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Snake-oil salesmen are everywhere and, when it comes to flogging supposedly healthy products that promise amazing results, all of us would be well-advised not to believe everything we're told.
From detox foot pads that are supposed to leach undesirable chemicals from your body via the soles of your feet to herbal cancer treatments, miracle hair-loss cures, anti-ageing pills and weight-loss scams of a bewildering variety, an army of quacks are constantly trying to convince you to buy their lotions, gadgets and creams.
So, how do you avoid being bamboozled by modern-day quackery?
Here are a couple of things that should make you sceptical about any supposedly healthy product you’re thinking of buying:
- It claims to be an easy, quick and effective cure-all for all manner of often unrelated ailments.
- It’s advertised using phrases like "secret ingredients", "revolutionary innovation", "instant results", "ancient remedy", "alternative medicine" and "scientific breakthrough".
- It makes unsubstantiated claims of amazing results without credible scientific proof or evidence.
- It’s sold through the internet, mail order or television infomercials.
- It claims to be a remedy for chronic diseases for which no conventional cures exist as yet.
- It makes claims that go against the understanding of modern science and medicine, or even just common sense.
Before you let yourself be roped in, ask your doctor or pharmacist for their opinion. Many of the bogus goods on the market will have no beneficial effects at all, but some may turn out to be downright dangerous.
And always remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
(Andrew Luyt, Health24)
