Blog Post #1 Medical Quackery on Amazon, Cure Yourself Fast!

After reading up on the Q-Ray ionized bracelet I went on a deep dive to try and comprehend how the product could actually achieve what it was claiming, long story short…. there is no actual data to show any efficacy other than a placebo effect. Interested in what other products I could find, I hopped on amazon and started looking. Let me tell you that there are thousands of medical miracle products available to purchase on amazon, from miracle weight loss drugs, to healing crystals, even a do it yourself acupuncture kit. How do these blatant quackery products thrive, and what role does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) play in regulating these products?

The dietary supplement industry, which is valued at billions of dollars, is a significant player in the realm of medical trickery. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs that must go through rigorous testing and a long approval process before being allowed to market, dietary supplements have no such restrictions. If the products are “safe” and the ingredients are labeled properly, these products are not required to prove any sort of efficacy. They can simply slap a “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” and they are good to go.

So why do so many people purchase these products? Well, when people are looking for a quick solution, not wanting to deal with doctors’ appointments, or expensive medical prescriptions, these dietary supplements sound like a great idea. Additionally, many of these products contain thousands of positive reviews that create an illusion of legitimacy. The branding and choice of words used can trick people into buying as well. I found multiple products with the tag “physician formulated” with no mention of who actually made the product. Reading the product descriptions offers a host of benefits without stating how the pharmacodynamics of the product would work. Companies are able to take advantage of consumers due to their lack of medical literacy and are banking that customers are not going to do their due diligence in researching the product.

It is imperative that customers verify the claims offered by these dietary supplements, as taking them can in the best case my offer nothing but a placebo boost, and in the worst case may actually cause other negative health effects.

(P.s.) I’ll let you know how the self-acupuncture kit goes… couldn’t pass it up on Prime day.