Health

Best Sleep You Ever Had!?!

mccartl4 OCT Drugs, Sleeping Pills, Uncategorized , , , , ,

To sleep as if we were babies, a bear hibernating, or on a vacation on the beach, or like you hadn’t seen your bed in days, or even weeks, or if you were a parent and dropped the kids off at their grandparents house for the entire weekend, or simply just take zzz quill as that’s apparently the solution to getting the sleep we desperately need and want. The ad ensures that as a consumer you will sleep easily, soundly, and wake refreshed because sleep is a beautiful thing we need. I chose this ad because I can relate to losing sleep as many of us can and wishing for those ideas of sleeping like a baby or on a vacation somewhere on a beach but also because I have taken this product and definitely don’t feel like I got the best sleep of my life or woke up refreshed for the next day.

The company that produces ZzzQuil, is VICKS. VICKS slogan is that their legacy is about more than just cold and flu medicine. It’s about giving families the opportunity to continue life- even on sick days- for more than 100 years (VICKS History). VICKS is well known for it’s cold and flu medicine along with DayQuil and NyQuil. VICKS has been around since the late 1800’s when a pharmacist named Lunsford Richardson created and sold Croup and Pneumonia Salve under the VICKS name. In 2012, VICKS came out with a non habit forming sleep aid in ZzzQuil. ZzzQuil came out in warming berry liquid and liquid caps for those occasional sleepless nights. In 2015, Zzzquil came out with a new flavor in calming vanilla cherry and soothing mango berry.

VICKS has become a respected company for hundreds of years and they continue to have new products that come out for consumers. VICKS currently has out on the market is vapor rub, cough drops, cough syrup, nasal spray, NyQuil, NyQuil Severe, DayQuil, DayQuil Severe, and ZzzQuil.

The intended audience for VICKS products and more importantly ZzzQuil, is definitely hard working adults who could also be parents. With the many ads I’ve come across in magazines showed adults sleeping with some sort of saying such as “sleep like a rock” or “because sleep is a beautiful thing” and my favorite was a tweet post saying “SLEEP LIKE he finally proposed. And you have been dating for a decade. #SleepLike #engaged #shesaidyes” with a lady sleeping and a nice expensive ring on her finger. Magazines I’ve noticed these ads are in TIME, Glamour, Entrepreneur, Food Network, and VOGUE. All of these magazines are directed towards adults. All of these ads whether in the magazines or on a television commercial, they are reaching for people who are extremely tired and people who just need a break in life. I’ve noticed the commercials to run more so in the evening to night time which is tricky because people may be watching television when they can’t sleep and get the grand idea that they need to go and purchase this particular sleep aid.


The active ingredients in ZzzQuil is 50 milligrams of Diphenhydramine HCI. Diphenhydramine is a common ingredient in Benadryl which means the same drug that helps us with our sneezing and itching is also used for our disturbed sleep. However, ZzzQuil promotes that the drug is not habit forming and therefore not addictive per say. ZzzQuil offers a quick way to fall asleep and sleep a good seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. With that I would beg to differ in that it is habit forming and therefore addictive because if someone is having the same issue every night and can’t sleep and they revert to taking ZzzQuil each night, they now have created a habit and therefore addicted. I would assume until the individual got used to the drug that they gained a tolerance for it and could abuse the sleep aide. I noticed that on the bottle, you have to peel back to find how much an individual should take as it’s not in plain sight and the commercials never speak of side effects although it’s clearly stated on the bottle. Those who are breastfeeding or pregnant should not use the product and any children under twelve should keep away from the product. Also if an individual is already using a drug that contains Diphenhydramine, to not use the product.

The advertisement techniques used for ZzzQuil are very catchy. Playing a commercial in the evening time into the night more frequently then during the day time. The two advertisements I show above with showing adults sleeping with some sort of saying such as “sleep like a rock” or “because sleep is a beautiful thing” and the tweet post saying “SLEEP LIKE he finally proposed. And you have been dating for a decade. #SleepLike #engaged #shesaidyes” with a lady sleeping and a huge engagement ring. Most of the images are of people soundly sleeping, peaceful, and relaxed. The video above is also very deceptive as it shows you everything you wish for when you are sleep deprived from sleeping like a baby, or a bear, or on a vacation on the beach, or like you hadn’t seen your bed in weeks or even months, and relating those feelings to what ZzzQuil can do for you giving you that promise that the drug can give you those images of having the best sleep of your life. And the slogan of “because sleep is a beautiful thing,” ensures that why are you up fighting your sleep when you can just take this pill or amount of liquid to solve all of your sleepless nights.

