Today, there are lots of medical or medically-related products with claims of effectiveness in a certain aspect of the body. Many of these are related to weight loss, bodybuilding, sexual performance and libido, body parts enhancement, and treatment of infections.
Many of those products are mere scams with no evidence of effectiveness as the marketers would claim. However, some of them can be effective and might do what they promise to do. How do you know that before committing your money to such products?
Not only is the effectiveness of some of those products questionable but they may also be harmful when used or consumed into the body. It therefore becomes important to carefully verify the safety and/or genuineness of those products before using them.
What Makes Fake Medical Claims Go Viral?
Not only is COVID-19 and its vaccine still a matter of discussion today but it X-rayed and magnified what naturally happens with medically-related conditions, information, and remedies.
People are seemingly easily manipulated when it comes to medical information. Is it because there is no verifiable information out there? The answer is no. They just don’t know how to verify medical claims before adopting them.
Fake medical information and claims usually gain popularity for three reasons, one of which I have just stated above. Second, perpetrators of such claims are usually very convincing in how they use words or express themselves.
The third reason is probably because people like to believe the contrary unconfirmed sources of medical information. After all, they need some magical help with a medical condition or want to believe a more soothing piece of information rather than the truth.
How to Verify Facts About Medical-Related Products
The next time someone walks up to you and tells you this product or that product can help you burn fats in two days, or that this tea can boost your libido and enhance your sexual performance with your partner, here are some things to do to verify the safety and efficacy claims about the product.
1. Check the label
As little as checking the product label on the container can save you the stress of buying something you will not be happy with eventually. First, you want to look out for the safety profile of the product. Usually, products that have undergone safety checks have a number attesting to that.
Second, you want to check how effective the product will be regarding the claims they made about it. One way to do this is by looking at the ingredients used in making this product written on the product label. Then proceed to look up the ingredient(s) in medical journals or scientifically approved sources.
2. Ask a medical personnel
One quick way to find out about the safety and efficacy of a medical product or medically-related product is by asking someone who is in the medical or paramedical professions. There is a higher chance that the person would know more about the product than you if you are not a medical professional.
It could be your friend, relative, or spouse. Simply asking them about the product being offered to you and specifying the ingredients when asked can help you determine if paying for the medical product is worth it or not, or if it will even be harmful.
3. Check the news about medical products in the market
Usually, national and international regulation agencies like the national agencies for food and drugs regulations, food and agricultural organizations/authorities, CDC, and WHO would release news for widely popular medical or food-related products particularly when it is becoming of public health significance.
Checking for such news updates will keep you up to date on the safety and efficacy of the products you are in doubt of.
4. Use your critical thinking
Many claims about medical-related products revolve around magic-working drugs, and ‘one drug cures all’ scenarios. But there is so much you can know about such products if you sit down to think for a brief moment.
First, think about who the product manufacturer is. It is likely to be a fake product if the manufacturer is not medically inclined or knowledgeable about the area of the given product.
Next, pay special attention to the promotional information. If they claim that the product does magic and produces huge results instantly, there is a high chance it will not be a genuine product. If they claim that it provides solutions to many things at once, it will likely be misleading or its safety profile may be questionable.
Remember that being a publicly accepted opinion or claim does not make it a fact, and vice-versa.
5. Look at the reviews
Many products have reviews from other users, which are available online. Looking at the reviews from other previous users can give you some information about the safety and efficacy of the product. The only precaution to observe when checking for reviews is to ensure that you look for reputable review sources that will not have the reviews falsified by the distributing company itself.
6. First exclude the possibility of harm
Even before looking out for the product’s efficacy, exclude every possibility of harm. Ensure that you have checked thoroughly or tested the product in small quantities to exclude any possibility of harm.
Once there is no harm associated with the product, you can then look out for its efficacy in what it claims it to be able to do.
A good example of this is the promotion of supplementary vitamins and immune boosters during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, those substances are naturally safe to consume, and vitamins and minerals are important for normal immune function. At least, we are certain they won’t cause any additional harm to the body when taken.
General Facts About Genuine Medical Claims
To understand what is genuine and what is not, here are some pointers to look out for.
- The source should be verifiable.
- There is usually a scientifically explainable mechanism of action.
- They are usually specific in action, covering a few conditions, with some exceptions of products that can treat a wide range of medically related conditions.
Conclusion
Being able to verify medical claims about a product is important for everyone. This is because there will always be times when we are offered one medical product, food, weight loss or weight gain product, or another. Being able to verify such claims is important even before making any financial commitment to purchasing such products. The tips here will come in handy in achieving that.
