[BRIEF NOTE] The Problem with Panexa
Dec. 28th, 2005 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rfmcdonaldI've seen the mock ad for Panexa pop up at multiple weblogs. Supposedly the ad for the pharmaceutical version of the apparently nonexistent chemical "acidachrome promanganate," the ad superbly spoofs the glossy low-content ads for psychoactive pharmaceuticals that we're all familiar with (and by we, I mean North Americans who read mainly American-based magazines which use ads from pharmaceutical companies because the US doesn't have Canadian-style medicare). The small-print warnings are particularly hilarious.
And yet, even as I laugh at the warnings given to women possessing uteruses to flee to jurisdictions with lower Panexa concentrations, I wonder if this mock ad might not spoof--and wrongly--the very real truth that pharmaceuticals are necessary for a whole range of medical problems, including psychological ones, that indeed psychological problems frequently do issue from physical ones. Talk therapy is useful, and certainly underlying issues which might be causing psychological issues must be dealt with, but sometimes the drugs really do smooth out certain irregularities in the workings of the human nervous system.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR WOMEN
Pregnant women, or women who plan to become pregnant, should avoid taking PANEXAor handling broken tablets. Or intact tablets. Women considering some day becoming pregnant, who have ever been pregnant, who have had a pregnant friend or pet, or who have seen other pregnant women, naked or otherwise, should also follow these precautions:Do not handle PANEXA tablets, containers, or related literature. If a PANEXA product nears your field of vision, avert your eyes. Try not to say the word "PANEXA." If you do happen to pronounce the syllables, spit thrice and soak your hands in iodine. If you hear the words spoken, live or via recorded medium, cover your ears and immediately see a specialist to try and staunch the bleeding. Try not to think too hard about PANEXA. In fact, don't ever even think about it at all. Pretend you never heard of PANEXA, and never will. Drop this magazine immediately, and get the hell out of here as fast as you fucking can. Go on, get out of here. You'll thank me.
If you should be aware of a pregnant woman who has handled PANEXA, attempt to warn the peoples of earth of the mind-numbing horror that is about to unfold. Also, drink plenty of liquids.
And yet, even as I laugh at the warnings given to women possessing uteruses to flee to jurisdictions with lower Panexa concentrations, I wonder if this mock ad might not spoof--and wrongly--the very real truth that pharmaceuticals are necessary for a whole range of medical problems, including psychological ones, that indeed psychological problems frequently do issue from physical ones. Talk therapy is useful, and certainly underlying issues which might be causing psychological issues must be dealt with, but sometimes the drugs really do smooth out certain irregularities in the workings of the human nervous system.
