Airborne Isn’t All it’s Claimed to Be

A writer friend of mine (who you’ll be meeting soon, I promise) tipped me off to the news that Airborne is settling a twenty-three million dollar class action lawsuit for false advertising. A little bit of history: Airborne was created by a teacher as a way to prevent colds (and treat them if you already had one). The product was created in 1999 and by 2006 had made more than one hundred million dollars. Not bad for a school teacher, huh? Too bad 2006 was the year the trouble started. A TV news report questioned the truth of Airborne’s claims. … Continue reading

Be Careful With Zinc — Especially During Cold Season

Think zinc is the answer to all your seasonal cold problems? Think again! Zinc supplements can help boost your immunity, but there is a down side. A recent joint study between American and European researchers found that there may be a link between zinc and age-related macular degeneration. Eye deposits in people over sixty with age-related macular degeneration contain high levels of zinc! So overdosing yourself with zinc in order to ward off a cold may cause vision problems later in life. More research into the exact source of the zinc in eye deposits is underway. Zinc supplements may or … Continue reading

Why Being a Hermit was Good for My Health

Okay… I’m partly joking with that title. I’m also partly serious. I’m also feeling grumpy because I caught a cold from my coworkers at the cats only boarding facility — two of my coworkers were sick this week, but came to work anyway because we had a full house. Now I’m home sniffling, sneezing, and building a mountain of used tissues next to the bed! Definitely not how I wanted to spend my Saturday. Since March 2006, I’ve been doing the freelance writing thing as a full time job. It’s great in so many ways — I set my own … Continue reading