Don’t be fooled by fake ‘cures’ for diabetes

Hamlin’s Wizard Oil, a patent medicine popular in the 1860s, claimed to ease everything from headaches to diphtheria when applied topically or taken internally.

Not a smart move, since it was 80 per cent alcohol laced with turpentine, ammonia and chloroform.

Today, that might seem like the kind of foolish folk medicine we’re far too sophisticated to fall for. Think again.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued 15 warning letters to companies pushing illegal and fake diabetes remedies. These include:

Dietary supplements claiming to treat, cure and/or prevent diabetes.

“Natural” products containing undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in unknown doses that could harm people with certain medical conditions.

Prescription drugs sold online without a prescription.

Over-the-counter drugs making wild claims. We’re not condemning all of them, but there are a bunch of products that don’t deliver what they promise. Don’t be fooled. Check the ingredients, or write in and ask us.

Interested in what will really help you control type 2 diabetes? Here are some smart moves:

Take 10,000 steps day; do strength training for 30 minutes two to three days a week; upgrade your diet and show the Five Food Felons the door — no added sugar or sugar syrups, no trans and saturated fat, and no grains that aren’t 100-per-cent whole.