My foray in a recent column into things from TV commercials that strike me as puzzlements was far from complete. It barely scratched the surface of my discontents. I am puzzled by the contents of TV commercials relating to the world of medicine.

Let it be clear that I have no quarrel with legitimate medicine. Both my son and daughter-in-law are highly-respected physicians. One granddaughter is a physician’s assistant. A much loved niece is a pharmacist. Some of my friends and former students are medical professionals. This is one reason why I bristle at ads in which actors dress up in lab coats and speak as if they are bringing the authority of modern medicine to bear on whatever nostrum they are shilling.

Allow me to introduce “Zyx” as a catchall name for medications being touted in commercials. Some come with warnings to “tell your doctor” or “ask your doctor if Zyx is right for you.”

I personally would never have a stupid doctor, one who did not know about my ailment and relevant treatments. We are instructed by some ads to tell our doctors if we have visited places where certain fungi or other nasty things are prevalent. How are we supposed to know this? Tourism literature does not focus on negatives like fungi.

Many medical commercials contain warnings and disclaimers. “Do not take Zyx if.....” The list of preexisting conditions in which Zyx is contraindicated is often long. It could lead to ringworms, baldness, flatulence or loss of speech. Some say that even deaths have been reported. Except in cases of almost certain impending death, who would accept this treatment option?

They say that people should not take this stuff if they are allergic to any of its ingredients? How are we supposed to know this? Of course, these are butt cover statements. In case problems emerge and litigation follows, the drug maker can contend that the patient had been fully informed.

Some of these pills and potions are said to work miracles. People who are portrayed as being so seriously disabled that they can hardly walk soon become able to zip up and down stairs after taking this marvelous treatment. A major source of disability — particularly among seniors —