Conspiracy Theory

[ttleistdci]

My conspiracy theory of the day...

While we can find cures for all sorts of diseases, both terminal and not, we can't find a cure for the common cold. Could it be because a single cure for a cold would result in millions (maybe billions?) of dollars lost for companies that produce products like Nyquil and Dayquil (and the millions of other cold remedies out there)?
Companies would go out of business and all of those people would lose their jobs. Plus I'm sure companies like CVS would lose a good chunk of change as I can imagine their cold/allergy aisle brings in a few bucks during the cold season.

Why produce a solution to a problem when you can produce a bunch of quick fixes and make ten times the money, right?

Discuss...

[jakethebake]

there are a lot of illnesses for which this is the case. it's completely true of many non-deadly illnesses.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

No.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

Also, meh.

[meep_42]

The common cold isn't a single thing, like polio, it's a general type that is highly variable and mutant, and thus very difficult to 'cure.'

-d

[A_C_Slater]

This theory could be extended to just about everything when vested interest is involved. For example, you could say there is no way to reduce the crime rate because law enforcment officals have a vested interest in crimes.

Or you could say that there will always be a war going on because the military has a vested interest in war.

[meep_42]

You have no idea how vaccines work, do you?

-d

[MortalWombat]

::sigh:: I wish people would do a simple Google search before posting stuff.

Type cold virus into google, and one of the top entries, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/cold.htm), has this to say:
[ QUOTE ]
More than 200 different viruses are known to cause the symptoms of the common cold. Some, such as the rhinoviruses, seldom produce serious illnesses. Others, such as parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus, produce mild infections in adults but can precipitate severe lower respiratory infections in young children.

...

Because so many different viruses can cause the common cold, the outlook for developing a vaccine that will prevent transmission of all of them is dim.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Ianco15]

[ QUOTE ]
Or you could say that there will always be a war going on because the military has a vested interest in war.

[/ QUOTE ]
This may not be far off. The US government employs huge amounts of people directly or indirectly for military defense.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Or you could say that there will always be a war going on because the military has a vested interest in war.

[/ QUOTE ]
This may not be far off. The US government employs huge amounts of people directly or indirectly for military defense.

[/ QUOTE ]

This would not suprise me either.

[tbach24]

Common cold = virus.

Also, what sort of perks are the medical people getting for this?

[Dominic]

I'm more concerned with the "planned obselescence" of computers, cars, etc. These products are not made to last. Hell, we're so trained when it comes to electronics and computers that we're actually excited when our copmuter - which was the fa-shizzle only 6 months ago - becomes obsolete and we have to "upgrade it."

I hate that.

[BusterStacks]

[ QUOTE ]
You have no idea how vaccines work, do you?

-d

[/ QUOTE ]