It seems hard to believe now, but in the 1930s a “miracle cure” which actually contained radioactive radium was widely promoted in North America by William J.A. Bailey, an ex auto-swindler. Radithor was claimed to “stimulate functional ability, lower metabolism, correct imperfect nutritional processes and eliminate toxic waste.” What it did was poison people. Bailey charged a dollar a day for the product, a staggering amount at the time. When asked how long it had to be consumed, he gave the pat answer: “Only as long as you want to stay healthy.” While today we are protected from such overtly dangerous supplements, there are plenty of products on the market which make health claims that are as nonsensical as were the ones made on behalf of Radithor.
