{"id":77454,"date":"2026-08-17T07:19:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T05:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/?p=77454"},"modified":"2026-08-22T07:23:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T05:23:32","slug":"from-free-check-ups-to-200000-drams-worth-of-medicine-how-the-mechanism-of-false-advertising-based-on-health-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/from-free-check-ups-to-200000-drams-worth-of-medicine-how-the-mechanism-of-false-advertising-based-on-health-works\/","title":{"rendered":"From free check-ups to 200,000 drams worth of medicine: how the mechanism of false advertising based on health works"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><span dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">From free check-ups to 200,000 drams worth of medicine: how the mechanism of false advertising based on health works<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-77455 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22.jpg\" alt=\"Free chek\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-31x21.jpg 31w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/free_chek_22.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">When a &#8220;free consultation&#8221; turns into a sale, and a &#8220;miracle weight loss solution&#8221; turns into a health risk<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Free medical check-up&#8221;, &#8220;Lose weight in just a few days&#8221;, &#8220;100% natural remedy&#8221;, &#8220;without diet and physical exertion&#8221;, &#8220;treatment that doctors don&#8217;t tell you about&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">It has long been no longer surprising to encounter such offers on social networks and through phone calls. The offers are different, but their mechanism is often the same: turning a person&#8217;s most sensitive desire into a sales tool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">One wants to lose weight, another wants to get rid of a health problem that has plagued them for years, a third wants to have a child, and a fourth simply wants to recover quickly. And it is on this desire that manipulation is built.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0It all starts with &#8220;free&#8221;<\/span><\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Recently, you can hear similar stories from different people: they have called and offered a free examination or consultation. Sometimes it is promised that with the help of a special device it is possible to identify many problems in the body in just a few minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The first signal should be on here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span dir=\"auto\">What test is being performed? Who performs it? Where is the licensed medical facility? What equipment is used? Who interprets the results?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">If, instead of these questions, a person is immediately offered a \u201cspecial course,\u201d a \u201cnatural remedy,\u201d or a \u201cmiracle cure,\u201d then the free service may not actually be a health service, but the first step in a sale. The second step is to create fear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">One of the most powerful tools of manipulative selling is convincing a person that they have a problem that they were previously unaware of.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Your body is poisoned.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Your metabolism isn&#8217;t working.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;You have fluid buildup.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;If you don&#8217;t treat it now, the condition will get worse.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;You need this course.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Such formulations transport a person into a realm of fear and haste. And a frightened person checks information less and makes decisions more quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The classic formula of manipulation works here: create a problem \u2192 scare \u2192 offer the only &#8220;solution.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Today only&#8221;, &#8220;last places&#8221;, &#8220;special price&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The next step is haste.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;The promotion is valid only today.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Only 5 packages left.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;The special price is just for you.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;If you don&#8217;t order now, it won&#8217;t be the same price tomorrow.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">This technique is called the scarcity effect. It forces people to make a decision not based on whether they really need the product, but on whether they should buy it now or lose the opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And this is where a &#8220;free consultation&#8221; can turn into a sale worth hundreds of thousands of drams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">200 thousand drams for &#8220;treatment&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">During this study, we spoke with people who had participated in similar &#8220;free&#8221; consultations or surveys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">One of the people we spoke to said that he had sought such an offer due to fluid accumulation in his knee and difficulty walking. He was offered various medications, on which, according to him, he spent a total of about 200 thousand drams.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">After about a month or two of using it, the expected results were not there. On the contrary, according to him, his condition had worsened, his leg had swollen, and walking had become more difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">He received the final solution after consulting a doctor, receiving the necessary medical care and undergoing surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">This story, of course, does not prove that the drug in question caused the deterioration of health; only a specialist can give such a medical conclusion. But the story is important for another reason: the person first paid a lot of money, wasted time, and only then sought professional medical help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And is a &#8220;100 percent natural&#8221; weight loss product really natural?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The situation is even more dangerous when it comes to products sold for weight loss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regularly issues warnings about weight-loss products that do not list pharmacologically active ingredients on their labels. The FDA database also published similar cases in 2026, including a warning about the product \u201cDetoxi Slim\u201d in July 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In some cases, laboratory tests have detected **sibutramine** and other undeclared pharmacological substances. The FDA notes that such products are sometimes presented as &#8220;natural&#8221; or dietary supplements and sold through social media and online platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In other words, the word &#8220;natural&#8221; is not a safety certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The World Health Organization also warns about counterfeit and substandard medical products. They may contain the wrong ingredient, the wrong dosage, not contain the declared active ingredient at all, or contain harmful substances. The WHO notes that such products are also often distributed online and through unauthorized sources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">There is also a control system in Armenia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In Armenia, drug advertising is not simply regulated by the principle of &#8220;whoever wants to publish whatever they want.