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- $Unique_ID{BRK01032}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{About Cures That Promise Miracles}
- $Subject{quackery FDA cures drugs drug frauds treatment treatments Arthritis
- products Cancer clinics miracle cure homemade AIDS treatments Instant Weight
- Loss Sexual aids increased libido Appearance modifiers Nutritional schemes
- Chelation therapies Muscle stimulators Candidiasis hypersensitivity}
- $Volume{R-0}
- $Log{}
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- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- About Cures That Promise Miracles
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- QUESTION: I have collected some advertisements for cures that you never
- mention in you column (copies enclosed). Do you think that the promises made
- here can possible be true? If not, you are not being correct with your
- faithful readers by failing to expose them. May I respectfully request your
- comments?
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- ANSWER: Perhaps I have been remiss, but I would turn this column into nothing
- else if I were to comment on all the clippings I receive that promise
- miracles, such as the selection you sent me. Surely you have observed for
- yourself that these claims are too good to be true? And they are just that,
- "not true"! Yet these companies are estimated to have had sales of $27
- BILLION to gullible consumers. Let me provide you with the list of the Food
- and Drug Administration's (FDA) "top ten" drug frauds. 1: Arthritis
- products: such as snake or bee venom, copper bracelets, large doses of
- vitamins; 2: Cancer clinics promising miracle cures using Laetrile, plus
- vitamin and mineral treatments; 3: AIDS cures using homemade treatments; 4:
- Instant Weight Loss schemes, including skin patches, herbal capsules and
- Chinese magic weight loss earrings; 5: Sexual aids promising increased libido
- and enhanced sexual pleasure; 6: Appearance modifiers such as quack baldness
- cures, wrinkle removers and breast developers; 7: Nutritional schemes that
- promote the "beneficial" qualities of such products as bee pollen, herbal
- remedies and wheat germ capsules; 8: Chelation therapies that claim that an
- injection or tablet of amino acid will break down arterial plaque; 9: Muscle
- stimulators that claim to remove wrinkles, perform face lifts, and remove
- cellulite; 10: Candidiasis hypersensitivity cures that claim to help the body
- deal with overgrowths of Candida, and thus reduce anxiety, depression,
- impotence and infertility. Medications approved by the FDA for use in the
- United States have undergone extensive and expensive evaluations proving both
- safety and effectiveness, which the promoters of these schemes have failed to
- do.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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