What harm can they do?

Cholesterol "medication" scams consistently rate as some of the worst scams, as not only do they waste time and money, they can endanger your health even further.

If someone is taken in by one of these scams, they can fail to take the real actions that would help with high cholesterol while ingesting something that might even pose a hazard in and of itself.

Uncontrolled cholesterol can lead to blindness and many other horrible disabilities. So detecting these scams is vitally important.

Fortunately, there are a few simple guidelines that can help you avoid these scams.

First, realize that if you currently suffer from high cholesterol, you must modify your diet.

Any supplement or medication that says it works so well you can eat as much as you want of anything you want is too good to be true. In point of fact, any claim that sounds too good to be true probably is. There's a certain amount of "marketing" that any pharmaceutical company is going to use, but detailed claims of miraculous effects should be investigated very, very carefully.

Next, can you find any objective reviews or clinical studies on either the product itself or the main ingredient?

Most medications labeled as such must undergo a rigorous, published and peer reviewed clinical testing process. These tests don't just prove the proposed medication's safety, but also must prove whether or not the medication actually works. Anything labelled a "supplement", on the other hand, only has to prove that it won't hurt you, the company does not legally have to prove efficacy. This is not to say all supplement are a waste of money, but do always check for thorough, independent reviews.

Also check for quality and quantity of negative criticism.

It's unreasonable to expect any give product to work for everyone, but finding no positive, independent commentary regarding a particular product should be a red flag. In addition, while the occasional statement of ineffectiveness is expected, you should avoid any products with complaints about production methods, safety, bad adverse health effects, or "recycling" practices. No supplement or medication should ever be repackaged and resold if a previous customer returned it, as no one knows if the supplement was contaminated at some point along the way.

Last, never purchase anything online from a company that does not have an actual physical address, phone number, and money back guarantee.

Don't settle for a P.O. Box, any decent pharmaceutical or nutriceutical company should have an actual brick and mortar office address. The money back guarantee is important because, as stated above, no medication works for everyone. In addition, if you currently suffer from any other health conditions or take any other medications, check the one you're thinking of adding carefully to make sure it doesn't interact badly.

By following these simple guidelines and applying your own common sense, you can avoid wasting your money and endangering your health.