Legitimate Supplements vs. Snake Oil
While at the supermarket the other day at the checkout counter I was leafing through a tabloid. You’ve seen them before I’m sure.
The articles inside included:
- Future Humans Built the Pyramids.
- SHOCKING NEW PREDITIONS FOR ARMAGEDDON 2010
- Time Machine Kills Inventor – by bringing bubonic plague to his lab!
- Heath Ledger’s Ghost Haunts Manhattan
- Rainstorms send Chupacabras into Blood Sucking Frenzy!
- The Meat Department in Your Store Will Soon Be Selling Squirrel Meat!
Pretty hard to believe isn’t it?
The tabloids that carry these tall tales do entertain their readers and and aren’t that expensive. They don’t do any harm even if some people believe them.
However, there’s another type of outlandish story that can cost people quite a bit of money. These tall tales are told by some dietary supplement companies and distributors as they make untrue claims for their products.
I’ve seen claims for:
- A pill that kills cancer cells before they can multiply. Not only that, they say it cuts prostate cancer risk 50% etc.
- A New “miracle cream” that makes dangerous estrogen replacement therapy obsolete.
- A Liver & Kidney Cleanse Fast-Acting Flush that undoes the damages of Burgers.. Booze… and Rx drugs.
- An exotic juice drink that’s good for almost anything that ails you!
All kinds of unwarranted claims are made for these products, in advertisments, on product labels and by distributors. These claims frequently cause people to spend a lot of money with little or no results and may lead them to put off getting the medical attention they need.
There are undeniably legitimate and beneficial dietary supplement brands available. In fact, even the AMA recognizes the importance of dietary supplements in disease prevention. An article in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, stated that it appears that it would be prudent to take supplements. Many, many people take nutritional supplements as a key part of a healthy lifestyle.
But how do you find a legitimate and beneficial supplement and avoid the pretenders in the marketplace?
First – ask for scientific proof that the product does what is claimed. Are there any published studies or clinical trials available? Ask the distributor “Where’s the science?”
It’s important to say here that you’re looking for validation on the final product not just on one or two individual ingredients in the product. For example the intrinsic benefits of vitamin C might not have survived the processing regimen and made it into the end product or in a beneficial combination with other ingredients.
If someone said that their antifreeze had high levels of vitamin C in it, would you expect that drinking it would be a healthy thing to do?
Second – Legitimate dietary supplement makers do not associate the use of their product with the curing, mitigation, or healing of any disease. As a matter of fact they’re prevented by law from doing so.
Third – Learn how to read product labels to see what’s in the bottle. It might be that the “miracle product” you’re paying for is nothing more than expensive grape juice.
With these key guidelines you can separate the truth from the fiction and enjoy vibrant health.
Watch the video of this presentation to see the actual tabloid stories and some outrageous supplement claims.