Fwd: HEALTH TIPS FROM REDFLAGSDAILY.COM, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

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Tue, 16 Sep 2003 18:43:22 -0700

HEALTH TIPS FROM REDFLAGSDAILY.COM, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

" Nicholas Regush "

 

 

 

 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2003

 

REDFLAGSDAILY.COM

 

HEALTH TIPS

 

I wish that the Journal of the American Medical Association spent more time and

resources raising questions about unnecessary and poorly tested medications. And

wouldn’t it be grand if they actually could put together a medical journal

without licking the boots of Big Pharma. Fat chance of that. They find it much

easier to attack alternative medicine.

 

However…you can’t always ignore the shots JAMA takes at the marketing of

alternative treatments. The fact is, there are numerous so-called alternative

health sites on the Net that are dumber than dumb, if not only in play to rip

people off. In the meantime, those alternative health sites that try to do a

genuine job of helping to educate people about their options are dragged into

the slime by way of association. This cannot be helped in an era of powerful

mainstream media.

 

The recent study in JAMA, pointing to some irresponsibility of some health sites

quite frankly doesn’t even come close to exposing some of the appalling

hucksterism you find on the " alternative health " Net. I’m personally getting fed

up being the target of numerous asinine hucksters out there, trying to get RFD

to either endorse their products or endorse their web site. Some people think

that just because RFD is focused on exploring alternative health ideas that this

means anything goes. Well, it does not. No, we are NOT one big happy family.

 

The JAMA study making headlines all over today basically says that many Web

sites that focus on health are behaving irresponsibly in either exaggerating

herbal health claims, are not providing appropriate information about possible

side-effects of herbal remedies and are not indicating that the claims being

made for products have not been evaluated by the FDA. Well, yeah, this is what

one might expect to find these days when you do a " study " about Net behavior.

Big surprise. What I’m referring to is much more insidious and brazen — namely

so-called alternative doctors (or non-doctors acting like doctors who claim

expertise via big-time experiences) in some cases either working alone or in the

employ of others pretending to offer editorial content but basically linking up

what unfortunately passes for content and opinion with sales pitches for

products, especially treatments. My, my, when mainstream medicine even comes

close to doing this, there is such a huge hoot and holler about

it. It’s usually referred to as " conflict of interest. "

 

You want better health? Here’s one health tip: Be wary of Internet health sites

that are clearly designed to link most, if not all, editorial content to sales

pitches. Or health sites where diagnosis is done on the spot via some Q & A and

then products are dispensed. This is bullshit. And these are the kinds of

behaviors that could eventually cream the alternative health movement.

 

Here’s an abstract of the JAMA study.

 

-Nicholas Regush

 

 

 

 

 

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