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"How Quackery Sells"



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 27th, 2004, 08:49 AM
Sleepyman
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Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells"

Interesting Reading!


How Quackery Sells
William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Modern health quacks are supersalesmen. They play on fear. They cater
to hope. And once they have you, they'll keep you coming back for more
.. . . and more . . . and more. Seldom do their victims realize how
often or how skillfully they are cheated. Does the mother who feels
good as she hands her child a vitamin think to ask herself whether he
really needs it? Do subscribers to "health food" publications realize
that articles are slanted to stimulate business for their advertisers?
Not usually.

Most people think that quackery is easy to spot. Often it is not. Its
promoters wear the cloak of science. They use scientific terms and
quote (or misquote) scientific references. Talk show hosts may refer
to them as experts or as "scientists ahead of their time." The very
word "quack" helps their camouflage by making us think of an
outlandish character selling snake oil from the back of a covered
wagon -- and, of course, no intelligent people would buy snake oil
nowadays, would they?

Well, maybe snake oil isn't selling so well, lately. But acupuncture?
"Organic" foods? Hair analysis? The latest diet book? Megavitamins?
"Stress formulas"? Cholesterol-lowering teas? Homeopathic remedies?
Magnets? Nutritional "cures" for AIDS? Or shots to pep you up?
Business is booming for health quacks. Their annual take is in the
billions! Spot reducers, "immune boosters," water purifiers,
"ergogenic aids," systems to "balance body chemistry," special diets
for arthritis. Their product list is endless.

What sells is not the quality of their products, but their ability to
influence their audience. To those in pain, they promise relief. To
the incurable, they offer hope. To the nutrition-conscious, they say,
"Make sure you have enough." To a public worried about pollution, they
say, "Buy natural." To one and all, they promise better health and a
longer life. Modern quacks can reach people emotionally. This article
shows how they do it.

Appeals To Vanity
An attractive young airline stewardess once told a physician that she
was taking more than 20 vitamin pills a day. "I used to feel run-down
all the time," she said, "but now I feel really great !"

"Yes," the doctor replied, "but there is no scientific evidence that
extra vitamins can do that. Why not take the pills one month on, one
month off, to see whether they really help you or whether it's just a
coincidence. After all, $300 a year is a lot of money to be wasting."

"Look, doctor," she said. "I don't care what you say. I KNOW the pills
are helping me."

How was this bright young lady converted into a true believer? First,
an appeal to her curiosity persuaded her to try and see. Then an
appeal to her vanity convinced her to disregard scientific evidence in
favor of personal experience -- to think for herself. Supplementation
is encouraged by a distorted concept of biochemical individuality --
that everyone is unique enough to disregard the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDAs). Quacks won't tell you that scientists deliberately
set the RDAs high enough to allow for individual differences. A more
dangerous appeal of this type is the suggestion that although a remedy
for a serious disease has not been shown to work for other people, it
still might work for you. (You are extraordinary!)

A more subtle appeal to your vanity underlies the message of the TV ad
quack: Do it yourself -- be your own doctor. "Anyone out there have
'tired blood'?" he used to wonder. (Don't bother to find out what's
wrong with you, however. Just try my tonic.) "Troubled with
irregularity?" he asks. (Pay no attention to the doctors who say you
don't need a daily movement. Just use my laxative.) "Want to kill
germs on contact?" (Never mind that mouthwash doesn't prevent colds.)
"Trouble sleeping?" (Don't bother to solve the underlying problem.
Just try my sedative.)

Turning Customers into Salespeople
Most people who think they have been helped by an unorthodox method
enjoy sharing their success stories with their friends. People who
give such testimonials are usually motivated by a sincere wish to help
their fellow humans. Rarely do they realize how difficult it is to
evaluate a "health" product on the basis of personal experience. Like
the airline stewardess, the average person who feels better after
taking a product will not be able to rule out coincidence (spontaneous
remission) -- or the placebo effect (feeling better because he thinks
he has taken a positive step). Since we tend to believe what others
tell us of personal experiences, testimonials can be powerful
persuaders. Despite their unreliability, they are the cornerstone of
the quack's success.

Multilevel companies that sell nutritional products systematically
turn their customers into salespeople. "When you share our products,"
says the sales manual of one such company, "you're not just selling.
You're passing on news about products you believe in to people you
care about. Make a list of people you know; you'll be surprised how
long it will be. This list is your first source of potential
customers." A sales leader from another company suggests, "Answer all
objections with testimonials. That's the secret to motivating people!"

Don't be surprised if one of your friends or neighbors tries to sell
you vitamins. Millions of Americans have signed up as multilevel
distributors. Like many drug addicts, they become suppliers to support
their habit. A typical sales pitch goes like this: "How would you like
to look better, feel better and have more energy? Try my vitamins for
a few weeks." People normally have ups and downs, and a friend's
interest or suggestion, or the thought of taking a positive step, may
actually make a person feel better. Many who try the vitamins will
mistakenly think they have been helped -- and continue to buy them,
usually at inflated prices.

