核心概念
The wellness industry, worth $1.8 trillion globally, is financially toxic and promotes unproven, ineffective products that divert resources away from evidence-based medical care.
摘要
The content discusses the growing concerns around the unregulated wellness industry and its financial impact on patients. The author, Art Caplan, a medical ethicist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, highlights several key points:
The wellness industry, valued at $1.8 trillion globally, is draining resources that could be better utilized for proven medical treatments and Medicare coverage. This industry is not subject to the same regulatory oversight as the healthcare system.
Many wellness products, such as gut probiotics, probiotic facial creams, PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) machines, and various supplements, lack scientific evidence to support their claimed health benefits. These are often promoted as "preventive" or "treatment" options, despite a lack of data.
The FDA is overwhelmed trying to regulate drugs, devices, and vaccines, leaving little bandwidth to address the proliferation of unproven wellness products. This allows the "bunk, nonsense, quackery, and charlatanism" to grow unchecked.
Patients with chronic conditions are particularly vulnerable to being "seduced" by online advertisements for these wellness products, which may delay or interfere with their proper medical treatment.
The author calls for increased regulation and oversight of the wellness industry, including more funding for the FDA to scrutinize these products, and for the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on misleading advertising claims.
Doctors are encouraged to have open conversations with patients about their use of wellness products and to guide them towards evidence-based medical care.
統計資料
The wellness industry is worth $1.8 trillion globally.
PEMF machines can cost between $5,000 to $50,000.
引述
"We are spending money on charlatans and quacks."
"The industry is out of control. We're trying to figure out how to spend money on things we know work in medicine, and yet we continue to tolerate bunk, nonsense, quackery, and charlatanism, just letting it grow and grow and grow in terms of cost."