John Cobbs of the Nashville Metro Crime Prevention Unit confessed to a large audience at the Knowles Senior Citizens Center last week. The federal Food and Drug Administration estimates that 38 million Americans have used a fraudulent health product in the last year. The 'one cause, one cure' answer is very comforting.
Health care cheats prey on people's hopes and fears.
Many of the sick or infirm have lost hope and are desperate to find anything that might alleviate their suffering. Not only are victims cheated out of money, quack products can cause harm or delay an ill person from getting timely medical treatment. The FDA says that 1 out of 10 persons who try quack remedies is harmed by side effects. The FDA has compiled a list of the top health frauds. Common health frauds aimed at everyone include instant weight loss schemes, bogus AIDS cures, sexual aids and aphrodisiacs, and body toning devices.