will “support” any pet’s “gut health.”
This is like saying “McDonald’s Microbiome Burger”: “Now With More probiotics in the ketchup, did we tell you the pickle was pickled?” Or maybe “Microbiome-enhanced Chee-tos, now with more microbes in our powdered cheeze product.”
I was absolutely stunned to see that Ralston-Purina is adding more useless junk to dead animal parts and the lowest grade of other ingredients blasted in heavy rotation to owners of heavy pets: over 60% of the nation’s pets, at last count.
Beware Of Other Supplements
Zoe Nutrition (and many other nutritionists) do not support consumption of supplements in lieu of eating nutritious, real food.
The myriad supplement makers and the people who use supplements as part of training regimens or — mostly — aspiring training regimens are the ones who seem to believe this junk.
I saw many similar commercials for powders and processed drinks while watching two hours of television with ads.
The label on the package above is misleading by its nature. If it’s powdered in a jar, by definition, it cannot be “whole food.”
Word to the wise: if it’s ground up, dried, and turned into something else, it is never going to be as good for you as the real food item. Like you need “powdered apple” in a jar? Eat an apple! I know the price is going up, but I doubt you’d like to see what the apples are that go into this jar of holistic powdered “goodness.”
Don’t Buy Something To Solve Your Problem: Solve The Problem
I liked the Affresh commercial promoting their #1-selling “washing machine cleaning product” to eliminate, and I quote, “Wet dog smell.”
This commercial features a sad sheepdog who shakes off lots of water that morphs into clothing items, terrorizing his owner, a chunky 30-something guy.
The commercial was well-made and hit all the right buttons.
Except: this product isn’t essential. And, it also contains potentially toxic chemicals as if we all need more of those in our lives just to get rid of “wet dog smell.”
Here is a link to instructions on how to clean your washing machine with baking soda, vinegar, and a sponge.
Or you could buy “Affresh” and run your washer three times with 3 Affresh tablets using toxic chemicals for a cost of $7 to $12 depending on package size and where you buy the toxic chemical junk.
So, I watched a show about people who survived deadly outdoor ordeals against all odds.
And I somehow survived at least 30 minutes of commercials trying to sell me harmful, poisonous stuff that neither I, nor anyone else, needs.
Is there a lesson here? Maybe so. I think we should have a reality show about “Surviving Big Companies And The Junk They Sell.” What do you think?