I have just received a heartening Federal Trade Commission release warning
consumers about alternative care. The FTC's concern and warning fall into
the same category as those types of fraud discussed in this forum.
The release mentions the FTC's 1999 launching of an antifraud campaign called
Operation Care that has brought 13 federal and state enforcement actions
against unsubstantiated claims. This federal campaign is news to me.
The FTC seems to zero in mostly on bogus claims for cancer and AIDS cures.
One case sighted resulted in a million dollar settlement from a marketer
selling shark cartilage as a cure for cancer.
The FTC lists two websites where patients can inquire whether health claims
are legitimate, and can report suspicious claims.
The sites are www,ftc.gov/healthclaims and
www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/default.htm
Also any questions can be answered by calling Paula Kurtzweil Walter , Tel.
202-326-2583, or attorney Richard Cleland 202=326-3088.
This FTC action is fine and good, but it seems to me pretty feeble in that
only 13 cases have been prosecuted in over a years time.
Also, the whole issue of alternative care needs investigation, and some of
the practices like homeopathy, supplements, herbology, naturopathy and
chiropractic should be simply abolished.
At any rate, the FTC now provides an opportunity for all of us to report
examples of fraud which seem so common. This FTC arrangement may be known to
many of us, but I thought it was worth reporting. Dr Chot
