Can You Spot Health Quacks?
February 6th 2008 08:41
Buyers beware of health and fitness quacks, warns Dr. Stephen Barret in his book "The Health Robbers." He writes, "Since ancient times, people have sought at least four different magic potions : The love potion, the fountain of youth, the cure-all, and the athletic super pill. Quakery has always been willing to cater to these desires."
Writing in his other book, "The Vitamin Pushers", Barret describes three kinds of quacks - the dumb, the deluded, and the dishonest. He says the dumb quack is well meaning but ignorant, misinterpreting his/her own experiences as truth. She may be a friend trying to sell you a "magic" weight-loss product that she says works for her. The deluded quacks clings to false ideas in spite of proof to the contrary. The dishonest quack is the most dangerous because his prmary goal is money. He lies repeatedly without remorse just to get your money. Here's some tips from Barret to spot health and fitness quacks :
* Quacks promise quick, dramatic, miraculous results. The more outrageous and exagerated the claim, the more you should be suspicious.
* Quacks use mostly anecdotes and testimonials to support their claims.Barret writes, "We all tend to believe what others tell us about personal experiences. But separating cause and effect from coincidence can be difficult. Never underestimate the extent to which people can be fooled by a worthless remedy. During the early 1940s, many thousands of people became convinced that "glyoxylide' could cure cancer. Yet analysis showed it was simply distilled water. Many years before that, when arsenic was used as a 'tonic', countless numbers of people swore by it even as it slowly poisoned them."
Writing in his other book, "The Vitamin Pushers", Barret describes three kinds of quacks - the dumb, the deluded, and the dishonest. He says the dumb quack is well meaning but ignorant, misinterpreting his/her own experiences as truth. She may be a friend trying to sell you a "magic" weight-loss product that she says works for her. The deluded quacks clings to false ideas in spite of proof to the contrary. The dishonest quack is the most dangerous because his prmary goal is money. He lies repeatedly without remorse just to get your money. Here's some tips from Barret to spot health and fitness quacks :
* Quacks promise quick, dramatic, miraculous results. The more outrageous and exagerated the claim, the more you should be suspicious.
* Quacks use mostly anecdotes and testimonials to support their claims.Barret writes, "We all tend to believe what others tell us about personal experiences. But separating cause and effect from coincidence can be difficult. Never underestimate the extent to which people can be fooled by a worthless remedy. During the early 1940s, many thousands of people became convinced that "glyoxylide' could cure cancer. Yet analysis showed it was simply distilled water. Many years before that, when arsenic was used as a 'tonic', countless numbers of people swore by it even as it slowly poisoned them."
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