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Fraudulent
Health Claims: Don't Be Fooled
June 1999 |
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Consumers
waste billions of dollars on unproven, fraudulently marketed,
and sometimes useless health care products and treatments. In
addition, those with serious medical problems may be wasting
valuable time before seeking proper treatment. Worse yet, some
of the products they're buying may cause serious harm.
Poison Ivy Is
Natural, Too!
Just because a plant or herb
is "natural" or unprocessed does not necessarily mean
it's safe. Unlike prescription or over-the-counter medicines,
herbs and other food supplements do not have to undergo review
for safety or effectiveness before they are marketed. Some "natural"
products, like herbs, may have powerful pharmacological effects
that could present risks for people who take other medications
or who have specific medical conditions.
It's not hard to be taken in
by a promoter's promises, especially when successful treatments
have been elusive. But the fact is that when it come to claims
for health-related products, a healthy dose of skepticism may
turn out to be the most promising prescription. |
How to Spot False
Claims
Remember the first rule of
thumb for evaluating any health claim: If it sounds too good
to be true, it probably is. Also, be on the lookout for the typical
phrases and marketing techniques fraudulent promoters use to
deceive consumers.
- The product is advertised as
a quick and effective cure-all for a wide range of ailments.
- The promoters use words like
scientific breakthrough, miraculous cure, exclusive product,
secret ingredient or ancient remedy.
- The text is written in "medicalese"-
impressive-sounding terminology to disguise a lack of good science.
- The promoter claims the government,
the medical profession or research scientists have conspired
to suppress the product.
- The advertisement includes undocumented
case histories claiming amazing results.
- The product is advertised as
available from only one source, and payment is required in advance.
- The promoter promises a no-risk
"money-back guarantee." Be aware that many fly-by-night
operators are not around to respond to your request for a refund.
Be wary of health care clinics
that require patients to travel - and stay - far from home for
treatment. While many clinics offer effective treatments, some
prescribe untested, unapproved, ineffective, and possibly dangerous
"cures." Moreover, physicians who work in such clinics
may be unlicensed or lack appropriate credentials. Contact state
or local health authorities where the clinic is located before
you arrange an appointment. |
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Why Health Fraud
Schemes Work
Health fraud is a business
that sells false hope. It preys on people who are victims of
diseases that have no medical cures, such as HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's,
arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and certain forms of
cancer. It also thrives on the wishful thinking of those who
want short-cuts to weight loss or improvements to personal appearance.
It makes enormous profits because it promises quick cures and
easy solutions to better health or personal attractiveness.
Some
Medical Problems That Attract Health Fraud Schemes
Cancer
A diagnosis of cancer can
bring feelings of fear and hopelessness. Many people may be tempted
to turn to unproven remedies or clinics that promise a cure.
Although some cancer patients have been helped by participating
in legitimate clinical trials of experimental therapies, many
others have wasted time and money on fraudulently marketed, ineffective
and even dangerous treatments.
When you are evaluating cancer-cure
claims, keep in mind that no single device, remedy or treatment
is capable of treating all types of cancer. Cancer is a name
given to a wide range of diseases that require different forms
of treatment best determined by a medical doctor.
For more information about cancer,
contact the American Cancer
Society office listed in your yellow pages. To order free
publications on cancer research and treatment, call the National
Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237. |
HIV and AIDS
People diagnosed with HIV,
the virus that causes AIDS, also may feel pressured to try untested
"experimental" drugs or treatments. Although there
are legitimate treatments that can extend life and improve the
quality of life for AIDS patients, there is, so far, no cure
for AIDS. Trying unproven products or treatments can be dangerous,
and may delay proper medical care. It also can be expensive and
usually, is not covered by insurance.
Don't be pressured into making
an immediate decision about trying an untested product or treatment.
Ask for time to get more information from a knowledgeable physician
or health care professional. Legitimate health care providers
will not object to your seeking additional information. The U.S.
Government has established a toll-free HIV-AIDS Treatment Information
Service, 1-800-HIV-0440. This information help line is staffed
by health information specialists who are fluent in English and
Spanish.
Arthritis
If you are among the estimated
37 million Americans who suffer from one of the many forms of
arthritis, be aware that this disease invites a flood of fraudulent
products and services. This is because medical science has not
yet found a cure for arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation advises
that symptoms should be monitored by a doctor because the condition
can worsen if it is not properly treated.