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The Center for Drug and Medical Technology Expertise informs that from April 6, 2025, a new regulation will come into effect, according to which drug advertising material is subject to preliminary examination, and its compliance with the requirements of the Law &#8220;On Drugs&#8221; is assessed for advertising permission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Information on drugs registered in the Republic of Armenia and those not guaranteed registration is also published in the same system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And the relevant professional body of the Republic of Armenia also has a separate section on counterfeit pharmaceutical products and has published a list of counterfeit drugs detected in 2021-2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">These facts are important because they show that the problem is not just the \u201cpeople are too gullible\u201d narrative. There is also the issue of market, advertising, product registration, and consumer protection oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Why do we believe?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The most interesting part of this story, however, is not the drug itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">We are not being sold the pill, but hope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">A person who wants to lose weight is not just being sold a dietary supplement, but a &#8220;new body.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">A person who has had a health problem for years is not being sold a product, but &#8220;the opportunity to finally be cured.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">A person who wants to have a child is being sold the &#8220;last chance.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And the stronger a person&#8217;s desire, the easier it is to shift their attention from facts to promises.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">This is the most dangerous part of manipulation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0&#8220;Let it be at home&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><strong><em><span dir=\"auto\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/strong><strong><em><span dir=\"auto\">the same mechanism also works during regular shopping<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The same mechanism can be observed outside the topic of health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In our small, non-representative survey, most of the 100 people of different ages and genders described roughly the same behavior:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;There was no need, but I thought, &#8216;It&#8217;s a house, let it be.&#8217; The price was reasonable.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In other words, people sometimes don&#8217;t buy what they need. They buy what advertising has managed to present as necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">This is where discounting, limited supply, social comparison, the idea that &#8220;everyone already has it&#8221; and the fear of missing out come into play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">How to recognize manipulative health advertising<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The next time you see a weight loss, healing, or &#8220;body cleanse&#8221; product, stop and ask yourself at least seven questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">Who sells this product?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Is there a real company, address, responsible person?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">Who gives medical advice?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Is there an appropriate specialist and licensed medical facility?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">Is the product registered?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Can you find information about it in official sources?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">What does the advertisement promise?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Phrases like &#8220;100% cure,&#8221; &#8220;guaranteed results,&#8221; and &#8220;no side effects&#8221; are serious red flags.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">Why is the proposal urgent?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Is it really limited, or do they just want you to not have time to think?<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">Is there independent evidence?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">&#8220;Customer stories&#8221; presented in advertisements alone are not scientific evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><span dir=\"auto\">What will happen if I don&#8217;t buy now?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">If the answer is simply &#8220;nothing,&#8221; then you can stop and check.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0The most important fact-check before you hit the &#8220;Buy&#8221; button<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The fight against disinformation is not just about exposing political fake news.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">False health advertising can also constitute disinformation, when an unverified or false claim is presented as fact in order to sell a product or service to a person.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Here, fact-checking begins not on the computer screen, but right in our heads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><u><span dir=\"auto\">Stop for a moment.<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><u><span dir=\"auto\">Don&#8217;t believe the first promise.<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><u><span dir=\"auto\">Check the source.<\/span><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Ask a specialist<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And most importantly, don&#8217;t confuse desire with proven fact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Because sometimes advertising doesn&#8217;t tell us, &#8220;You want this,&#8221; but &#8220;You should want this.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">And there is a huge difference between those two.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Don&#8217;t buy out of fear. Don&#8217;t be cured by advertising. Check first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The material was prepared to expose disinformation and manipulation mechanisms. In case of health problems, it is necessary to contact an appropriate medical professional, and to verify information about medicines or healthcare products with official sources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Hripsime Petrasyan<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span dir=\"auto\">The material was prepared within the framework of the Disinformation Flows Monitoring Project<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.auswaertiges-amt.de\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ishrarmenia.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/logo_opr_amt.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">#CivilSocietyCooperation #ishrarmenia #ishrfactcheck<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong data-start=\"5592\" data-end=\"5708\"><span dir=\"auto\">The project is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From free check-ups to 200,000 drams worth of medicine: how the mechanism of false advertising based on health works When a &#8220;free consultation&#8221; turns into a sale, and a &#8220;miracle weight loss solution&#8221; turns into a health risk &#8220;Free medical check-up&#8221;, &#8220;Lose weight in just a few days&#8221;, &#8220;100% natural remedy&#8221;, &#8220;without diet and physical exertion&#8221;, &#8220;treatment that doctors don&#8217;t tell you about&#8221;. It has long been no longer surprising<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":77455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"From free check-ups to 200,000 drams worth of medicine: how the mechanism of false advertising based on health works - Menschenrechte Osteuropa - News &amp; Konflikte","description":"From free check-ups to 200,000 drams worth of medicine: how the mechanism of false advertising based on health works When a \"free consultation\" turns into a sal"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[220,218,471,1376],"tags":[823,1381],"class_list":["post-77454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-armenia","category-bl-en","category-country-armenia-en-2","category-opr-armenia-2026","tag-civilsocietycooperation","tag-opr-armenia-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77454"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77470,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77454\/revisions\/77470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/ge\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}