From USA Today.

The Associated Press

Air "sterilizers." A photon machine. Supplement pills to boost the immune system. Protective shampoos and face masks. Even fake Tamiflu.

These and other products making bogus claims to prevent or treat swine flu are flooding the Internet as scam artists prey on the public's fears while the vaccine is delayed and real Tamiflu is rationed.

Every problem, it would seem, is a sales opportunity. Some of the products appear to have been pitched for other emergencies, such as one called "Quake Kare" and masks and purifiers sold during the SARS scare.

Federal officials have sent warning letters to promoters of more than 140 swine flu-related products, including well-known alternative medicine advocate Dr. Andrew Weil for his "Immune Support Formula."

Consumer Reports also has warned subscribers to be wary.

"It's harmful, disappointing, frustrating to see folks take advantage of the public like this," said Dr. John Santa, who evaluates health claims for Consumer Reports.

Fraudulent products emerged shortly after swine flu did last spring — about 10 a day, said Alyson Saben, head of a swine flu consumer fraud team formed by the Food and Drug Administration. The pace slowed over the summer as the flu abated, but "it's picked up" in recent weeks, she said. "We are seeing new sites pop up."

Most worrisome: sites that claim to sell Tamiflu without a prescription. The FDA bought and tested five such products. One contained powdered talc and generic Tylenol — no Tamiflu. Several others contained some Tamiflu but were not approved for sale in the U.S.

"We have no idea of the conditions under which they were manufactured. They could contain contaminated, counterfeit, impure or subpotent or superpotent ingredients," Saben said.

Tamiflu and Relenza are the only drugs recommended for treating swine flu.

Rogue websites are not the only ones trying to cash in on flu fears. Makers of some well-established products are making claims that may be close to the line, the FDA says.

This week, the makers of Dial Soap, Kleenex, Clorox and other big brands launched a joint promotional campaign costing up to $1 million. The FDA is reviewing the campaign, which includes a video that says:

"Germs are tiny organisms that can cause disease. According to the CDC, up to 80% of infectious diseases, like the flu, are spread by your hands. That's why frequent, proper handwashing is so important in preventing spread of the flu, other viruses and germs. An antibacterial soap like Dial Complete foaming hand wash kills 99.9% of germs."

Flu is caused by a virus, so killing bacteria is of uncertain benefit.

The campaign is "not being specific down to swine flu," said Scott Moffitt, an official with Dial Corp.'s parent company, Germany-based Henkel AG. He also contends the video is not misleading, even though the germ-killing claim follows a sentence about flu and other viruses.

One product that drew a warning letter from the FDA is the Photon Genie, a gadget that delivers "energy waves." Its website claimed it "helps strengthen the immune system, and a strong immune system is KEY to preventing swine flu symptoms and KEY to treating swine flu."

The site has since removed the swine flu claim but "other claims remain," Saben said.

The group behind the website, the Skilling Institute of Phoenix, "is not marketing, and will not market in the future, any product that is intended to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 flu virus," its director, Warren Starnes, wrote in an e-mail.

Some products the FDA warned about contain silver, such as "Swine Flu...Gone," made by Secrets of Eden.

"Spray 'Swine Flu...Gone' with ionic silver on your hands and on any surface where these germs may exist and kill the virus," its site had claimed.

Secrets of Eden sells supplements and oils with a biblical flair, said its general manager, Rick Strawcutter, a former pastor in Adrian, Mich. The staff "got a little carried away" on marketing for one product and "drew the ire of the FDA," he said.

"It was not worth contesting," so he ordered a stop to it, Strawcutter said.

The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says silver "may cause harmful health effects," depending on the amount and type of exposure.

Dr. Andrew Weil's site had this problem language, the FDA's warning letter said: "...during the flu season, I suggest taking a daily antioxidant, multivitamin-mineral supplement, as well as astragalus, a well-known immune-boosting herb that can help ward off colds and flu. You might also consider ... the Weil Immune Support Formula which contains both astragalus and immune-supportive polypore mushrooms."

Weil issued a statement saying the content "was primarily educational" about how to avoid the flu, and that he had directed his website team to remove and review it for compliance with federal rules.