Consumers spend an estimated
two billion dollars a year on unproven arthritis remedies. Thousands
of dietary and natural "cures" are sold for arthritis
- mussel extract, vitamin pills, desiccated liver pills, shark
cartilage, and honey and vinegar mixtures. Many supplements marketed
as arthritis remedies are not backed by adequate science to determine
whether or not they offer any relief. For a free brochure about
unproven remedies, call the Arthritis Foundation, toll-free,
1-800-283-7800 (9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday-Friday),
or write: Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 19000, Atlanta, Georgia,
30326. |
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Precautions for
Taking Dietary Supplements
Thousands of dietary supplements
are on the market. Many contain vitamins and minerals to supplement
the amounts of these nutrients that people get from the food
they eat. There also are many products on the market that contain
other substances like high-potency free amino acids, botanicals,
enzymes, herbs, animal extracts, and bioflavanoids.
The Food and Drug Administration's
(FDA) review of the safety and efficacy of these products is
significantly less than for drugs and other products it regulates.
Be cautious about using any supplement that claims to treat,
prevent or cure a serious disease. The FDA has approved only
a few claims for labeling, based on a review of the scientific
evidence (for example, claims about folic acid and a decreased
risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies). The FDA allows
other disease claims on supplement labels only if they are based
on authoritative statements from scientific organizations like
the National Academy of Sciences.
Some dietary supplements have
documented benefits; the advantages of others are unproven and
claims about those products may be false or misleading. For example,
claims that you can eat all you want and lose weight effortlessly
are not true. To lose weight, you must lower your calorie intake
or increase your calorie use through exercise. Most experts recommend
doing both. Similarly, no body building product can "tone
you up" effortlessly or build muscle mass without exercise.
Claims to the contrary are false. Other questionable claims may
involve products or treatments advertised as effective in shrinking
tumors, curing insomnia, reversing hair loss, relieving stress,
curing impotency, preventing memory loss, improving eyesight,
and slowing the aging process. |
In addition to lacking documented
effectiveness, some dietary supplements may be harmful under
some conditions. For example, many herbal products and other
"natural" supplements have real and powerful pharmacological
effects that could cause adverse reactions in some consumers,
or cause dangerous interactions with other medicines. It doesn't
necessarily follow that supplements marketed as "natural"
are safe and without side effects. The FDA monitors reports of
adverse reactions to dietary supplements to identify emerging
safety issues.
According to the FDA, the following
substances in dietary supplements are among those that can raise
serious safety issues: chaparral, comfrey, lobelia, germander,
willow bark, ephedra (ma huang), L-tryptophan, germanium, magnolia-stephania
preparations and dieter's teas. In addition, some vitamins and
minerals can cause problems for some people when taken in excessive
doses. Finally, a label of "natural" is no guarantee
of a product's safety or effectiveness.
If you use dietary supplements,
always read product labels to determine the percentage daily
value for various nutrients in the product. Also, it's a good
idea to seek advice from a health professional before taking
dietary supplements, particularly for children, adolescents,
older people or those with chronic illnesses, and women who are
pregnant or breast-feeding. |
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For More Information
or To Report a Problem
To determine the value of
a health care product or treatment, consult a pharmacist, doctor,
or other health professional. To report a company you believe
may be making false advertising claims, contact:
- The FTC by phone, toll-free,
at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357); TDD: 202-326-2502; by mail to Consumer
Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580;
or online at www.ftc.gov - click on Complaint Form.
- Your state Attorney General's
office, your state department of health, or local consumer protection
agency. These offices are listed in your local telephone directory.
- To report a company for falsely
labeling its products, call your local FDA office.
- To report an adverse reaction
or illness that you think is related to the use of a supplement,
call a doctor or other healthcare provider immediately. You also
may report your reaction or illness to FDA MedWatch by calling
1-800-FDA-1088 or on the FDA web site at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report/hcp.htm.
Patients' names are confidential.
- For information about a particular
hospital, clinic, or treatment center, contact state or local
health authorities where the facility is located. If it is in
a foreign country, contact that government's health authority
to see that the facility is properly licensed and equipped to
handle the procedures involved. For information about facilities
in Mexico, contact the Secretary of Health (Secretaria De Salud)
in the Mexican state where the facility is located.
You can file a complaint with the FTC by contacting the Consumer
Response Center by phone: toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357);
TDD: 202-326-2502; by mail: Consumer Response Center, Federal
Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580;
or through the Internet, using the online
complaint form. Although the Commission cannot resolve individual
problems for consumers, it can act against a company if it sees
a pattern of possible law violations. |
February 5, 2012
Genworth Insurance Company - Long Term Care |
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