Hold on to your lunch, people, cause this story is not a pretty one. It appears that shark cartilage is now the new “fix-it” when it comes to health. People really believe that the cartilage of sharks can cure anything from arthritis to cancer. Yes, cancer. Studies have shown that shark cartilage does not produce any results on a variety of cancers. So how come, according to an article on Scubadviser, they are being sold??
Specifically in a popular UK-owned drugstore in Phuket, Thailand named Boots. If you guys have ever heard of Phuket, you might know that it has a large diving community. So are we really surprised that there was such a huge reaction when these supplements were seen sitting snugly on the shelves in this well-known store? Because sharks are seen as endangered, and so many people have been offended by this, the chain is promising its customers to stop stocking the sixty capsule, 500 mg bottle in their stores.
Photo Courtesy of Straightedge217
The growing popularity of shark cartilage for medicinal purposes has widely been attributed to a 1992 book by Dr. William Lane entitled Sharks Don’t Get Cancer. After hearing about the book, it seems to be nothing more than Dr. Lane’s attempt at selling his shark cartilage. He probably had no idea how effective it was because if he had, he might have known that sharks do, in fact, get cancer, even though it is more rare for them than humans. He might have also been aware that there is no evidence that this works, that his efforts are in vain, and that selling a defective product to people is just plain wrong. Just saying. Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Halloween!
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