Kingsley A lot of people look for health tips or goods that claim to work quickly online. But not everything they see is safe or true. Some ads or websites make big claims that they can’t back up. Here’s where two important U.S. groups step in. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) help keep people safe from bad or false health information. A well-known person who has caused these groups to be worried is Dr. Mercola, who has pushed health goods and ideas that experts have called into question.
What the FDA Does About Health Claims Made Online
Food, medicines, and medical equipment are all checked by the FDA to make sure they are safe and do what they’re supposed to. The FDA checks to see if a business is allowed to sell a medicine online that claims to treat or cure a disease. When a business lies or sells dangerous goods, the FDA can either warn them or take the item off the market. People can’t use things that could hurt them because of this.
Online posts, emails, and websites are also checked by the FDA for health scams. A lot of the time, companies that break the rules get emails telling them to stop. This stops fake health news from going too far.
How the FTC Keeps People Safe
That’s why the FTC makes sure ads are honest. The FDA makes sure that health goods are safe. The FTC can step in if someone offers a health item online and says it will work miracles without any proof. They watch out that sellers don’t trick people into getting fake or useless goods.
Firms that use fake reviews or hide important facts are also punished by the FTC. It’s their job to make sure that health ads on the internet are truthful and don’t confuse people. They work together with the FDA a lot of the time to get things done.
A case that brought these problems to light was when Dr. Mercola was told not to sell health products with claims that were not backed up by science.
Stay Safe Online
Both the FDA and the FTC do a lot to protect people from false health claims. That the ads are honest and the goods are safe. This helps people pick healthier things to do. Check to see if the health advice you find online comes from a reliable source before you believe it.
