By Bill Kahn, Series Contributor -Scams, Frauds and Cons
The so called “Miracle Cures” cover a wide range of drugs, devices and foods that have not yet been proven effective. They usually promise quick and easy remedies for serious medical conditions that can be dangerous if they prevent you from seeking expert medical advice.
Now, if you’re really lucky you’ll get one of those “Miracle Cures” that covers a wide range of ailments; that way you won’thave to spend a lot of time and money going to doctors when you don’t feel well. Many of these companies promise a no-risk money-back guarantee, and there we go again with the “Tooth Fairy.” They will tell you the contents of stuff they sell are secret, they’re made using special or ancient formulas; it’s all about what your doctors don’t want you to know. But, it will be just right for you if you can read testimonies from well known celebrities, like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Oh, what if you die because you didn’t get the care you really needed; not to worry, they will send a sympathy card to your relatives.
It’s unfortunate that the people who get sucked into these scams are the ones who have no place else to turn, there are no cures available, they’re at the end of their ropes. Those nice people out there will do all they can to suck them financially dry without a care in the world whether they live or die. They will promise anything you want to hear, a quick or painless cure within a specific time period.They tend to simplify complex health treatments of various illnesses and disguise the product as an alternative medicine. They will start off by claiming there is a limited supply of the product to scare you into acting quickly. Health scams increase emotional stress, are costly, and can be dangerous.
Before you act, ask yourself, has this product gone through clinical trials, studied in laboratory tests and in animals to determine its safety to humans? Have they shown scientific evidence or demonstrated a link between the cure and effects? Is the only “proof” they have anecdotal?They will insist, if it didn’t work it’s because you did it wrong! Consider, if a product were a cure for a serious disease, it would be widely reported in the media and regularly prescribed by health professionals, not hidden in a newspaper ad, television infomercial, website promotion or e-mails. They may even say you’re sick, but, just aren’t aware of it yet, even though they themselves have “Hoof and Mouth” disease.
Some of the other clues of a scam would be: they don’t describe the side effects; require advance payment or pay in full; must keep buying their product to get results; offers products and services only by mail or from one company; a “free” gift or a larger amount of the product as a “special promotion.”One if the newest scams are “Stem Cells” which can cure most any problem. There are a number of Universities and legitimate laboratories doing studies in that area, but, we are not there today and 99% of what you read are scams; for the other 1%, caution is needed.
Most health insurance plans won’t pay for unapproved treatments.
Bill Kahn renbar@earthlink.net