HOW TO BE A HEALTH DETECTIVE
This advice is taken from the AARP May 2018 Health Bulletin and is part of the cover story: Fads, Fails and Fixes.
Are you aware that over 90,000 dietary supplements and health products are pitched to consumers each year? Leigh Purvis at the AARP Public Policy Institute says that consumers really have to do their own due diligence to assess if product claims are believable. Some of the 90,000 product claims are safe and effective and many are not. Due diligence includes asking a doctor before using, verifying supplement claims with a government source like the National Institute of Health and checking online for impartial advice from reputable medical centers and health associations. Also, watch out for these red flags:
CONSPIRACY THEORIES - Marketers who try to make you doubt the intentions of doctors or researchers with words like "lies", "Big Pharma" or "what doctors don't want you to know" are probably hyping something that's unproven or unreliable.
MIRACULOUS CLAIMS - "Supplements are not permitted by law to claim to treat or prevent disease," says Richard Cleland with the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. What is allowed are health maintenance claims like "supports the immune system." These claims are unverified and unregulated.
ANCIENT CHINESE SECRETS - Products are often hyped with phrases like "time-proven cures" or "ancient remedies" to appeal to consumers drawn to natural health approaches.
PRODUCT ENDORSEMENTS - You have no way of knowing whether they were paid for their recommendation or not.
AMAZING FINDINGS -Don't trust research as presented in infomercials or on product websites. Companies may falsify results, cherry-pick data or base claims on a small, poorly designed experiment.
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