Christopher Byron of the New York Post takes a closer look at Lifeline Therapeutics, an OTC Bulletin Board stock that has skyrocketed more than 500% in the past eight months. The only problem, writes Byron, is that the company "has a lot of big plans for the future but not much else." Unless, of course, you count a nutriceutical product called Protandim, which is being touted as a dietary/nutritional supplement that can help you cheat death and live longer. (In fact, it's already been featured on ABC television as a new "fountain of youth.")

So what's in this miracle drug Protandim?

"According to the label, Protandim seems to consist, in part at least, of green tea and a spice called tumeric found in pickles. And I say, hey, if green tea and pickles can help you have funky sex at 92, then shouldn't we be looking for more such cures from the spice racks of America's kitchens? Anyone for a smoothie of fennel seeds and 7-Up?"

The takeaway lesson: don't believe the hype -- especially when it comes to exotic new health supplements that claim to have all kinds of anti-aging properties. By marketing a product as a nutriceutical and not as a pharmaceutical drug, companies can also avoid the long regulatory arm of the FDA. Byron calls the whole racket "Immortality, Inc."