We’ve all done it. We’ve all purchased that miracle cure being sold on the internet. The ad usually starts with “What doctors won’t tell you,” and ends with “You can have this life saving miracle for just 4 payments of $49.95. Shipping is free.” How do you know what’s true and what’s bullshit?
In “How to evaluate health websites,” published in 2013 by Kenneth Lin, M.D., Dr Linn does a nice job discussing the potential problems with biased internet sites. While this article is somewhat dated and some of his hyperlinks no longer function, it is still worth reading.
Why am I writing this article? On a daily basis, I saw patients who had been misled by highly polished internet sites selling snake oil. “Doctors recommend product X,” “Proven in over 100 clinical trials,” “Made from the finest, all natural ingredients and proven to help with . . ,” are all impressive headlines used to gain an individual’s trust. Unfortunately, the consumer often does not realize that words such as “Doctors,” “Clinical,” and “Natural,” are actually meaningless.
Let’s look at “Doctors recommend product X.” What kind of doctors are they? Are they doctors who are shareholders in the company? How many doctors are “they?” Do they recommend it because they sell it? Are they even medical docs?
“Proven in over 100 clinical trials” sounds good but is often meaningless. Who ran the trials? How many patients were in the trials? Were they open label or blinded? Did the FDA approve the trials and review the results?
My favorite is, “Made from the finest, all natural ingredients and proven to help with . .” Imagine I am a soybean farmer. Do I sell my finest soybeans to a company that is going to encapsulate them, or do I sell it to a high-in grocer who caters to the Japanese community? So, I sell my finest to the high-in grocer, my next finest goes to the producers of tofu and soymilk. What do I do with the remainder, the damaged and bruised portion of the crop? Yep, I can sell it to an industry that pulverizes it and sells it in cans of powdered protein. Yes, it comes from the finest crop. It just happens to be the part of the finest crop that I used to discard as waste.
Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t. If you do decide to buy product “X” let your doc know you are taking it. Better yet, discuss it with your doc before you buy/swallow it.
So, take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. One of my favorite sites is from the Mayo Clinic. Another favorite site is FamilyDoctor.org. Many of our most reputable medical centers have educational web sites that you can probably trust.
