Red Flags in Health Claims, Unnecessary Testing, Delayed Treatment, Informed Consent and Second Opinions

This page is information only. It does not replace medical care, and it is not meant to say that any kind of practitioner is good or bad. It is a map of the safety questions worth asking whoever you see, with links to the detailed pages.

Emergencies come first

If you think you are having a heart attack or stroke, or someone has a severe allergic reaction, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [1] [2] [3] For poisoning or a possible overdose of a supplement or herb in the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. For thoughts of suicide in the US, the 988 Lifeline can be called, texted or chatted, day or night. [4] The full list of warning signs is on Never Delay Medical Care, and other countries are covered on Poison Help by Country.

Red flags in health claims

These signs do not prove a claim is false, but they are reasons to slow down and check.

• A product or treatment is said to cure a serious disease. NCCIH says no complementary health approach has been shown to prevent or cure cancer. [5]
• Phrases such as "treats all forms of cancer," "cures cancer" or "more effective than chemotherapy." The FDA lists these as red flags. [6]
• You are told to skip or put off standard treatment. NCCIH advises against using unproven products or practices to replace or delay medical treatment for cancer. [5]
• "Natural" is treated as the same as "safe." NCCIH says natural does not always mean safe, and gives kava, which can cause liver disease, as an example. [7]
• A test is sold for a use that medical societies advise against. The Canadian allergy society CSACI, for example, says no body of research supports food IgG tests for diagnosing reactions to food. [8]
• Home tests are used to push a product. The FDA says companies selling unapproved chelation products often promote home test kits that are not cleared by the FDA and may give false or misleading results. [9]

For a longer checklist see red flags in integrative and naturopathic marketing and how to evaluate a therapy claim.

Unnecessary testing

Broad panels can return results that lead to more tests and more products. The NHS says home food-intolerance tests have limited evidence of accuracy and may suggest avoiding multiple foods, which can be harmful. [10] Proper evidence not found for a study we could read that counts how many supplements people are advised to take after such panels (we searched PubMed for naturopathic and integrative testing studies), so we give no number. See over-testing and false positives for what the research on testing healthy people does show.

Delayed treatment

NCCIH defines "complementary" as a non-mainstream approach used together with conventional medicine, and "alternative" as one used in place of it. [11] Its cancer guidance says delayed treatment of cancer reduces the likelihood of a remission or cure. [5] Two US registry studies found worse survival in people who used unproven cancer treatments and refused standard care; they are explained on the cancer outcomes page.

Informed consent

Under NHS (UK) guidance, consent must be voluntary, informed and given by someone with capacity. Informed means you are given the benefits and risks, the reasonable alternatives and what happens if you do not go ahead. [12] Voluntary means free of pressure from staff, friends or family. [12] Legal details differ by country. More on informed consent in naturopathic and integrative care.

Second opinions

NHS 111 Wales says you have no legal right to a second opinion, but a healthcare professional will rarely refuse to refer you. It also notes that a second opinion may delay treatment, so ask whether a delay could be harmful. [13] That is Welsh guidance; rules differ elsewhere. See second opinions and sharing records.