TORONTO - Pop a vitamin, ban doctors' neckties, vacuum away swine flu germs and smoke an e-cigarette to ward off H1N1.

Those are just some of the suggestions making the rounds on the Internet that have health officials and experts shaking their heads.

The Web is awash with dubious advice and various flu kits for sale as H1N1 deaths continue to rise, vaccine shortages force clinics to close and officials find themselves unable to provide a hard date for when the general public can get their flu shot.

The message from experts to those tempted to buy into such schemes - don't.

Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai hospital, chuckles when he hears about some of the alternative remedies, including one that suggests putting onions around the house, like a farmer did with the Spanish flu in 1918, to absorb the virus.

"Well in 1918, what could you do? You had little else. Unfortunately that doesn't make any biological sense and there's been no scientific evidence that such a thing would actually work," said Low.

"It sounds kind of cute and might be a little obnoxious to have to have peeled onions around the house."

Still, questionable cures are so commonplace that Health Canada and the Competition Bureau were compelled last Wednesday to issue a warning advising people not to purchase products claiming to fight or prevent swine flu.

Health Canada said it was monitoring the Internet and would take action against Canadian websites selling unauthorized products.

The federal agency has only authorized three products - the H1N1 vaccine Arepanrix and the antiviral drugs Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). As well, the distribution of 200,000 doses of unadjuvanted H1N1 vaccine Panvax from Australia has been authorized for use in pregnant women.

"We're advising Canadians not to purchase unauthorized products that claim to fight or prevent H1N1 over the Internet or other sources," said Brent Homan of Competition Bureau.

The bureau investigates health fraud and will send letters or take other steps to fight it, he added.

U.S. federal officials recently sent warning letters to promoters ...[next page]