Health

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Miracle Blood Glucose Meter – No Finger Pricks?

For decades, diabetics have had to prick a finger to get a drop of blood on a test strip that is then inserted into a meter to quickly display a blood glucose reading.

Then a CGM — a continuous glucose meter — which attaches to your upper arm was invented. It transmits your reading to a cellphone app. It still has to slightly puncture the skin when first applied.

Now, miracle of miracles (if you believe their ad) comes the Pryxo non-invasive blood glucose monitor. You simply stick your finger in it, and five seconds later the digital display shows your reading.


If you saw this ad or one like it while watching other videos online and clicked it, you might well have seen this next:

*MOUSE PRINT:

scam warning

Our advice, save your money. You will probably receive a pulse oximeter to give you your oxygen saturation level and heart rate, not a device to measure your blood glucose. No consumer device has yet been invented and made widely available that doesn’t involve some penetration of the skin.

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

They’re Peddling 8 Prescription Drugs in a Home Emergency Kit

MrConsumer was taken aback when he saw a nationally televised commercial by The Wellness Company selling an emergency kit containing eight prescription drugs that you keep at home just in case you need them at 2 a.m. when pharmacies and doctors’ offices are closed.

You get bottles of these eight prescription drugs to self-treat conditions such as parasites, strep, pneumonia, lyme disease, bacterial infections, GI and urinary tract infections, and more.

Wellness Company drug list

To get the kit, you have to fill out a health form, and have a brief consultation with a health professional at the company who can write the prescription.

Once you get the kit, how exactly do you diagnose yourself with these conditions? They give you a handy booklet about what to use each drug for, or you can speak to a health-care professional at their company during regular business hours for an extra fee, presumably.

And how much does this kit cost? $299.

*MOUSE PRINT:

In their FAQ section they reveal a key fact:

No insurance accepted

To the best of our knowledge, no state pharmacy boards or consumer authorities have taken legal action against the company because what they are doing may not be outside current medical, legal, and ethical guidelines. One state pharmacy board reportedly denied a drugstore’s request to carry a similar kit in their store.

Some things are very unsettling about this whole proposition:

  • Shouldn’t new conditions be diagnosed first by a doctor, rather than having patients read a booklet to self-diagnose and self-medicate, perhaps incorrectly, in the middle of the night?

  • Should doctors and pharmacies be allowed to prescribe and dispense packages of drugs on the speculation that someday they might come in handy, particularly knowing that some patients may self-medicate without proper diagnosis or medical follow-up?

  • Can’t purchasers of these kits wait until 8 a.m. the next day to call their doctor to get a real diagnosis or prescription?

  • How many of these drugs will expire before use and wind up being a big waste of money?

  • Why haven’t state or federal medical authorities stepped in to regulate sales of kits like these?

    Please offer your thoughts in the comments.

    • Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

    Lawsuit: Safe Melt Not Safe for Pets

    Safe MeltIn March, two New York consumers sued the manufacturer of Safe Melt — a snow and ice melter specifically marketed to pet owners as “pet safe” and “pet friendly.” [See complaint.]

    After walking on areas treated with Safe Melt, which is 100% magnesium chloride, their dogs suffered various injuries including paw and skin irritation and lesions, and one dog developed kidney disease and died.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    The lawsuit contends:

    … Safe Melt is not safe for pets. It is composed entirely of magnesium chloride (“MCL”), which is harmful for pets to ingest and dangerous for them to touch. Safe Melt can cause gastrointestinal irritation, diarrhea, bloody vomiting, respiratory depression, kidney failure, and cardiac arrest to pets that eat it, lick it, or groom their paws after walking over it. It can also cause chemical burns, cracked paw pads, and painful irritation if it gets embedded in pets’ fur or has direct contact with their skin.

    Apparently the company contends that the “pet safe” claim refers to the fact that their product comes in round pellets, rather than sharp, jagged crystals which could cut into pets’ paws. And their website says that the product “won’t burn or irritate pets’ paws.”

    The consumers say they paid a premium price for this supposedly safe product and want their money back. The lawyers are suing claiming misrepresentation and false advertising.

    If you see a claim on ice melter that says “safe for pets,” what do you understand that to mean?