MIL watches TV all day and sees commercials for wellness drinks, pills, etc. and wants to try all of these expensive things. I fell for it once and let her buy Nopolea for $150 a month - what a rip off. She is obsessed with drinks, vitamins, etc. She had a stroke 14 years ago and is paralyzed on one side and in a wheelchair unable to walk at all (she lives with us). Other than this, she is extremely healthy and only takes an antidepressant and an anti seizure med due to her stroke. She's always writing phone numbers down and telling us to call or ripping things out from newspapers and magazines to call and order for her. When we tell her no and ask her if she is not feeling well then we'll take her to the dr. she cries like a child. This is driving me crazy.
If she tends to not remember that she's/you've ordered something, you could always fake it. Get out the order form, write the check and mail it back to yourself (or toss it, lol). Invoke the 'kind lie' and remind her, if she asks that shipping can take up to 8 weeks. Bet she's utterly forgotten about it by then.
...and understand, I am a health care professional who spent most of my career in alternative medicine, promoting supplements, correcting dietary etc.
You are right--most of what's seen on TV, can be easily lived without.
Most of what's lining store shelves, can be lived without.
Maybe you can convince her by reminding her that Dr. Oz, even, is promoting things for Industries trying to make money.
And/or, that one or two simple things, cover almost everything, from soup-to-nuts/head-to-foot...like good quality fish oil with high Omega 3's, for instance---using about 4 or more per day, can help brain function, heart/circulatory systems, normalize blood pressure, help skin, eyes, etc.--all with fish oil in large enuf amounts daily.
Simple.
Or, simply using coconut oil--you can google that and get more data than you can read.
Simples.
But more than that, maybe ask her if it scares her to get old?
Even confused elders, fear dying, even ones who have had firm beliefs in afterlife. One of my Gma's believed all her life in afterlife, continuance of Spirit, yet, poised at the threshold of being about to leave the world, she feared it was all hooey. Maybe she was right--none can tell; Some believe they've seen it--I'm one--but those are my own beliefs, and subject to change--as were heres at the 11th hour. AND, she didn't want to miss anything!
Fearing illnesses, aging and death, can prompt all kinds of bad behaviors, as well as buying frenzies of products to help maintain youth/health.
Take another look at her behaviors, in that context--you might find some answers and maybe a solution, if you can carry a conversation with her about it.
Or it might simply be boredom--and too easy access of the money to do it with.
Placebos, better simpler known safe alternatives she can manage herself, limit-setting, removing the checkbook from her access, etc.--all good ideas.
IF she can still process thoughts a certain amount, snow her with data you approve--keep her busy studying on things--reading disclaimers on stuff that's no good, too expensive.
Faking things too much though, I've found, especially with those who still can think straight some--it doesn't work very well, and can backfire on you---because she'll recognize some or all the fakes, then start mistrusting everything you provide or say.
It is well documented now that a "cocktail" of B vites carnitine and CoQ can help in mitochondrial disorders. B6 given with Keppra, and Coq and maybe carnitine given with statins are reasonably effective at combatting side effects. B2, B1, and a few herbs may work for migraines, but YMMV. Petasides (butterbur) actually GIVE me headaches. OTOH, it is also pretty well documented that glucosamine and chondroitin do next to nothing to humans with arthritis, though they may be just great for dogs, (e.g. "Happy Hip" dog biscuits). If in doubt, go into PubMed for detailed info on any specific thing. You may be very suprised at what does and does not work.
I recently heard an interesting view (by interesting I mean I don't personally subscribe to it) that using supplements is sort of like implying God did not know how to make good foods for us to eat, and a Christian person I otherwise respect a great deal espoused that idea and said NO ONE IN HIS FAMILY ever takes any supplements. If you feel that argument is useful, use it! But, I tend to think of them as medicines. Did you know there are anti-inflammatory compounds in the whey fraction of milk? Found that out when I tried to go milk-free on someone's bad Mercola-based nutrition advice. But if you really can't drink milk, then fresh pineapple has bromelain, and you can buy some OTC too, some of the orthopods recommend it regularly instead of Aleve.