The Use of Fear
The sale of vitamins has become so profitable that some otherwise
reputable manufacturers are promoting them with misleading claims. For
example, for many years, Lederle Laboratories (makers of Stresstabs)
and Hoffmann-La Roche advertised in major magazines that stress "robs"
the body of vitamins and creates significant danger of vitamin
deficiencies.

Another slick way for quackery to attract customers is the invented
disease. Virtually everyone has symptoms of one sort or another --
minor aches or pains, reactions to stress or hormone variations,
effects of aging, etc. Labeling these ups and downs of life as
symptoms of disease enables the quack to provide "treatment."

Some practitioners claim to detect "deficiencies" (or "imbalances" or
"toxins," etc.) before any symptoms appear or before they can be
detected by conventional means. Then they can sell you supplements (or
balance you, or remove toxins, etc.). And when the terrible
consequences they warn about don't develop, they can claim success.

Food safety and environmental protection are important issues in our
society. But rather than approach them logically, the food quacks
exaggerate and oversimplify. To promote "organic" foods, they lump all
additives into one class and attack them as "poisonous." They never
mention that natural toxicantsare prevented or destroyed by modern
food technology. Nor do they let on that many additives are naturally
occurring substances.

Sugar has been subject to particularly vicious attack, being (falsely)
blamed for most of the world's ailments. But quacks do more than warn
about imaginary ailments. They sell "antidotes" for real ones. Care
for some vitamin C to reduce the danger of smoking? Or some vitamin E
to combat air pollutants? See your local supersalesperson.

Quackery's most serious form of fear-mongering has been its attack on
water fluoridation. Although fluoridation's safety is established
beyond scientific doubt, well-planned scare campaigns have persuaded
thousands of communities not to adjust the fluoride content of their
water to prevent cavities. Millions of innocent children have suffered
as a result.

Hope for Sale

Since ancient times, people have sought at least four different magic
potions: the love potion, the fountain of youth, the cure-all, and the
athletic superpill. Quackery has always been willing to cater to these
desires. It used to offer unicorn horn, special elixirs, amulets, and
magical brews. Today's products are vitamins, bee pollen, ginseng,
Gerovital, pyramids, "glandular extracts," biorhythm charts,
aromatherapy, and many more. Even reputable products are promoted as
though they are potions. Toothpastes and colognes will improve our
love life. Hair preparations and skin products will make us look
"younger than our years." Olympic athletes tell us that breakfast
cereals will make us champions. And youthful models reassure us that
cigarette smokers are sexy and have fun.

False hope for the seriously ill is the cruelest form of quackery
because it can lure victims away from effective treatment. Even when
death is inevitable, however, false hope can do great damage. Experts
who study the dying process tell us that while the initial reaction is
shock and disbelief, most terminally ill patients will adjust very
well as long as they do not feel abandoned. People who accept the
reality of their fate not only die psychologically prepared, but also
can put their affairs in order. On the other hand, those who buy false
hope can get stuck in an attitude of denial. They waste not only
financial resources but what little remaining time they have left.

Clinical Tricks

The most important characteristic to which the success of quacks can
be attributed is probably their ability to exude confidence. Even when
they admit that a method is unproven, they can attempt to minimize
this by mentioning how difficult and expensive it is to get something
proven to the satisfaction of the FDA these days. If they exude
self-confidence and enthusiasm, it is likely to be contagious and
spread to patients and their loved ones.

Because people like the idea of making choices, quacks often refer to
their methods as "alternatives." Correctly employed, it can refer to
aspirin and Tylenol as alternatives for the treatment of minor aches
and pains. Both are proven safe and effective for the same purpose.
Lumpectomy can be an alternative to radical mastectomy for breast
cancer. Both have verifiable records of safety and effectiveness from
which judgments can be drawn. Can a method that is unsafe,
ineffective, or unproven be a genuine alternative to one that is
proven? Obviously not.

Quacks don't always limit themselves to phony treatment. Sometimes
they offer legitimate treatment as well -- the quackery is promoted as
something extra. One example is the "orthomolecular" treatment of
mental disorders with high dosages of vitamins in addition to orthodox
forms of treatment. Patients who receive the "extra" treatment often
become convinced that they need to take vitamins for the rest of their
life. Such an outcome is inconsistent with the goal of good medical
care which should be to discourage unnecessary treatment. Another
clever trick is to include their product or procedure in a list of
otherwise commonly-accepted practices in order to promote it by
association. They may say, for example that their method works best
when combined with lifestyle changes (which, quite often, will produce
tangible benefits).

The one-sided coin is a related ploy. When patients on combined
(orthodox and quack) treatment improve, the quack remedy (e.g.,
laetrile) gets the credit. If things go badly, the patient is told
that he arrived too late, and conventional treatment gets the blame.
Some quacks who mix proven and unproven treatment call their approach
complementary or integrative therapy.

Quacks also capitalize on the natural healing powers of the body by
taking credit whenever possible for improvement in a patient's
condition. One multilevel company -- anxious to avoid legal difficulty
in marketing its herbal concoction -- makes no health claims
whatsoever. "You take the product," a spokesperson suggests on the
company's introductory videotape, "and tell me what it does for you."
An opposite tack -- shifting blame -- is used by many cancer quacks.
If their treatment doesn't work, it's because radiation and/or
chemotherapy have "knocked out the immune system."

Another selling trick is the use of weasel words. Quacks often use
this technique in suggesting that one or more items on a list is
reason to suspect that you may have a vitamin deficiency, a yeast
infection, or whatever else they are offering to fix.

The disclaimer is a related tactic. Instead of promising to cure your
specific disease, some quacks will offer to "cleanse" or "detoxify"
your body, balance its chemistry, release its "nerve energy," bring it
in harmony with nature, or do other things to "help the body to heal
itself." This type of disclaimer serves two purposes. Since it is
impossible to measure the processes the quack describes, it is
difficult to prove him wrong. In addition, if the quack is not a
physician, the use of nonmedical terminology may help to avoid
prosecution for practicing medicine without a license.

Books espousing unscientific practices typically suggest that the
reader consult a doctor before following their advice. This disclaimer
is intended to protect the author and publisher from legal
responsibility for any dangerous ideas contained in the book. Both
author and publisher know full well, however, that most people won't
ask their doctor. If they wanted their doctor's advice, they probably
wouldn't be reading the book in the first place.

Sometimes the quack will say, "You may have come to me too late, but I
will try my best to help you." That way, if the treatment fails, you
have only yourself to blame. Patients who see the light and abandon
quack treatment may also be blamed for stopping too soon.

The "money-back guarantee" is a favorite trick of mail-order quacks.
Most have no intention of returning any money -- but even those who
are willing know that few people will bother to return the product.

Another powerful persuader -- something for nothing -- is standard in
ads promising effortless weight loss. It is also the hook of the
telemarketer who promises a "valuable free prize" as a bonus for
buying a water purifier, a six-month supply of vitamins, or some other
health or nutrition product. Those who bite receive either nothing or
items worth far less than their cost. Credit card customers may also
find unauthorized charges to their account.

Another potent technique is cultural association, in which promoters
ally themselves with religious or other cultural beliefs by
associating their product or service with an article of faith or
prejudice of their target audience.

In a contest for patient satisfaction, art will beat science nearly
every time. Quacks are masters at the art of delivering health care.
The secret to this art is to make the patient believe that he is cared
about as a person. To do this, quacks lather love lavishly. One way
this is done is by having receptionists make notes on the patients'
interests and concerns in order to recall them during future visits.
This makes each patient feel special in a very personal sort of way.
Some quacks even send birthday cards to every patient. Although
seductive tactics may give patients a powerful psychological lift,
they may also encourage over-reliance on an inappropriate therapy.

Psychologist Anthony R. Pratkanis, Ph.D., has identified nine
strategies used to sell pseudoscientific beliefs and practices
[Pratkanis AR. How to sell a pseudoscience, Skeptical Inquirer
19(4):19-25, 1995.]. They include setting phantom goals (such as
better health, peace of mind, or improved sex life), making statements
that tend to inspire trust ("supported by over 100 studies"), and
fostering grandfalloons (proud and otherwise meaningless associations
of people who share rituals, beliefs, jargon, goals, feelings,
specialized information, and "enemies"). Multilevel sales groups,
nutrition cultists, and crusaders for "alternative" treatments fit
this description well.

Handling the Opposition
Quacks are involved in a constant struggle with legitimate health care
providers, mainstream scientists, government regulatory agencies and
consumer protection groups. Despite the strength of this science-based
opposition, quackery manages to flourish. To maintain their
credibility, quacks use a variety of clever propaganda ploys. Here are
some favorites:

"They persecuted Galileo!" The history of science is laced with
instances where great pioneers and their discoveries were met with
resistance. Harvey (nature of blood circulation), Lister (antiseptic
technique) and Pasteur (germ theory) are notable examples. Today's
quack boldly asserts that he is another example of someone ahead of
his time. Close examination, however, will show how unlikely this is.
First of all, the early pioneers who were persecuted lived during
times that were much less scientific. In some cases, opposition to
their ideas stemmed from religious forces. Secondly, it is a basic
principle of the scientific method that the burden of proof belongs to
the proponent of a claim. The ideas of Galileo, Harvey, Lister and
Pasteur overcame their opposition because their soundness can be
demonstrated.

A related ploy, which is a favorite with cancer quacks, is the charge
of "conspiracy." How can we be sure that the AMA, the FDA, the
American Cancer Society, drug companies and others are not involved in
some monstrous plot to withhold a cancer cure from the public? To
begin with, history reveals no such practice in the past. The
elimination of serious diseases is not a threat to the medical
profession -- doctors prosper by curing diseases, not by keeping
people sick. It should also be apparent that modern medical technology
has not altered the zeal of scientists to eliminate disease. When
polio was conquered, iron lungs became virtually obsolete, but nobody
resisted this advancement because it would force hospitals to change.
Neither will medical scientists mourn the eventual defeat of cancer.
Moreover, how could a conspiracy to withhold a cancer cure hope to be
successful? Many physicians die of cancer each year. Do you believe
that the vast majority of doctors would conspire to withhold a cure
for a disease which affects them, their colleagues and their loved
ones? To be effective, a conspiracy would have to be worldwide. If
laetrile, for example, really worked, many other nations' scientists
would soon realize it.

