Read the Fine Print

A few years ago, I noticed an article in a salicious magazine that read more like an advertisement than anything else. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that, in very small print, the article did admit to being an advertisement. I chalked it up to being another seedy ad for a male enhancement product, similar to the glut of junk e-mail I receive daily.

But since then, I've noticed similar borderline deceptive advertisements in more main stream magazines. In my mind, these companies wouldn't be advertising their herbal supplements for erections, weight loss and more in this manner unless they hoped to confuse the reader in to believing it is a real article. Although it has been some time since I read a newspaper, it would appear that they too are plagued by these article-formatted advertisements too.

Two days after the Vytalin ad, there followed a full-page ad for a "joint health miracle" found in a product known as Trigosamine. This particular "breakthrough" was described in what was designed to look like a news story, complete with a writer's byline.

If you see an article in a reputable magazine or newspaper extolling the virtues of a new miracle weightloss pill, make sure you search the entire page for that small "Advertising" label. Better yet, research the claim by turning to the internet, your doctor or your pharmacist.