dermatologist

Drug company freebies costing you THOUSANDS!

Before she made her first buck poisoning you and your kids with her disgusting, sugar-laden treats, Debbi Fields of Mrs. Fields Cookies had to do something that may surprise you.

She had to go broke. She had to spend hours on every street corner and shopping mall hallway that would have her giving away free samples. Because if there's one thing Mrs. Fields understood about Americans, it's that we like to get something for nothing.

Well, it turns out doctors aren't any different. And those billions in free pill samples being slipped into their lab coats by shady drug company shills may not cost your doc a cent -- but they're costing you THOUSANDS!

A new Stanford study of American dermatologists found that all it takes is one visit... just one packet of free samples... to more than DOUBLE your medical bill.

Dermatologists who accepted "free" drug company samples wrote their typical patients prescriptions for $465 in drugs. Compare that to a $200 bill from dermatologists who refused to accept the Big Pharma freebies.

Now after your dermatologist revives you with smelling salts, he'll probably feed you some lousy line about how a couple hundred dollars is a small price to pay when you're getting access to the latest and greatest drugs medical science has to offer.

Well, you can put that tired old bull straight out to pasture. Because more often than not, all you're getting is some reformulated or "controlled release" version of a generic you could buy for pennies on the dollar. That's right -- you're getting the EXACT SAME DRUG with a new, fancy label.

Drug companies hand out $16 billion in free samples every year -- and like buying a blue chip stock, it almost always pays off. In fact, the number of dermatologists writing pricey prescriptions after getting free samples increased 50% during the 10 years measured.

Friend, your best weapons are your brain, your own two eyes, and the old, reliable "sniff test." So the next time some professional pimple popper tries to load you up with hundreds of dollars of prescriptions for a rash or stubborn back acne, put that nose of yours to work.

More often than not, you'll find something that stinks.

It's a common refrain from men, women and -- especially -- teens alike as they gaze into the mirror each morning: "Why do I keep getting all these pimples?!?!"

Really? No clue, huh?

Let me help you out: Most cases of acne at any age are caused by diet -- especially sugar and the rest of the carbohydrate family, and a leading dermatologist confirms it.

At a recent meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Alan R. Shalita urged his fellow skin care specialists to tell their patients to just lay off the carbs for quick and easy acne control.

But you don't need an expert opinion on this -- the sugar-acne connection has been made so many times it's as clear as the skin you're hoping for. One study in 2004 even found that a low-carb diet slashed acne by 50 percent in just 12 weeks.

So if you really want to put the squeeze on your zits, you're going to have to learn to live without your favorite junk food.

For an extra boost, call in the big guns -- and by that, I don't mean toxic drugstore pimple creams or prescription acne meds that can lead to bizarre behavior up to and including suicide.

Try colored light therapy instead. Dismissed as quackery just a few years ago, colored lights have proven to be so effective at clearing skin that even many mainstream dermatologists now use them.

Just be sure to pass on the millions of gadgets for sale online. Most of them are just expensive light bulbs, and many even use the wrong color.

They won't clear anything other than money from your wallet!

Find a naturopathic physician or skin care specialist who's experienced in color therapy instead -- and get used to seeing a clear new face in the mirror.