Feel young again - or maybe dead
A consumer called me last week asking about an ad they saw for testosterone supplements. Print media, radio and TV advertising are filled with messages aimed at men, promising renewed health, bigger muscles and increased sexual performance.
According to the ads, the magic key to all these benefits is a testosterone supplement. I asked my doctor about a year ago if supplements like this really worked. To my surprise he said “yes, sometimes.” He also made it very clear that recent medical research has proven an alarming link with health problems sometimes brought on by these products — including death from heart attacks. The following are some of the well-documented side effects to testosterone therapy:
OTC (Over-the Counter)
Negative drug interactions with other supplements or medications
Heavy metal toxicity
Contamination with unknown toxic substances, either from the soil the herbs were grown in or from poor manufacturing processes
Neurological damage
Nausea and vomiting
Negative effects on sleep, cognition, appetite, blood glucose and cardiovascular function
INJECTIONS: (Prescription Only)
High blood pressure
Excessive acne
Irritability, aggression and violent behavior
Increased risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke
Aromatization (conversion) of excess testosterone into estrogen, which causes gynecomastia (male breast growth), water retention, anxiety, depression and emotional instability
Erectile dysfunction due to high blood pressure or estrogen overload
Degradation of tendons, ligaments and cartilage
Sleep apnea
Insomnia
Prostate enlargement and increased prostate cancer risk
Wow! I don’t know about you, but I think I will “hit the gym” one more time each week and eat my broccoli. I’ll leave testosterone supplement therapy alone.
(Absolute requirement: ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING OR ENDING ANY MEDICATION, TREATMENT OR SUPPLEMENT)
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HELP ME, OBI-WAN: The rest of the quotation from the first Stars Wars movie is “you’re my only hope.” A consumer actually called me and started the call off with that plea. A Jedi Knight I’m not, I just want to help. Much like Obi-Wan, I can only help those who pay attention. It becomes somewhat frustrating when smart people do dumb things.
If you’re buying a good or service that costs more than you can afford to lose, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CONTRACT signed by you and the other party. (And as we all know by now — a bid IS NOT a contract.)
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JUDGMENT PROOF: One of the last refuges of local scammers when finally cornered is that they are “judgment proof.” That is, even if you take them to court and get a judgment, they’ve hidden their assets so well that you can’t get at them and still don’t get paid.
Ask yourself — would you like to be required to provide and make public all your state and federal income tax return, all life insurance policies, all rental agreement and mortgage agreements, all bank, credit card and financial records FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS? What a pain in the rear, not to mention exposing your sources of income and all your recorded expenditures to public scrutiny.
The items listed above are only a few of the hundreds of records a person with a judgment can ask the person who owes you money. And here’s the kicker — all information and all answers to all questions are given under oath! In this country, generally speaking, you can’t be put in jail for owing money. You can be sanctioned (fined or imprisoned) by a judge for refusing to answer questions, or refusing to provide the requested records or information. Last year, I had three separate occasions in which consumers, after getting a judgment in small claims court, went on to schedule a judgment–debtor examination with the defendant. In each case, the consumer ended up getting ALL their money back. None of the guilty parties elected to go through the court ordered judgment-debtor exam!
You must first get a judgment in Small Claims Court and then request the Clerk of the Court issue a Writ of Execution, which you must give to the Sheriff of the County where the defendant resides — or if the defendant resides outside Idaho, to the Sheriff of the County where the judgment was entered. There are resources online that will guide you through the process. It’s not complicated.
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WARNING — MACS ARE NOT IMMUNE: Don’t click on a link that you don’t know. Recently, an innocent link has been sent to hundreds of millions of users of Apple and Macintosh computers. Those who click on the link may infect their computer with a nasty virus. The link will almost certainly “lock up” your device, making it very difficult to unlock without a trip to the Apple tech support desk at the Apple store in Spokane. The link looks something like this: “http://ibem97.github.io/chaiOS.” In order to protect my more curious readers, I have deleted a couple of key characters from the above link.
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COSTCO SECRET CODES: One of my biggest frustrations with shopping at Costco is looking for a product and not finding it. I ask when it will return and the usual answer is: “Don’t know. We don’t actually do the ordering at this store.” Last time this happened, I was looking for shaving cream. The outage lasted so long I gave in and grew a beard.
Another product that suddenly, and without explanation disappeared from the store was lamb shanks. One day they were there, the next day they had all vanished. The lamb shanks reappeared six months later. (By the way, the frozen, precooked lamb shanks are four-star restaurant quality.) A very good friend of mine noticed their return and showed up at my door with 20 boxes of them! They barely fit in the downstairs freezer.
Recently I was made aware of an important device Costco uses. If a product is going to “disappear” from the store there is usually an asterisk on the product/price card. Bottom line, if you see the asterisk and like the product, buy a few extra.
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REMEMBER BILL BROOKS: “He’s On Your Side”
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I have many more tips and interesting cases that I’m working on. Call me at 208-699-0506, or email me at BillBrooksAdvocate@gmail.com or fax me at 866-362-9266. You can follow me at www.billbrooksconsumer advocate.com. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups. Bill Brooks is a consumer advocate and the broker and owner of Bill Brooks Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene.