Life Way Spray was a line of spray vitamin products marketed by the Home Shopping Network. These sprays were featured on the Home Shopping Network in advertisements featuring television personality Ruta Lee. The various sprays were said to be absorbed into the body more readily than pill vitamins, and were said to be effective in treating a wide variety of health conditions. It appears that these products are no longer on the market. Talk to your doctor before starting any diet program or vitamin supplement regimen.
Types
The range of Life Way Sprays included a Life Way Vitamin C and Zinc spray, an Antioxidant Spray and a Vitamin B12 Spray, according to the Federal Trade Commission or FTC. The company also marketed a Smoke-Less Nutrient Spray, which was purported to assist in smoking cessation. There does not appear to have been a diet or weight loss spray included in the line of products. However, advertisements did claim that the Smoke-Less spray could prevent the weight gain that frequently occurs after quitting smoking.
Claims
In the advertisements presented on the Home Shopping Network, television personality Ruta Lee claimed that the Vitamin C and Zinc sprays had the ability to heal mouth sores, eliminate cracked skin at the corner of the mouth, and prevent colds. She also advertised the vitamin B-12 sprays as being able to increase energy and reduce hangovers, and claimed that the Antixodiant spray could improve immune function and reduce facial lines. These advertisements also purported that the Smoke-Less spray could enable smokers to quit easily, despite the duration or extent of their addiction. The ads further asserted that this transition could be made without the typical anxiety or weight gain.
FTC Charges
In 1995, the FTC charged Home Shopping Network and Ruta Lee's company, Live-Lee Productions, with deceptive advertising and unsubstantiated claims regarding the Life Way Sprays. The ubsubstantiated claims included those made about the absorbability and curative powers of the vitamin sprays, as well as the ability of the Smoke-Less spray to facilitate effortless smoking cessation. According to Case Watch.org, the charges stated that Home Shopping Network and Lee did not have sufficient evidence to support the claims made on these products.
Settlement
In 1996, the Home Shopping Network settled the FTC charges stating that claims for the Life Way sprays lacked scientific evidence. This settlement followed the 1995 settlement by Ruta Lee's Live-Lee productions on the same grounds. Based on the terms of the settlement, Home Shopping Network and Lee were prohibited from making claims such as those made on Life Way Sprays without furnishing scientific evidence. In particular, the companies were prohibited from claiming that their vitamin products could cure any disease or enable effortless smoking cessation.
Considerations
It does not appear that Life Way Sprays continue to be marketed by Home Shopping Network, Live-Lee Productions or Ruta Lee. There is no online presence for Life Way Sprays, and very little information is available about the product lines. If you wish to add a new vitamin supplement to your diet or to stop smoking, it is best to consult your doctor first.
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