Advertising Flaws and Reflection of Course

After viewing all of the information from the videos and the lecture and the chapters, I will be able to protect myself and become a better consumer in the future because I will be aware.  I now know the options I have for protection if I do fall for false advertising, but hopefully that will not even be needed because I have learned so much about the false marketing. I will see the signs and the puffery from the beginning.  I will know not to believe outrageous claims and look for scientific evidence on how products work and how reliable/healthy/healing they are. It was nice to read the discussion posts because everyone had different ideas about the topics and there were some helpful articles included as well that were helpful to understanding the topics. I personally liked learning from what others commented on my post about how advertising will change and if commercials will become obsolete. There are many articles that speak of this topic and also of how ads are more popular elsewhere such as on the internet.

Here are some links that helped me throughout this module that I and others found throughout the discussions:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/product-placement-examples#sm.0000075v9h3z94elpq4xqkqa5kq7b

http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/guerrilla-marketing/are-television-commercials-obsolete/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sold/201303/product-placement-can-be-lot-more-powerful-we-realize

I will definitely take what I learned about sensory appealing advertisements in this module with me in the future. After going through this module, I realize this is something I have fallen for quite a bit and I really hope to change that in the future. I need to be more careful with where I am spending my money and make sure I am buying products that are actually useful or that actually taste good. Within the entire course, I will take most of it with me. Even from the first chapter when we learned about hoe the grocery store is set up I was able to apply this class to my daily living. For me, this class has meant much reflecting on who I am as a consumer and how I need to change. I do believe since the beginning of the semester I have become a better consumer. I cannot say that is very hard since as soon as this class started I realized what a bad consumer I truly was.

I truly enjoyed the discussions. By having to make up questions it gave a good basis for the discussions. When just posting statements it can be hard to know how to respond. I thought they were set up very well. I also really liked how each of the posts were due on different days. It set a nice pace for the course and kept people involved the whole module. It was impossible to just do all of the work on the last day which is so important because it is so easy for those kinds of things to happen. I feel like much more is learned when students are not rushing to finish all of the work on the last day of the module.

I found some of the discussions to be challenging because sometimes I was stumped on what question to ask, but they were also my favorite thing because I liked that they were challenging. It really made me think and helped me to understand the chapters and lecture notes much better than I would have otherwise. I really liked the lecture notes. I enjoyed that they were made with Prezi and not PowerPoint just because it was something different. Seeing the same thing all the time can become monotonous. I also really liked that your voice was recorded on there. It felt like I was in a classroom. None of my other classes this semester had any recordings. With having things be focused only on reading, it can get a little old, especially when you are a full time online student. I really enjoyed this class and I think I learned more about how to live my life than I have from any other course. I am glad to have taken this course and I know I will take it with me in the future.

Experimenting With Alternative Medicines

                Throughout these chapters I learned a lot that I did not know. Every chapter I read, I realize what a poor consumer I am. Thankfully for this class, however, I am becoming a better one. I definitely related more to chapter 5 than 6 because I am not one who really uses alternative medicine and things of that sort. I do use over the counter medicines when I am sick and behind the counter such as Advil Cold Sinus.

I do not take prescription drugs almost ever anymore. I remember being prescribed different things when I was little for colds and such, and it has been ten years or so since that has happened. Something that stood out to me in this chapter was the pain killers. As it says in the text, it is up to the patient to use them properly and be responsible. I have seen so many people use these inappropriately and it is so sad.

I felt as though I still learned a lot from chapter 6 although I could not relate to it as much. The only alternatives I had been familiar with were yoga, chiropractic, acupuncture and supplements. Any other ones mentioned in the text I had never heard of, and it was interesting to learn about how people try to help themselves and in a way ‘self-medicate’ without actual medication.

I have tried yoga in the past. I did not prepare for it at all, and I had no idea what to expect. I did not wear the proper clothing and was incredibly uncomfortable. I did not like it because I felt it was too slow pace for me. I was bored and had trouble focusing, problems I do not normally have. I have thought about possibly trying supplements in the future. Before I do that, I will make sure to look into who is advocating for this type of treatment and how widely available it is. I would also research if it was safe and talk to a professional because making any rash decisions.

Something that was helpful throughout this module was the discussion postings. I liked being able to read how everyone understood different parts of the text and their thoughts about it. I really like how we all have to answer questions because it makes you think more about the topic than you normally would having just read the text and being done with it.

I liked this article I found form the mayo clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/alternative-medicine/art-20045267 It just explains as well what was in our text and adds to it. I always appreciate looking at multiple sources to understand material.

I think to improve my grade I will take more notes while I am reading which may help with the quizzes and even the discussions. When taking in so much information it is easy to forget things. I love being able to look back on my note sheets and be instantly reminded of a chapter or module. I think my participation in discussion has improved. I would sometimes forget to add information from the text or to accompany my original response with a link, and I feel I have gotten much better with that.

Avoiding Quackery and Understanding Health Policies

Throughout these chapters, I actually became quite fearful. There is so much fraud in the world that I had no idea about. I was aware of all of the health and fitness scams, which are something I am always exposed to. My friends are always ‘sharing’ them on Facebook and what not. I feel as though younger generations have become so obsessed with physical appearance. Although, this is something all generations struggle with.

