How Do You Spot Quackery In Marketing Nutritional Supplements?
I find quackery a very entertaining subject. One of the most exploited line of products is nutritional supplements. I put this article together from several books and 2 of my favorite websites: JREF and Quackwatch (see resource section for links). Many of these principles apply to other forms of fraud and quackery as well to the sale of supplements. Watch for overly broad, overly simplified, claims. Things like: – “Processed food is bad” – processing can remove nutrients, but it differs with each process and each food. The effect is not as widespread or as severe as the quacks want you to believe. – “Anything ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ is safe” – obviously not true, because there are a myriad of naturally-occurring, deadly poisons. – “Any claim that a particular supplement is good for everybody” – many factors determine what supplements, if any, a specific individual needs at any particular time. Quacks like to use words and phrases that sound beneficial and scientific, but are either so v
