The marketing of health products based on prelim studies.
I've seen a pattern over the years where products are already on the market, and sometimes even being marketed online especially on social media, and the only evidence anyone points to is some preliminary study that's inconclusive but "promising". (They always seem to use the word promising in these marketing pitches.) The studies of course list the conflicts of interest, and they're usually studies that are being done by the people already selling the product, or with financial ties to some company already selling the product. Then they pretty much use fraudulent appeal to authority to claim that the study says more than it does, or just that hey, it's promising so "why not" as the reason to convince you to pay money and buy it to use. Except "why not" is not good enough, because if it's not proven, you could be wasting your money at a minimum, or trusting something to be efficacious when you could be using something else, or worse, perhaps safety isn't really proven and you're taking risks for nothing.
The most recent example of this now circulating is a product that I'd heard was "promising" as a covid prophylactic back in 2021, because doctors were prescribing it for covid congestion, because it's an effective decongestant without a lot of side-effects. I had a prescription for it, and back in December 2021, I had to wait a couple months to get it filled because it was out of stock because of shortages, because of the covid surge. The conflicts of interest section is an extravaganza of payments and financial interest in companies marketing and selling similar health products already. One has to ask oneself, if it was used as a covid symptom treatment in 2021, and they said it was "promising" as a potential prophylactic back in 2021, why is it still being studied with preliminary small trials in 2025? And you just have to wonder why there are so many similar products also being marketed online with a lot of hype, personal testimonials and hope, and or pointing to years old preliminary studies.
And I just want to point out that the US is probably now considered a quack's paradise, with Americans seen as unprotected vulnerable marks just waiting to have our money parted from us, because of the situation with our federal government leadership being stacked with pseudoscience kooks and anti-vaxxers and the corporate industry interest cronies appointed in key positions have been dismantling the regulations that protected us from a lot of the bullshit and danger. It's not a coincidence that a lot of the unproven covid products circulating online now got their start with right-wing Qanon cronies back in the first Trump administration in 2020.
Now is the time to be even more cautious about any health claims.
BUYER BEWARE.
🗞️ In the news
NBC News - Outbreaks of rabies seem to be rising across the U.S., CDC surveillance shows The CDC's rabies team says it's tracking 15 different likely outbreaks from New York to Oregon. Aug. 31, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT By Marina Kopf, Linda Carroll and Anne Thompson As rabies seems to be spreading more in wildlife, veterinarians are especially worried about vaccine hesitancy spreading among pet owners, a dangerous trend that could lead to more dogs — and their owners — becoming infected. A 2023 study published in the journal Vaccine found in a nationally representative sample of Americans that nearly 40% believed canine vaccines were unsafe and 37% believed that vaccines could lead their dogs to develop cognitive issues, such as autism. Dr. Gabriella Motta, a veterinarian from Glenolden, Pennsylvania, and a co-author of the study, says she often sees clients who are concerned vaccines might hurt their dog. “It’s an issue we’re worried about, that could be on the rise in the future,” Motta said. “If we continue to see plummeting vaccination rates or increasing vaccine hesitancy, are we going to see [rabies] in more pets, and not just wildlife? We’re kind of starting to sound the alarms.”
RFK Jr. Warns Docs of Liability if They Stray From CDC on Vaccines — "Misleading," expert says by Joyce Frieden, Washington Editor, MedPage Today August 22, 2025 The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recent pediatric COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which differ from those of the CDC, have raised concerns from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who responded with an oblique warning to any physicians who might follow the AAP's advice. "AAP should ... be candid with doctors and hospitals that recommendations that diverge from the CDC's official list are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act," Kennedy posted this week on Xopens in a new tab or window. The AAP recommendations, released on Tuesday, included a strong endorsement of COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to under 2 years. The group also recommended COVID shots for older children if the parents want to do that. Those recommendations differ from guidance issued by the CDC, which has said the vaccines are not specifically recommended for children although they can still get them if parents and providers agree. Was Kennedy correct about the liability issue? "As has become common for Secretary Kennedy, this is misleading," Dorit Reiss, PhD, a law professor at the University of California San Francisco, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "Whether a vaccine falls under VICP [the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the part of the Vaccine Injury Act that deals with liability issues] has nothing to do with whether AAP recommends it, and the liability protections are not removed by this."
VOX - Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows. Kennedy wants to “Make America Healthy Again” — but doesn’t want you to see a report that could do just that. by Dylan Scott Sep 4, 2025, 6:15 AM EDT Most Americans still don’t know that alcohol can cause cancer — and the alcohol industry is working hard to make sure it stays that way. For the past three years, the industry, aided by its allies in Congress and later the Trump administration, has sought to discredit and eventually bury a major analysis that offers new evidence of the link between drinking alcohol and getting sick and dying from various causes, including cancer. It appears their campaign has succeeded. Three co-authors on the Alcohol Intake and Health Study, which was commissioned in early 2022 by the US Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, told Vox that they were informed last month that the Trump administration did not intend to publish the final draft of the study or its findings.
We need to press further, here's my updated letter to reps.
RFKJr promised that anyone who wants to would be able to get covid boosters if they want to, but that’s not what’s happening. He lied in that hearing and claimed that we could, but that’s not true, because I’ve tried to get my covid booster and school has started and I still can’t schedule. RFKJr should've been disqualified for conflicts of interest in the first place. He doesn’t know how things work and he doesn’t even know what’s happening or why. I think RFKJr needs to be investigated for misconduct. I read that he makes money filing lawsuits over vaccines, and he’s threatening to remove VICP protections. That seems like a conflict of interest. RFKJr should or someone at the government or in congress or the white house should remove him whatever it takes. I read that polling says most Republicans want vaccine requirements in schools. I know plenty of Republicans who get vaccinated, it’s a majority of people who want vaccines. So this isn’t a partisan issue. What's going on in the health agencies isn't rational and it's not what most Americans want. I want vaccines, and this situation is unacceptable.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose for your own letters to reps.
Quote:
"Simply put, the product defense machine cooks the books. And if the first recipe doesn't pan out with the desired results, they commission a new effort, and try again. I describe this strategy as manufacturing doubt or manufacturing uncertainty." - Dr. David Michaels, The Triumph of Doubt