Doctors, too, are being warned not to prescribe unproven remedies, such as drugs not shown to be safe and effective for swine flu. In this week's New England Journal of Medicine, three FDA doctors caution against use of ribavirin, a drug approved in the U.S. for treating hepatitis C and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a childhood illness.

There have been reports of doctors wanting to try it for seriously ill flu patients, but it can cause a dangerous type of anemia and cannot be used in pregnant women because of the risk of birth defects, said the FDA's Dr. Debra Birnkrant.

"It shouldn't be used lightly" and needs to be tested in a clinical trial for flu, she said.

FM members is reporting joint pain issues after taking the swine vaccine.

I'd rather do as many alternatives/remedies as possible and not chance the vaccines.

Your reasoning is beyond me. I know a person with FM who had the swine flu and was very very sick from the combination of the flu plus FM.

What you choose to do is your choice. But how can you come to a conclusion that an ancedotal story of one person makes your theory true? Just as my story would not generate any theories.

I'm sorry for anyone's pain.

gap

I came down with the flu in August -- it was probably H1N1 as no other flu has been around.

I was very ill for two weeks and since then there has not been one day where I have felt any good at all. I have been suffering from extreme fatigue, fevers on and off, coughs on and off, extreme pain, nausea, sore throats etc, etc, etc. Prior to this I was feeling pretty good -- for me.

My immune system has always been very strong -- last time I had a flu was thirty years ago, I very rarely get colds despite the fact my family gets 4 or 5 vicious colds per year (maybe 3 colds in the past thirty years).

I keep waiting to feel better but the flu back in August has damaged my health and wellbeing.

So just because you think you have a strong immune system does not mean you will avoid getting the flu -- I take vitamin D too.

My point is -- regarding the vaccines -- you could be damned if you or damned if you don't.

Kina.

To take my flu arsenal, when necessary, which includes:

Colloidal silver
GlycoEssentials
Colostrom with Immune Factors
Echinacea
Elderberry
Vitamin D3
Chlorella
Avoiding sugar when trying to keep the immune system up, including natural sugars

And also will continue to receive Dr. Mercola's emails and Dr. Weil's, oh, and also receive Pro Health's emails, too, which contain valuable information.

I do not receive any emails from the FDA or the CDC, and also do not give any credence whatsoever to "warning letters" sent by the FDA to these organizations, which provide much helpful information to those of us who wish to be pro-active with our health.

Yes, the FDA and the CDC would prefer that we not help ourselves with these pro-active measures, and would prefer that we succumb to their fear mongering agendas.

Regards how some people think their immune system is strong because they used to not get any colds or flu viruses that were floating around...... seems I recall reading something somewhere along the line about how those of us that do get the flu and cold viruses, our immune systems are actually stronger than those that never succumb to any virus.

I can't remember the science behind it, but I'm sure if one did some searching on the web, they could find it.

So I believe a little touch of a cold or flu virus along the way, actually helps naturally strengthen your immune system and helps you become "immune", but having an arsenal and program ready at the fingertips helps keep you from becoming overly sick with these viruses, which then may turn into something more serious, like pneumonia, or other complications.

rainbow

Thanks Gap for reminding about the scammers. The TV media here has been reporting to be aware of the scammers who are taking advantage of the H1N1 outbreak.

The scams have arisen because where we are, we are very heavy in the midst of the H1N1 outbreak. The H1N1 vaccine that was sent was SHIPPED IN A MUCH LOWER QUANTITY. So those wanting and needing the H1N1 vaccination are being told they probably will not be able to get it until the end of November or December--which is late for this area. It is putting many at risk.

They are also warning those who are hospitalized that they may be "dumped" out in favor of patients with swine flu who are in serious complications. And everyone--just over a bit is a tourist area that gets the "snowbirds" in from all over the world every winter so it shows that going to tourist areas is not always the safest and can be a hotbed of flu.

So this creates the demand and scammers are preying on those seeking the cure. It was also on the TV media that online Tamiflu was also found to contain Tamiflu but not at the rate claimed on the package, but instead at a greatly reduced level. Some have received scam info in the mail too.