I have been a sports minded person all my life by either playing a sport or watching a sport on television. Of course, almost all television shows will have commercials promoting something. The ones that catch my attention are the products for helping some sort of medical condition. The ad may promote medication for a cure or relief from some ailment. Some conditions are serious and may affect your life in some way such as pain or inability to move freely. Conditions include COPD, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, or a-fib of the heart. Most of the medicines require a medical doctor to prescribe them and are good for relieving many of the symptoms of the illness or condition.
Then the second part of the ad lists the possible side effects such as higher risks of heart disease, stroke, TB, kidney failure, upset stomach and even death. Some of these side effects seem worse than the condition they are supposed to help.
I started to wonder what an ad for the activity of running would sound like. The ad begins: “Running is a preventative — and in some cases a cure —for various ailments that a person may accumulate. This client tells us that he suffered from obesity, poor physical fitness, high blood pressure and early signs of diabetes. The medical doctor suggests that some physical activity like running might help his symptoms.”
