How to spot the snake oil on e-health sites Nervous?
Suffer from muscle aches? If some Web sites are to be believed, you may be harboring irksome parasites. Luckily for you, there’s a solution: The Original Parasite Zapper, a battery-operated device that, together with certain herbs, will rid you of viruses, bacteria, and other pests. Just fork over $75, and you’re on your way to being bug-free. Or maybe you’ve got more serious problems. With a few quick clicks of the mouse you’ll find Web sites chronicling miraculous recoveries from cancer, diabetes, lupus, and a host of other ailments. For just $14.95, you can learn a self-healing method prescribed by the world’s largest ”medicineless” hospital, in China. Here, among other things, you will discover the secret to spontaneous remission of bladder cancer. Cyberspace is awash in so-called e-health sites, spawned by consumers’ unquenchable thirst for medical information. George D. Lundberg, editor-in-chief of a well-respected site called Medscape.com, figures there could be anywhere from
