INDIANAPOLIS — Now that many of us are spending more time at home on the computer surfing the internet, you can't get far before seeing something about the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning about fake claims or cures that can protect you against COVID-19.
Eric Smart, CEO of Myaderm, is helping sort through the noise and spot which products are safe and legal and which are scams.
"There's some good information out there and as usual there's a lot of questionable information," Smart said. "Dietary supplements are generally over-touted, so you're going to hear tons and tons of claims being made around taking the supplements for this vitamin — it's really not doing anything."
Beyond a normal regimen of dietary supplements like Vitamin C or Zinc, Smart said there's not much indication anything else is going to help protect you against COVID-19. Smart said he's seen people mixing active ingredients found in medications and that can be very dangerous.
"The reality is those are prescription meds and you can actually find those ingredients over-the-counter or different products and they're utilizing those thinking that's what their getting and it's not the case," Smart said.
There's another solution that has been swirling around the internet.
"People think, 'Oh, I'll take CBD and that's going to be a cure-all' and that's not the case," Smart said. "It has real therapeutic capabilities but in this instance that is not one of them."
The same can be said for cleaning products when trying to disinfect your home. Some products can be dangerous if they are mixed together.
Smart also weighed in on using face masks in public.
"It tends to decrease transmission because if you have it your breathing out and people can be exposed to that," Smart said. "But if you want to reduce the probability of you getting it, wear gloves."
Smart recommends wearing gloves every time you leave your house, but cautions people should remember to throw them away after being out. It's also important to wash your hands as soon as you get home.