Claims of "suppression" are used to market publications as well as
treatments. Many authors and publishers purport to offer information
that your doctor, the AMA, and/or government agencies "don't want you
to know about."

Organized quackery poses its opposition to medical science as a
"philosophical conflict" or "paradigm shift," rather than a clash
between proven versus unproven or fraudulent methods. This creates the
illusion of a "holy war" rather than a conflict that could be resolved
by examining the facts. Another diversionary tactic is to charge that
quackery's critics are biased or have been bought off by drug
companies.

Quacks like to charge that, "Science doesn't have all the answers."
That's true, but it doesn't claim to have them. Rather, it is a
rational and responsible process that can answer many questions --
including whether procedures are safe and effective for their intended
purpose. It is quackery that constantly claims to have answers for
incurable diseases. The idea that people should turn to quack remedies
when frustrated by science's inability to control a disease is
irrational. Science may not have all the answers, but quackery has no
answers at all! It will take your money and break your heart.

Many treatments advanced by the scientific community are later shown
to be unsafe or worthless. Doctors also make mistakes. Such failures
become grist for organized quackery's public relations mill in its
ongoing attack on science. Actually, "failures" reflect a key element
of science: its willingness to test its methods and beliefs and
abandon those shown to be invalid. True medical scientists have no
philosophical commitment to particular treatment approaches, only a
commitment to develop and use methods that are safe and effective for
an intended purpose. When a quack remedy flunks a scientific test, its
proponents merely reject the test.

Each of these ploys represents a basic technique called misdirection
-- analogous to what magicians do to shift the audience's attention
away from what is important in order to deceive them. When faced with
a criticism they cannot meet head on, quacks simply change the topic.

How to Avoid Being Tricked
The best way to avoid being tricked is to stay away from tricksters.
Unfortunately, in health matters, this is no simple task. Quackery is
not sold with a warning label. Moreover, the dividing line between
what is quackery and what is not is by no means sharp. A product that
is effective in one situation may be part of a quack scheme in
another. (Quackery lies in the promise, not the product.)
Practitioners who use effective methods may also use ineffective ones.
For example, they may mix valuable advice to stop smoking with unsound
advice to take vitamins. Even outright quacks may relieve some
psychosomatic ailments with their reassuring manner.

This article illustrates how adept quacks are at selling themselves.
Sad to say, in most contests between quacks and ordinary people, the
quacks still are likely to win.

Related Topics
Spontaneous Remission and the Placebo Effect
Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work
Common Questions about Science and "Alternative" Health Methods
Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof
Response to an Alt-Muddled Friend

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...quacksell.html


____________________________________
The True Axis of Evil
Bush - Cheney - Ashcroft - Rumsfeld
____________________________________

  #2  
Old March 27th, 2004, 12:20 PM
nyscof
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells" Bad article


Quackery's most serious form of fear-mongering has been its attack on
water fluoridation. Although fluoridation's safety is established
beyond scientific doubt, well-planned scare campaigns have persuaded
thousands of communities not to adjust the fluoride content of their
water to prevent cavities. Millions of innocent children have suffered
as a result.



Wouldn't bother reading an article that is so out of step with science
on a subject we're well-read on.

Fluoridation is a failed concept. The U.S. has been adding fluoride to
the drinking water for over 5 decades and has consequently fluoridated
all of the food and beverage supply. Coupled with fluoride in dental
products, fluoride-pesticide food residues and air pollution,
Americans are fluoride overdosed clearly indicated by the growing
problem of dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow or brown stained
teeth.

Sixty percent of U.S. preschoolers have tooth decay - the same amount
as never fluoridated Manchester, England, and Northern Ireland.

However, Africa has the lowest tooth decay rate in the world - the
reason low sugar intake.

Fluoride cannot combat American's sweet tooth.

And the chemicals most used for fluoridation silicofluorides have
never been safety tested in humans or animals.

And fluoride has never been approved for ingestion by the FDA.

And for all this Americans waste millions of dollars annually for a
failed entitlement program.

References and mo

http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
http://tinyurl.com/ad9k
  #3  
Old March 27th, 2004, 02:53 PM
Cubit
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells" Off Topic Post

OP is Off Topic


  #4  
Old March 27th, 2004, 07:46 PM
Chrono-Z
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells"

Good read. Thanks for posting it.

"Sleepyman" wrote in message
...
Interesting Reading!


How Quackery Sells
William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Modern health quacks are supersalesmen. They play on fear. They cater
to hope. And once they have you, they'll keep you coming back for more
. . . and more . . . and more. Seldom do their victims realize how
often or how skillfully they are cheated. Does the mother who feels
good as she hands her child a vitamin think to ask herself whether he
really needs it? Do subscribers to "health food" publications realize
that articles are slanted to stimulate business for their advertisers?
Not usually.