 

Overall I would have to say that the drug does work and helps the occasional sleepless nights. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for chronic sleepless nights. I’ve tried it before, only because I was sold on the “non habit forming” bright lettering and I wanted to avoid Nyquil as I wasn’t ill. It definitely assisted in putting me to sleep, however, I didn’t feel like I slept like a baby, or like I hadn’t seen my bed in weeks or months. I honestly still felt a little tired when I woke up but was thankful I was able to get some sleep. With the article by Alena Hall on “The Truth About Over-The-Counter Sleep Aids” I liked what she had to say in that taking sleep aids occasionally are fine, however, she begs the point on “do we really need these?” As it may be okay to take on occasional nights where you have no idea why you can’t sleep and have a big meeting or project due the next day however, once it becomes a nightly or weekly problem that it may be time to check into an individuals daily habits before reverting to a chemical solution (Hall).  Eating a balanced meal, waking up at the same time every day, and setting a nightly regimen will help in going to sleep at a decent hour without the need of a sleeping aid. Therefore, I would recommend this drug only if someone had the occasional sleepless night but not a friend or family member who lacks sleep consistently. I wouldn’t want them to create a habit of taking it and potentially having a dependence on the drug to get adequate sleep.

References:

Diphenhydramine. (n.d.) Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682539.html.

Hall, Alena. (2015) The Truth About Over-The-Counter Sleep Aids. Healthy Living. Retrieved November 27, 2017 from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/zzzquil-ingredients_n_6902780.html

Vicks History. (n.d). Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://vicks.com/en-us/vicks-history.

Zzzquil Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing. (n.d.) Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://www/webmd/com/drugs/2/drug-161075/zzzquil-oral/detail.

Erectile Dysfunction & The NFL

borruda Prescription Drugs , , ,

Boner Pills, also known by the pharmaceutical names Viagra, or Cialis are the top spenders on paid media. The ad(s) I have chosen to discuss is the NFL Viagra Commercial that aired in 2016, along with its many precursor ads from previous years. Viagra was the biggest investor in NFL air time last season, followed directly by its competitor Cialis. I chose this advertisement because of its massive impact on viewers at the time. It became an incredibly common and recognizable ad to all football fans and T.V viewers alike; exposing millions of football fans to erectile dysfunction medication. I chose to write about Viagra because as a female, erectile dysfunction medication generally is not something I am well educated on or have any consternation for in my life.

Viagra is owned by Pfizer Inc. one of the U.S’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Pfizer was established 1849 in Brooklyn NY. Starting off as a chemical manufacturing company Pfizer soon became the U.S’s largest pharmaceutical company. Pfizer company is the creator of some of our country’s most commonly used prescriptions such as the EpiPen, Xanax, Zoloft, Lipitor, Lyrica, and Viagra. Pfizer’s webpage hold countless pages of prescription drugs under their company, backed up with plenty of expertise and research in areas such as neuroscience and pain, inflammation and immunology, oncology, and more. Like Pfizer, Eli Lilly & Company, the pharmaceutical company behind Cialis is a leader in pharmaceutics in the U.S and around the world. Not much younger than Pfizer, and just as established and accredited, Lilly makes a much more apparent “promise to it’s customers than Pfizer. As opposed to their counterpart Pfizer, Lilly had a much stronger emphasis on “caring and discovery”. The vision statement from their website says “We will make a significant contribution to humanity by improving global health in the 21st century”. It is very apparent in Eli Lilly’s site that they have a lot more integrity as a pharmaceutical company than Pfizer and truly want to make a difference.

NFL – The Perfect Audience

The intended audience for Viagra is middle aged men. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine 50 is the age when male sexual function begins to deteriorate. According to a web article on Ad Age, the median age of football watchers in 2016 is 50. This makes the NFL audience a sweet spot for Viagra and Cialis. Erectile dysfunction medication can also be seen targeting the golf audience as well, with a median age of 64. Erectile dysfunction ads have become such a icon in football season, being seen even in the Super Bowl. According to Ad Age “In 2004, Levitra ran a 45-second spot during CBS’s broadcast of XXXVIII that featured former Bears head coach Mike Ditka” View the ad here.