OK, now that I'm hungry, ceecee, you can make some of those smoothies for me, sounds yummy. I'm partial to fresh mango with vanilla whey powder, one frozen banana, just enough water, and a pinch of honey. Better and cheaper than Starbucks, BTW.
For me, the commercials I hate are for restaurants. Mom loves eating out and wants to every day, which of course we can't afford. I dread watching tv with her!
My mom was completely with it, probably because of her interest in good health. She lived until she was 93. Healthy, independent and in her own home, with me running up to care for her for her last two to three years. I know that's not the same as living with her day to day though.
Periodically I would gently and nicely go to her cabinet where she stored all her vitamins and we would line them up. She could see that she had 4-6 CoQ10 bottles, or what ever else she got. We would look at the expiration dates and throw out all the old things. I think she didn't really care, but she liked the company and we had to laugh.
I agree with the person who said some of the vitamins are good. Duplicates and every last vitamin are not. I was told by a doctor once that you only need 100 percent of the recommended daily value, and you get most of that from whole food, so vitamins are only minimally needed, typically.
My sister and I enjoyed the second and third facial repair package from Cindy Crawford. It was helpful to line up what mom had bought and tell her she had to use up what she has before buying anything more.
It's understandable that your MIL falls for the sales pitches. They are relentless and if she watches a lot of TV, then it makes good sense that she wants to try things. I fall for things too...
Wish I could be more helpful to you. All I can say is that I think this is a common problem. We need to get hobbies and more interesting lives... at least that's what I'm working on.
I still watch too much tv tho.
Our satellite TV system does allows for blocking certain channels. If need be, I'd block the offending channels and white-lie that they were "discontinued" by the satellite company.
He once wanted a juicer so bad that it was all he asked me about - so I just bought a green smoothie at the grocery store - told him it was "sample" and he hated it, so the juicer idea went away.
He resents it if I just tell him no - and to try to reason does not work, so I just try to go with the flow - whatever he sees that he wants, I just tell him - great idea we will try it and substitute something that I can usually find at the dollar store.
Currently he is feeling so much better because of the magic lotion I am putting on him for his arthritis - it is just some dollar store hand cream.
Try "dearest mother, I would no more let these people take your money for those pills than I would let them sell you a unicorn." And switch her viewing to a TV channel that specialises in exposes all of the consumer rip-offs and scams we're bombarded with every day. Tell her how clever she is to dodge the evil bastards.
The only other thing you could do, if you happen to have absolutely nothing else to think about one day, is download an ingredients list for whatever brand of snake oil she's interested in and read it to her. If you collect these over time, you can get her to join in spotting how much people are charging these days for things like whey, sugar, artificial sweeteners, fish by-products and goodness knows what else. Try to make her feel outrage at the manufacturers' treating her like an idiot, rather than resentment at your protection of her.
I would go with Jaye above -- i.e., perhaps by telling her the doctor said they are not good for her, adding that s/he said they would be dangerous when taken with her current medications.
Now, if that doesn't work...... you could just say you ordered them, find a bottle that looks medicinal (or perhaps one of the older bottles that came previously, fill it with flavored water and or some sort of sugarless candy that looks like a pill.
Buy a box with packaging materials with a label and keep it handy so you can tell her 'it came'.
Sometimes, you just have to fake it in order to survive. :)
:)
Would she be satisfied with vitamins from the store? Or go to GNC and buy her some vitamins in packaging she doesn't recognize and tell her "it the latest thing". Coconut oil is very fashionable now, get some of that and make a big production out of it and then dribble it on her ice cream.
Or you could tell her that in buying these things off of tv she is paying for the packaging and the shipping but the actual product is simple to make at home. Then make her a shake of some kind (wheat grass might change her mind about these products).
What is her motivation for wanting all of that stuff? Does she believe that they will reverse the effects of the stroke? That she'll "FEEL 10 YEARS YOUNGER!!!" ? I have to think there's some dementia going on because you said when you tell her she can't buy all of that stuff she sees on tv she cries like a child. That's not a reasonable reaction to being told "no". Maybe if you get her to tell you why she wants those products you can figure out a way to get around this from now on.