Most people think that quackery is easy to spot. Often it is not. Its
promoters wear the cloak of science. They use scientific terms and
quote (or misquote) scientific references. Talk show hosts may refer
to them as experts or as "scientists ahead of their time." The very
word "quack" helps their camouflage by making us think of an
outlandish character selling snake oil from the back of a covered
wagon -- and, of course, no intelligent people would buy snake oil
nowadays, would they?

Well, maybe snake oil isn't selling so well, lately. But acupuncture?
"Organic" foods? Hair analysis? The latest diet book? Megavitamins?
"Stress formulas"? Cholesterol-lowering teas? Homeopathic remedies?
Magnets? Nutritional "cures" for AIDS? Or shots to pep you up?
Business is booming for health quacks. Their annual take is in the
billions! Spot reducers, "immune boosters," water purifiers,
"ergogenic aids," systems to "balance body chemistry," special diets
for arthritis. Their product list is endless.

What sells is not the quality of their products, but their ability to
influence their audience. To those in pain, they promise relief. To
the incurable, they offer hope. To the nutrition-conscious, they say,
"Make sure you have enough." To a public worried about pollution, they
say, "Buy natural." To one and all, they promise better health and a
longer life. Modern quacks can reach people emotionally. This article
shows how they do it.

Appeals To Vanity
An attractive young airline stewardess once told a physician that she
was taking more than 20 vitamin pills a day. "I used to feel run-down
all the time," she said, "but now I feel really great !"

"Yes," the doctor replied, "but there is no scientific evidence that
extra vitamins can do that. Why not take the pills one month on, one
month off, to see whether they really help you or whether it's just a
coincidence. After all, $300 a year is a lot of money to be wasting."

"Look, doctor," she said. "I don't care what you say. I KNOW the pills
are helping me."

How was this bright young lady converted into a true believer? First,
an appeal to her curiosity persuaded her to try and see. Then an
appeal to her vanity convinced her to disregard scientific evidence in
favor of personal experience -- to think for herself. Supplementation
is encouraged by a distorted concept of biochemical individuality --
that everyone is unique enough to disregard the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDAs). Quacks won't tell you that scientists deliberately
set the RDAs high enough to allow for individual differences. A more
dangerous appeal of this type is the suggestion that although a remedy
for a serious disease has not been shown to work for other people, it
still might work for you. (You are extraordinary!)

A more subtle appeal to your vanity underlies the message of the TV ad
quack: Do it yourself -- be your own doctor. "Anyone out there have
'tired blood'?" he used to wonder. (Don't bother to find out what's
wrong with you, however. Just try my tonic.) "Troubled with
irregularity?" he asks. (Pay no attention to the doctors who say you
don't need a daily movement. Just use my laxative.) "Want to kill
germs on contact?" (Never mind that mouthwash doesn't prevent colds.)
"Trouble sleeping?" (Don't bother to solve the underlying problem.
Just try my sedative.)

Turning Customers into Salespeople
Most people who think they have been helped by an unorthodox method
enjoy sharing their success stories with their friends. People who
give such testimonials are usually motivated by a sincere wish to help
their fellow humans. Rarely do they realize how difficult it is to
evaluate a "health" product on the basis of personal experience. Like
the airline stewardess, the average person who feels better after
taking a product will not be able to rule out coincidence (spontaneous
remission) -- or the placebo effect (feeling better because he thinks
he has taken a positive step). Since we tend to believe what others
tell us of personal experiences, testimonials can be powerful
persuaders. Despite their unreliability, they are the cornerstone of
the quack's success.

Multilevel companies that sell nutritional products systematically
turn their customers into salespeople. "When you share our products,"
says the sales manual of one such company, "you're not just selling.
You're passing on news about products you believe in to people you
care about. Make a list of people you know; you'll be surprised how
long it will be. This list is your first source of potential
customers." A sales leader from another company suggests, "Answer all
objections with testimonials. That's the secret to motivating people!"

Don't be surprised if one of your friends or neighbors tries to sell
you vitamins. Millions of Americans have signed up as multilevel
distributors. Like many drug addicts, they become suppliers to support
their habit. A typical sales pitch goes like this: "How would you like
to look better, feel better and have more energy? Try my vitamins for
a few weeks." People normally have ups and downs, and a friend's
interest or suggestion, or the thought of taking a positive step, may
actually make a person feel better. Many who try the vitamins will
mistakenly think they have been helped -- and continue to buy them,
usually at inflated prices.

The Use of Fear
The sale of vitamins has become so profitable that some otherwise
reputable manufacturers are promoting them with misleading claims. For
example, for many years, Lederle Laboratories (makers of Stresstabs)
and Hoffmann-La Roche advertised in major magazines that stress "robs"
the body of vitamins and creates significant danger of vitamin
deficiencies.

Another slick way for quackery to attract customers is the invented
disease. Virtually everyone has symptoms of one sort or another --
minor aches or pains, reactions to stress or hormone variations,
effects of aging, etc. Labeling these ups and downs of life as
symptoms of disease enables the quack to provide "treatment."

