XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
26th November 2003
Please click on the summary link of interest:
Beware of Free Supplement Samples...n1
An increasingly common practice for marketers of dietary supplements is to offer free samples. All the consumer needs to do is complete the secure order form, pay just for the shipping and handling and the product will be sent to them. However, there is a hidden catch missed by most consumers... when you accept the free sample you are also inadvertently signing up to a monthly auto-ship order at the normal price.
The marketers selling in this manner are not manufacturers but generally individuals sensing an opportunity. Consumers are often ending up with unwanted product because cancellation requests are ignored and many of these marketers are almost impossible to contact as they change email addresses frequently, and do not provide legitimate contact information.
Warren Matthews comments: I had an example of this in my 'inbox' today from someone calling themselves '30daycoralcalcium'. I had to go right through the ordering process until I could find the 'catch'. It was in the form of a link in small print on the order form and was ticked by default. It was designed to be very easy to miss which meant the person receiving the 'free sample' would have automatically agreed to the auto-ship agreement. As is usually the case with these marketers there is no contact address, no phone number, just one email address. I would hate to think how many 'hoops and hurdles' you would have to jump before you could successfully cancel your order and receive refunds on your credit card.
Whilst on the subject of coral calcium I find it incredible that there are still marketers (such as these people) who are claiming that the marine coral has a 2:1 calcium/magnesium ratio... naturally! This is absolute nonsense... there is no natural coral in the world with this ratio. Magnesium is added to it during the processing.
So, be careful if you are tempted by 'free' samples, particularly if the offer came by unsolicited mail... you could end up with more 'hassles' than you expect!
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Daily Aspirin use linked with Pancreatic Cancer...n2
According to a study led by Dr Eva Schernhammer those people who take a daily aspirin may be at increased risk of developing cancer of the pancreas. The study involved 88,000 nurses who took two or more aspirins for 20 years or more.
They found the following:
Those who took 14 tablets or more per week had an 86% greater risk of pancreatic cancer than non-users.
For those who took between 6 and 13 tablets their greater risk factor was 41%.
But the extra risk factor was down to 11% for those who only took between 1 - 3 aspirins per week.
These findings were presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dr Schernhammer also said in a statement that they initially expected that aspirin would protect against pancreatic cancer, but they now need to examine the relationship more thoroughly.
Warren Matthews comments: Although this is of concern it must also be put into perspective. Pancreatic cancer is not very common. However, it is deadly with most victims dying within three years of being diagnosed with it. About 31,000 Americans contract the disease each year. Nonetheless the study does illustrate the need to be cautious with aspirin intake as with other common OTC drugs. Unless you have a real need to take them... don't! OK, for the occasional headache but don't make it a habit. You don't know what other negative things they may be doing to your body.
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US Senate Passes New Medicare Bill...n3
After considerable heated debate the US Senate passed the new Medicare bill. If you would like to read what impact this is likely to have on you or your family you can read a summary of it at:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/992373.asp?vts=112520031844&cp1=1
Warren Matthews comments: I am not qualified to say if this bill is a good thing or not…but, a couple of things that I did note about it are:
It is a major victory for the pharmaceutical companies as it will push up the use of drugs at a time when there is increasing public resistance to the use of drugs which is reflected in falling sales.
That the ban against importation of pharmaceutical drugs from overseas will NOT be relaxed. This is unfortunate for those people who have no alternative but to use pharmaceutical drugs as often the exact same drug can be purchased in Europe for one third to half the cost at a pharmacy in the US.
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