Like many ads that air during foot ball season the Viagra ad linked above targets a male audience. In the commercial, a sexy middle aged woman lounges on a bed, wearing a football jersey, foundling a football and rambling off erectile dysfunction statistics. Similarly, advertisements for Cialis also air during the NFL season, with the same idea in mind. The advertisements include an attractive young woman out and about with a slightly older looking man. Viagra and Cialis commercials were to prevalent on T.V. during football season that many spoofs were made off the commercials. Here is a funny one by Ellen on her talk show.

Cialis Commercial “A Moment Turns Romantic” shown during a football game

The Effects of Viagra on the Body

Viagra and Cialis belong to the same class called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. The active ingredient in Cialis is tedalafil and sildenafil in Viagra. Both drugs only work when a man is sexually aroused. According to Dr. Abraham Morgentaler Viagra can be addictive not physically so much as psychologically. Viagra’s effect on a man’s sexual performance is so successful that people can develop a psychological dependence on the drug whether they really need it or not.

An interesting article from Everyday Health states that erectile dysfunction drugs can come with serious side effects such as hearing and vison loss and now an increased risk of melanoma. Many of the more common side effects of Viagra and Cialis are displayed with the drug in ads but do not begin to touch on how extensive the list of side effects are. Viagra has effects on the central nervous system, digestive system, and circulatory system. Common side effects include flushing or redness of the face, decreased blood pressure, priapism, headache, runny nose, ringing in the ears, indigestion, heartburn, nausea and vomiting. Viagra can also have potentially dangerous interactions with heart disease drugs such as alpha blockers, or nitrates.

Advertising techniques used by Viagra and Cialis alike are visual imagery and attention grabbers. Attractive celebrities and men and women engaging in fun date-like activities in Viagra commercials are used to make men think using these types of drugs will enhance their sex life and attract women. Viagra commercials also use statistics like “over half of men over 40 have erectile dysfunction” as an attempt to make it seem like all men with erectile dysfunction use Viagra for it. Additionally, images of relatively young and attractive women in summer dresses in vacation-like settings are presenting this information in a sexy manner.

My overall opinion of Viagra is somewhat indifferent in a sense that it does not directly apply to me, but after doing research on the drug I would not be extremely worried if a friend or family member was taking Viagra for its intended purpose. There isn’t anybody I know that I would comfortably recommend Viagra to, especially considering the target age for the drug. Otherwise, the advertisements for Viagra and Cialis tend to do a decent job at identifying all the possible side effects and warning that come along with it. There was even some recent research I found promoting additional health benefits of Viagra.

Works Cited:

A Surprising Side Effect of Viagra: Melanoma? (2014, April 08). from https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/adam-friedman-the-skin-youre-in/viagra-use-and-the-risk-of-melanoma-is-the-risk-real-and-how-do-we-deal/

Bulik, B. S. The top 10 most-advertised prescription drug brands.

from http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-report/top-10-most-advertised-prescription-drug-brands

Crupi. A. & Anthony Crupi. (2017, July 07). Deflategate 2.0: Big-Spending Viagra and Cialis Are Pulling Out of the NFL., from http://adage.com/article/special-report-tv-upfront/erectile-dysfunction-viagra-cialis-NFL-pullout/309692/

(2016, March 29). Cialis vs Viagra – What’s the… Cialis vs Viagra – What’s the difference between them?, from https://www.drugs.com/answers/viagra-vs-cialis-3029937.html

Eli Lilly & Company. October 26, 2017, from https://www.lilly.com/

Morgentalor, Dr. Is Viagra addictive? from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/is-viagra-addictive

Pfizer Inc. October 26, 2017, from http://www.pfizer.com/

Sildenafil (Viagra) May Help Improve Control of Pulmonary Hypertension. (2002, April 2). from http://annals.org/aim

The Effects of Viagra on the Body. (2015, August 26). from https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/effects-of-viagra-on-the-body

(2016, October 17). Cialis, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i9vYI9lvIc

(2016, October 17). Viagra: Football, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bp2wSKv6WU

(2016, October 17).  Ellen’s Viagra Commercial, from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APLdlTRkkik

 

Coffee, The Solution

marroqk Coffee , , ,

I choose coffee as my drug topic because before we talk about coffee as a drug I did not considerate it a drug. I come from a strict family, where drugs are not allowed, not matter if it is a licit or illicit drug. The only time my parents drink alcohol are on holidays, but the funny thing is that they both need to drink a cup of coffee to start their morning. I do not think they realize that coffee is also a drug, and the same thing happened to me. I did not see anything bad on drinking coffee every morning, as my parents. However, now I know what caffeine really means, as we talk in class, coffee is a simulant that increase the functioning of the nervous system. I also know that companies spend billions of dollars to get more people as much they can. An example, is how “digital [advertising] made up 36.7% of total media ad spending in 2016 and will account for around half by 2021. Mobile will be the main driver of this growth, comprising 70.3% of digital spend in 2017” (eMarkete, 2017). Being expose to all these advertising is making hard to not consume drugs.

