Diet goggles, weight loss cigarettes, and 9 more bizarre health scams from American history

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Vision-Dieter glasses claimed to reduce food cravings.

At least these are less harmful than the cigarettes.Flickr/FDA

The Arkansas man who “invented” this product in the 1970s claimed that they used “secret European color technology” to curb cravings and hunger pangs. Obviously, they could do no such thing, and most of the glasses were destroyed by the FDA.

Source: FDA

 

Lash-Lure eyelash dye caused “degeneration of the eyeballs.”

Lash-Lure eyelash dye caused "degeneration of the eyeballs."

Lash-Lure was around in the 1920s and 1930s.Flickr/FDA

Lash-Lure eyelash dye promised that users would “radiate personality.” What the ads didn’t say was that the active ingredient contained a poison that could cause “degeneration of the eyeballs” and blindness. One person even died after using the product.

Luckily, the dye was taken off the market and the FDA banned all future use of the toxic ingredient.

Source: FDA

This company sold “easy to swallow” tapeworms as a weight loss aid.

This company sold "easy to swallow" tapeworms as a weight loss aid.

“No ill effects” seems like a bit of a stretch.Flickr/FDA

This ad, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century, claimed that a handy jar of tapeworms could help people “Eat! Eat! Eat! And always stay thin!”

To be fair, tapeworm infestations do result in weight loss — but other possible side effects include nausea, weakness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, bacterial infections, and even seizures, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Source: FDAMayo Clinic

The manufacturers of this pipe claimed their product could erase the risk of lung cancer from smoking.

The manufacturers of this pipe claimed their product could erase the risk of lung cancer from smoking.

Using a pipe to prevent lung cancer is like using tanning oil to prevent skin cancer.Flickr/FDA

In a 1960 congressional hearing, FDA commissioner George Larrick used this product to illustrate the agency’s need for fraud-fighting funds.

Source: FDA

The “Orgone Energy Accumulator” was so egregious, its creator was thrown in jail.

The "Orgone Energy Accumulator" was so egregious, its creator was thrown in jail.

The pointy hat seems like a dead giveaway that this is a scam.Flickr/FDA

Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich believed in the existence of a “universal healing force” called orgone. (Spoiler alert: It’s not a real thing.) So in 1939, after relocating from Europe to Long Island, New York, he invented the Orgone Energy Accumulator, pictured above. The device, Reich claimed, could gather up and administer concentrated doses orgone to people. He believed  it could cure colds, arthritis, ulcers, and even cancer.

The claims were so egregious that the FDA told Reich to stop selling the devices, and when he didn’t, he was sentenced to prison time.

Source: FDAWired

One physician claimed that rubbing the body with a metal rod could relieve pain.

One physician claimed that rubbing the body with a metal rod could relieve pain.

The placebo effect is a powerful thing.Flickr/FDA

Back in the late 1700s, physician Elisha Perkins invented the “Tractor.” He claimed the small metal rod could relieve rheumatism, gout, and various aches by drawing out “noxious electrical fluids.” All you had to do was stroke it along the affected body part. The sales pitch for the product was apparently so convincing that George Washington ordered a set.

But later scientific studies determined that the Tractor’s “healing” ability was nothing more than the placebo effect, and eventually, sales died down.

Source: FDA

 

“Banbar” was used by many people to treat diabetes. Unfortunately, it didn’t actually work.

"Banbar" was used by many people to treat diabetes. Unfortunately, it didn't actually work.

Banbar was actually deadly.Flickr/FDA

By the mid-1920s, the FDA explains, insulin was the standard for treating diabetes. But a number of patients ditched insulin in favor of Banbar, the tonic pictured here. That choice proved fatal for many.

The FDA brought the maker of the tonic to court, but lost the case, since it appeared that the he really believed that the product worked.

Source: FDA

The “Oscilloclast” claimed to cure all manner of diseases.

The "Oscilloclast" claimed to cure all manner of diseases.

Behold the Oscilloclast.Flickr/FDA

Dr. Albert Abrams believed that all diseases resulted from a “disharmony of electronic oscillations in the body,” whatever that means. So (surprise, surprise) he invented a device that could “fix” things.

According to Abrams, the Oscilloclast “played back” electronic waves into the body, thus “creating harmony” and eradicating diseases. In the 1950s, the FDA prosecuted Abrams over the false claims.

Source: FDA