Chances are that you know someone with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia with memory loss. This is partly due to the fact that as our older population grows, also the number of people who are confronted with serious cognitive and related health problems.
It is not surprising that this demographic change is accompanied by a growth in the number of marketers that hunt for this population, pitch products that make unproven claims that they can prevent, treat, delay or even cure the Alzheimer’s disease.
These alleged miracles are mainly sold on the internet. They are often, although not always, falsely labeled as nutritional supplements. Regardless of their shape, these products fly in the light of real science. What these companies sell is the false hope that there is effective treatment or healing.
In the best case, the products offered by these scammers have no effect on the patient; In the worst case, they can pose a danger to a patient she takes. Not only will they not do what they claim, the ingredients in these products can also have interaction and possibly interfere with essential medicines. Moreover, these products have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety and effectiveness. These products are a waste of money and can also delay consumers to receive the necessary care and support for their illness.
Look forward to unproven claims about the treatments of Alzheimer’s
Do you remember the saying: “If it seems too good to be true, is it probably?” Unfortunately, when confronted with a serious health problem, even the most rational person can be led to believe in unbelievable claims. Indeed, that is where companies sell on fake treatments.
One of the best ways to protect yourself against fake treatments is to ask if the claim seems too promising and whether it is in contradiction with what you have heard from renowned sources about treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Companies that sell unproven treatments from Alzheimer’s often include a series of non -supported and extensive claims about the supposed healing forces of their products. These include statements such as:
- “You can even turn mental decline associated with dementia or even Alzheimer’s in just a week;”
- “Clinically demonstrated to help the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and even dementia;”
- “Supplements are used to cure Alzheimer’s disease;”
- “Can … reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by half;”
- “Can play a role in preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s;” And
- “Clinically demonstrated to help the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and even dementia.”
Another red flag is that many of the claims of these companies about the so -called curative powers of their products are often not limited to Alzheimer’s disease. Consumers must stay away from products that claim to cure or treat a wide range of non -related diseases.
How you can protect yourself
Here are some other ways to protect yourself and others against fake treatments of Alzheimer’s:
- Ask every product that also claims to be a ‘scientific breakthrough’. Companies that bring these products to the market benefit from people when they are the most vulnerable and are often looking for a panacea.
- Always contact your doctor or caregiver before you buy or use a freely available product, including those that are labeled as nutritional supplements.
A lot of scientific research is being conducted into Alzheimer’s disease, but it has now been shown that no healing or treatment stops or reverses the progression of the disease. Various prescription drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat people in whom the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease has been established. Most medicines work best for people in the early or middle stages of Alzheimer’s, and can delay some symptoms, such as memory loss, for a while. But none of these drugs stops the disease itself.
Treatment development and FDA approval requires clinical research and testing to ensure that new medicines are both effective and safe. For patients who are interested in access to research medicines, there are legal ways to do this, as by participating in clinical examinations.
FDA protects consumers against companies that do not sell well -approved new medicines
The FDA is taking action against companies that do not put good -approved new medicines on the market that claim to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure the Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other diseases and health problems.
The FDA gives a warning of letters to advise the companies to change or remove claims about their products that have made the products incorrectly or are otherwise illegally marketed, and if the companies do not satisfy, the FDA can continue legal steps Doing business to prevent the products from reaching consumers.
If you have a product or supplement (other than approved medicines) that are advertised or sold as a treatment for Alzheimer’s or other diseases, you can report this on the FDA website.