Back to basics

I am glad I haven’t posted too much doom and gloom on this blog for a while. It should really get back to the original intention I had with it, which was a display of my zany thoughts and quirky observations about the world. (Wow I haven’t used the word zany in a while, and probably never will in real conversation.)

So I recently decided to try taking those once a day type of multivitamins, to see if it will help keep my energy levels up by filling in the nutritional gaps in my diet. I just bought a bottle yesterday and when I opened it up, there was a big wad of cotton in it. I stuffed it back in after taking a pill but then wondered. Is there a good reason for cotton to be in there? So of course I turned to my long time friend the internet who was very helpful, not that I would ever expect less.

“Cotton traditionally has been used as packing in pill bottles to keep the pills from breaking and to maintain a concept from a gentler time called pharmaceutical elegance, meaning a pleasing presentation, said Peggyann Zaenger, a doctor of pharmacy in Jacksonville, Fla., and a student of pharmaceutical history. You still find cotton in over-the-counter bottles packed by the manufacturer, but not in prescriptions filled by pharmacists. Breakage isn't common because pharmacists usually dispense medicine in smaller quantities and in thicker containers better sized to the number of pills. Also, porous cotton can absorb pathogens from hands and contaminate the pills if it's returned to the bottle. So, when you take out the cotton, throw it away, Zaenger said. “ – Rocky Mountain News
A satisfying answer. Thank you.

(ps. I might end up archiving all the “bad” stuff in this blog, since that is all past and should only be a memory, and maybe put up some of my knitting here. Yes new hobby! Woohoo! And maybe the progress of my plants in the garden.)