How would you like to save more, spend less and getting ripped off…by ditching bottled water?

Bottled water costs around $1,400/year and represents an environmental hazard when you consider its packaging and transportation.

Now Bundanoon, Australia -- a suburb of Sydney -- has banned bottled water and created a nightmare for the industry. This is the first city in the world to stop the sale of bottled water.

Consider this: Tap water costs less than a penny per gallon and gives you access to clean, safe municipal drinking water. And here's a bulletin for bottled water drinkers: Companies like Coke (Dasani) and Pepsi (Aquafina) source their products from municipal water supplies -- just like tap water!

In addition, bottled water is only checked for safety about 12 times a year, while tap water is tested throughout the day.

Still uncomfortable drinking straight from the tap? Run your water through a filtered pitcher to remove impurities. Executive producer Christa, meanwhile, is investigating a $120 reverse osmosis filter for her home that attaches under the sink.

Remember, if bottled water is awful enough to be banned in Bundanoon, you should think about banning it in your life too!

Editors's note: This segment originally aired July 2009

Are you among the two-thirds of Americans who takes dietary supplements -- as in vitamins, herbal products or those miracle remedies you see on bad late night TV?

Clark himself takes two chewable vitamins everyday. Executive producer Christa takes certain supplements such as magnesium. Associate producer Joel, however, doesn't take any supplements.

A recent Dow Jones report suggested people can experience kidney failure and liver failure because the contents of some dietary supplements are not regulated closely enough. A survey from the National Institute of Diabetes finds that roughly 10 percent of people with liver problems developed them from taking herbal remedies.

Another word of caution: Be sure to tell your doctor about any dietary supplements you take. That information will help him or her be aware of any possible drug interactions with prescriptions you may be taking.

There's a big fight about whether or not the feds should have stricter standards for dietary supplements. There is essentially no oversight of what goes into dietary supplements. The closest thing to any kind of oversight is an accredited body called the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

So in essence, this is the Wild West and you've got to be careful with what you put in your body -- especially with the claims you see on late-night TV. Clark is stunned by the number of ads he sees for what he'll euphemistically call "evening activities." Know that you are being conned by the actors. The product may not harm you, but it will harm your wallet.

Are you among the 80% of Americans who takes an herbal remedy? Staffers recently suggested that Clark use Zicam when he was fighting a cold. (Editor's note: Zicam is a "homeopathic medicine" rather than an "herbal remedy," but Clark discussed his experience with it for illustrative purposes.)

People talk about Zicam like it's almost a religious experience! In fact, the consumer champ was floored when he went to the store and found the entire Zicam section was thinned out after a sale. The basic product claim here is that Zicam is supposed to shorten the length of a cold and reduce its severity.

But many claims made by herbal remedies are generally not verifiable. The Government Accountability Office has found there's a real problem here. Companies are not required to tell the FDA what ingredients they use; they're only required to report if someone is hospitalized or killed by their product -- after the fact!

USA TODAY now reports that the Center for Science in the Public Interest wants manufacturers to verify what's in their herbal remedies.

This is an industry that tried to self-regulate with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), but by and large manufacturers still say anything they want about their products. This is like the Wild West of medicine. (Editor's note: You can learn more about herbal remedies through the federal government's Medline Plus website.)

Clark believes there are some folk remedies that could help certain people with certain conditions. But the problem is who and what can you believe when there's no cop on the beat?

Meanwhile, be sure to tell your doctor what you're taking in the way of herbal remedies so they can be aware of possible interactions with traditional medicine.

Clark is going to make a lot of people unhappy as he picks on yet another herbal remedy in the dietary supplement arena.

Now, the consumer champ acknowledges that there's no solution for the common cold, so he doesn't want to negate the possibility that herbs can be effective. But as he and his wife were told while recently seeing the doctor at Duke University Medical Center, science knows only relatively little about the mysteries of the human body.

Airborne Health Inc. has paid $7 million to settle multiple lawsuits in 32 states and the District of Columbia over alleged false product claims. Airborne makes a nasal spray used by travelers that is said to prevent viruses and bacteria from entering the body.

Clark's advice? Treat any claims about alternative medicines with a grain of salt. It's common for companies to make unverifiable claims about their products because they're not subject to FDA scrutiny.

Traditional chain drugstores devote a lot of shelf space to herbal remedies. But it's not because they're necessarily known to be effective; it's because they're capitalists and they want to make money on popular products.

So you've got to be your own cop on the beat. Remember, the first rule of medicine is "Do no harm." Be careful out there!

CLARKONOMICS: Both the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and IMS Health have reports out that suggest Americans are not filling prescriptions and not going to the doctor because they're financially stretched. When it comes to a choice between filling a prescription and filling up the gas tank, people are opting for the latter.

Medicine is going through a messy transition. Employer-provided healthcare can cost your employer a fortune. Many smaller businesses have discontinued it, while larger businesses have shifted more of the premium cost to the consumer.

So what can you do? Wal-Mart and other retailers have $4 prescriptions for a variety of generic drugs. Print out the list and take it with you to your doctor so he or she can try to write you an affordable script.

Also, you can try using a nurse-in-a-box as an alternative to a standard office visit. You'll find these "mini-offices" staffed by nurse practitioners at supermarkets, drug stores, discounters, etc. Their prices point tends to be around $59 for a visit.

Clark is a big fan of consumer-driven medical care. But consumer-driven medical care does not mean ignoring your health because you can't afford it.

Medical care is now taking a turn and becoming more market oriented. Some Pennsylvania hospitals are starting to guarantee surgeries in their hospitals. That means that the hospital pays for further problems after surgeries. Mystery shopping services are also springing up that rate the care received at hospitals. They are rated just like any other retail business. People under 30 overwhelmingly want monopoly government health care because of the hardships they have had to endure in the medical industry today. Clark thinks that this is hard to stomach though and that the private system works best. Frustration with medical care, especially with health insurance. The state of Massachusetts actually requires individuals to have health care. If you want a more dysfunctional system, let the government run it.

Clark has picked on dietary supplements and herbal remedies for about 10 years because of the risks involved. He doesn’t like the idea of companies being able to make virtually any claim about their products, many of which aren’t true. Congress made a decision in 1994 saying that herbal remedy companies could say anything they wanted without penalty. And many consumers have been injured or died from using these substances. So, what about homeopathic medicines? You may have seen the recent 20/20 piece on homeopathic medicines and doctors, who believe that they can cure you or treat you with more natural substances. Unlike the herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines are given in very small doses with very specific directions. The 20/20 piece claimed that these medicines don’t work, and the show cited several sources. But apparently, people weren’t affected by that piece. People are spending nearly a half a billion dollars a year on these remedies and the sales are showing no signs of slowing. It’s basically faith overcoming science. Clark has heard that these substances are not harmful at all, which is good. But people in the research were given placebos, thinking they’re were taking some homeopathic remedy. So, Clark wants you to know that you may be getting duped. These products can’t cure cancer or any other disease, so don’t buy into it.

Over the years, Clark has had many heated discussions with callers and even with members of the staff about the advantages and disadvantages of natural remedies and vitamins. But a new report from Johns Hopkins University is showing that taking certain vitamins is good for us. Taking Vitamin C and Vitamin E in normal doses, for example, can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. But we must remember not to overdo it. One multi-vitamin a day is all you need. The problem is that people think if they take more of certain vitamins it will help. Taking more of the recommended doses can cause heart problems, gastrointestinal problems and more. Clark has also been concerned about people who take herbal remedies in excess. Ephedra has been banned, but not before many people died from using it. Now, the FDA is looking at a list of remedies it may ban over the next weeks and months. This is a serious shift in policy because Congress passed a law in 1995 saying that herbal remedy companies were free to sell whatever they wanted in the marketplace and to say whatever they’d like about their products. It’s true that our body needs vitamins. But some people are taking too much of a good thing, so be careful.