The ingredients in Airborne are not substantially different from those in a competing product, Emergen-C. I've compared them side by side, and the major difference is Airborne's inclusion of Vitamin A. Aside from that, if you're taking B-Complex and Vitamin E you're pretty much even.

Emergen-C doesn't make wild claims, or put forth fluff about how it was “developed by a school teacherâ€ yada yada. On the packet's front it includes the standard disclaimer (asterisk provided) to its one bit of hype, "Super Energy Booster." "Not evaluated by the FDA, not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

Those of us who take vitamins and supplements generally know what works for us and what doesn't. For instance, echinacea has been widely poo-pooed by the medical and drug establishments, but I can guarantee you it's worked for me time and time again. Ditto golden seal powder, ginseng and comfrey. But that's me, and nobody's hyped me into taking (or over-spending for)those remedies.

If nothing else, the lesson in Airborne's over-zealous marketing, and subsequent dope slap by the FTC, is that unconventional treatments and remedies always run the risk of being challenged by those with competing dollar interests. (Though CSPI could hardly be considered "Big Pharma.") That being said, it's ridiculous to overpay for something like Airborne (10 tabs for ~$7) when you can by an 80-packet box of Emergen-C at Costco for 15 bucks.