What do crab grass and health frauds have in common? For one thing, they sprout up here, there and everywhere. And for another, they're both about equal in terms of what they do for your health (actually, crab grass may have an edge - if you weed it out, at least you're getting some exercise).
Still, Americans spend approximately $27 billion a year on quack products or treatments. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 38 million Americans have used a fraudulent health product within the past year.These products are not without risk. While many relieve you only of your money, an FDA survey shows that one out of every 10 people who try quack products may be harmed by side effects.
While health frauds come in a hundred different varieties and kinds, the FDA has compiled a list of the top 10 frauds:
1. FRAUDULENT ARTHRITIS PRODUCTS. Arthritis affects some 40 million Americans. According to estimates from the National Council Against Health Fraud, 95 percent are "likely to engage in some form of self-treatment even after they have seen a physician." Copper bracelets, Chinese herbal remedies, large doses of vitamins, snake or bee venom just don't work.
2. SPURIOUS CANCER CLINICS. These clinics, many of them in Mexico, promise miracle cures. Treatments use unproven and ineffective substances, such as Laetrile and vitamins and minerals. People who go to these clinics often abandon legitimate cancer treatments.
3. BOGUS AIDS CURES. Victims of incurable diseases are especially vulnerable to the promises of quacks. Not surprisingly, underground clinics offering homemade treatments for AIDS have sprung up in the United States, the Caribbean and in Europe. The proposed treatments - such as massive doses of antibiotics, typhus vaccine or herbal tea made from bark of Brazilian trees - are all unproven.
4. INSTANT WEIGHT-LOSS SCHEMES. With an estimated 25 percent of the American population overweight, weight-loss gimmicks have a sizable market. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to lose weight. Some of the latest weight-loss gimmicks have included skin patches, herbal capsules, grapefruit diet pills and Chinese magic weight-loss earrings.
5. FRAUDULENT SEXUAL AIDS. Products promoted to enhance sexual pleasure are not new. A recent fraud involved the selling of a 2,000-year-old formula for rejuvenating male sexual prowess. Over-the-counter products that claim to cure impotence or frigidity or increase size of sexual organs don't work. Male sex hormones, available by prescription, do influence sexual performance, but have potentially serious side effects and should only be used under a physician's supervision.
6. QUACK BALDNESS REMEDIES AND OTHER APPEARANCE MODIFIERS. Entrepreneurs make millions of dollars selling versions of the fountain of youth, be it a remedy to grow hair or one to melt away wrinkles. Only one prescription product has been approved for growing hair on balding men: Rogaine (minioxidil). And this approval is only for a specific type of baldness. Clinic studies suggest that one product, Retin-A, may be effective in lessening certain kinds of wrinkles; and some doctors may prescribe it for that use. However, consumers should be aware that the FDA has approved it for treating acne, but has not evaluated safety and effectiveness data for the drug's use as a wrinkle remover.
7. FALSE NUTRITIONAL SCHEMES. Many products are offered as "perfect" foods that will make up for all nutritional shortcomings in your diet. Such things as bee pollen, over-the-counter herbal remedies, wheat germ capsules are usually not harmful, but have not proven particularly beneficial, says the FDA.
8. CHELATION THERAPY. Promoters claim that an injection or tablet of the amino acid EDTA, taken with vitamins and minerals, cleans out arteries and thus prevents circulatory disease, heart attack and stroke. But both the FDA and the American Heart Association say there is no scientific evidence that chelation therapy works. Treatments can cost anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000. They also warn that EDTA can cause kidney failure, bone marrow depression and convulsions.
9. UNPROVEN USE OF MUSCLE STIMULATORS. Muscle stimulators are a legitimate medical device approved for certain conditions - to relax muscle spasms, increase blood circulation, prevent blood clots and rehabilitate muscle function after a stroke. But some people now claim muscle stimulators can remove wrinkles, perform face lifts, reduce breast size and remove cellulite. The FDA considers promotion of muscle stimulators for these conditions to be fraudulent.
10. CANDIDIASIS HYPERSENSITIVITY. Candida is a fungus found naturally in small amounts in the warm, moist areas of the body. When the body's resistance is weakened, the fungus can multiply and infect the skin or mucous membranes. However, some promoters blame candida for a wide variety of symptoms - candidiasis hypersensitivity - and urge treatment with anti-fungal drugs and vitamin and mineral supplements. The American Academy of Allergy and Immunology says the existence of such a syndrome has not been proven.
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HOW TO SPOT A QUACK
Beware of the following claims and tactics:
- The promoter claims that most doctors are "butchers," that the medical community is against him or her, and that the government will not accept this wonderful discovery.
- The promoter cites testimonials and anecdotes from satisfied customers to support claims.
- The promoter uses a computer-scored questionnaire for diagnosing "nutrient deficiencies." Computers can be programmed to recommend supplements for virtually everyone.
- The promoter claims the product will make weight-loss easy. Losing weight requires the self-discipline to eat less and exercise more.
- The promoter promises quick, dramatic cures or claims that the product is based on a "secret formula" available only from this one company.
- The treatment is promoted only in the back pages of magazines, over the phone, by mail-order, in newspaper ads in the format of news stories or commercials in a talk-show format. Results of studies on bona fide treatments are reported first in medical journals.