Another reason I decided to write this blog about coffee is because I want other people to know that coffee advertising are no reflecting what coffee really is, and then they can take their decision about drink or not coffee. I am not saying coffee should not be allow because it’s bad, but people have the right to see the coffee as a drug and not just as a solution to everyday  problem. To write this blog I decided to use a video ad from Lavazza called “Lavazza ‘Ode To Coffee’ commercial 2017,” by Lavazza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBwMof3k14U

I choose this video ad because it was made this year (2017) that means it recent, it was post on Apr 5, 2017. Another reason is because this a good example on how coffee companies sell their drugs without telling to their customers that coffee is a drug, but a solution to any problem, or situation.

More 120 Years of History

  • Everything started when Luigi Lavazza opened Lavazza’s first grocery shop in via San Tommaso, in Turin, in 1895. He discovered the different origins and characteristics of the coffee plant, and studied the art of blending to meet the tastes of customers, creating the blends.
  • It was just after World War I and Turin was bustling: the Lingotto plant entered into production for Fiat, and the Lavazza grocery shop became a small business.
    • In this same period (1927) Lavazza started to use Pergamin: a pack with two layers of paper that maintains the fragrance of coffee.
  • The first Lavazza logo was created in 1946 by the Aerostudio Borghi in Milan. The central letter “A”, larger than the other letters, still identifies us today.
  • The coffee we buy today is still in vacuum packs. The first time it was packed this way was in 1950.
  • This made long-term conservation, and hence much wider distribution, possible.
  • In 1959, we launched Lavazza’s first decaffeinated coffee: DEC.
  • The largest roasting plant in Europe, in Settimo Torinese was built in 1965.
  • The world’s largest coffee school existing today was created during the 1979’s, under the name Luigi Lavazza Center for Studies and Research into Coffee.
  • In 1989, the Vending sector was formed with the Lavazza Espresso Point system: an espresso machine that uses single-serve pre-packed coffee capsules.
  • In 1982, Lavazza Coffees Ltd. was set up in London in 1990 to spread Italian coffee in the UK.
  • In 1993, art, photography and design were included in advertising.
  • 2004 saw the opening of the Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve people’s living conditions in coffee-growing countries.
    • The main project is called: “Tierra.” In this project we have permanently improved, in eight countries, the living conditions of more than 3,000 caficultores, boosting economic growth, improving their lifestyle and introducing new, more ecological and profitable agricultural techniques.
  • 2012- The Sustainability Report, illustrated the results of the commitment in the sustainability field.
    • we have launched a programmer aimed at assessing the environmental performances of various key products
  • In 2004, the Lavazza calendar took coffee into space, with the photographs of Thierry Le Gouès, inspired by Barbarella and the pop and science fiction imagery of the Sixties and Seventies.The same year, Lavazza took Italian espresso onto the International Space Station, in collaboration with Argotec and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
  • The Lavazza coffee we drink today is the result of his idea: combining coffees from different parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Brazil, Sud-America, etc.). These coffees are harvested, processed, mixed and roasted to create many different and balanced blends, and satisfy the taste of every one of us.
  • Lavazza celebrated 120 years of history in 2015, where Lavazza was presenting the first Lavazza compostable
  • capsule for preparing a perfect Italian espresso, respectful of the environment.
  • In 2017- Lavazza is celebrating 122 years of being not just in the Italy marker but around the world.

Is Children a target of Lavazza Coffee? 

The audience of Lavazza is everyone who needs a solution to any problem in their lives, which mean everyone. The song of this ad is basically about when is a good idea to have a cup of coffee, for example when you need an advice, before texting you ex, when you need to convince police officers, impress a some you like, etc. but the example that most caught my attention is when I the minute 0:58 appears a cartoon astronaut. In this cartoon they represent their achievement to take “Italian espresso onto the International Space Station, in collaboration with Argotec and the Italian Space Agency” (ASI). This make me wonder why decided to add a cartoon in this ad, is it because children like cartoons? Or is it because they want people to think that this commercial is innocent. I feel that this a technique that reflex innocence, because most of cartoons are for children, and if this ad has a cartoon it means it nothing is wrong about it? Because of this cartoon I will say that the intended audience is not just everyone who needs a solution to their problems but also children.

