Are you being duped by a quack in Thailand? Check out these signs....

[wilcopops]

Expats in Thailand seem especially vulnerable to quacks and their products.

i guess this is due to a combination of personal lack of medical knowledge and the almost total lack of regulation of fraudulent medical/health claims in Thailand - you even see quack cures being offered under the roves of major hospitals.....

Quackery........

Unlike those selling “kitchen cupboard cures” and “mystical Healing of the Ancients” (e.g. TCM), these guys are critical thinkers and scientists...... what they claim is supportable by real research and hard evidence.

Twenty-Six Ways to Spot Quacks and Vitamin Pushers

Stephen Barrett, M.D.Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D.

How can quacks and vitamin pushers be recognized? Here are 26 signs that should arouse suspicion.

1. When Talking about Nutrients, They Tell Only Part of the Story.

2. They Claim That Most Americans Are Poorly Nourished.

3. They Recommend "Nutrition Insurance" for Everyone.

4. They Say That Most Diseases Are Due to Faulty Diet and Can Be Treated with "Nutritional" Methods.

5. They Allege That Modern Processing Methods and Storage Remove all Nutritive Value from Our Food.

6. They Claim That Diet Is a Major Factor in Behaviour.

7. They Claim That Fluoridation Is Dangerous.

8. They Claim That Soil Depletion and the Use of Pesticides and "Chemical" Fertilizers Result in Food That Is Less Safe and Less Nourishing.

9. They Claim You Are in Danger of Being "Poisoned" by Ordinary Food Additives and Preservatives.

10. They Charge That the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) Have Been Set Too Low.

11. They Claim That under Everyday Stress, and in Certain Diseases, Your Need for Nutrients Is Increased.

12. They Recommend "Supplements" and "Health Foods" for Everyone.

13. They Claim That "Natural" Vitamins are Better than "Synthetic" Ones.

14. They Suggest That a Questionnaire Can Be Used to Indicate Whether You Need Dietary Supplements.

15. They Say It Is Easy to Lose Weight.

16. They Promise Quick, Dramatic, Miraculous Results.

17. They Routinely Sell Vitamins and Other "Dietary Supplements" as Part of Their Practice.

18. They Use Disclaimers Couched in Pseudomedical Jargon.

19. They Use Anecdotes and Testimonials to Support Their Claims.

20. They Claim That Sugar Is a Deadly Poison.

21. They Display Credentials Not Recognized by Responsible Scientists or Educators.

22. They Offer to Determine Your Body's Nutritional State with a Laboratory Test or a Questionnaire.

23. They Diagnose Their Favorite Diseases in Virtually Everyone Who Consults.

24. They Claim They Are Being Persecuted by Orthodox Medicine and That Their Work Is Being Suppressed Because It's Controversial.

25. They Warn You Not to Trust Your Doctor.

26. They Encourage Patients to Crusade for Their Treatment Methods.

[Sheryl]

While some of the claims listed above are indeed sure signs of quackery (e.g. promising quick/dramatic results, claiming that all or most diseases are caused by faulty diet), several of them are established facts recognized by modern science, i.e. certain diseases do indeed increase the requirement for certain nutrients (as do some medications).

Others are exaggerations of actual fact, i.e. the claims re preservatives and pesticides are exaggerated, but it is true that consumption of preservatives is best avoided/minimized (among other things, loaded with sodium) and pesticide consumption through food is likewise undesirable (and has been linked to epidemiological changes, including declining sperm counts).

And there is no question but that processed foods are less healthy than fresh and a heavy consumption of same is linked to various health problems, particularly diabetes and dyslipidemias. In particular the addition of trans fat is an issue and has been recently banned in some places.

[PoisonedinBKK]

Lol, that list is extremely simplistic just like the author who wrote it.
I'm all for complimentary/functional medicine where mainstream medicine fails (like with almost every chronic disease). Main stream medicine = problem -> symptomatic relief with pharmaceutical drugs without ever trying to find the underlying cause of the disease in the first place.

Thank god more and more doctors are realizing what a broken system main stream medicine really is.

[h90]

While some of the claims listed above are indeed sure signs of quackery (e.g. promising quick/dramatic results, claiming that all or most diseases are caused by faulty diet), several of them are established facts recognized by modern science, i.e. certain diseases do indeed increase the requirement for certain nutrients (as do some medications).

Others are exaggerations of actual fact, i.e. the claims re preservatives and pesticides are exaggerated, but it is true that consumption of preservatives is best avoided/minimized (among other things, loaded with sodium) and pesticide consumption through food is likewise undesirable (and has been linked to epidemiological changes, including declining sperm counts).

And there is no question but that processed foods are less healthy than fresh and a heavy consumption of same is linked to various health problems, particularly diabetes and dyslipidemias. In particular the addition of trans fat is an issue and has been recently banned in some places.

