There’s a pill for everything these days, and it seems like there’s a big-budget commercial trumpeting the benefits of every new medication. Having trouble sleeping? Try a dose of Lunesta or Ambien. Can’t wake up and get out of bed in the morning? There’s a drug for that too.
But what those commercials won’t tell you is that, for a lot of common ailments, simply getting off your butt and heading out for a hike will do wonders. That’s the message of this clever spoof, which sends up the formula of drug commercials with some old-fashioned common sense. “Are you feeling tired, irritable, stressed out?” the narrator asks. “Then you might consider … nature.”
Of course, as any medication ad will rush to tell you in its closing frames, every cure comes with a laundry list of side effects. And some of them are downright bizarre, from anal leakage (Alli, a fat blocker) to turning your urine black (Flagyl, an infection-fighting med) and even eliminating your fingerprints (Xeloda, a cancer drug).
Luckily for those of us in the know, the only side effects of embracing nature are black fly bites, campfire-smelling hoodies, and the occasional sunburn. Just be sure to ask your doctor if nature is right for you.
