Nearly 43 million Americans cope daily with the pain and limitations arthritis can bring, and protecting them from the unproven remedy market is an ongoing concern. Any unproven remedy, no matter how harmless, can become harmful if it stops or delays someone from seeking a prescribed treatment program from a knowledgeable physician. Fortunately, there are many things people with arthritis can do to make life with arthritis easier and less painful. According to the Association of Cancer Online Resources, cancer touches the lives of every American. In 1998, more than 1.2 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 550,000 are expected to die from cancer.
Cancer treatments are complex.
It is also important to know how to evaluate promotional claims on the Internet. ACOR's experience demonstrates that the Internet can be a powerful tool in empowering patients and their care givers by directing them to state of the art treatments and ongoing clinical trials. Unfortunately, the Internet can also be easily used by fraudulent marketers to promote unproven treatments to desperate people. Unproven regimens can cause cancer patients to lose precious time, which can ultimately cost them their lives. By raising awareness of information quality issues, Surf Day helps consumers and professionals make the best use of the Internet for online health care.