Six Ways to Avoid SCAMS
This month we’re focusing on one of the scariest and most devastating things in healthcare: SCAMS!
Whether it’s a “revolutionary” anti-aging cream or a pill that can help you lose weight—BE SKEPTICAL! Health scams are a multi-billion dollar industry, but they’re completely avoidable. We’ve talked all about identifying scams, but the best way to protect yourself is to avoid them altogether!
These six principles will help protect you! Here’s what the FTC has to say:
1. Advertisements can be misleading or wholly false:
Just because false advertisements are illegal, doesn’t mean they aren’t everywhere. There’s no government body that preemptively verifies advertisement claims, and it can often be very profitable to mislead consumers for even a short time. Be careful! Approach advertisements like you would a shady car salesman. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
2. Do your research:
The FTC recommends looking up the product online along with “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” This won’t help with brand new scams, but it can allow you to learn from the mistakes of others! Let’s all work together to keep each other protected.
3. Ask your doctor:
When it comes to medical advice, there’s no one better than your health care team! That could include your family doctor, but also your specialists, pharmacist, or anyone else whose sole job is to keep you healthy and safe. The FTC offers up the following questions:
Have you heard of this before? How familiar are you?
Does this product/treatment actually work?
What’s the scientific evidence?
Can you tell me what’s in it?
Will this play poorly with any other medications?
What are the side effects?
If it’s safe, how much should I take and when?
Are there other, more effective alternatives?
4. Unproven treatments and products are dangerous:
If something is untested or unproven, it means you are the test subject! These treatments and products can interact dangerously with your other treatments. They can also require you to stop other necessary medications or delay critically important treatments you have planned.
5. “Natural” doesn’t mean safe or effective:
As far as efficacy goes, “natural” is just a buzzword! Not only can products labeled “natural” be ineffective, they can absolutely be harmful as well. They can even interact with your current treatments in a way that puts yourself in danger!
6. Your vulnerability is profitable:
It’s a difficult truth, but there are some things in medicine that have no answers right now. This can be especially hard to understand and accept, especially if you or a loved one receive some tough news. When everyone seems to lack answers, it’s common to seek out people, products, or treatments that are willing to tell you—and sell you—otherwise. Don’t let your hope be taken advantage of!
That concludes our month of posts all about health care scams. You should be well equipped to protect yourself, but remember that I’m always a call away if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just need guidance! I’m here to support you, whatever you need!