Drug warning labels can seem like a minefield of fine print, funny symbols and archaic phrases… but a new movement aims to change that.

Since some studies have shown that up to half of all prescription drug users misread those labels, a group of researchers and designers is working on new wording and symbols that they say will be far easier for the average person to understand.

Personally, I’d rather see them change the meds, because let’s face it: the clearest warnings in the world won’t improve what’s inside those bottles.

Here’s another idea: Add a new label with a list of safe, effective non-drug alternatives. Put it right next to the list of side effects so people can see what they’re really risking, and easily compare the two.

But let’s get back to reality, because there’s not a chance Big Pharma and its friends in the FDA will ever let that happen. Instead, it looks like we’ll be seeing some light rephrasing combined with some redesigned symbols.

For example, the icon currently used to represent pregnant women looks something like an olive. Instead, the design team from Emory, Harvard and Louisiana State universities has created a silhouette of a pregnant woman. Makes a little more sense, right?

They also want to change vague phrases like “for external use only” to more easily understood instructions like “use only on the skin.”

Call me unimpressed and unconvinced. Sure, it might make things a little easier to understand. But many people don’t even bother to read the warnings on their meds in the first place. Others may have read them once… but stopped after a few refills–and may be completely unaware when a new warning is added.

And far too many people take whatever meds their prescription-happy doctors throw their way… no questions asked.

Now that’s how Big Pharma likes its customers: quiet and compliant.

Don’t wait for new labels to save you. Read your meds carefully and ask questions–ask your doctor, ask your pharmacist, and keep asking until you understand exactly what you’re putting into your body, how to use it, and what risks you’ll be facing.

And while you’re at it, you should ask about those alternatives too. Find your natural cure, and you can add a new and even simpler instruction to your prescription meds: Burn after reading.

It sure beats actually taking them!