Health-care providers should be prepared to discuss different treatment options with their patients. Patients frequently complain that they can't talk to their physician. Patients' inability or reluctance to meaningfully discuss treatment options with their physicians has been a frequently cited reason for consulting purveyors of fraudulent products in the first place.

In discussing products with your patients (whether you believe them to be effective or not), you should be prepared to note the following:

• Any claim that a product cures disease is false,

• Claims of a miraculous, foolproof, secret, or suppressed treatment should be regarded with suspicion,

• Claims that a product enhances or boosts immune function are suspicious,

• Claims of discovery or testing in another country should be regarded with skepticism,

• Products that are sold to treat multiple disease or conditions are likely to be fraudulent,

• Personal success stories are not proof that a product works.