Some practitioners claim to detect "deficiencies" (or "imbalances" or
"toxins," etc.) before any symptoms appear or before they can be
detected by conventional means. Then they can sell you supplements (or
balance you, or remove toxins, etc.). And when the terrible
consequences they warn about don't develop, they can claim success.

Food safety and environmental protection are important issues in our
society. But rather than approach them logically, the food quacks
exaggerate and oversimplify. To promote "organic" foods, they lump all
additives into one class and attack them as "poisonous." They never
mention that natural toxicantsare prevented or destroyed by modern
food technology. Nor do they let on that many additives are naturally
occurring substances.

Sugar has been subject to particularly vicious attack, being (falsely)
blamed for most of the world's ailments. But quacks do more than warn
about imaginary ailments. They sell "antidotes" for real ones. Care
for some vitamin C to reduce the danger of smoking? Or some vitamin E
to combat air pollutants? See your local supersalesperson.

Quackery's most serious form of fear-mongering has been its attack on
water fluoridation. Although fluoridation's safety is established
beyond scientific doubt, well-planned scare campaigns have persuaded
thousands of communities not to adjust the fluoride content of their
water to prevent cavities. Millions of innocent children have suffered
as a result.

Hope for Sale

Since ancient times, people have sought at least four different magic
potions: the love potion, the fountain of youth, the cure-all, and the
athletic superpill. Quackery has always been willing to cater to these
desires. It used to offer unicorn horn, special elixirs, amulets, and
magical brews. Today's products are vitamins, bee pollen, ginseng,
Gerovital, pyramids, "glandular extracts," biorhythm charts,
aromatherapy, and many more. Even reputable products are promoted as
though they are potions. Toothpastes and colognes will improve our
love life. Hair preparations and skin products will make us look
"younger than our years." Olympic athletes tell us that breakfast
cereals will make us champions. And youthful models reassure us that
cigarette smokers are sexy and have fun.

False hope for the seriously ill is the cruelest form of quackery
because it can lure victims away from effective treatment. Even when
death is inevitable, however, false hope can do great damage. Experts
who study the dying process tell us that while the initial reaction is
shock and disbelief, most terminally ill patients will adjust very
well as long as they do not feel abandoned. People who accept the
reality of their fate not only die psychologically prepared, but also
can put their affairs in order. On the other hand, those who buy false
hope can get stuck in an attitude of denial. They waste not only
financial resources but what little remaining time they have left.

Clinical Tricks

The most important characteristic to which the success of quacks can
be attributed is probably their ability to exude confidence. Even when
they admit that a method is unproven, they can attempt to minimize
this by mentioning how difficult and expensive it is to get something
proven to the satisfaction of the FDA these days. If they exude
self-confidence and enthusiasm, it is likely to be contagious and
spread to patients and their loved ones.

Because people like the idea of making choices, quacks often refer to
their methods as "alternatives." Correctly employed, it can refer to
aspirin and Tylenol as alternatives for the treatment of minor aches
and pains. Both are proven safe and effective for the same purpose.
Lumpectomy can be an alternative to radical mastectomy for breast
cancer. Both have verifiable records of safety and effectiveness from
which judgments can be drawn. Can a method that is unsafe,
ineffective, or unproven be a genuine alternative to one that is
proven? Obviously not.

Quacks don't always limit themselves to phony treatment. Sometimes
they offer legitimate treatment as well -- the quackery is promoted as
something extra. One example is the "orthomolecular" treatment of
mental disorders with high dosages of vitamins in addition to orthodox
forms of treatment. Patients who receive the "extra" treatment often
become convinced that they need to take vitamins for the rest of their
life. Such an outcome is inconsistent with the goal of good medical
care which should be to discourage unnecessary treatment. Another
clever trick is to include their product or procedure in a list of
otherwise commonly-accepted practices in order to promote it by
association. They may say, for example that their method works best
when combined with lifestyle changes (which, quite often, will produce
tangible benefits).

The one-sided coin is a related ploy. When patients on combined
(orthodox and quack) treatment improve, the quack remedy (e.g.,
laetrile) gets the credit. If things go badly, the patient is told
that he arrived too late, and conventional treatment gets the blame.
Some quacks who mix proven and unproven treatment call their approach
complementary or integrative therapy.

Quacks also capitalize on the natural healing powers of the body by
taking credit whenever possible for improvement in a patient's
condition. One multilevel company -- anxious to avoid legal difficulty
in marketing its herbal concoction -- makes no health claims
whatsoever. "You take the product," a spokesperson suggests on the
company's introductory videotape, "and tell me what it does for you."
An opposite tack -- shifting blame -- is used by many cancer quacks.
If their treatment doesn't work, it's because radiation and/or
chemotherapy have "knocked out the immune system."

Another selling trick is the use of weasel words. Quacks often use
this technique in suggesting that one or more items on a list is
reason to suspect that you may have a vitamin deficiency, a yeast
infection, or whatever else they are offering to fix.

