“Identifying Health FraudFraud is  an  intentional  act  perpetrated  to  be  deceptive in order to gain something of value. It is usually an act of greed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  (FDA;  Kurtzweil,  1999)  defines  the  term  health  fraud  as  “articles  of  unproven  effectiveness that are promoted to improve health, well being, or appearance.” Health fraud is often practiced  through  the    delivery  of  some  kind  of  service  or  treatment.  Health  fraud  marketers  are  quite  sophisticated  about  promoting  their  prod-ucts, often using gimmicks and catchy phrases to gain consumers’ attention and trust. Frauds often use half-truths,deceptive statements that contain some element of truth but are partly false. Other half-truths may be completely true as far as they go, but omit important information. For example, a marketer may claim to have never heard from a dissatisfied  customer  but  omits  the  fact  that  he  never  publishes  any  contact  information  so  that  customers may report their dissatisfaction.We  should  be  wary  of  products  promoted  through testimonials,sometimes  presented  as  case histories. Often, these statements are fiction. Even if a testimonial is true, it does not mean that the  statements  it  contains  apply  to  every  user.  It  is very difficult to prove or even find evidence of the  truth  of  a  testimonial.  It  is  even  more  dif-ficult  to  determine  if  the  reported  cure  resulted  from  the  treatment,  the  placebo  effect,or  the  body’s ability to heal itself. Scientific study is the best way to determine if something works, not a single example.Consumers  should  be  suspicious  of  products  that claim to cure a wide range of unrelated dis-eases,  especially  serious  conditions.  No  product  can  treat  every  disease  and  condition,  and  few  can treat more than one. Many serious conditions have  no  cures,  only  therapies  to  help  manage  them.”