I have realized that I have had many experiences with ‘quacks,’ however, they were my friends. They would believe in a product that was not approved what so ever and try to ‘sell’ it to me. I always could see how it was wrong and I have always been skeptical of such things. They were usually always some sort of beauty product. It was interesting to learn how quackery is sometimes unintentional, whereas health fraud is intentional. That statement almost glamorizes quackery just because someone may not realize they are wrong.

The Health Reform has been a huge topic of discussion for most Americans. This reform is forceful, without obtaining the insurance a fine will have to be paid. There are subsidies and things people can do if they are having trouble affording this care. However, many of my friends in their early 20’s are still speaking of how the deductible is higher than the fine, so it makes more sense for them to just pay the fines than to actually obtain the insurance.

Selecting an insurance plan is definitely a process. Many people struggle with high deductibles or with how much of their care will really be covered. It was nice to learn about all of the supplemental plans out there, some in which I may use as I grow older. It is important to know your needs and to have a plan of want you want when looking to buy insurance. That way you can get the most coverage for what you need and avoid paying for extra things that you do not need.

I will in the future avoid being a victim of quackery by looking for red flags such as advertisements stating something is ‘all natural’ or ‘magical.’ Before using any medical products I will be sure to talk to my physician first. I normally partake in this act. For certain products I will check with the FDA to make sure the product is authentic. I will also not believe everything I hear and be skeptical towards products that are flashy or seem to be an easy and quick fix for a life situation.

This summary of the Affordable Care Act was helpful to understand it better. It is long, but it is all spaced out and categorized so that I could look up certain parts I was struggling to understand. http://kff.org/health-reform/fact-sheet/summary-of-the-affordable-care-act/   It is an intensive law and it was nice to look at a broken down more detailed version.

I do feel I put in the needed time and effort in this module because I always handed all of my work in on time. However, I still am in the habit of saving my work and then handing it in before it is due. I think this is because a lot of times I am working from a place where there is no Wi-Fi so a question or response is saved into a word document and I do the work there and am unable to submit so I wait 'til the last minute to do so. I have been reading more and more posts rather than just reading two and responding to them, and I have been learning quite a bit from what the other students are saying. I would suggest people read more posts definitely, and just try to stay up to date and make sure assignments are in on time. It makes it easier for people to respond to discussions if there are actually posts to read.

Being a Good Consumer and Understanding the American Health Care System

These first two chapters were all about being a good consumer and understanding the health care system.  The readings gave many good tips on how to be a good consumer, whether it be shopping at the grocery or finding a Primary Care Physician that fits you.  Some important tips that stuck out to me were how important it is to receive advice from friends and family, but not rely on it solely, how important it is to be skeptical whether that means looking up information on the internet, or just shopping for food, and how important it is to just read. That tip came off strong to me because it is something I tend not to do; read. I do not read expiration labels before I purchase something and I often do not read contracts thoroughly. The video within the lectures was very helpful for me, learning what foods are not only healthier to buy, but cheaper to buy. Many students in the discussion forum shared the problem or having issues grocery shopping, I’m sure that video was very helpful to everyone.

The American Health Care System is often times exclusive. Many patients are left untreated due to high costs, or overcrowded Emergency Rooms. Although The Affordable Care Act is supposed to supply every American with a health care plan, many people are still struggling. I personally have many friends just out of college that will never be able to get past the deductible, but then without having the insurance get fined just as badly. Health care is a tough topic because it is something that everyone should have, and really that everyone needs, but because of the cost of health expenses, sometimes it makes it seem impossible to see a day where everyone will have a Health care plan that suits them.

I, myself, am not the best consumer. When grocery shopping, I almost always leave with something I did not intend on buying.  I never bring a list, although I have been trying to improve upon that, which makes it difficult to even leave with the products I initially needed. I also will just buy name brands rather than seeing if an off brand is just as good and cheaper. I did not look hard at all into finding a PCP, I just went to someone my aunt suggested. I was lucky, however, and love my physician. Although, I have been quite lucky, I have also had many poor experiences with physicians. It is so important to read contracts and to do as much research as possible before putting your life into someone else’s’ hands. As the reading says, it is necessary to be skeptical.

I do feel as though I put in the needed time and effort into this module. In future modules I may look back and feel as though I did not, however, I am still getting used to what this course is all about. I tried to type all of my work up first and re read it and come back to it to make sure it was worth submitting. For the next module I do want to try to submit my work sooner, I think I will be less stressed and feel as though I have less work if I am ahead rather than only a day ahead or just on time. With all the other classes I’m taking and with work and all it could be hard, but I am hopeful that I will be able to do it. The feedback was actually incredibly helpful. Knowing exactly why or why not you have received a perfect score can really help you to improve or to remember what things always need to be included.

Point-of-sale displays- I always referred to these as “check out treats” as a kid. Even just in the word itself, you can see how detrimental these things can be to your bank account. I learned that I fall for these things often and need to try harder to avoid them.

Per-capita- as I was reading I realized that I had heard this term before but never actually knew what it meant, so I looked it up online. This helped me to really just understand what the reading was saying because it was used so often.

Single-payer health care- this is a system where the government is the one insurer of health care. Again, I have heard of this before, but did not truly understand what it means. In a way it still confuses me a little. However, this definitely helped me to understand different health care systems better because I could use it as a comparison.