How to Spot Health Fraud

These days you don't have to look far to find a health product that's totally bogus -- or a consumer who is willing to try them in hopes of curing or preventing disease. These products are promoted in newspapers, magazines, and in infomercials. They accompany products sold in stores, on the Internet, and through mail-order catalogs. They're passed along by word-of-mouth. People spend billions of dollars a year on fraudulent health products, according to Stephen Barrett, MD, head of Quackwatch Inc., a nonprofit corporation that combats health fraud.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes health fraud as "articles of unproven effectiveness that are promoted to improve health, well being or appearance." The articles can be drugs, devices, foods, or cosmetics for human or animal use.

Some of these products do nothing, and some do actual bodily harm. When the use of a fraudulent product results in injuries or adverse reactions, it's a direct risk. When the product itself does not cause harm but its use may keep someone away from proven, sometimes essential, medical treatment, the risk is indirect. For example, a fraudulent product touted as a cure for diabetes might lead someone to delay or discontinue insulin injections or other proven treatments.

The FDA regulates safety, manufacturing and product labeling, including claims in labeling, such as package inserts and accompanying literature. The Federal Trade Commission regulates advertising of these products. Regulation of health fraud products is based on a priority system that depends on whether a fraudulent product poses a direct or indirect risk, and many fraudulent products escape regulatory scrutiny, maintaining their hold in the marketplace for some time to lure increasing numbers of consumers.

Health fraud marketers are very sophisticated in marketing their products, but they often use the same old phrases and gimmicks to get your attention. You can protect yourself by learning to recognize some of their techniques.

The following examples typify fraudulent products whose claims prompted FDA to issue warning letters to the products' marketers, notifying them that their products violated federal law. Two of the products also were added to FDA's import alert list of unapproved new drugs promoted in the US. Products under import alert are barred from entry onto the US market.

Take a look at these products' promotions. They are rife with the kind of red flags to look out for when deciding whether to try a health product unknown to you.

One Product Does It All
" ... extremely beneficial in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis ... infections ... prostate problems, ulcers ... cancer, heart trouble, hardening of the arteries, diabetes and more. ... " "completely eliminating the gangrene ... " "... antibiotic, pain reliever ... ."

Be suspicious of products that claim to cure a wide range of unrelated diseases -- particularly serious diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. No product can treat every disease and condition, and for many serious diseases, there are no cures, only therapies to help manage them. Cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and other serious diseases are big draws because people with these diseases are often desperate for a cure and willing to try just about anything.

Personal Testimonials
"Alzheimer's Disease!!! My husband has Alzheimer's. On September 2, 1998 he began eating 1 teaspoon full of ... Pure Emu Oil each day. ... Now (in just 22 days) he mowed the grass, cleaned out the garage, weeded the flower beds, and we take our morning walk again. It hasn't helped his memory much yet, but he is more like himself again!!!"

Personal testimonies can tip you off to health fraud because they are difficult to prove. Often, testimonials are personal case histories that have been passed on from person to person. Or, the testimony can be completely made up. Some patients' favorable experiences with a fraudulent product may be due more to a remission in their disease or from earlier or concurrent use of approved medical treatments, rather than use of the fraudulent product itself.

Quick Fixes
"... eliminates skin cancer in days! ..."

Be wary of talk that suggests a product can bring quick relief or provide a quick cure, especially if the disease or condition is serious. Even with proven treatments, few diseases can be treated quickly. Note also that the words "in days" can really refer to any length of time. Fraud promoters like to use ambiguous language like this to make it easier to finagle their way out of any legal action that may result.

"Healthy, simple and natural-way to help you lose and control your weight."

Don't be fooled by the term "natural." It's often used in health fraud as an attention-grabber; it suggests a product is safer than conventional treatments. But the term doesn't necessarily equate to safety because some plants, poisonous mushrooms for example, can kill when ingested. Among legitimate drug products, 60% of over-the-counter drugs and 25% of prescription drugs are based on natural ingredients. And, any product -- synthetic or natural--that is potent enough to work like a drug is going to be potent enough to cause side effects.

Time-Tested or New-Found Treatment
"This revolutionary innovation is formulated by using proven principles of natural health based upon 200 years of medical science."

Usually it's one or the other, but this claim manages to suggest it's both a breakthrough and a decades-old remedy. Claims of an "innovation," "miracle cure," "exclusive product," or "new discovery" or "magical" are highly suspect. If a product was a cure for a serious disease, it would be widely reported in the media and regularly prescribed by health professionals -- not hidden in an obscure magazine or newspaper ad, late-night television show, or Website promotion, where the marketers are of unknown, questionable or nonscientific backgrounds. The same applies to products purported to be "ancient remedies" or based on "folklore" or "tradition." These claims suggest that these products' longevity proves they are safe and effective. But some herbs reportedly used in ancient times for medicinal purposes carry risks identified only recently.

Satisfaction Guaranteed
"... Guarantee: If after 30 days ... you have not lost at least 4 pounds each week, ... your uncashed check will be returned to you ... "

Here's another red flag: money-back guarantees, no questions asked. Good luck getting your money back. Marketers of fraudulent products rarely stay in the same place for long. Because customers won't be able to find them, the marketers can afford to be generous with their guarantees.

Paranoid Accusations
"Drug companies make it nearly impossible for doctors to resist prescribing their expensive pills for what ails you ... ." "It seems these billion dollar drug giants all have one relentless competitor in common they all constantly fear--natural remedies."

These claims suggest that health-care providers and legitimate manufacturers are in cahoots with each other, promoting only the drug companies' and medical device manufacturers' products for financial gain. The claims also suggest that the medical profession and legitimate drug and device makers strive to suppress unorthodox products because they threaten their financial standing. Would the vast number of people in the health-care field block treatments that could help millions of sick, suffering patients, many of whom could be family and friends?

Meaningless Medical Jargon
"... Hunger Stimulation Point (HSP) ..." "... thermogenesis, which converts stored fats into soluble lipids ..." "One of the many natural ingredients is inolitol hexanicontinate."

Terms and scientific explanations such as these may sound impressive and may have an element of truth to them, but how do you know which terms are made up and which are real? Fanciful terms may be used to cover up a lack of scientific proof. Sometimes the terms or explanations are lifted from a study published in a reputable scientific journal, even though the study was on another subject altogether. And chances are, few people will check the original published study.

Truth or Dare

FDA health fraud coordinators have these suggestions:

• Talk to a doctor or another health professional. If it's an unproven or little-known treatment, always get a second opinion from a medical specialist.
• Talk to family members and friends. Legitimate medical practitioners should not discourage you from discussing medical treatments with others. Be wary of treatments offered by people who tell you to avoid talking to others because "it's a secret treatment or cure."
• Check with the Better Business Bureau or local attorneys generals' offices to see whether other consumers have lodged complaints about the product or the product's marketer.
• Check with the appropriate health professional group -- for example, the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, or the National Arthritis Foundation if the products are promoted for heart disease, diabetes or arthritis. Many of these groups have local chapters that can provide you with various resource materials about your disease.

You can also contact the FDA office closest to you. Look for the number and address in the blue pages of the phone book under US Government, Health and Human Services, or go to the FDA Website. The FDA can tell you whether the agency has taken action against the product or its marketer. And your call may prevent others from falling victim to health fraud.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.