For openers, there’s the word “miracle” . . .
Jeffrey White is the house expert on alternative medicines at the National Cancer Institute, and in that capacity he was asked by USA Today if there were telltale signs that could tip people off to advice, treatments, drugs and therapies that shouldn’t be trusted.
He came up with four basic things to watch for, and while he was specifically referring to scams directed at cancer patients, his red flags seem applicable to the dizzying world of weight-reducing programs, devices, supplements, regimens, books and so on.
In order:
- Hyperbolic claims and descriptions. Words such as “miraculous” and “breakthrough” and “incredible” are signals that you are being hustled, as are descriptions of successful results that seem unbelievable. Don’t believe them. If something came along that lived up to such claims, it would be all over the news, with no need to advertise or promote.
- No downside whatsoever. There is no drug known, whether concocted in a lab or derived from some plant or animal source, that is completely free of negative possible side effects. It’s certainly hard to envision anything that could dramatically affect one’s weight that would not in the process disrupt one’s metabolism, and any weight-loss product, including exercise programs, that doesn’t point out possible hazards is not dealing honestly with you. Also beware of anything portrayed as working equally well for anyone and everyone. Nothing on earth does that.
- Anecdotal evidence is basically no evidence. As a corollary to the above, almost anything will work, or seem to, for a certain number of people. But such personal testimonials, either from acquaintances, celebrities on TV, or in ads, don’t tell you how many people had negative experiences with the product, or why other people’s experiences have anything to do with you.
- Show me the numbers. In the case of pharmaceuticals, the proof of their usefulness lies in the result of clinical trials required by the FDA to establish a drug’s safety and effectiveness. The results of such trials, for any drug you’re considering, should be findable at Clinical Trials or PubMed. If you can’t find any reference to said drug at either site, be skeptical. The same goes for homeopathic and naturpathic and nutritional supplement products, which the FDA has no jurisdiction over. Without clinically derived statistics on the product’s performance and effects, you’re just rolling the dice.
For that matter, any product, regimen or device that fails more than one of these tests is a gamble, and one you probably don’t have to take.
(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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How to tell when “miracle” weight loss products and programs are bogus