Annoyance Pt. III: Drug Commercials

I know I'm not the first to mention this, but commercials for pharmaceutical (I rule because I spelled that right on the first try) products annoy me. Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing a number of serious, non-threatening and masculine guys earnestly convey their angst about their "E.D.". Of course they would shorten "erectile dysfunction" to "E.D."--it makes it sound less embarrassing. Fine, fine. But is this going to keep on going forever, this making everything an acronym? Every time they do that, they use up another perfectly good set of initials, and some other kid gets teased on the playground. Picture little Eddie Davis surrounded by pointing fingers while kids taunt, "Ha ha! You have erectile dysfunction!"

Oh, the humanity. A whole generation of children is running out of initials. Parents out there must spend weeks brainstorming baby names and tossing them out because they stand for a syndrome, disease, or pharmaceutical product.

If you're thinking of naming your child, the latest list of no-nos (besides the obvious dirty words) now includes:

ED,
VD,
PMS,
ADD,
BD (behavior disorder--that's me, by the way),
LD (learning disorder--my sister),
K-Y,
HIV,
HPV (human papillomavirus--causes genital warts),
HSV (herpes simplex virus),
STD,
OCD,
IBS (irritable bowel syndrome),
BO,
UTI (urinary tract infection), and
IUD.

No one will be able to have these initials peacefully again! Stop the insanity!

And hey, since you're here, I'll share this, too. While researching the above list (that either makes me really nerdy or admirably dedicated to bringing you high-quality blogging) from my cubicle (Work? What work?) I came across a medical dictionary. The following two entries caught my attention, the first because I find it morbidly fascinating, and the second because I wonder if Renee knows about it:

FLESH EATING DISEASE: Common strep bacteria causes an infection of the skin which is often life threatening. Tissues below the skin swell up ... the skin turns dark red and blisters form. This painful process causes dead tissue and advances very quickly. Antibiotics can stop the infection when caught early providing dead tissue has been removed. An amputation of body parts often is required.

ZELLWEGER SYNDROME: A rare disorder with the following symptoms ... renal cysts, increase in the size of the liver, brain dysfunctions, defects in the sheath of fat which protects nerve cell cables (axons) of the brain and spine, skull and facial abnormalities.

And also, I'm pretty sure Christy has stopped reading by now--she is my anti-boring detector. Sorry. Okay, that's all for this installment of Beckyness.