The disclaimer is a related tactic. Instead of promising to cure your
specific disease, some quacks will offer to "cleanse" or "detoxify"
your body, balance its chemistry, release its "nerve energy," bring it
in harmony with nature, or do other things to "help the body to heal
itself." This type of disclaimer serves two purposes. Since it is
impossible to measure the processes the quack describes, it is
difficult to prove him wrong. In addition, if the quack is not a
physician, the use of nonmedical terminology may help to avoid
prosecution for practicing medicine without a license.

Books espousing unscientific practices typically suggest that the
reader consult a doctor before following their advice. This disclaimer
is intended to protect the author and publisher from legal
responsibility for any dangerous ideas contained in the book. Both
author and publisher know full well, however, that most people won't
ask their doctor. If they wanted their doctor's advice, they probably
wouldn't be reading the book in the first place.

Sometimes the quack will say, "You may have come to me too late, but I
will try my best to help you." That way, if the treatment fails, you
have only yourself to blame. Patients who see the light and abandon
quack treatment may also be blamed for stopping too soon.

The "money-back guarantee" is a favorite trick of mail-order quacks.
Most have no intention of returning any money -- but even those who
are willing know that few people will bother to return the product.

Another powerful persuader -- something for nothing -- is standard in
ads promising effortless weight loss. It is also the hook of the
telemarketer who promises a "valuable free prize" as a bonus for
buying a water purifier, a six-month supply of vitamins, or some other
health or nutrition product. Those who bite receive either nothing or
items worth far less than their cost. Credit card customers may also
find unauthorized charges to their account.

Another potent technique is cultural association, in which promoters
ally themselves with religious or other cultural beliefs by
associating their product or service with an article of faith or
prejudice of their target audience.

In a contest for patient satisfaction, art will beat science nearly
every time. Quacks are masters at the art of delivering health care.
The secret to this art is to make the patient believe that he is cared
about as a person. To do this, quacks lather love lavishly. One way
this is done is by having receptionists make notes on the patients'
interests and concerns in order to recall them during future visits.
This makes each patient feel special in a very personal sort of way.
Some quacks even send birthday cards to every patient. Although
seductive tactics may give patients a powerful psychological lift,
they may also encourage over-reliance on an inappropriate therapy.

Psychologist Anthony R. Pratkanis, Ph.D., has identified nine
strategies used to sell pseudoscientific beliefs and practices
[Pratkanis AR. How to sell a pseudoscience, Skeptical Inquirer
19(4):19-25, 1995.]. They include setting phantom goals (such as
better health, peace of mind, or improved sex life), making statements
that tend to inspire trust ("supported by over 100 studies"), and
fostering grandfalloons (proud and otherwise meaningless associations
of people who share rituals, beliefs, jargon, goals, feelings,
specialized information, and "enemies"). Multilevel sales groups,
nutrition cultists, and crusaders for "alternative" treatments fit
this description well.

Handling the Opposition
Quacks are involved in a constant struggle with legitimate health care
providers, mainstream scientists, government regulatory agencies and
consumer protection groups. Despite the strength of this science-based
opposition, quackery manages to flourish. To maintain their
credibility, quacks use a variety of clever propaganda ploys. Here are
some favorites:

"They persecuted Galileo!" The history of science is laced with
instances where great pioneers and their discoveries were met with
resistance. Harvey (nature of blood circulation), Lister (antiseptic
technique) and Pasteur (germ theory) are notable examples. Today's
quack boldly asserts that he is another example of someone ahead of
his time. Close examination, however, will show how unlikely this is.
First of all, the early pioneers who were persecuted lived during
times that were much less scientific. In some cases, opposition to
their ideas stemmed from religious forces. Secondly, it is a basic
principle of the scientific method that the burden of proof belongs to
the proponent of a claim. The ideas of Galileo, Harvey, Lister and
Pasteur overcame their opposition because their soundness can be
demonstrated.

A related ploy, which is a favorite with cancer quacks, is the charge
of "conspiracy." How can we be sure that the AMA, the FDA, the
American Cancer Society, drug companies and others are not involved in
some monstrous plot to withhold a cancer cure from the public? To
begin with, history reveals no such practice in the past. The
elimination of serious diseases is not a threat to the medical
profession -- doctors prosper by curing diseases, not by keeping
people sick. It should also be apparent that modern medical technology
has not altered the zeal of scientists to eliminate disease. When
polio was conquered, iron lungs became virtually obsolete, but nobody
resisted this advancement because it would force hospitals to change.
Neither will medical scientists mourn the eventual defeat of cancer.
Moreover, how could a conspiracy to withhold a cancer cure hope to be
successful? Many physicians die of cancer each year. Do you believe
that the vast majority of doctors would conspire to withhold a cure
for a disease which affects them, their colleagues and their loved
ones? To be effective, a conspiracy would have to be worldwide. If
laetrile, for example, really worked, many other nations' scientists
would soon realize it.

Claims of "suppression" are used to market publications as well as
treatments. Many authors and publishers purport to offer information
that your doctor, the AMA, and/or government agencies "don't want you
to know about."

