Quackery: Being an Informed Consumer Course Summary

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QuackeryBeing an Informed ConsumerCourse
Summary

• Additional readings on Sharepoint

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Lecture Objectives

1. Explain the difference between fraud and
   quackery.
2. Discuss The Dietary Supplement Health Education
   Act of 1994 and explain its effect on safety and
   marketing of supplements.
3. Describe clues of how to tell if a product is a
   quackery product.
4. Explain potential sources of misinformation and
   aspects of exercise equipment and health clubs
   one should be aware of.
5. How can you use the information you have learned
   in this class?

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Fraud vs. Quackery

• What is the difference?
• Susceptibility to each

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Current LegislationThe Dietary Supplement Health
Education Act of 1994

• Puts the burden of proof for the effectiveness
  and safety of supplements on the manufacturer
  rather than on the FDA.
• Manufacturers do not need to get FDA approval
  prior to putting on the market.
• FDA responsible for taking action against unsafe
  supplements AFTER it reaches the market.
• Makes it harder for fraudulent products to be
  removed from the market.

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Clues to Fraud Quackery

• Lack of certifications/ degrees
• Cite little or no research
• Use pseudo-affiliations
• Use frequent testimonials
• Make claims of prestige
• Discredit AMA, FDA, etc.

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Weight Loss Techniques
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Fitness Products
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Health Products
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What are other products that you have seen that
might be examples of quackery?
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Potential Sources of Misinformation

• Magazines
• Health store newsletters
• TV infomercials
• Internet
• Fitness books and articles

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Exercise Equipmentand Health Clubs

• Health Clubs
• Qualified staff?
• Good equipment?
• Crowded/convenient?
• Contracts / memberships?

• Exercise Equipment
• Do you need it?
• Will you use it?
• Does it work?
• Does it work for me?

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What should you do to be an informed consumer?
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Now What?

• Put it all together
• Fitness
• Wellness
• Healthy lifestyles
• Being an informed consumer
• Make positive changes

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Developing aPersonal Fitness Plan

• 1. Set goals
• 2. Select activities
• 3. Set a target frequency, intensity, and time
  for each activity
• 4. Set up a system of mini-goals and rewards
• 5. Include lifestyle physical activity in your
  program
• 6. Develop tools for monitoring your progress
• 7. Make a commitment

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Achieving Wellness

• Emotional
• Environmental
• Intellectual
• Physical
• Social
• Spiritual

• Wellness is the
• product of healthy
• lifestyles just like
• fitness is the
• product of regular
• exercise.

What can you do to improve wellness in each of
the six areas?
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Healthy Lifestyles

• Exercising regularly
• Eating properly
• Managing stress

• What else can you do to develop a healthy life
  for yourself?

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How to Make Change Easier

• Increase awareness
• Avoid comparison with others
• Find activities that you enjoy ? FUN
• Exercise reward, not punishment
• Ask for help / get a friend involved
• Try it, surprise!
• Start small
• Patience!

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Goals of the Course
This course is for ALL fitness levels and
abilities.

• To learn about oneself intellectually,
  emotionally, and physically and to consider the
  connections between values and behavior.
• To explore how individuals develop and function
  in the social, psychological, emotional,
  physical, and spiritual dimensions.
• To plan for a lifetime of fitness, wellness, and
  physical activity.

If the body is feeble the mind will not be strong.
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Lecture Summary

1. Explain the difference between fraud and
   quackery.
2. Discuss The Dietary Supplement Health Education
   Act of 1994 and explain its effect on safety and
   marketing of supplements.
3. Describe clues of how to tell if a product is a
   quackery product.
4. Explain potential sources of misinformation and
   aspects of exercise equipment and health clubs
   one should be aware of.
5. How can you use the information you have learned
   in this class?