Yes! Stephen Barrett, M.D.Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D. are obviously not better, just from the other side:

"8. They Claim That Soil Depletion and the Use of Pesticides and "Chemical" Fertilizers Result in Food That Is Less Safe and Less Nourishing."

There were proofed cases of poisoning from pesticides in the past so it is less safe.

"10. They Charge That the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) Have Been Set Too Low."

on some things it was increased in the past and some things vary with the ethnic (Vitamin C) so for some person it was and is set too low.

"11. They Claim That under Everyday Stress, and in Certain Diseases, Your Need for Nutrients Is Increased."

That is proofed.....

"14. They Suggest That a Questionnaire Can Be Used to Indicate Whether You Need Dietary Supplements."

some Vitamin deficits can be detected easily.

[wilcopops]

While some of the claims listed above are indeed sure signs of quackery (e.g. promising quick/dramatic results, claiming that all or most diseases are caused by faulty diet), several of them are established facts recognized by modern science, i.e. certain diseases do indeed increase the requirement for certain nutrients (as do some medications).

Others are exaggerations of actual fact, i.e. the claims re preservatives and pesticides are exaggerated, but it is true that consumption of preservatives is best avoided/minimized (among other things, loaded with sodium) and pesticide consumption through food is likewise undesirable (and has been linked to epidemiological changes, including declining sperm counts).

And there is no question but that processed foods are less healthy than fresh and a heavy consumption of same is linked to various health problems, particularly diabetes and dyslipidemias. In particular the addition of trans fat is an issue and has been recently banned in some places.

You don't appear to understand the purpose of the list.....and there is no exaggeration of the facts - that's an oxymoron.

The list is to help ID quackery - so if you see any of these statements then alarm bells should ring and you should take a close look at the source that is usually retrying to sell an idea or product.

[wilcopops]

Lol, that list is extremely simplistic just like the author who wrote it.

I'm all for complimentary/functional medicine where mainstream medicine fails (like with almost every chronic disease). Main stream medicine = problem -> symptomatic relief with pharmaceutical drugs without ever trying to find the underlying cause of the disease in the first place.

Thank god more and more doctors are realizing what a broken system main stream medicine really is.

there is no such thing as "complimentary" medicine there is only one kind of healthcare and that is one that works - quackery like snake oil sells healthcare that doesn't.

Science based medicine fails and is not without problems, but "alternative" medicine simply cannot be shown to work...and because science based can't cure everything it is quite irrational to suggest that "complimentary" medicine can do something instead. ..........hence the list.

[Deserted]

What a dreadful thread.

[Sheryl]

Lol, that list is extremely simplistic just like the author who wrote it.

I'm all for complimentary/functional medicine where mainstream medicine fails (like with almost every chronic disease). Main stream medicine = problem -> symptomatic relief with pharmaceutical drugs without ever trying to find the underlying cause of the disease in the first place.

Thank god more and more doctors are realizing what a broken system main stream medicine really is.

there is no such thing as "complimentary" medicine there is only one kind of healthcare and that is one that works - quackery like snake oil sells healthcare that doesn't.

Science based medicine fails and is not without problems, but "alternative" medicine simply cannot be shown to work...and because science based can't cure everything it is quite irrational to suggest that "complimentary" medicine can do something instead. ..........hence the list.

No, I understand its purpose perfectly. My point is that it does not well suit that purpose. Lumping together false statements with true ones and ones that are partially true dilutes its utility.

[Sceptict11]

Stephen Barrett, M.D. has , by exposing hundreds of Quacks, performed a wonderful service .

The list is intended to provide a guide to uncovering Quacks ...................

"They Use Disclaimers Couched in Pseudomedical Jargon." .................... usually well hidden !

"They Display Credentials Not Recognized by Responsible Scientists or Educators." - frequent and easily checked.

" They Promise Quick, Dramatic, Miraculous Results." ------------but only if one purchases the Quack cure !

An expansion of the list can be found here

http://www.quackwatch.com/

Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch site can be found here

http://www.quackwatch.com/

Edited January 5, 2014 by Sceptict11

[wilcopops]

Lol, that list is extremely simplistic just like the author who wrote it.

I'm all for complimentary/functional medicine where mainstream medicine fails (like with almost every chronic disease). Main stream medicine = problem -> symptomatic relief with pharmaceutical drugs without ever trying to find the underlying cause of the disease in the first place.

Thank god more and more doctors are realizing what a broken system main stream medicine really is.

there is no such thing as "complimentary" medicine there is only one kind of healthcare and that is one that works - quackery like snake oil sells healthcare that doesn't.

Science based medicine fails and is not without problems, but "alternative" medicine simply cannot be shown to work...and because science based can't cure everything it is quite irrational to suggest that "complimentary" medicine can do something instead. ..........hence the list.

No, I understand its purpose perfectly. My point is that it does not well suit that purpose. Lumping together false statements with true ones and ones that are partially true dilutes its utility.

Which statements do you believe to be false?