somewhat related:
http://mobile.slate.com/articles/hea...facebook .com
That article does a really good job at explaining why scams like this are so effective/widespread.
A lot of naturopathic remedies aren't very different in substance from typical medications, it's mostly the regulation that is lacking, but that is slowly getting better in Canada.
Idk, I'd rather have something that has gone through randomized controlled trials and been well documented and hundreds of thousands of other people are also taking under medical supervision, than some of the sketchy "natural" products out there.
Like with this coffee, where they don't say anything about the amount of active ingredient or have any safety data associated with it...before Health Canada started regulating natural products there was no way of knowing how much active ingredient was in whatever you were taking, even amongst different pills in the same bottle. But, it "sounds" so much nicer than, say, "atorvastatin", so people gravitate towards it without actually thinking, allowing themselves to be duped into believing that because it has a familiar/benign name ("coffee"), it's safe.
My issue isn't really whether or not naturopathic products are effective. I believe that many of them are (note: there is a difference between naturopathic and homeopathic), but there isn't evidence to support HOW effective, what doses should be given, or to asses any safety information.
In terms of the product being sold, this coffee isn't any more of a scam than a lot of "natural" remedies out there. The business practice is a whole other issue, though.