Is Caffeine Addictive?

The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which means coffee is a stimulant and a psychoactive drug. That means, caffeine “acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior” (ScienceDaily). That is one reason people experiment paranoid, anger, high energy, and other synthons after drinking a cup of coffee or any other stimulant.

One of the physiological effect in our bodies after drinking caffeine is that if “you stop taking caffeine abruptly, you may have symptoms for a day or more, especially if you consume two or more cups of coffee a day” (WebMD Medical, 2017). You can experiment many symptoms of withdrawal from caffeine, some of them are headache, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating and other symptoms. However, caffeine does not cause serious withdrawal or harmful drug-seeking behaviors as street drugs or alcohol.

Based on Patrick Di Justo, claims in the article “Here’s everything that’s hiding in your cup of coffee” that “caffeine’s primary mechanism in the brain is blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine (Patrick Di Justo, 2015). That means that when stimulants like coffee block neuroreceptotors for the sleep chemical adenosine you are awake.

On the other hand, Caffeine “doesn’t threaten your physical, social, or economic health the way addictive drugs do,” (myth and fact) for example, alcohol. For this reason, most experts don’t consider caffeine dependence a serious addiction. But this does not mean that you do not spend a lot of money drinking coffee every day. “Americans on average, each American drinks 3.1 cups of coffee a day, adding up to $40 billion spent annually on coffee in the U.S. alone” (Katy Osborn, 2015).

Some Advertising Strategies 

  • The main technique that I see in this video ad is that they are not targeting only one kind of person but suggesting that a cup a coffee is the solution to everything, at any time, that way they are targeting a bigger group of people as possible.
  • Another strategy is that they used a soft and relax tone in their music. Which I think is contradictory to what caffeine really does on the body. But this music make the audience think that no matter how bad their day is going, coffee will fix everything.
  • The video has humor, which I think is a good strategy because people are more likely to watch the whole video if they are have fun with it.
  • As English is my second language I always like to have subtitles on everything I watch. I think their strategy on having subtitles of the song is because they are considering not just one language/culture but because Lavazza coffee is all around the world they want to make sure that their ads are understanding.

This video ad does not explain the ingredients or what the side effects of caffeine are. They just focus on how coffee is “great.’

In conclusion

Even though I know caffeine affects can be dangerous, as coffee drinker I think is hard to decide whether or not I will recommend to my friend or family members think coffee. I think my answer will be that they can decided after I explained the cons and pros of caffeine as a stimulant. After, I will recommend then to drink coffee in small amounts, because based on my research caffeine is not addictive and even though it “does not cause the severity of withdrawal or harmful drug-seeking behaviors as street drugs or alcohol,” (Patrick Di Justo, 2015) it can cause symptoms of withdrawal as headaches, fatigue, anxiety, etc. when you stop drinking coffee.

However, coffee a good way to increase is energy. Based on the article “Caffeine Myths and Facts” by WebMD a good method to drink this stimulant is to drink it before 2:00 pm, because “caffeine has a relatively short half-life,” which means “after eight to 10 hours, 75% of the caffeine is gone” (WebMD Medical, 2017) from the body. Another point to keep in mind is that if you are trying to save some money, drink coffee everyday might not be a good idea.

References:

Di, P. (2015, MAR 18). Here’s everything that’s hiding in your cup of coffee. Retrieved from the website Business Insiders http://www.businessinsider.com/chemicals-in-coffee-2015-3

ScienceDaily. Psychoactive drug. Retrieved from the website ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/psychoactive_drug.htm

WebMD Medical. (2017, April 30). Caffeine Myths and Facts. Retrieved from the website WebMD

https://www.webmd.com/diet/caffeine-myths-and-facts#1

Osborn, K. (2015, September 29). Here’s where your coffee habit costs the most. Retrieved from the website Money http://time.com/money/4053704/coffee-costs/

eMarkete.(2017, March 15). US ad spending: The eMarketer forecast for 2017. Retrieved from the website eMarkete https://www.emarketer.com/Report/US-Ad-Spending-eMarketer-Forecast-2017/2001998

Lavazza. Timeline. Retrieved from the website http://www.lavazza.com/en/lavazza-world/company/history/

 

By Karina Marroquin, October 25, 2017.