Items the advertisers try to convince us are essential

rosie383

Another brilliant one from the David Walliams programme was a doggy poo bag.
And we are not talking about one you use with a poop scoop. Oh no..... this one was designed to be tied around the dog's bottom so that the poo just fell right into it :eek:. Tie it on before going for walkies, and hey presto... no messy poo to clean up:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

alec_eiffel

building_with_lego wrote: »

There was a programme on BBC last year about this; actually some people do have a placebo effect with branded painkillers and find them more effective. (Thankfully not me ). Large pills are more effective than small ones too, though teeny tiny ones are the most effective.

I think Ben Goldacre talks about this in Bad Science, how different coloured tablets are seen to be more or less effective - red better than blue etc.

And on the subject of attractive underarms I used to go out with an armpit fetishist so nice armpits were a bonus - the less said about that the better really.

BitterAndTwisted

coolcait wrote: »

Arguably, do we need deodorants of any kind? Or is that just because of the way society (advertisers?) has conditioned us to look at a natural body function like sweating? Making deodorant an item which advertisers have convinced us is "essential"...

What about the many, many different products for removing body hair? How "essential" are they really?

Actually, I would argue that yes, we do need deodorants. Well, want rather than need in most cases. But there are most definitely people out there who need it as a trip on the London Underground in the early mornings would testify. These are possibly people who are not well-acquainted with soap and water either.

Anyone remember Lifebouy soap or dress-shields? I'm not sure but suspect deodorising was the function of those medicated soaps back in the day. Fresh body odour can sometimes be quite pleasant on the right person but wet stains on your best party-frock probably not. I reckon the sales of talcum powder must have gone down the tubes once effective deodorants became available.

worbikeman

eco wrote: »

Branded aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen. I discovered when I became a chemist that there is absolutely no difference between the expensive ones and the cheap ones. They take advantage of most people not knowing much about this and frankly it's daylight robbery to have £3 packets of paracetamol next to 20p ones that are the exact same thing. The active ingredient is in the same form, they're available in the same strength and have to meet the same production standards. Don't be pulled in by packets referring to specific conditions like headaches or back pain either, if it's just a plain paracetamol/ibuprofen tablet then that's really all it is. Check the packet and compare to other ones, every active ingredient and the amount per tablet will be printed on the box. The other trick is fancy ways to deliver medicine like liquid capsules, which look pretty, but that's about all there is to it. The really cheap ones available in supermarkets and shops like boots are just as good..

The reason why ostensibly cheap but at the same time small and easily concealable items like paracetamol can be expensive in supermarkets is because they "go walkies". Same applies to antacid tabs, chewies, etc. Rather than prosecute petty theft supermarkets just put the price up so we all pay for the "missing" items as well:cool:

Ben84

eco wrote: »

This is my sisters gripe and she's a nurse, she buys the cheapest she can find, and she says if it say's something like paracetamol +, the + is caffiene to give you a bit of a boost so you think it works faster, she's nagged me that many times about it she say's have some paracetamol and a coffee much cheaper.

Caffeine is added for a couple of reasons and it does make the tablets work better. It generally gives you a boost in energy and alertness which is often welcome when you feel ill, but it also appears to improve the effects of the paracetamol pain killer itself. I'm not sure if the biochemistry behind this has been fully identified yet or not, but the effects are well observed and likely have something to do with receptor stimulation or even that it prolongs the effects of paracetamol by retarding it's break down in the liver.

Caffeine does change how paracetamol is broken down in the liver and there have been some stories in the media about it as a hazard. Generally we don't need to worry, you'd have to be drinking maybe 20 or more cups of strong coffee a day to have any chance of risk and that was deemed unlikely consumption. However, there are people, myself included, who drink 20+ cups of coffee a day, which combined with a caffeine containing tablet could start to present a hazard. Obviously whoever thought 20+ cups a day was not happening didn't realise that there are serious caffeine addicts out there.

FatVonD

I asked my GP once if, since the active ingredient in cystitis relief powders appeared to be bicarbonate of soda, whether I could just use that instead and he was in full agreement.

ETA On the subject of painkillers I see there's a new (branded, of course) one that has both Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, presumably for people who are too lazy to swallow that *second* tablet (or don't appreciate the benefits of overlapping them at 2 hour intervals to avoid the wearing off period.)

craftdaft

FatVonD wrote: »

I asked my GP once if, since the active ingredient in cystitis relief powders appeared to be bicarbonate of soda, whether I could just use that instead and he was in full agreement.

I've only suffered from cystitis a couple of times but as soon as I get the slightest symptom I mix some bicarb with water. It never develops (but it may not have anyway - I just don't want to take the chance ).

I didn't realise that the powders were pretty much bicarb, I read the idea in an old-fashioned remedies or natural healthcare book.

Ida_Notion

Not long ago, St John's Wort was recommended by a doctor for my teenage daughter when she couldn't get on with prescribed anti-depressants. St John's Wort isn't available on prescription, but as the doctor said, you can buy it in Boots. I duly investigated, and found that you could buy 30 tablets in Boots, complete with a pretty picture on the box - for just over £13. A small price to pay for the health of someone you love, but funds were tight and so I looked on Asda's website and discovered that you could buy a bottle of 90 tablets - no pretty picture - for £2.39.

Further investigation revealed that active ingredient amounts were identical in both products, and that the Asda shelf-edge was bearing a rollback label (much prettier than the plant picture!) which said that their bottle of 90 was now £2.09. The same three month supply that cost me just over two quid in Asda would have cost almost £34 in Boots. It's shocking how much is being made in some quarters just because people get ill.

juno

Ida_Notion wrote: »

Not long ago, St John's Wort was recommended by a doctor for my teenage daughter when she couldn't get on with prescribed anti-depressants. St John's Wort isn't available on prescription, but as the doctor said, you can buy it in Boots. I duly investigated, and found that you could buy 30 tablets in Boots, complete with a pretty picture on the box - for just over £13. A small price to pay for the health of someone you love, but funds were tight and so I looked on Asda's website and discovered that you could buy a bottle of 90 tablets - no pretty picture - for £2.39.

Further investigation revealed that active ingredient amounts were identical in both products, and that the Asda shelf-edge was bearing a rollback label (much prettier than the plant picture!) which said that their bottle of 90 was now £2.09. The same three month supply that cost me just over two quid in Asda would have cost almost £34 in Boots. It's shocking how much is being made in some quarters just because people get ill.

In Boots you can ask the pharmacist for advice - which is a good idea as St John's Wart can interact with many other common medicines. You can't do that in Asda. The price difference still seems excessive, but some people will ask at Boots then buy at Asda so you're paying for their advice too.

coolcait

rosie383 wrote: »

... something like a blue stick-type affair that you inserted the loo roll in the end of, to make it easier to clean your bottom:eek::eek::eek:...

An idea that the manufacturers have pinched from the Romans!

I wonder if the Romans would have seen toilet papers as an essential or not?