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How many times have we sat in front of the TV, in the US, watching a 30-minute program, which was interrupted a dozen times for commercials advertising such things as Prevacid, Nexium, Procrit, Viagra, and numerous other prescription and controlled drugs? A million, I’d say.

I have been struck by the fact that I have not run across any ads in the UK promoting medications. In fact, I was sitting there one day in my mother-in-law’s kitchen, when a commercial popped up for underpants. You know, the kind that older people wear to protect them from embarrassment when they accidentally leak. These panty protectors are found in US stores, usually in the baby diaper area, or near the pharmacy. However, they are hardly, if ever, promoted. No, more likely you’d see an ad for Detrol LA (Gotta go, gotta go).

What you see in the US is a culture devoted to taking pills to solve all kinds of problems. Instead of wearing a pad, they would rather take drugs, which can have effects on many other things. It seems that in the UK, they would rather accept minor inconveniences than to pop a pill. I don’t know if it’s the different attitude towards medication in general, or if there is a tighter control on the dispensing of drugs. I do know there is a law against advertising drugs on British TV. Whatever the case, I’m glad I’m not being bombarded with ads for medications.