Loonies and tricksters have always been ready to sell us "miracle cures", but the Internet has made it so much easier. Dr. Stephen Barrett has spent 30 years campaigning against dodgy tests and cures and now does it online at www.quackwatch.org. Here are some of his warning signs to watch out for:- Claims that most diseases are caused by diet or can be cured with supplements.
- Pseudo-medical jargon, eg, offers to "detoxify" or "balance" your body.
- Anyone claiming that doctors, drug companies or the government want to suppress their find.
- "Secret cures" -- quacks only keep them secret to stop others proving they don't work.
- Products claimed to work against many unrelated diseases.
- Encouragement to ignore established scientific thinking and "think for yourself."
- Testimonials or (misquoted) scientific references.
- Allowing desperation to cloud your judgement.
If you enjoyed this post then Bookmark or Subscribe to HashOut for FREE!
Newer Post
1 Comments:
I have heard horror stories of so-called physicians peddling rocket fuel as a cancer treatment online; what's scarier is that they are using the Web as a hypothetical curtain like the Wizard of Oz.
These people ARE looney and taking advantage of patients who are vulnerable in so many ways. This is why the company I work for has begun verifying physicians online. When a physician requests a verification badge, we run a cross check against their DEA number. If all checks out, we supply an interactive logo (so it can not be easily replicated), displaying that a third party (MaxMD) has authenticated them as legitimate and licensed to practice medicine. Definitely a first step in getting these quacks off the web.