Enter the new kid on the over-the-counter hayfever market block (see what I did there?): Nasalguard AllergieBLOCK. Firstly, how am I supposed to trust a product that can't even manage to spell allergy properly? Secondly, is that Comic Sans font that I spy on the packaging?! Okay, so it seems like the UK packaging is different, but that doesn't matter. The damage is done, and the use of Comic Sans is an unforgivable crime.
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| A Crime Against Humanity |
Let's have a look at what the manufacturer's say:
"NasalGuard AllergieBLOCK® Regular is a revolutionary topical gel based upon patented technology containing cosmetic grade ingredients. The FDA-approved gel creates a positive charge which blocks negatively charged allergens on contact before they enter the nasal passages."
Right, it's really not revolutionary, is it? It's hardly going to free the downtrodden masses from the grips of the evil dictatorship of pollen. It's exactly the same principle as Prevalin and Haymax, and of course good old Vaseline. I've said it before in the Prevalin post, but the idea of putting vaseline on your nostrils to reduce hayfever symptoms is as old as the hills. There's nothing revolutionary about this. This positive charge thing is new, however. It sounds like something that a bunch of marketers sat in an office having a "thinkstorm" session would come up with as being suitably science-y to wow the masses.
But surely this can't possibly be the case, not when there is a heart-warming "Inventor's Story" on the website:
"About 20 years ago, New Jersey Professional Engineer Ashok Wahi's daughter Aikta frequently suffered from allergies after exposure to her friend's cat. He wanted her to be relieved from the constant sneezing, runny nose and congestion without taking drugs. The conventional over-the-counter remedies made her sleepy at school, he got motivated to create a drug-free solution for his daughter that wouldn’t cause drowsiness, dry mouth and similar side effects.
The project's goal was to prevent the inhalation of allergens rather than treating the allergy symptoms after the fact.
With this in mind, Wahi put his engineering skills to work and developed a unique gel that blocks allergens on contact, therefore alleviating allergy symptoms. Hence the birth of NasalGuard® technology."
So its taken this dude 20 years to reinvent the wheel and come up with a fancy version of Vaseline. Shame really, he could have saved himself the effort if he had only spoken to a decent pharmacist or GP. Whilst I'm sure being a "Professional Engineer" is awesome and all, I'd really rather like it if people who are trying to improve my health have some sort of background or training in healthcare, thank you very much.
Anyway, all of this is by-the-by, because of course there is going to be a wealth of good quality clinical trial evidence to say that it works, right? Dear readers, you probably know the drill by now. There's some testimonial videos on the website, a grand total of 4 of them. With Prevalin, the manufacturers tried to pass off two methodologically poor trials about products that bore no relation to Prevalin at all off as clinical proof that it works. These guys don't even bother going to that amount of effort. There is no mention anywhere on the website about any trials at all. They don't even bother cursorily referencing the Principles and Technology bit:
"NasalGuard AllergieBLOCK® uses patented technology that works on a simple principle of electrostatic charges: opposite charges attract each other.
AllergieBLOCK gel has a slight positive charge which attracts negatively charged allergens. Allergens like pollen, ragwort/ragweed, hay, dust mites, pet dander and house dust all carry a slightly negative charge. The allergens are blocked on contact. You do not inhale allergens, which means you don’t suffer from allergic reactions"Now, it does seem to be the case from this PLoS One study that allergens are negatively charged whereas non-allergens are more likely to be postively charged. But until there's some evidence that a mixture of "Dl Water, Polyquats, Propylene Glycol, Octoxynol-9, Glycerin, other cosmetic grade ingredients and preservatives" can definitely produce some sort of nasal forcefield against the nasty pollen, and the manufatcurers can demonstrate an ability to spell properly, I'm not interested.
I'd also rather not apply something to my face which is going to actually attract the very things I am expressly trying to keep away it, thank you very much. Without evidence to the contrary, there is nothing to say that all of those positively-charged allergens which are supposedly now attracted to the gunk on your nose will get stuck on the gunk. A few allergens with probably make it through, given that nostrils are relatively big holes in comparison to how small the allergens are. So if anything, there is a potential that you end up with more allergens than you would have done had you not bothered applying it in the first place. Imagine Justin Bieber in a young girl's school, with only one or two bouncers for protection. a fair proportion of the screaming pre-pubescent youngsters are likely to get through the bouncers to plant a kiss or two on the fresh-faced child-adonis. (If I'm honest, I have only a vague knowledge of who Justin Bieber is, but I understand he's the Jason Donovan of modern time)
How much does it cost? oh, only the princely sum of £11.99 for 3g at Boots. ELEVEN POUNDS AND NINETY NINE PENCE for THREE GRAMS!!! Think of all the other things you could buy for £11.99.
Save your money, people.
