Monday, November 12, 2007

A must-see video:

Finally, an antidote to TV drug ads

This first installment concerns an interesting class of medications that are approved to treat something called "restless leg syndrome." That condition may sound fanciful, but it's a real problem. Something like 3 percent of Americans suffer from RLS, which is characterized by an uncontrollable impulse to keep moving your legs even when you are trying to go to sleep -- which obviously could make sleep difficult.

(Via Being Boing.)


My advice for television viewing? Watch it with the volume muted. The absurdity, if by some chance you haven't already noticed it, becomes immediately apparent.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite truth-in-labeling "side effect" warning was on the original viagra bottle: "Side effects may include death." (There were others listed too, which I won't go into -- these all, including "death," always struck me as somewhat tongue-in-cheek tributes to the drug's effectiveness.)

Mac said...

My all-time favorite drug side effect is "oily bowel discharges and an inability to control them." I think I'd prefer death to that, thanks!

Katie said...

I do have problems with restless leg syndrome on occasion. Actually, I've had issues with it ever since I was a kid. But I've found that a couple of Advil PM work just fine to knock it out when it happens at bedtime. :oP