For whatever reason, some people equate ”Big Pharma” (i.e., “the drug companies”) with giant, evil, faceless entities who have absolutely no interest in anything but money. Do a little surfing, and you’ll see all sorts of retailers tapping into this paranoia, capitalizing on the common misconception that Big Pharma is deliberately keeping you sick —  just to pad the bottom line and increase their sharholders’ returns (Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst’s “Top Weight Loss Secret” is a splendid example of this phenomenon).

Of course, we’re all aware that Big Pharma has dropped the ball numerous times, and that yes, they are definitely in business to make a dollar (in my opinion, that doesn’t diminish the good they do, and continue to do. And as a cancer survivor, I can tell you the only reason I’m lucky enough to be typing these words onto this screen right now is because of the chemotherapy drugs designed by Big Pharma).

Nonetheless, this “negative perception” of the drug companies is often accompanied by a another one, no less counter-intuitive…   

That those who sell and formulate “all natural” products are on the “side” of the good and just. Since their products are “all natural” (Elissa explains why ”all natural” is a ridiculous marketing term in this post) and delivered from the earth as God and nature intended them, their motives are pure and untarnished. For example…

Recently I was reading a blog post that debunked the claims of an overpriced, over-hyped health product. Several people wrote in questioning the author’s motives, suggesting the critique was funded by the drug companies, “trying to suppress the truth.” Several asked why it was necessary to make difficult the lives of those who were simply trying to create natural alternatives to prescription drugs.

Huh?

Let me see if I’ve got this straight…

Because Big Pharma has been exposed for being motivated by profit and engaging in underhanded tactics on occassion, that means anyone who sells an “all natural” product is exempt from any of the same criticisms, and is not to be questioned or critiqued?

Supplement companies too, are “for profit” entities — yep, just like the drug companies — and if there’s a conflict of interest involved in selling products to your audience — either natural or pharmaceutical — surely a supplement company is no less removed from this conflict?

Hello?

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission web site is riddled with hundreds examples of “natural” supplement retailers who have lied, fabricated evidence, and in short done anything to pad the bottom line at the expense of the consumer. Fact is, natural supplements are under hardly any regulation at all and can be argued engage in much more scummy behaviour than the FDA-regulated pharmaceutical industry. 

It’s one thing to be genuinely focused on creating quality natural products — and there are certainly companies who do. It’s another to stuff some weeds into a bottle, attribute some marvellous benefits to it, and sell it to you at an exorbitant price — without the slightest bit of proof to show it does anything.

Folks have been doing this for years… they were called “snake oil salesmen.”

Only now they sell from the Internet, the T.V., the radio, and yes, even your local Wal-Mart instead of out of the back of a horse drawn wagon.

The bottom line is really simple; YOU are the only one you can trust to be 100% focused on your own best interests. Big Pharma isn’t necessarily evil, and retailers of “all natural” supplements aren’t necessarily good. Your smartest strategy is be skeptical of any claim that doesn’t have a solid backing in clinical science… regardless of who is presenting it to you!

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