What are some indicators that a company or person is not using science and evidence to sell their product?
Beware of:
- Products with health claims that are not FDA approved
- Products that claim to be a panacea to treat a wide variety of different symptoms (for example, a product will claim to help prevent cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and help with weight loss)
- Products whose claims sound too good to be true (for example, Nutella’s claim that it is a healthy breakfast)
- Products that demonize the competition as harmful and dangerous (for example, Sue claims that the only water safe enough to drink is her product)
- Company or website that uses fear to “educate” its customers about an issue, whose solution it sells
This article by Alison in SEEN Magazine provides tips for identifying reliable health information.