HEALTH: LESSON 3

“MEDICAL QUACKERY AND ITS DAMING EFFECTS”

Quackery: A form of Health Fraud, Some people tend to avail products because of what they
read on social media. Social media is one of the fastest ways to spread news and other pieces of
information. However, these news and articles that can be read on social media may not be
true. Advertisement and promotions of health products and services must be critically
evaluated. There are instances wherein consumers fall for the false claims provided by online
advertisements.

CHARACTERISTICS:

 Not professional
 Not certified
 Scare tactics

Quackery- refers to the intentional misrepresentation or falsification of a product or a service.

A quack refers to a person or a company involved in promoting different forms or health fraud.
Quack persuade people to spend their money on fraudulent products and services

FORMS OF QUAKERY:

 Medical quackery -This includes fake and ineffective treatments and remedies. These
medicines do not give results; hence, they tend to delay proper medication.
 Nutrition quackery -This consists of food products claiming to contain ingredient
needed to optimize the overall health of a person.
 Device quackery -This refers to tools and devices that make people believe that they are
able to treat disease. These include bracelets, electrodes, magnets, and other tools that
impose claims to restore and improve health by means of weaving or using them

•Sometimes, quacks offer products to people with terminal illness and those suffering from
disease with no treatment. Instead of helping, using these products delay medication, thereby
imposing risks among patients. These products may cause harmful physical and psychological
effects among patients. Therefore, the best defense against quackery is to follow the guidelines
and criteria in evaluating health information, products, and services provided by government
agencies and other reputable institutions.