truly have no idea what you are
actually buying or swallowing
when you take the majority of
these supplements.
—Patrick Carroll, M.D.,
Carmichael, CA
REGARDING THE SIDEBAR
in your article about
supplements “CR Tests
Tur meric and Echinacea”:
When my bum knee starts
to act up, I put more turmeric
and fresh ground pepper
on more of my food. Usually
by the next day any flare-up
has subsided.
—Bob Henry, via CR.org
RECALL
RISKSIN YOUR ARTICLE “When
Recalls Fail” (December 2019),
I have two of the devices
you mention as often less
tested prior to implantation,
leading to what you claim
are issues that may develop
post-surgery. There is no
recommended solution other
than for the reader to read
between the lines and NOT
undergo any of the procedures
out of fear of device failure.
My pacemaker has worked
flawlessly, preventing me from
passing out due to a slow heart
rate, and my hip replacement
has gotten me off the opioids I
needed to take prior to surgery
for the constant, extreme
pain. Given the likelihood of
significant monetary damages
against any company that
would intentionally foist
inferior, untested products
onto patients, it seems unlikely
a company that produces
these devices (and surgeons
who recommend them) would
market a product that would
not function as advertised.
—Andrea Harding,
Fountain Valley, CAEDITOR’S NOTE We’re certainly
not saying that consumers
should never get a medical
device implanted. They can be
life-saving. But, alas, cases of
faulty and dangerous devices
do exist, and in those instances,
device manufacturers aren’t
always held accountable
monetarily. Accordingly, we
recommend that consumers ask
their surgeons questions, such
as: what the device is made of,
whether there are any adverse
event reports connected to it,
why she/he recommends this
particular device, and whether
there are any other brands you
could consider. Also ask your
doctor to review with you a
patient consent form, which
details what the device contains
and what the risks are. Make
sure you also get a patient
device card so that you are able
to identify the model and serial
number of your implantable
device. That way, if there is
a recall or safety problem that
develops with the device, you
know exactly which product
you have in your body.A LAPTOP
THAT LASTS^I READ WITH great interest
your laptop tests (“The Laptop
Has Landed,” December 2019),
but I feel you left out a vital
review point: upgradability
and repairability. With the
quest for thinner, lighter
laptops, many manufacturers
have decided to build
products that are neither
upgradable nor repairable,
thus limiting the usable life
span of these machines and
consigning them to the landfill
much sooner than needed.
—Matt James, Reston, VAEDITOR’S NOTE Some
manufacturers offer laptops
that can be upgraded with
newer drives. For example, the
solid state drive (SSD) inside
Microsoft’s latest Surface
Laptop 3 and Dell’s latest XPS
15 can be upgraded to a newer
SSD when needed, which helps
extend the life of the laptop.CHROMEBOOKS ARE subject
to the Google “end of life”
policy that entitles only
security and OS updates for
five to six years, after which
the Chromebook is effectively
obsolete. Because the end
of life policy begins on the
date the Chromebook is
manufactured, it is possible to
buy an older model with only
two or three years of effective
life at the time of purchase.
This information would be
useful to consumers in making
a choice of laptop types.
—George Thoma,
Lombard, ILEDITOR’S NOTE Consumers
can go to support.google.com/
chrome/a/an s we r/
for a list of Google-approved
Chrome devices and their auto
update expiration dates.ICY TIRE TIPSI liked “The Wheel Deal”
(December 2019). I
noticed that when you
rate winter/snow tires,
you don’t include studded
tires. Why? I live in an area
with a lot of rural roads.
They are usually kept
clear of snow, but
ice is a problem.
—Tim Derosa, Mohawk, NYEDITOR’S NOTE: Winter/snow
tire models that can be
studded to claw ice can
be a smart choice if you
live in a state with tough
winters—though they can
also be noisy and leave
scratch marks in driveways.
Otherwise, a top-rated
studless winter/snow tire
should give you the added
performance you need in
winter weather. Still, winter
grip comes with some
concessions of potentially
shorter treadwear and some
compromise of handling
and grip on cleared roads.
To see a video of our CR
experts testing different
types of tires braking on ice,
go to CR.org/ice0220.ILLUSTRATION BY JASON SCHNEIDER
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consumer-reportsFEBRUARY 2020 CR.ORG 9