Medical Quackery
Medical quackery is a special branch of pseudoscience that focuses on the promotion of unproven products or services relating to health. Favorite targets for quack "cures" are ailments that are problematic for conventional medicine, including:
- Some cancers
- Acne
- Back pain
- Arthritis
- Fatigue
- Common cold
- Obesity
- Alzheimer's disease
- Aging
- Not pretty enough
- Not handsome enough
- Not smart enough
Some common features of quackery are:
- Products claiming to cure a variety of ailments that are unrelated
- Testimonials used in place of evidence
- Endorsements made by "professionals" who are not identified
- Endorsement by the masses ("over 1 million sold!")
- Claims that the medical establishment does not want the public to know about this "cure"
- Claims that a treatment is effective because it has been used for thousands of years
- Cures offered for fictitious problems
Quackery can be difficult to recognize. Often the promoter of a quack product will be sincere in his/her desire to help others. But here, as is true of the law, ignorance is no excuse. A basic rule of thumb is this: Whenever an unproven cure is sold for profit, you should suspect quackery.