Organized quackery poses its opposition to medical science as a
"philosophical conflict" or "paradigm shift," rather than a clash
between proven versus unproven or fraudulent methods. This creates the
illusion of a "holy war" rather than a conflict that could be resolved
by examining the facts. Another diversionary tactic is to charge that
quackery's critics are biased or have been bought off by drug
companies.

Quacks like to charge that, "Science doesn't have all the answers."
That's true, but it doesn't claim to have them. Rather, it is a
rational and responsible process that can answer many questions --
including whether procedures are safe and effective for their intended
purpose. It is quackery that constantly claims to have answers for
incurable diseases. The idea that people should turn to quack remedies
when frustrated by science's inability to control a disease is
irrational. Science may not have all the answers, but quackery has no
answers at all! It will take your money and break your heart.

Many treatments advanced by the scientific community are later shown
to be unsafe or worthless. Doctors also make mistakes. Such failures
become grist for organized quackery's public relations mill in its
ongoing attack on science. Actually, "failures" reflect a key element
of science: its willingness to test its methods and beliefs and
abandon those shown to be invalid. True medical scientists have no
philosophical commitment to particular treatment approaches, only a
commitment to develop and use methods that are safe and effective for
an intended purpose. When a quack remedy flunks a scientific test, its
proponents merely reject the test.

Each of these ploys represents a basic technique called misdirection
-- analogous to what magicians do to shift the audience's attention
away from what is important in order to deceive them. When faced with
a criticism they cannot meet head on, quacks simply change the topic.

How to Avoid Being Tricked
The best way to avoid being tricked is to stay away from tricksters.
Unfortunately, in health matters, this is no simple task. Quackery is
not sold with a warning label. Moreover, the dividing line between
what is quackery and what is not is by no means sharp. A product that
is effective in one situation may be part of a quack scheme in
another. (Quackery lies in the promise, not the product.)
Practitioners who use effective methods may also use ineffective ones.
For example, they may mix valuable advice to stop smoking with unsound
advice to take vitamins. Even outright quacks may relieve some
psychosomatic ailments with their reassuring manner.

This article illustrates how adept quacks are at selling themselves.
Sad to say, in most contests between quacks and ordinary people, the
quacks still are likely to win.

Related Topics
Spontaneous Remission and the Placebo Effect
Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work
Common Questions about Science and "Alternative" Health Methods
Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof
Response to an Alt-Muddled Friend

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...quacksell.html


____________________________________
The True Axis of Evil
Bush - Cheney - Ashcroft - Rumsfeld
____________________________________



  #5  
Old March 27th, 2004, 11:55 PM
Sleepyman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells" Bad article

Another Commie Plot to control the minds of Americans by flouridating
the water! We all know it is just the first step, though I have yet to
see any spotted tooth adults or children, but I sure am lookin' for
em'.

Sleepy


On 27 Mar 2004 03:20:45 -0800, (nyscof) wrote:


Quackery's most serious form of fear-mongering has been its attack on
water fluoridation. Although fluoridation's safety is established
beyond scientific doubt, well-planned scare campaigns have persuaded
thousands of communities not to adjust the fluoride content of their
water to prevent cavities. Millions of innocent children have suffered
as a result.



Wouldn't bother reading an article that is so out of step with science
on a subject we're well-read on.

Fluoridation is a failed concept. The U.S. has been adding fluoride to
the drinking water for over 5 decades and has consequently fluoridated
all of the food and beverage supply. Coupled with fluoride in dental
products, fluoride-pesticide food residues and air pollution,
Americans are fluoride overdosed clearly indicated by the growing
problem of dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow or brown stained
teeth.

Sixty percent of U.S. preschoolers have tooth decay - the same amount
as never fluoridated Manchester, England, and Northern Ireland.

However, Africa has the lowest tooth decay rate in the world - the
reason low sugar intake.

Fluoride cannot combat American's sweet tooth.

And the chemicals most used for fluoridation silicofluorides have
never been safety tested in humans or animals.

And fluoride has never been approved for ingestion by the FDA.

And for all this Americans waste millions of dollars annually for a
failed entitlement program.

References and mo

http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
http://tinyurl.com/ad9k



____________________________________
The True Axis of Evil
Bush - Cheney - Ashcroft - Rumsfeld
____________________________________

  #6  
Old March 27th, 2004, 11:58 PM
Sleepyman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells" Off Topic Post

On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 13:53:43 GMT, "Cubit" wrote:

OP is Off Topic

I don't think so. If you do, then tough. Get over it.

Your Pal,

Sleepy

____________________________________
The True Axis of Evil
Bush - Cheney - Ashcroft - Rumsfeld
____________________________________

  #7  
Old March 28th, 2004, 12:12 AM
FOB
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default "How Quackery Sells" Bad article

Flouridation isn't low carb.

In ,
Sleepyman stated
| Another Commie Plot to control the minds of Americans by flouridating
| the water! We all know it is just the first step, though I have yet to
| see any spotted tooth adults or children, but I sure am lookin' for
| em'.
|
| Sleepy
|
|


 




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