One More Time: Magic Answers

Over the last two entries, I have focused on the tendency for Americans to look for the easy answers and the miracle cures in terms of super-foods and “magic” supplements.  I will cover one more example of weak discipline and critical thinking before turning to other subjects.

A half-page newspaper advertisement for another magical supplement caught my eye last week for a number of reasons.  It was presented to look like a news story and played on the common suspicion of drug companies.  The claims also appeared to be exaggerated.  At the bottom of the page in fainter print it had the typical disclaimer that begins, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease individual results may vary…”  The presentation reminded me of all those similar ads promising to tell you the secrets that Wall Street, doctors, banks or credit card companies don’t want you to know.  (I saw two similar ads for different miracle products in the same newspaper over the next two days.)

In this one the headlines began “Drug Companies Fear Release of [the product]” with a sub-headline:  “Big Pharma stands to lose billions as doctors' [sic] recommend drug-free ‘health cocktail’ that adjusts and corrects your body's health conditions.”  It doesn't cure anything, but adjusts and corrects?  This sounds fishy to me and very hard to prove.

A paragraph below begins, “some doctors call it ‘the greatest discovery since penicillin’! And their patients call it ‘a miracle’!”  Of course they never specify who those doctors are except for one “top doc” who turns out to be a “company spokesperson.”

This aloe-based product is marketed to replace prescription proto pump inhibitors like Prilosec that reduce stomach acid production to help people with ulcers.  The ad does correctly mention that the FDA warned about problems and side effects with these prescription drugs in the past.

But their product is presented as new and revolutionary, “so powerful it begins to benefit your health the instant you drink it.”  It supposedly helps not only with digestion, but also supports heart health, improves brain function and memory by ensuring “healthy bacteria flows freely to your brain,” optimizes your liver, improves kidney function and delivers calcium to give you "celebrity hair and skin."  (See my comments one week ago on calcium supplements.)

A quick review of WebMD gives some reliable information about aloe, the main ingredient, particularly aloe taken by mouth.  It “can reduce constipation and also cause diarrhea” and may reduce “weight and fat mass in overweight or obese people with diabetes or prediabetes.”  All other listed benefits are for topical application with no mention of those listed in the ad.

They go on to point out that there has been some research but insufficient evidence of benefits for dry socket, cancer, canker sores, dental plaque, diaper rash, dry skin, frostbite, gum disease, hepatitis, high cholesterol, insect repellent, bedsores, dandruff, inflammatory bowel disease, wound healing, epilepsy, asthma, colds, bleeding, depression, glaucoma, vision problems, and several other conditions.  Notice again the absence of any mention of heart health, brain function, liver function or kidney function.

The next section lists warnings and side effects.  The gel is “likely safe when applied to the skin appropriately as a medicine or as a cosmetic” and is “possibly safe when taken by mouth appropriately.”  However, “taking aloe latex by mouth is possibly unsafe at any dose. . .”  Listed as possible side effects of taking it by mouth are:  stomach pain and cramps, diarrhea, kidney problems, blood in the urine, low potassium, muscle weakness, weight loss, and heart disturbances.  In high doses it may be fatal.

It’s strange that the ad lists kidney benefits and heart health while WebMD warns of possible negative side effects in both cases.

I find the whole thing very discouraging because naïve Americans are spending enough money on these products to pay for the development and placement of these ads, production and distribution of the product, company administration, plus company profits.  This applies to the example above plus all the other get-rich-quick and get-well-quick products on the market.  At one time hucksters rode into town in horse drawn wagons selling their cure-all snake oil.  Now they take out newspaper and radio ads, and people seem to be falling for it over and over.