Think stem cell therapy can treat your ailments? It may pay to think twice

People are living longer than ever before. As we age, it’s common to develop new aches, ailments, and illnesses — and then we often go online to learn about products and treatments to help maintain and improve our health. But a word to the wise: there’s a lot of false and misleading information out there, including what some promoters are saying about stem cell therapy. The truth is, stem cell products have not been shown to be safe or effective for most ailments, and could actually be harmful.

Today, the FTC and Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General (AG) filed a joint complaint against a current and former chiropractor and several of their companies, including Stem Cell Institute of America. The complaint says that the defendants falsely advertised that stem cell therapy could treat a variety of ailments and even replace approved treatments — when it couldn’t. The agencies also say that the defendants sold this scheme to other chiropractors and healthcare providers, teaching them to make the same claims about stem cell therapy and administer injections. According to the FTC and the Georgia AG’s Office, these claims that stem cell therapy could treat joint pain and other ailments were baseless.

If you’re looking to treat a medical ailment, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t trust a website just because it looks professional, uses medical terms, or has success stories from “real people,” which can be made up.
• Think critically about any claims you see, especially health claims about new procedures.
• Do your research online. Search for the name of the company treatment, or procedure plus the words “scam,” “complaint,” and “review.”
• Then, check out so-called treatments and claims with your health provider. Don’t make medical decisions based on advertising or marketing materials.

If you spot a scam, tell your state attorney general’s office and report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.