Airborne gets a smackdown
The news of the day: Airborne herbal cold remedy will pay more than $23 million dollars in refunds to consumers who believed the false advertising and took the product with the hope of staving off colds. 
The real issue, of course, is that Airborne said they had clinical proof of the product’s efficacy, when in fact no viable scientific trials had been performed.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a one-stop fix for the sniffles? Sadly, it ain’t gonna’ happen. Whether it’s zinc supplements; orange juice; or my personal favorite, matzoh-ball soup; there is no magical cure for the common cold. However some natural, symptom-specific herbal and homeopathic remedies can certainly help. But I believe the lesson learned from the Airborne debacle is this: We’re all responsible for understanding what we put in our bodies. Sure we should be able to trust package labeling, but always check out the ingredients list. If you have questions or don’t like what you see, get in touch with the company. Ask the questions. Be your own advocate. To file a claim with Airborne, click here.
Related Topics: Herbs and Supplements, Health, From the Editors
March 11th, 2008 at 9:08 am
It’s sad that we can’t just trust manufacturers and advertisers to tell us the truth instead of what we want to hear. It’s a really dysfunctional relationship built around greed. But honestly, it’s even more sad that people, who I know to be intelligent, and who should have known better, were among the many who fell for the crap. I think that it’s largely due to the lack of time people take to slow down and evaluate their world, and the influences surrounding it, instead of always relying on the masses to guide them.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Another real travesty with news stories like this is that they make us all just a little bit more cynical. Are there any labels we can trust anymore? I believe yes: USDA Organic and Fair Trade, for starters. In general, I look for specific label claims that I know are strictly regulated (”natural,” “green,” and “eco-friendly” definitely don’t count).
These three past stories have some good info about current labeling trends…
USDA Organic: http://deliciouslivingmag.com/greenliving/dl_article_2379/index.html
Fair Trade Certified: http://deliciouslivingmag.com/greenliving/dl_article_2398/index.html
Beauty care: http://deliciouslivingmag.com/beauty/standard-natural-beauty-care/index.html
Anyone have some good resources for herbal labels?
March 12th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Hmmm. I like Airbourne. The vitamins and other supplements are good for you. I will continue to use it.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I love it….and will keep using it..but one thing I WILL not use is deodorant..that stuff does nothing for me…I think I need to sue them becuase it just wont keep me from smellin up the place!
March 13th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Katy– I would definitly be wary of the USDA Organic label since they continually vote to allow products that are not completely organic to wear their label. Check this site they seem to have a lot of information on fake organic companys and practices:
http://www.oeconline.org/farmers/organicsnews
(it opened my eyes to some “organic” milk brands that are currently being sued for less then organic practices!!)