These web pages are adapted from a package of articles that initially appeared in Washingtonian magazine in the June 1999 issue.

It began when editor-in-chief Jack Limpert noted that literally thousands of articles were being written about these products, but very few examined them critically. He suggested I take a look, and even I was amazed at what I found.

Here is also a link to Washingtonian magazine web site. There are possibly thousands of web sites out there touting these products with everything from obviously outlandish claims to what seem to be an array of impressive scientific studies. Another critical site is Dr. Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch. (Which tells you immediately where he is coming from.)