How to Spot a Health & Fitness Quack

AP.T. Barnum, the famous circus promoter, was right. There is a sucker born every minute. The quacks that make outrageous claims for health and fitness products know it and count on it. They know that even the most intelligent person can fall for their promises of “instant” beauty, health, slenderness or athletic prowess because what they are really selling is hope. Everyone has an insecurity of some sort about attractiveness or health. Quackery works because quacks appeal to our vanity.

Dr. Stephen Barrett, author of “The Health Robbers” and founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud, writes, “Since ancient times, people have sought at least four different magic potions: The love potion, the fountain of youth, the cure-all, and the athletic super pill. Quackery has always been willing to cater to these desires.”

Instead of unicorn horns and magical brews, quacks now sell creams and gadgets that promise to make you instantly slimmer or more attractive to the opposite sex. Barrett notes, “Even reputable products are promoted as though they are potions. Toothpastes and colognes will improve your love life. Hair preparations and skin products will make us look ‘younger than our years’. Olympic athletes tell us that breakfast cereals will make us champions. And youthful models reassure us that cigarette smokers are sexy and have fun.”

In the past, quacks would go from town to town hawking their goods. Today’s quacks have gone high-tech, preferring to advertise their products through direct mail, TV infomercials, and the Internet.

Types of quacks.
In another book, “The Vitamin Pushers”, Barrett describes three kinds of quacks – the dumb quack, the deluded quack, and the dishonest quack. He explains that the dumb quack is one who is well meaning but ignorant and has misinterpreted their own experiences as truth. This could easily be a friend who is trying to sell you a “magic” weight loss product that she claims works for her. The deluded quack clings to false ideas in spite of obvious proof to the contrary. The dishonest quack is the most dangerous because their primary goal is money. They lie repeatedly for personal gain lacking guilt or remorse when they harm or cheat others.

How to spot a quack.
Quacks promise quick, dramatic, miraculous results. The more outrageous and exaggerated the claim, the more you should be suspicious. Weight loss does not happen overnight. If it did, everyone would be slim. Becoming taller isn’t as simple as taking a pill or drinking a health shake. If it were that easy, everyone would be a potential basketball star or fashion model.

Quacks use mostly anecdotes and testimonials to support their claims. Barrett writes, “We all tend to believe what others tell us about personal experiences. But separating cause and effect from coincidence can be difficult. Never underestimate the extent to which people can be fooled by a worthless remedy. During the early 1940s, many thousands of people became convinced that “glyoxylide” could cure cancer. Yet analysis showed that it was simply distilled water. Many years before that, when arsenic was used as a ‘tonic’, countless numbers of people swore by it even as it slowly poisoned them.”

Quacks turn their customers into salespeople. Barrett warns, “People who give such testimonies are usually motivated by a sincere wish to help their fellow humans. Rarely do they realize how hard it is to evaluate a “health” product on the basis of personal experience. Since we tend to believe what others tell us of personal experiences, testimonials can be powerful persuaders. Despite their unreliability, they are the cornerstones of the quack’s success.”

Wishful thinking.
In the preface to Barrett’s book, the late advice columnist Ann Landers wrote that she had received many letters from people asking about products that were obviously from quacks. She said she used to wonder how people could be so stupid to believe such things. She eventually realized that it wasn’t merely stupidity but “desperation and wishful thinking that wipes out all reason and common sense”.

Buyer beware.
In his article, Consumerism and Quackery, Dr. Len Kravitz recommends asking the following questions before you buy any type of health or fitness product.
· Is the product supported entirely by testimonials?
· Is there any controlled, randomized scientific evidence supporting the sales claims?
· Do the experts associated with the program have the proper credentials?
· Is the person selling the product believable?
· Does the person selling the product seem overly self-confident or enthusiastic?
· Doe the promotion use any psuedomedical jargon?
· Does the promotion boast a secret formula or answer?
· Do the claims seem miraculous or far-fetched?
· Is the product appealing to your vanity?
· Does the suggested use to the product seem out of keeping with the desired outcome? For example, the promise of “slimmer thighs in just three minutes a day”.
· Does the fine print contain any disclaimers?
· Does the offer include additional free prizes?