With the ever-growing popularity of the Internet, there is a rise in health fraud and consumer frustration. Fad diets and fraudulent cures are just a click away. Consumers are drawn to the grand promises of quick and easy weight loss when in fact, the treatment could interfere with their long term weight loss. Thompson said she is seeing many patients at the IPM who at one point or another were attracted to the bogus remedies and weight loss methods heavily advertised now. They are desperate and are willing to try anything.
Health fraud is big business.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 38 million Americans have used a fraudulent health product in an average year. These products range from snake and bee venom for arthritis treatment to skin patches and grapefruit pills for weight loss. Don't go out on your own and assume that a new product is the answer. If you don't have the time to research for yourself, you might be better served by consulting a professional dietitian. Thompson says there are plenty of legitimate new nutrition discoveries but many people use that information in the wrong way.