Learn to Ignore Those Celebrity Drug Endorsements
I’ve always been a fan of Sally Field. From her days as the Flying Nun to her most recent role in Brothers and Sisters, I’ve admired her expertise as an actor.
But I would never ask Sally Field to diagnose my ailment, nor would I ask her to write a prescription for a drug I might need. Even if she did, there’s not a pharmacy in the world would fill it.
Yet millions of people trust her enough to ask their doctors to prescribe the osteoporosis drug she hawks on TV. Somehow they make that leap from “She was so cute as Gidget” to “I think she must know what’s best for my bones.”
They haven’t stopped to think that the only reason Sally Field is telling them what drug they should take is because she has been paid by the manufacturer to do so.
They are forgetting the first rule of assessing drug advertising. That is, to follow the money. Celebrities are paid millions of dollars to endorse drugs.
Olympians Dorothy Hamill and Bruce Jenner, former presidential candidate Bob Dole, cyclist Lance Armstrong, Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross and others – they all push drugs on TV. A few years ago we saw Robert Jarvik, who we thought had invented the artificial heart, tout a cholesterol drug. Turns out he is not a licensed medical doctor, nor did he invent the artificial heart. Yet, he was being paid plenty for promoting that drug.
Sometimes the money connection is more difficult to determine. You might appreciate Lauren Hutton’s efforts toward creating awareness for macular degeneration, or Kathleen Turner’s rheumatoid arthritis advocacy. In both cases, they suggested you check out their disease websites, both of which were developed by drug manufacturers to promote the sales of their drugs. Just a more covert form of promotion.
As empowered patients, we know celebrities have no medical knowledge, and we understand they are simply talking heads. Our best takeaway from celebrity endorsements is to notice that options may exist for improving our health. From there we can do more research on our own, then talk to our doctors to determine whether any of those options can help us.
Your doctor will never win an Academy Award nor an Olympic medal. Don’t expect a celebrity to tell you what drug is best for you. ............................................ Learn more about using drug ads to improve your health.
|
