Bunko Squad - Quack, Quack??
From the WellnessWeb The Patient's
Network
Quackery
Quacks are people who sell unproven remedies, once
known as "snake oil" salesman who traveled from
town to town making amazing claims about
"fabulous" products. Sometimes only the wallet
is at stake, but quackery can also interfere with proven
remedies.
A Government study found that 60 percent of victims of
health-care fraud are older people with chronic illnesses
and pain, who are often desperate for anything that can
offer hope.
Anti-aging potions are a favorite quack product. Think
twice about claims about ways to reverse aging, wrinkles,
and prevent or cure baldness. Arthritis remedies are
especially easy to fall for because symptoms tend to come
and go making it seem like the product is working. There
are few enough effective treatments for cancer, but
treatments that have no proven value, or body of evidence
to support them can cause patients to lose time and miss
opportunities to use effective therapies.
Don't believe ads or other information in newspapers,
magazines, radio, TV, or the Internet without questioning
the source and double checking with a second opinion or
testimonial from someone you trust. Be especially
skeptical of claims of quick or painless cures,
"secret" formulas, and claims made without
supporting evidence or that sound to too good to be true.
Quackery...The Billion Dollar Miracle Business
Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Americans spend billions of dollars on products that
do nothing for us - and may even harm us. And we'll do it
for the same reason people have done it since ancient
times ... we want to believe in miracles. We want to find
simple solutions and shortcuts to better health.
It's hard to resist. All of us, at one time or
another, have seen or heard about a product - a new and
exotic pill, a device, or potion - that we're told can
easily solve our most vexing problem. We can eat all we
want and still lose weight, grow taller, or build a
bigger bustline. We can overcome baldness, stop aging,
cure arthritis, and even cancer.
It sounds too good to be true - and it is. But we're
tempted to try the product in spite of all we know about
modern medical science - or perhaps because of it. After
all, many treatments we take for granted today were once
considered miracles.
SEPARATING FACTS FROM FANTASY
Just what is quackery? Simply put, quackery is the
promotion of a medical remedy that doesn't work or hasn't
been proven to work. In modern times, quackery is known
as health fraud. But call it quackery or call it health
fraud, the result is the same - unfulfilled wishes,
wasted dollars, and endangered health.
Often quack products are fairly easy to spot, like the
magic pills that keep you young forever. But sometimes
the products are vaguely based on some medical report
that you may even have heard about in the news.
In general, when looking over ads for medicines and
medical devices, watc= h out for those that seem to
promise too much too easily. And investigate, before you
participate.
THE HIGH PRICE OF HEALTH FRAUD
Quack cures rob us of more than money. They can steal
health away or even take lives. Quacks may lure the
seriously and often desperately ill, such as people
suffering from arthritis and cancer, into buying a bogus
cure. When people try quack remedies instead of getting
effective medical help, their illnesses progress,
sometimes beyond the treatable stage.
TODAY'S TARGETS FOR QUACK ATTACKS
Quacks have always been quick to exploit current
thinking. The snake-oil salesmen a few generations back
carried an array of "natural" remedies. And
today, quacks take advantage of the back-to-nature
movement, capitalizing on the notion that there ought to
be simple, natural solutions to almost any problem. Some
current target areas for such promotions include:
ARTHRITIS
Over 30 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and
the nature of the disease makes it fertile ground for
fraud. And because symptoms may come and go, or the
disease may be in remission for several years, arthritis
sufferers may actually believe at least temporarily, that
they' ve been cured by a quack remedy.
Before you add to the $2 billion spent annually on
quack arthritis cures, remember that although medical
science offers effective treatments, it has found no cure
for arthritis. The list of fraudulent "miracle
cures" for the disease ranges from snake venom to
lemon juice, from the harmless milk of vaccinated cows to
the dangerous use of steroids.
More dangerous and costly arthritis treatments are
offered by legitimate-looking clinics, often located
outside the United States. While some clinics may offer
effective treatment, many prescribe untested diets or
drugs that either offer no cure or cause additional
health problems. Beware of arthritis clinics that offer
cures. It is important to remember that pain relief and
inflammation treatments are not the same. A product that
advertises relief for the minor pains of arthritis does
not necessarily treat inflammation.
FITNESS
Quacks know that people would like to have the
benefits of exercise without actually exercising. So
recent years have brought all sorts of "body
toning" devices, such as electrical muscle
stimulators. Such devices are, of course, worthless for
"body toning" and can even be dangerous, but
they're advertised and sold as substitutes for
exercising.
WEIGHT LOSS
These schemes are probably the most popular form of
quackery. Millions seek a painless way to win the battle
of the bulge. Since proper diet and exercise take
constant discipline and work, quack claims are especially
appealing and, to some, worth a try. Since being
overweight can lead to a number of health problems,
including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and
kidney disease, quick weight-loss products that don't
work aren't worth a try when they can harm you if only by
not helping you.
The fact is that you cannot lose weight if you do not
cut down on the amount of food you eat or exercise more
to burn up calories. Products that trim you and tone you
effortlessly haven't been invented yet.
CANCER
Here quack cures are probably the cruelest and most
expensive. Seriously ill people may spend thousands of
dollars on phony treatments. Often, quack cancer
treatment clinics are set up just outside the United
States, so that they're beyond the jurisdiction of U.S.
authorities. Before you request admission to any cancer
clinic, talk to your doctor about it, and check out the
credentials and reputation of the practitioners.
QUACK ADVERTISING - THE NEED FOR HEALTHY SKEPTICISM
Many people believe that advertising is screened by a
government agency and that, therefore, all claims about
health products in advertising must be truthful. This is
not the case, except for drugs and medical devices that
require pre-market approval by FDA. There is no federal,
state, or local government agency that approves or
verifies claims in advertisements before they are
printed. Law enforcement authorities can take action only
after the advertisements have appeared.
This holds for claims of a "money-back
guarantee". Many quacks are fly-by-night operators
who do not respond to refund demands.
BEWARE OF TESTIMONIALS THAT SOUND TOO FANTASTIC TO
BE TRUE
Health fraud promoters are fond of using testimonials
from "satisfied users". Legitimate testimonials
may be useful, but beware of testimonials reporting
incredible results, especially when no medical support
for the claim is offered. This is particularly important
since "satisfied users" may, in some cases,
have experienced the sugar pill, or "placebo"
effect. The placebo effect occurs when people, believing
they have been given a real medicine, experience a
benefit from it. It is the power of suggestion at work,
which is helpful to the person who experiences it, but
doesn't mean that other people will have the same belief
in the product.
YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF
Apply the "it-sounds-too-good-to-be-true"
test to ads for health products by watching for these
common characteristics of quackery:
- A quick and painless cure.
- A 'special', 'secret', 'ancient', or 'foreign'
formula, available only through the mail and only
from one supplier.
- Testimonials or case histories from satisfied
users as the only proof that the product works.
- A single product effective for a wide variety of
ailments.
- A scientific 'breakthrough' or 'miracle cure'
that has been held back or overlooked by the
medical community.
INVEST YOUR TIME BEFORE YOU INVEST YOUR MONEY
Before buying a suspect product or treatment, check
with one or more of the following:
- Your doctor, pharmacist, or other health
professional.
- The Better Business Bureau
- Government agencies such as state's Attorney
General, Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug
Administration, or Postmaster.
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