The blog HealthBolt (one of the blogs in the b5media network) has an article about Help Remedies’ cool packaging for things like aspirin and band-aids. The aspirin package is labelled “Help / I have a headache” and the package for the band-aids says “Help / I’ve cut myself”:
Click the photo to go to Help Remedies’ site.
Here’s a closer look at the aspirin packaging, complete with reassuring message:
Click the photo to go to Help Remedies’ site.
On the outside of the aspirin packaging, it says:
As you can see, these pills have 500mh of acetominophen in them. They don’t contain Red Dye #40. If you enjoy Red Dye #40, you will have to eat it separately.
Opening the package not only gives you access to the pills, it also reveals this message:
Hello. I’m sorry about the headache. Don’t be embarassed.
It doesn’t mean you’re dim-witted. Maybe it means the opposite. Maybe your thoughts are so radical they have astounded your brain. You ought to be proud of your headache.
“I have a headache,” you should say to your boss. “You’re promoted,” your boss will say.
But you probably want to get rid of your headache. That’s probably why you purchased this package in the first place. So sit down on a cushiony object, and swallow two tablets.
Click the photo to go to Help Remedies’ site.
Opening the band-aids package reveals this message:
Hello. I’m sorry you cut yourself. It could be an isolated incident, or maybe you are a very clumsy person. Don’t worry. The clumsy are much more lovable than the graceful. The graceful are always busy ballet dancing, and doing incredible feats on the trapeze. The clumsy are always busy being coddled, rubbed, and cared for.
So if you’re not too busy having attractive persons ravish you with attention, take a minute to care for your injury. Wash it, and lay one of our pretty bandages on top. In a matter of moments you will be able to return to your clumsy affairs.
In addition to these clever messages, Help Remedies come with two added bonuses:
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Acetaminophen is not aspirin, though. It goes by the trademark of Tylenol.
Acetylsalicylic acid is aspirin.
I just checked the original website, it even says it is not aspirin because of stomach effects of aspirin.
@Maria: Yes, I'm using the term "aspirin" colloquially -- that is, to refer to any pain-relieving pill. Think of it as the way people in parts of the southern U.S. refer to soft drinks as "Coke", regardless of actual brand.
Pffrt. Hahaha.
The message on the acetaminophen package sounds like it could've been straight out of The Areas of My Expertise! As for the bandages'… not so much (or at least not as obviously to me).
@Maria;
Was that really necessary? It sounds like you're showing off. I'm a biochemistry major and was previously aware of the facts stated in your comment, but I didn't personally feel the need to share them. Everyone refers to store-brand pain relief medicines by the blanket-term "aspirin."
Are you going to draw the acetylsalicilic acid molecule for us next, then explain the synthesis of esters?
@Meg:
Pointing out the difference between two fundamentally different chemicals which operate in different ways on different portions of the pain pathway is not showing off.
If you order a "Coke" and get Coke when you meant Root Beer, that is entirely different than asking for aspirin when you're drunk and have a headache, getting Tylenol, and doing serious damage to your liver.
I suggest you work out why you're so eager to accuse other people of showing off. Maybe it would be a good idea to fix it.
help
I stumbled upon that site totally by accident and with no prior knowledge of it and now I'm obsessively compulsively googling the entire 'net looking for more to satisfy my addiction.. helpineedhelp(.com ;)
Humour should relieve some of that pain:)
I'm completely with you, Meg. Aspirin and paracetamol are two completely different drugs that do completely different things, and they certainly shouldn't be confused! If someone had a heart condition and asked for aspirin and you gave them paracetamol instead, there could be serious consequences. I understand if you called all brands of paracetamol "Tylenol" (Here we have "Panadol", and even generic brands of paracetamol are referred to as Panadol) because it's the same thing, just a different brand. But aspirin is a completely different drug and should not be confused.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol