Obama Administration, Congress Intensify Opposition To Global Generic Drug Industry

[Dr. Love]

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration and members of Congress are pressing India to curb its generic medication industry. The move comes at the behest of U.S. pharmaceutical companies, which have drowned out warnings from public health experts that inexpensive drugs from India are essential to providing life-saving treatments around the world.

Low-cost generics from India have dramatically lowered medical costs in developing countries and proved critical to global AIDS relief programs; about 98 percent of the drugs purchased by President George W. Bush's landmark PEPFAR AIDS relief program are generics from India. Before Indian companies rolled out generic versions priced at $1 a day, AIDS medication cost about $10,000 per person per year.

But India's generic industry has also cut into profits for Pfizer and other U.S. and European drug companies. In response, these companies have sought to impose aggressive patenting and intellectual property standards in India, measures that would grant the firms monopoly pricing power over new drugs and lock out generics producers.

On Thursday, a House subcommittee held a hearing on international trade disputes with India that included testimony from American manufacturing and solar energy groups. Most of the event, however, was devoted to U.S. drug company Pfizer's complaints about Indian policies that have fostered the country's billion-dollar generics industry. The hearing followed Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to India earlier this week for the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, a major diplomatic mission.

Last week, a bipartisan group of 170 House lawmakers sent a letter to Kerry and President Barack Obama raising objections to India's patent system. But at Thursday's hearing, few seemed well-versed on intellectual property or public health issues.

"I first learned of this issue just a few short weeks ago from Pfizer, my largest employer in my district," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), before asking Pfizer Chief Intellectual Property Officer Roy Waldron if his company had talked to the Obama administration about its concerns.

"We have been speaking with [the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative] and the administration and we're very hopeful that this issue has been raised during Secretary Kerry's visit to India," Waldron replied.

A State Department spokesperson told HuffPost that during his trip, Kerry "discussed a number of economic and trade issues with Indian officials, including ongoing issues in the pharmaceutical sector."

Kerry's involvement represents an escalation in the Obama administration's opposition to India's generic drug policies. Following two recent landmark court decisions, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have been pressuring the Indian government on its patent standards.

In January, India's Supreme Court rejected a patent on a Novartis leukemia drug called Gleevec (or Glivec), clearing the way for cheaper generic production. The active ingredient in Gleevec has been available for years, but Novartis filed for a patent on an updated version available in pill form. India's highest court turned down the application on the grounds that the delivery format did not constitute a legitimate innovation.

Gleevec is protected by multiple U.S. patents, and costs upwards of $75,000 a year domestically. In India, where annual per capita income is about $1,400, Novartis was charging about $31,000 a year for the medication. The generic version legalized by the court's decision costs around $2,100.

Last year, India also permitted a generic manufacturer to produce a cheaper version of another cancer drug patented by Bayer AG. Bayer was charging $5,000 a month for the drug, while only servicing about 2 percent of the population that needed it. The generic version was priced at $157 a month.

By securing secondary patents, as Novartis tried to do with Gleevec, drug companies can effectively extend monopolies on their medicines beyond the standard 20-year window required by World Trade Organization treaties. The practice is known as "evergreening," and is frowned upon by the World Health Organization.

At Thursday's hearing, Rep. Jerry McNerny (D-Calif.) appeared more concerned than other lawmakers about the public health consequences of altering India's existing patent system. He asked Rohit Malpani of the international medical aid group Doctors Without Borders to elaborate on problems that arise from evergreening.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) also extolled the importance of access to inexpensive medications for PEPFAR, which has seen its budget cut in recent years.

Otherwise, lawmakers appeared receptive to Waldron's contention that U.S.-style intellectual property policies in India will help develop a more robust and innovative medical system there. Waldron also said such practices would lead to the creation of more American jobs, pointing to a study from the U.S. Department of Commerce that was also cited in last week's letter from lawmakers.

That study has been widely ridiculed for overstating the impact of intellectual property protections on jobs, claiming that "IP-intensive" industries are responsible for nearly 20 percent of all American jobs. Yet the pharmaceutical industry, which is largely comprised of firms dependent on government copyright and patent protections, accounts for a little less than 300,000 jobs, according to the report.

The U.S. has attacked the global generic drug industry before. President Bill Clinton adopted policies during his presidency that were hostile toward the introduction of generic AIDS medications in Africa, relenting only when activists disrupted campaign events over the issue. Clinton later came to regret his administration's position and has been very active on international AIDS relief efforts through the Clinton Global Initiative.

:headscratch:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/obama-generic-drugs_n_3513011.html

[ELVIS]

See how the government and the fucking military are used for corporate bidding around the world ??

This bullshit is gonna get us ALL killed if people don't wake up...

And yes, it's WORSE THAN BUSH !!!

[Nickdfresh]

See how the government and the fucking military are used for corporate bidding around the world ??

This bullshit is gonna get us ALL killed if people don't wake up...

And yes, it's WORSE THAN BUSH !!!

I agree it's shitty that the gov't is pandering to corporatist interests to block generics. And of course they do! While you're obsessed with conspiracy shit, they pull this stuff off right in front of your eyes. As Sesh has pointed out, "no conspiracy necessary". The gov't is bought off by special interests due to our massively long election cycles requiring constant streams of political bribers, er, donors.

But, there may be a legitimate safety issue here as we're talking about Indian drugs here...

[ELVIS]

Safety issue ??

How many deaths are US Big Pharma responsible for worldwide ??

I don't know, but I do know it's over 100,000 per year in the US alone, and that's a fact...

So your "legitimate safety issue" is a crock of shit...

[Dr. Love]

But, there may be a legitimate safety issue here as we're talking about Indian drugs here...

Wouldn't it then make more sense to stringently test the drugs before allowing them to be sold in the US vs trying to stop their manufacture and trade all together?

Presuming safety were the chief concern, of course.

[FORD]

Wouldn't it then make more sense to stringently test the drugs before allowing them to be sold in the US vs trying to stop their manufacture and trade all together?

Presuming safety were the chief concern, of course.

But that sounds like regulation.

Better not let Ron Paul hear you say that. :biggrin:

[Dr. Love]

I was adopting the liberal mindset as a thought experiment! ;)

[ELVIS]

Ron Paul isn't for overall deregulation...

He's for federal deregulation...

Meaning the regulation authority should be at the state level...

[Dr. Love]

Most people think he's for zero regulation. He's for some (less than there is now), so long as it is intelligent and effective.

[FORD]

Ron Paul isn't for overall deregulation...

He's for federal deregulation...

Meaning the regulation authority should be at the state level...

Yes.... and look how well that works in Ron Paul's (and Doc's) home state......

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130418211153-1-texas-explosion-0418-horizontal-gallery.jpg

Dr Paul really should know better. A state that allows idiots like Chimpy and pRick Perry to be governor isn't interested in regulating shit. Literally in the case of the picture posted here.

[Nickdfresh]

Safety issue ??

How many deaths are US Big Pharma responsible for worldwide ??

Complete bullshit! Yet again you make me defend the ruthless cunt$ of Big Pharma. You cannot indict Big Pharma of "deaths" without acknowledging that drugs and saved and prolonged lives worldwide as well as lessened the need for expensive, and sometimes dangerous surgeries. Yes, they are money grubbing whores and overspend billion$ on adverts for your cock medicine rather than use that loot to engage in research. But stop with the silly fucking conspiracy shit...


I don't know, but I do know it's over 100,000 per year in the US alone, and that's a fact...

So your "legitimate safety issue" is a crock of shit...

You don't know dick, because you're gullible enough to believe in magic fucking salt vitamins from Utah peddled by a guy that "performed thousands of autopsies on animals and humans" - even though he was just a veterinarian and must have been cutting open carcasses 24/7 for years. He's worse than "Big Pharma®," you dolt!

[Nickdfresh]

Wouldn't it then make more sense to stringently test the drugs before allowing them to be sold in the US vs trying to stop their manufacture and trade all together?

Presuming safety were the chief concern, of course.

Yes, it would. You really make excellent points that...


...er, um, those boobies in your sig are hypnotic...

[ELVIS]

You don't know dick, because you're gullible enough to believe in magic fucking salt vitamins from Utah peddled by a guy that "performed thousands of autopsies on animals and humans" - even though he was just a veterinarian and must have been cutting open carcasses 24/7 for years. He's worse than "Big Pharma®," you dolt!

You do know dick but that's besides the point...

Dr Wallach is the real deal, try the BTT for yourself...

But you won't put your money where your mouth is...

Just keep defending Big Pharma like a good little broke bastard sheep...

Don't listen to a friend...



:elvis:

[Nickdfresh]

You do know dick but that's besides the point...

Dr Wallach is the real deal, try the BTT for yourself...

How can a lying piece of shit that uses falsehoods to sell his snake tonic be 'the real deal?'


But you won't put your money where your mouth is...

What does that mean?


Just keep defending Big Pharma like a good little broke bastard sheep...

Don't listen to a friend...



:elvis:

Why don't you stop the silly, irrational attacks that make you look like a fool and focus on the abundant attacks actually supported by things like data, and facts?

[ELVIS]

Do you have to argue the silliest bullshit ??

Youngevity products work, I know they work...period...end of story...

Don't listen to me and don't try them, who gives a fuck...

But at least I tried to share something that I know from experience is good...

[ELVIS]

How can a lying piece of shit that uses falsehoods to sell his snake tonic be 'the real deal?'



Dr. Wallach has been involved in biomedical research and clinical medicine for 30 years. He received his B.S. Degree from the University of Missouri with a major in animal husbandry (nutrition) and field crops; a D.V.M. (veterinarian) from the University of Missouri; a three year post doctoral fellowship from the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Washington University; and an N.D. from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Wallach's research has resulted in the publication of more than 70 peer review reference articles in the field of nutrition and pharmaceutical research; co-authored 8 textbooks and is the author of a text/reference book on the subject of comparative medicine (W.B. Saunders Publishing Co., 1983).

Dr. Wallach's research in comparative medicine is based on more than 13,700 cases from the University of Missouri, Iowa State University, the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Washington University; the St. Louis Zoological Gardens; the Chicago Zoological Gardens;
the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; the Nation College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon and Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Hei Long Jiang, Peoples Republic of China. He was a member of NIH site visit teams for four years and was a member of the 1968 NSF ad hoc committee that authored the 1968 Animal Welfare Act (humane housing and care of laboratory and captive exotic species); and Consulting Professor of Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Hei
Long Jiang, Peoples Republic of China.


:elvis:

[Nickdfresh]

Do they make you feel the "Youngevity?" A bottle of Centrum vitamins and choice supplements do the same thing, probably vastly more cheaply without the risky build up of some vitamins that can cause problems...

[ELVIS]

Do they make you feel the "Youngevity?" A bottle of Centrum vitamins and choice supplements do the same thing, probably vastly more cheaply without the risky build up of some vitamins that can cause problems...

You really don't know what you're talking about...

They make you feel about eighteen years old when strictly following the complete program...

[ELVIS]

And that's no fucking bullshit...

[Seshmeister]

http://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/placebo.png

[ELVIS]

Placebos are better than Big Pharma bullshit by their own studies...

[Seshmeister]

Finally there seems to be some progress in Europe whereby they may soon be forced to publish ALL their studies and trials.

It's fucking ridiculous that they can do 10 trials and then only publish the one where the results were positive.

It's also important to say that only about 10% of their revenue actually goes on R&D, far far more goes on marketing even though they always claim that the reason they charge so much is to cover the research.

As usual though Jones and yourself want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and replace it with snake oil. Jones is a shill funding his company with fake 'medicines'.

[ELVIS]

It's not snake oil...

Go have another drink...

[TFM_Dale]

Go have another drink...

See Elvis! We do agree on something, cheers!

[ELVIS]

Now it's time to learn something...




:elvis:

[TFM_Dale]

Now it's time to learn something...




:elvis:

And now you lost me again...............

[ELVIS]

Patience, my friend...;)

[Seshmeister]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Too funny.

"Never buy food from someone that advertises or who wants money from you. Don't become a slave"

"Now watch our advert and sign up to buy our supplements."


Fucking duh! :D

[Nickdfresh]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Too funny.

"Never buy food from someone that advertises or who wants money from you. Don't become a slave"

"Now watch our advert and sign up to buy our supplements."


Fucking duh! :D


But they have special salts from the Utah glory hole!

[FORD]

OK... I'm a little confused here....

This guy who's in the Alex Jones video above is a pharmacist who is against Big Pharma?

That's more bizzare than the pharmacists who spend years going to school so they can refuse to fill birth control prescriptions on religious grounds.

I could never be a pharmacist because I *DO* oppose Big Pharma a good percentage of the time. How does this Ben guy keep his job?

[Seshmeister]

The guy is such an obvious sleezy conman.

What proper medical professional would turn around like he does in that video and say that most Americans are going to suffer a stroke?

Only 5% of Americans ever have a stroke at any time in their lives and actually it's not getting worse it's down 16% in the last 10 years(probably due to people smoking less).

[Seshmeister]

OK... I'm a little confused here....

This guy who's in the Alex Jones video above is a pharmacist who is against Big Pharma?

That's more bizzare than the pharmacists who spend years going to school so they can refuse to fill birth control prescriptions on religious grounds.

I could never be a pharmacist because I *DO* oppose Big Pharma a good percentage of the time. How does this Ben guy keep his job?


He works for a company selling health supplements via Alex Jones media. Youngevity which is a snake oil company owned by a vet called Wallach.

[Seshmeister]

This guy explains a bit about how they work.

http://nutra-smart.net/al.htm#todaytonight

It's a snake oil pyramid selling scam.

[FORD]

Pyramid scams in general are just fucking evil. I've had friends try to drag me into them a couple times.... and then had to try really hard to restrain myself from laughing in their faces when they not only didn't get rich, but lost a significant amount of money.

And even the successful pyramid scams, such as Amway, eventually lead to even greater evils, such as BlacKKKwater. (seriously, it's the same goddamned family)

As far as this guy's health advice, I generally agree that nutrition is best at preventitive medicine and in some cases, even at reversing or healing damage done, he's way off the charts if he says salt doesn't cause high blood pressure. I've seen the results of that personally.

[Seshmeister]

http://skepdic.com/wallach.html


Joel D. Wallach, the "mineral doctor"

Joel D. Wallach, M.S., D.V.M. (University of Missouri) and N.D. (National College of Naturopathic Medicine) is a veterinarian and naturopath who claims (in a widely distributed audio tape entitled "Dead Doctors Don't Lie") that all diseases are due to mineral deficiencies, that everyone who dies of natural causes dies because of mineral deficiencies,* and that just about anyone can live more than one hundred years if they take daily supplements of colloidal minerals harvested from pits in Utah.

Wallach claims that minerals in foods and most supplements are "metallic" and not as effective as "plant-based" colloidal minerals, which is nonsense because colloidal minerals are also "metallic," i.e., contain trace amounts of aluminum and heavy metals. Being colloidal has more to do with the origin, size, and structure of the mineral particles that with their effectiveness. (A colloid is "a substance that consists of particles dispersed throughout another substance which are too small for resolution with an ordinary light microscope but are incapable of passing through a semipermeable membrane." --Merriam-Webster)

Wallach learned all this from living on a farm, working with Marlin Perkins (of Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" fame), doing necropsies on animals and humans, reading stories in National Geographic magazine, and reading the 1934 novel by James Hilton, The Lost Horizon. He certainly didn't learn any of it from science texts.

Dr. Wallach makes his claims about minerals despite the fact that in 1993 a research team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, reported the results of a 13-year study on 10,758 Americans which failed to find any mortality benefits from vitamin and mineral supplements. The study found that even though supplement users smoke and drink less than non-users, eat more fruits and vegetables than non-users, and are more affluent than non-users, they didn't live any longer than non-users. The study also found no benefit from taking vitamin and mineral supplements for smokers, heavy drinkers, or those which chronic diseases. In May 2006, a committee of physicians impaneled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that little information exists as to whether people should take supplements. The previous March the NIH noted that research suggests that vitamins and other supplements may do more harm than good, and that antioxidants are of little use.* Further research has found that vitamin supplements can even be deadly.* The simple fact is that there is no compelling scientific evidence that vitamin or mineral supplements effect the health or longevity of most people. Of course, those suffering from a vitamin or mineral deficiency should take supplements, but there is no merit to Wallach's claim that most or all diseases are due to mineral deficiencies.

The basic appeal of Dr. Wallach is the hope he gives to people who fear or are mistrustful of medical doctors and scientific knowledge. He gives hope to those who want to live for a really long time. He gives hope to those who are diagnosed with diseases for which current medical knowledge has no cure. He gives hope to those who want to avoid getting a terminal disease. And he gives hope to those who want to be healthy but who do not want to diet or exercise. All we have to do is drink a magic elixir of colloidal minerals and we'll be healthy. You can't just take your minerals in pill form, he warns us. You must take the colloidal variety in liquid form. Until he had a falling out with T.J. Clark & Co., this elixir had to come from special pits in Utah. After John H. Renner, M.D., President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, exposed the "distortions, bogus science, and outright lies" in Wallach's tape, T.J. Clark & Co. "severed its business relationship with him."* Wallach then "revised his 'scientific' opinion and quickly moved on to find new partners."*

the audiotape

Dr. Wallach seems to be most famous for a widely circulated audiotape he calls "Dead Doctors Don't Lie." [It is also available in video tape and book form.] The label of the tape notes that Dr. Wallach was a Nobel Prize nominee. This is true. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize in medicine by the Association of Eclectic Physicians "for his notable and untiring work with deficiencies of the trace mineral selenium and its relationship to the congenital genesis of Cystic Fibrosis." The Association of Eclectic Physicians is a group of naturopaths founded in 1982 by two naturopathic physicians, Dr. Edward Alstat and Dr. Michael Ancharski. In his book Let's Play Doctor (co-authored with Ma Lan, M.D., M.S.) he states that cystic fibrosis is preventable, is 100% curable in the early stages, can be managed very well in chronic cases, leading to a normal life expectancy (75 years). If these claims were true, he might have won the Prize. He didn't win, but he gave a lot of false hope to parents of children with cystic fibrosis.

The basic danger of Dr. Wallach's theories is not that taking colloidal minerals will harm people, or even that many people will be wasting their money on a product they do not need. Many of his claims are not backed up with scientific control studies, but are anecdotal or fictional. The basic danger is that because he and other naturopaths exaggerate the role of minerals in good health, they may be totally ignored by the scientific community even if they happen to hit on some real connections between minerals and disease. Furthermore, there is the chance that legitimate scientific researchers may avoid this field for fear of being labeled a kook.

Dr. Wallach falsely claims that there are five cultures in the world that have average lifespans of between 120 and 140 years: the Tibetans in Western China; the Hunzas in Eastern Pakistan; the Russian Georgians and the Armenians, the Abkhasians, and the Azerbaijanis. He also mentions the people of the Vilcabamba in Ecuador, and those who live around Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia. The secret of their longevity is "glacier milk," or water full of colloidal minerals. It is probably news to these people that they live so long. Dr. Wallach does not mention on what scientific data he bases his claims, but I am sure there are many anthropologists and tour book authors who would like to know about these Shangri-La havens.

The label on the "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" tape says "Learn why the average life span of an MD is only 58 years." On his tape, Dr. Wallach claims that "the average life span of an American is 75 years, but the average lifespan of an American doctor is only 58 years!" Maybe dead doctors don't lie, but this living one certainly stretches the truth. If he is telling the truth, it is not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. According to Kevin Kenward of the American Medical Association: "Based on over 210,000 records of deceased physicians, our data indicate the average life-span of a physician is 70.8 years." One wonders where Dr. Wallach got his data. The only mention in his tape of data on physician deaths is in his description of a rather gruesome hobby of his: he collects obituaries of local physicians as he takes his mineral show from town to town . He may be somewhat selective as a collector, however.

On his tape, Dr. Wallach says

...what I did was go back to school and become a physician. I finally got a license to kill (laughter), and they allowed me to use everything I had learned in veterinary school about nutrition on my human patients. And to no surprise to me, it worked. I spent 12 years up in Portland, Oregon, in general practice, and it was very fascinating.

Dr. Wallach is an N.D., a doctor of naturopathy, not an M.D. as his tape suggests. It is unlikely that most of the people in his audience know that naturopaths call themselves physicians and that there is a very big difference between an M.D. and an N.D. He also claims he did hundreds of autopsies on humans while working as a veterinarian in St. Louis. How does a veterinarian get to do human autopsies?

"Well, again, to make a long story short, over a period of some twelve years I did 17,500 autopsies on over 454 species of animals and 3,000 human beings who lived in close proximity to the zoos, and the thing I found out was this: every animal and every human being who dies of natural causes dies of a nutritional deficiency."

To accomplish this feat, he would have to do six autopsies a day, working 5 days a week for the 12 years and taking only a 2-week vacation each year. He was allegedly performing all these autopsies in addition to his other duties, and presumably while he was writing essays and books as well. Maybe all those minerals gave him superhuman powers.

an attack and a panegyric

Dr. Wallach's "Dead Doctors Don't Lie" tape is both an attack on the medical profession and a panegyric for minerals. The attack is vicious and mostly unwarranted, which weakens his credibility about the wonders of minerals. He does not come across as an objective, impersonal scientist. He delights in ridiculing "Haavaad" University and cardiologists who die young from heart attacks, many of whom went into the field because of congenital heart defects. He reverts to name calling on several occasions, as well. Doctors, he says, routinely commit many practices that would be considered illegal in other fields. At one point he claims that the average M.D. makes over $200,000 a year in kickbacks. This ludicrous claim didn't even get a peep of skeptical bewilderment from his audience. [The tape is of a live recording of one of his shows.] He sounds like a bitter, rejected oddball who is getting even with the medical profession for ignoring him and his "research."

In addition to citing his many scientific studies and years of research as proof that we need mineral supplements for good health, Dr. Wallach presents U.S. Senate document #264. This paper claims that U.S. soils are 85% depleted of essential minerals. According to Dr. Wallach, that is why we can't get enough minerals from our foods. He has further evidence, too:

...to live to be 100+ we need to consume 90 nutrients per day...60 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids and 3 fatty acids...there are some 10 diseases associated with the lack of each of these 90 nutrients or potentially 900 diseases...the American Medical Association did a study in 1939 and came to the conclusion that it is no longer feasible to get all the vitamins we need from foods.

I wonder if the AMA has done any studies on this issue since 1939? If so, why aren't they mentioned? And why, even if mineral supplements are needed can't we buy them off the shelf of our local supermarket? Because they aren't "colloidal." He suggests at one point in his tape that minerals in pill form aren't absorbed at all; they just pass right through the body and out into the sewer lines. But why do our colloidal minerals have to come from a pit in Utah? Here is his explanation:

the only place you can get these in the United States is from a prehistoric Valley in southern Utah that, according to geologists, seventy-five million years ago had sixty to seventy-two minerals in the walls and the floor of that valley, and those trees and the grasses in that valley and that forest took up all the metallic minerals and made colloidal minerals in their tissues. About that time there was a volcanic eruption which entombed that valley with a thin layer of mud and ash, not thick enough or heavy enough to crush or pressurize this into oil or coal. It was very dry in here, so it never became fossilized or petrified. Okay. Never became rock.

Today, if you put a shaft into this valley, it's still just dried hay. It's seventy-five million year old hay, according to geologists. You can still see the grass and the leaves and the twigs and the pine cones and the bark and so forth. And we grind this plant material up into a flour, very small, particle sized flour, just like a good wheat flour and for three to four weeks we soak it in filtered spring water and when it reaches a specific gravity of 3.0, it's very heavy, it has thirty-eight grams of this colloidal mineral in it per quart or liter and by actual analysis it has sixty colloidal minerals in it. This particular product has been on the market since 1926. It's the only nutritional product on the market that has a legal consent decree from a federal court and an approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be harvested and sold as a nutritional supplement. Everybody else who has a vitamin, or mineral, or what not, just follows the labeling requirements of the FDA. This is the only one that, in fact, has a federal consent decree to do it, because it passed all their tests. It's the only one that has been put to this level of test because it works.

How do we know it works? Dr. Wallach guarantees it. Or your money back! Should you trust him? Why wouldn't you trust someone who tells stories about people in China who lived to be over 250 years old or about a 137 year-old cigar-smoking woman! Of course, it is up to you to infer that they lived so long because they took colloidal minerals, though the good Dr. has enough sense not to make such a claim. In case you are still not convinced of this man's trustworthiness, let me inform you that, according to Dr. Wallach, for the past twenty years there have been cures for arthritis, diabetes and ulcers. These cures were discovered by veterinarians, who also discovered the cause of Alzheimer's disease years ago. Tell that to the millions of people suffering from these diseases.

Ellen Coleman, a registered dietician and nutrition columnist, has another view of Wallach's products: “Colloidal mineral products have not been proven safe or effective. They are not better absorbed than regular mineral supplements.” James Pontolillo, a research scientist, is concerned that colloidal mineral products may contain toxic organic compounds.* The National Nutritional Food Association says that some colloidal mineral products “contain aluminum or toxic minerals; others are high in sodium. Some do not contain detectable amounts of minerals listed on their labels. Finally, there is no evidence that colloidal minerals are more bioavailable than those found in other forms.”*

Nevertheless, Dr.Wallach has spawned a small industry of mineral sellers, including some multi-level marketing projects on the Internet.

[Seshmeister]

Dr. Wallach has been involved in biomedical research and clinical medicine for 30 years. He received his B.S. Degree from the University of Missouri with a major in animal husbandry (nutrition) and field crops; a D.V.M. (veterinarian) from the University of Missouri; a three year post doctoral fellowship from the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Washington University; and an N.D. from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon.



http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html


The National College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) was founded in 1956 in Portland, Oregon, but, until the mid-1970s, had very few students. From 1960 through 1968, the average enrollment was eight and the total number of graduates was 16.

Today, within the United States, a "doctor of naturopathy" (N.D.) or "doctor of naturopathic medicine" (N.M.D.) credential is available from five full-time schools of naturopathy and several nonaccredited correspondence schools A few years ago, one correspondence school, the Progressive Universal Life Church, offered a "Ph.D. in Naturopathy" for $250 plus "life experience with no coursework and another nonaccredited school offered a "Naturopathic Practitioner" diploma to eligible individuals who completed a 15-month program of home-study plus a dozen weekend seminars. Training at the full-time schools follows a pattern similar to that of chiropractic schools: two years of basic science courses and two years of clinical work. Three years of preprofessional college work are required for admission.

[Nickdfresh]

You're just a sheep, Sesh! You don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to eat some Wal-Mart poison cheese now...

[Seshmeister]

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/colloidalminerals.html

John H. Renner, M.D., President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, has accurately characterized Wallach's tape as riddled with distortions, bogus science, and outright lies [3]. The many outlandish statements Wallach has made on his tape and in public lectures include:

Since physicians have a life expectancy of only 58 years, how can you trust them with maintaining your health? Actually, physicians have a greater life expectancy (averaging 75-88 years) than the general population [12].

Mercury amalgam used in dental fillings causes multiple sclerosis. Not supported by clinical research.

Many Americans suffer from "malabsorption disease." Certain diseases exist in which people have difficulty absorbing nutrients. However, Wallach is referring to a nonexistent condition which, like the long discredited idea of autointoxication, is based on concepts that ignore scientific research on gastrointestinal tract functioning.

Cystic fibrosis is preventable and 100% curable in its early stages. This statement is completely unfounded.

Five cultures around the world have average lifespans of 120-140 years. The key to their longevity is the consumption of colloidal mineral waters ("glacier milk"). No such long-lived cultures exist.

Claims to have authored over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as several medical texts. Searchs of standard indexes have turned up only a handful of publications, nearly all of which are of dubious quality [9,10].

Claims to have performed 20,500 animal and human autopsies while working as a veterinarian in St. Louis. Even if veterinarians and naturopaths were allowed to conduct human autopsies (which they are not), Wallach would had to have performed them at a rate of 6 per day, 5 days a week, for 12 years in addition to his other duties and while authoring his numerous (though unfindable) articles.

Standard vitamins are not digested but pass out in the feces still in tablet form. An unsubstantiated anecdote.

States that 50% of 70-year-old Americans have Alzheimer's disease. The actual figure for Americans between 65-74 years of age is 3.9% [13].

Claims to have cured cases of porcine Alzheimers. Pigs don't get Alzheimer's disease.

Greying hair and facial wrinkles at any age are due to a copper deficiency. Not supported by clinical research.

Cardiomyopathy is solely the result of a selenium deficiency. Cardiomyopathy is a group of heart-muscle disorders with several different causes.

All aneurysms (over 40 different kinds) are due to a copper deficiency. Not supported by clinical research.

Male-pattern baldness is due to a tin deficiency. Not supported by clinical research.

Bell's palsy is the result of a calcium deficiency. The usual cause is compression of the facial nerve.

Diabetes and hypoglycemia are due to vanadium and chromium deficiencies. Not supported by clinical research.

Sodium consumption is unrelated to high blood pressure in humans. As evidence he notes that cows use salt licks, but don't suffer from high blood pressure. Animals use salt licks as needed. Sodium intake affects blood pressure in people who are salt-sensitive.

Periodontal disease is the result of a calcium deficiency and is not influenced by the quality of oral hygiene. Not supported by clinical research.

All low back pain is due to osteoporosis. An absurd idea; the most common causes are muscle and ligament strains from overexertion.

Metallic minerals (i.e., regular vitamins and minerals) are only 8-12% absorbable while colloidal minerals are 98% absorbable. No data support such a claim; the figures appear to have been pulled out of thin air [14].

The human body transports, stores, and uses minerals in colloidal form. This is simply not true; minerals inevitably occur either as mineral salts, compounded with proteins or lipids, or as enzymal and hormonal components.

When the extent of Wallach's misstatements became public knowledge, T.J. Clark & Co. severed its business relationship with him. Up to that time, Wallach had been claiming that only leachate from Clark's mine was effective in treating mineral deficiencies. After this falling out, however, Wallach revised his "scientific" opinion and quickly moved on to find new partners.

[Seshmeister]

Unfuckingbelievable.

Most of these anyone with any common sense whatsoever would see through immediately.

[Seshmeister]

This guys quackery goes back a long time - from 1996

http://www.ncahf.org/nl/1996/3-4.html

DEAD DOCTORS DON'T LIE!
BUT THIS LIVING VETERINARIAN DOES!

Maverick veterinarian Joel Wallach is selling video and audio tapes titled Dead Doctors Don't Lie! proclaiming that physicians have a life expectancy of only 58 years. This sends the message that doctors are so wrongheaded that they themselves live significantly shorter lives than the general population.

It is not clear where Wallach gets his data, but it is a lie. Physicians have long had life expectancies that are longer than the general population. Goodman [1] reviewed reports on physician life expectancies in 1925, 1938-42, 1949-51, and 1971. His study covered the 1971 population of 344,823 physicians, and the deaths of 19,086 from 1969 through 1973. He found that both male and female physicians had greater life expectancy than the general population.

The American Medical Association's Center For Health Care Policy published data on the life expectancies of U.S. medical graduate physicians by specialty in 1988. [2] It showed that the life expectancy of physicians is somewhere between 75 and 88, depending upon the age and gender that one chooses.

Wallach also claims to have been nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1991. According to the Nobel Committee, this would be impossible for him to know because the names of nominees are confidential. Wallach could have been "nominated" by himself or one of his admirers, but that would not make him a serious candidate. The Nobel Committee denies that Wallach has ever been a legitimate Nobel Prize nominee.

NCAHF has been aware of Wallach's activities for many years. In the early 1980s Wallach worked out of the Northcoast Naturopathic Clinic at Cannon Beach, Oregon, where he practiced as a "Manner Metabolic Physician." This designation meant that he dispensed a the unapproved cancer therapy centered around laetrile (cyanide derived from apricot pits).

In 1990, Wallach appeared as a naturopathic doctor in an advertisement for Hospital Santa Monica, a clinic in Tijuana operated by the notorious Kurt Donsbach. In 1993, NCAHF received a call from a consumer in the state of Virginia who reported that Wallach was involved in the multilevel marketing of vitamins and hydrogen peroxide.

In 1995 NCAHF received a report from a consumer in California who stated that Wallach was dispensing chelation therapy for coronary artery disease at a clinic in San Francisco. The caller was concerned because her father-in-law had died following Wallach's care. He had become very weak, but Wallach had poisoned him against returning to his regular physician, so he did not seek medical help. His wife, who is also a disciple of Wallach's ideas and health care, had the body cremated.

The mother-in-law has completed her course of chelation therapy, but still returns every 1-2 months for more. On Wallach's advice, she also ingests a "toddy mix" that looks like "muddy water" [Note: this sounds very much like a Rockland International company product called Body Toddy that was banned by the FDA due to its high levels of toxic substances [3], especially since Donsbach was associated with Rockland].

According to promotional materials, Wallach works with a Dr. MaLan who was educated in the People's Republic of China. It is not clear whether or not she is licensed to practice medicine in the United States. Since neither of his credentials as a veterinarian or a naturopath enables him to practice medicine (ie, render chelation therapy) in California, it is unclear whether he is blatantly disregarding the law, or is operating under Dr. MaLan's medical license (if she has one). The mother-in-law seems to be a victim beyond help. She has a diploma from Donsbach University and sold Sunrider products for a while. She quit when she heard about lawsuits against Sunrider, fearing that she might be named as a defendant.

[ELVIS]

You're just a sheep, Sesh! You don't know what you're talking about.

He clearly doesn't...

Of course there's articles designed to discredit Dr Wallach...

Sesh posted the exact same bullshit last time I mentioned him...

Fuck ya'll old drunk and dying fucks...:biggrin:

[Seshmeister]

Beyond stupid.

[ELVIS]

You're a fucking joke...

[jhale667]

I'm a fucking joke...

Fixed. :clap:

[Seshmeister]

He clearly doesn't...

Of course there's articles designed to discredit Dr Wallach...








http://drboli.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/how-gullible-are-you.png

[ELVIS]

AL International (JCOF) Announces Results of Youngevity® Clinical Research Studies Performed by Clemson University - Institute of Nutraceutical Research

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE) (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/al-international-jcof-announces-results-130000091.html)

Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AL International, Inc. (OTC Pink: JCOF) (www.alintjcof.com), a fast growing, innovative, global direct marketer of healthy lifestyle and nutritional products and gourmet fortified coffee, announced today the exciting results of a series of clinical research studies performed by Clemson University - Institute of Nutraceutical Research (“INR”).

The INR is a national leader in nutritional research and one of the most highly regarded organizations in the field of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. The goals of the INR are to develop greater confidence in product quality, effectiveness, and enhance consumer demand for quality nutraceutical products.

The clinical studies were performed to identify the potential benefits of Youngevity’s signature core products, Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic®. Youngevity’s mission was to truly understand and clinically substantiate the health promoting benefits of these two products. Individually, each product targets specific areas, needs, and nutritional deficiencies of the body.

Multiple studies were recommended by Clemson University scientists to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Youngevity® products. Specific biomarkers were chosen to study in the areas of safety, inflammation, and when Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to cancer cell cultures.

Youngevity® Clinical Research Study Highlights:


* Dietary supplement safety is the most highly regarded aspect of any of the Youngevity® various products and has become synonymous with the Youngevity® name and brand. Although Youngevity® only uses nutrients that are absolutely needed by the body and in forms that are highly bioavailable, Youngevity® felt it was important to show empirically the range and degree of safety through looking at (3) factors – Genotoxicity, Anti-Genotoxicity, and Anti-Mutagenicity. The results of the experiments showed that Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® at various concentrations did not show any genotoxicity.

* When Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to healthy human cell lines, they did not induce or create any inflammatory response in levels above and below the recommended dosage. Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® showed inflammation protective properties and heightened the body’s protective responses to possible inflammation.

* When Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to healthy human colon cells, there was no significant death of healthy human cells compared to cancerous colon cells. Ultimate Classic® killed 95% of cancerous colon cells, 65% of cancerous liver cells, 65% of cancerous stomach cells, and 30% of cancerous breast cells. Beyond Tangy Tangerine® killed 60% of cancerous colon cells, 65% of cancerous liver and stomach cells, and 30% of cancerous breast cells.

* Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® both exhibited efficient inhibition on proliferation of cancerous cells at the recommended dosage levels. Both products showed there was inhibition of the growth of more cancerous cells, preventing further malignant multiplication and growth of unhealthy cells.

The Clemson University studies have provided Youngevity® greater confidence in their products, scientists, formulators, and manufacturing processes and helped to understand some of the pathways the Youngevity® products may be working through in order to provide these benefits.

AL International CEO, Steve Wallach, adds, “At Youngevity® we have always sought to provide high quality and safe products, these studies have added to the assurance we have in all of the Youngevity® products.”

About Youngevity(R) Essential Life Sciences

Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com), headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a nutrition and lifestyle-related services company dedicated to promoting vibrant health and flourishing economics. Founded in 1997 by Drs. Joel Wallach, DVM, ND, and Ma Lan, MD, as AL Global, Inc., the company adopted the name Youngevity in 2006. Youngevity® is the only direct selling company to have a qualified FDA Health Claim. Dr. Wallach's work has been published in more than 70 peer-reviewed and referenced scientific journals and books.


:elvis:

[Seshmeister]

You are calling me a dumbass while being scammed by a vet who claims there are 250 year old Chinese women while selling you unproven supplements at a ridiculous mark up through a pyramid selling scheme? :D

Do you want to buy some magic beans from me?

Clemson University Institute of Nutraceutical Research?

Are you shitting me? :D

I hope you aren't in charge of any kids college fund...

[Seshmeister]

Wait a minute.

Are you part of the scheme?

Are you selling this shit?

[Seshmeister]

Youngevity Scam?


Written by Lazy Man


It is a seemingly never-ending battle to help prevent consumers from being scammed by MLM schemes. Today we look examine another one of them: Youngevity.

I had a reader ask me about Youngevity the other day. We'll call him Spike. He wrote:

"Have you done any research on the Youngevity products & Dr. Joel Wallach? I have been taking their Tangy Tangerine product as well as the EFA's & Osteo FX over the last 3 months. I read your article on Lifevantage and was very impressed by the depth of your study. Just wanted to see if you have uncovered anything with Youngevity."

I had never heard of Youngevity. However, having looked into other MLM scams, I know one of the first places to look at is the cost of the product. Why? Because MLMs often require their distributors buy product to participate in the opportunity. The artificially expensive product pays the company hefty margins, and distributors often pay the surcharge month after month as a fee for what they feel will make them money.

When I looked into the prices of Youngevity's products, it had all the tell-tale signs of an MLM scam.



The Value of Tangy Tangerine

The first product that Spike mentioned was Tangy Tangerine, a 32 ounce drink that is highly packed with vitamins and minerals. At a cost of around $40 for a 30 day supply it is upwards of $1.25 per serving. I did a quick search on Amazon and found Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamins (180-pack) , which was similarly highly packed with vitamins and minerals. I didn't compare specifics of each nutrient, but it was close, more in some areas, less in others. The price on Amazon for Opti-Men is 10 cents a pill and 3 pills are in a serving, for a total of 30 cents a serving. So instead of paying $40 a month for Tangy Tangerine, you could be paying about $9-10 a month. Some of the reviews said Opti-Men was really powerful and there's really no need to take three capsules, so you might find that you can save even more money by taking just one or two. (Side Note: The Opti-Men was the first thing I saw, I bet there's an equivalent women's version that is similar.)

Price per serving: $0.30 vs $1.25 in favor of Opti-Men. That's a savings of a little more than 75%.

With Tangy Tangerine, another concern I have is with the marketing of this product. On the bottle it says "with 115 vegetables and fruits." There are no fruit and vegetables in 500mg of powder and certainly not 115. Anyone buying into this claim should take a bottle to their doctor or medical professional (who isn't affiliated with the MLM) and ask them if you can stop eating vegetables because you are getting 115 from Tangy Tangerine. I image they'll find that humorous.

The Value of EPA Plus

Next up is EPA Plus. This supplement is like fish oil, but it is a blend of healthy oils like flaxseed. On the web I found it available for around $30 for 90 capsules, which is equivalent to 90 servings. That's 30 cents a serving. So what's the Amazon near equivalent? It's Omega 3-6-9 Gold. It has the mix of different sources of good fats as well. It is $13 for 180 capsules which turns out to be 7 cents a serving... and at 1200mg it seems to have more oil.

Price per serving: $0.07 vs $0.30 in favor of Omega 3-6-9 Gold. That's a save of about 75% again.

The Value of Osteo Plus

At this point, I got a little tired of searching, so I literally took the first thing that I found on Amazon and it seemed close to the Osteo Plus blend. Specifically, I am referring to: Enzymatic Therapy OsteoPrime Plus. I had to look at another website to get the nutritional information on this product as it wasn't nicely available on Amazon. The nutritional information shows a more diverse blend than Youngevity's Osteo Plus, but with lower amounts of calcium and vitamin D. These are the big things you'd be looking for in a osteo complex, so it looks like a bad fit. However, keep in mind that the Opti-Men product above had additional calcium and vitamin D, plus there's the nutrients that you get from your regular diet. That should make up any difference. OsteoPrime Plus is priced at $17 for 120 capsules. However with 4 capsules per serving that is a 30-day supply on Amazon. The price for Youngevity's Osteo Plus online that I saw was $41 also for a 32-day supply.

Price per serving: $0.57 vs. $1.28 in favor of Enzymatic Therapy OsteoPrime Plus. This time the savings are closer to 55%.

I should mention that these don't seem to be random products that Spike picked out. They all seem to be part of what is calls the Youngevity Healthy Start package. This $112 product has the 30-day supply of all three Youngevity products. The price of this is combination on this site and this site is $112. The later makes it seem like it a value as it normally costs $159.00. Oddly, my research was that buying the products individual only adds up to $84.90, so it seems like the bundled price may work against you. (Note: Lazy Man's fact checking department is below in the area marked comments.)

If the Health Start package is $84.90 a month that's a cost of $2.83 a day. If the real costs is $112, as it seems to be, that's $3.73 a day. The price of the three items that I listed above: 94 cents a day. That's a savings of between 67-75%... or between $689.85 and $1018.35 a year.

The typical case for MLM is that the quality of the MLM product is better than any you compare it to. Clearly if both products were identical Honda Accords you wouldn't pay more. This puts the pressure on the MLM to prove that its product is significantly better. This is where they hire a couple of medical professionals as scientific experts, but the reality is that they are paid spokesmen. What you really need to know when it comes to vitamins is that there's a non-profit organization that you can trust: the United States Pharmacopeia. You'll find these products have USP Verified Dietary Supplement Mark on them. I've talked to a lot of pharmacists and they all say that this is the place to start and end your search for supplement quality... however many admitted to me that standards are generally so good they don't look for it themselves and just buy the cheapest generic brand.

Absorption of Youngevity and other Vitamins

Some commenters have tried to ignore this point about the USP. When they do, they often say that cheap vitamins aren't absorbed well or that liquid absorbs better. It's worth noting that there are no studies on Youngevity's products absorption. If Youngevity's products do absorb better than its competitors and this is indeed an important factor, why is there zero analysis on it? Another thing to keep in mind is that when researchers and scientists are researching vitamins, they often don't choose liquid sources or even state the brand of vitamins at all. Why would scientists/researchers time and again choose to go through all the trouble of conducting studies with products that are known to be poor? The answer is that they aren't using poor products.

Consumer Reports addresses the absorption of liquid vs. solid vitamins:

"Q. My wife pays a premium for liquid vitamin and mineral supplements, which are supposedly better absorbed by the body. Are they worth the cost? —D.P., Sacramento, Calif.

A. Probably not, unless your wife has trouble swallowing solid supplements. In theory, liquid supplements should be better absorbed by the stomach since they’re already dissolved. But there has been little research to substantiate that idea. And at least some evidence has shown no meaningful difference."

I'd add that even if she has trouble swallowing solid supplements, there's amazing technology called pill crushing that has existed for years which solves this.

When it comes to Youngevity it is worth keeping in mind the "Can I Pay Less for Something of Similar Value?" game.

However, perhaps the biggest thing to consider is that recent research is showing that supplements may do more harm than good.

It simply doesn't make any sense to spend more money on something that doesn't seem to work in the first place.

"Doctor" Joel Wallach

It's worth noting that Youngevity is associated with "Doctor" Joel Wallach. Who is he? According to Skepdic he is a veterinarian and a naturopath.

The American Cancer Society sums up what you need to know about Naturopathy: "Available scientific evidence does not support claims that naturopathic medicine can cure cancer or any other disease, since virtually no studies on naturopathy as a whole have been published."

[Update: When I wrote the article it seemed like a safe bet that most people would consider one of the largest non-profits/charity with the goal of rid the world of cancer reputable, but I've received a few comments from people, probably Youngevity distributors, that are to the effect of "This guy believes the American Cancer Society, now I know I can't trust him."

There are numerous other reputable sources that make the point that naturopathy is quackery, not supported by the proven scientific method. There's a list of six accredited Naturopathic schools (at the time of this update) and not one of them is associated with any university you have likely heard of. If you are one of the few odd people who are against the American Cancer Society, the point about naturopathy being quackery is well established by other reputalbe institutions.]

I love animals and my aunt is a veterinarian, but I'm not taking advice for my own health from a veterinarian and person who bases their treatments on things that haven't been scientifically proven. There are hundreds medical doctors in a few square miles from where I live that are hundreds of times more qualified that Wallach. I'd put nutritionists as more qualified when it comes to supplementation as well.


I put "Doctor" in quote when referring to Wallach, because he's a doctor in the sense that my wife, who has a doctorate in pharmacy (she's a pharmacist) is a doctor. It's a fair title for her education, but she doesn't use the doctor title, nor does anyone else.

That skepdic article on Wallach is very illuminating as it goes into various antics that he's done over the years. It is clear that he's misrepresenting himself and making up lies (woman in China who lived to be 250?")

Does Youngevity Work?

Sorry, but Youngevity joins the long list of MLM products with distributors claiming there are miracle health cures. Why do people make such claims? If you read nothing else today, read this: No, Your MLM Health Product Does Not "Work"

About Clemson's Institute of Nutraceutical Research (INR) (Update: 3/01/2013)

A few commenters (mostly distributors) have asked about where I stand on the "Clemson study" on Youngevity products.

Reading the Clemson press release on the relationship with Youngevity is interesting. Here's a key sentence: "[Clemson's Institute of Nutraceutical Research] goals are to develop greater confidence in product quality, effectiveness and enhance consumer demand for quality nutraceutical products." (emphasis on "enhance consumer demand" is my own)

You know what another word for "enhancing consumer demand" is? Marketing. In other words Clemson's goal is to market nutraceutical products, and Youngevity pays them money for that. Ever hear of the rich person whose kid isn't all that bright, but he got into the top college anyway? The school just happened to get a nice library donated by rich family. The parallels here are obvious.

On February 5th, 2013, I noted that the website for Clemson's Institute of Nutraceutical Research is not functional. Some may argue that I have the wrong URL there, but if I do, Google does too from this screenshot. As of this update, March 1, 2013, the website is still not functional.

In addition to the website being down for nearly a month a Google search for Clemson Institute of Nutraceutical Research gives almost all results for Youngevity. I couldn't find any other research it has done aside from Youngevity, which is an obvious red flag.

With the website being down for nearly a month and lack of information about other studies, is that it is hard to take the institute, and hence this research, seriously.

With that said, I feel it is important to address the Clemson "research" itself. With that in mind, let's take a look at the press release from AL International. One of the first things that pops of the page is that they classify the work as clinical research. However, it is quite clear from the study that this is laboratory research done on test tubes and not clinical research done on humans.

When you mix something up that basic, it's hard to have any trust in the rest of the "study."

Much of the press release focused on product safety. While we should all be concerned about safety, vitamins are generally considered safe, so such research is not necessary. If you were to read a review of a $200,000 car saying that it got people from point A to point B without exploding, you would probably be suspicious why they are focusing on something that even cheap cars should be able to do. You don't buy a Ferrari because it doesn't spontaneously explode, you buy it because it supposed to deliver an advantage over other cars.

The other part of the article focused on kill cancer cells in a test tube (i.e. cell cultures). On the surface, this seems like compelling information. However, seven years ago we found acai killed cancer cells in a test tube. Not only acai, but according to this USDA article a number of foods kill cancer in test tubes. Heck, even pot slows cancer in tubes.

The important thing to take away here is that lots of things, including vitamins kill cancer in test tubes. Clemson could have saved a lot of time if they weren't in the business of marketing Youngevity by looking at the existing research. This US News article:

Recent clinical trials, for example, suggest that supplements of single nutrients like vitamins B, C, and E and the mineral selenium do not, as once thought, prevent chronic or age-related diseases including prostate and other kinds of cancer. Some substances, like green tea and ginger, seem to have potential in preventing or helping to treat cancer, but they may also actually interfere with treatment or have other serious side effects. Meantime, countless substances that kill or slow the growth of cancer cells in a test tube have not shown that same success in human beings.

So Youngevity, and it's various ingredients are added to the list of "countless substances that kill or slow growth of cancer cells in a test tube", but "have not shown the same success in human beings.

Here's a thought from a pharmacist that I know and trust: "Bleach kills cancer cells in test tube... I'm not going to drink it any time soon." She might have been joking with the last part, but the point is clear: We are not test tubes. Few test tubes read this article... and they aren't concerned about cancer. Many more humans read this article and I presume they are more interested in the fact that the research does not show success for them.

Finally, the New York Times cautions against reading anything into these studies. It is a highly important article for all consumers of any health products to read and understand.

Bottom Line: Clemson duplicated research that was already well known to be irrelevant in an attempt to provide marketing for Youngevity. They didn't do any clinical trials (tests in humans) of the product, because they knew in advance it wouldn't have given the positive result that Youngevity paid for.

When Youngevity puts out a press release saying, "The INR is a national leader in nutritional research and one of the most highly regarded organizations in the field of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals" it is clear that it is complete bovine excrement.

About Youngevity's Parent Company

One thing that came out of the Clemson research that I initially overlooked (I felt it was more important to focus on the product), is that the company is owned by AL International, a publicly traded company that is a penny stock. On January 25th, when the Clemson "research" press release came out, the stock was trading at 16.5 cents a share (I didn't realize the stock market took ha'pennies). The total value of the company was 65 million dollars, less than some athletes sign for over 2-3 years. Stock prices vary and after the Clemson marketing, Youngevity got the desired result, a significant bump in stock price as penny stocks can do at times. (Note: they can drop just as quickly and are not very good investments.)

I tried to give a fair review to Youngevity based on its products in general, but as I've found in every MLM that I've looked at, the organization usually is centered around a few charlatans.

Update: I was pointed towards this great first person account with Youngevity. It is extremely long and detailed, but well worth your time if you are considering buying these products or getting into the business. The author actually became a nutritionist because Youngevity's Wallach was slandering doctors making them seem untrustworthy all why claiming that their "glacial milk" was the answer. Here are some great quotes:

"So rather than just believing the bunch of facts and figures that were thrown at me by my lecturers, I approached the claims that Wallach had made by asking 'where is the evidence?' What I discovered was that Wallach's claims were not only inaccurate but they were nothing more than very clever lies, designed to lull vulnerable people into a false sense of security in order to relieve them of their money."

"I had also come across a handful of people from the church who had been approached by AL distributors claiming to cure them of their health conditions, many of them who had received no benefit but were too shy or ashamed to let their story be heard. Funnily enough, it was only those who for whatever reason, believed that they had been cured, whose testimonials were given at meetings and printed on the plethora of AL's advertising material."

"... I should simply stand up and ask Wallach why he was misleading people and to question him in front of the audience (of several hundred people) and the cameras. I did of course, which resulted in my swift removal (including being physically dragged out and thrown down a flight of stairs)..."

The story is truly amazing and should make it very clear that it best to avoid Youngevity and its marketing tactics that aren't properly supported by any real evidence.

- See more at: http://www.lazymanandmoney.com/youngevity-scam/#sthash.bT7P1aJV.dpuf

[ELVIS]

So how is it misleading again, dumbfuck ??

That article sure didn't show anything...

I'm supposed to believe the American cancer Society ??

What a fucking joke...


:biggrin:

[ELVIS]

Maybe you should read the bullshit you find prior to posting and not just highlight the propaganda...

[ELVIS]

AL International (JCOF) Announces Results of Youngevity® Clinical Research Studies Performed by Clemson University - Institute of Nutraceutical Research

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE) (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/al-international-jcof-announces-results-130000091.html)

Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AL International, Inc. (OTC Pink: JCOF) (www.alintjcof.com), a fast growing, innovative, global direct marketer of healthy lifestyle and nutritional products and gourmet fortified coffee, announced today the exciting results of a series of clinical research studies performed by Clemson University - Institute of Nutraceutical Research (“INR”).

The INR is a national leader in nutritional research and one of the most highly regarded organizations in the field of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. The goals of the INR are to develop greater confidence in product quality, effectiveness, and enhance consumer demand for quality nutraceutical products.

The clinical studies were performed to identify the potential benefits of Youngevity’s signature core products, Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic®. Youngevity’s mission was to truly understand and clinically substantiate the health promoting benefits of these two products. Individually, each product targets specific areas, needs, and nutritional deficiencies of the body.

Multiple studies were recommended by Clemson University scientists to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Youngevity® products. Specific biomarkers were chosen to study in the areas of safety, inflammation, and when Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to cancer cell cultures.

Youngevity® Clinical Research Study Highlights:


* Dietary supplement safety is the most highly regarded aspect of any of the Youngevity® various products and has become synonymous with the Youngevity® name and brand. Although Youngevity® only uses nutrients that are absolutely needed by the body and in forms that are highly bioavailable, Youngevity® felt it was important to show empirically the range and degree of safety through looking at (3) factors – Genotoxicity, Anti-Genotoxicity, and Anti-Mutagenicity. The results of the experiments showed that Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® at various concentrations did not show any genotoxicity.

* When Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to healthy human cell lines, they did not induce or create any inflammatory response in levels above and below the recommended dosage. Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® showed inflammation protective properties and heightened the body’s protective responses to possible inflammation.

* When Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® were administered to healthy human colon cells, there was no significant death of healthy human cells compared to cancerous colon cells. Ultimate Classic® killed 95% of cancerous colon cells, 65% of cancerous liver cells, 65% of cancerous stomach cells, and 30% of cancerous breast cells. Beyond Tangy Tangerine® killed 60% of cancerous colon cells, 65% of cancerous liver and stomach cells, and 30% of cancerous breast cells.

* Beyond Tangy Tangerine® and Ultimate Classic® both exhibited efficient inhibition on proliferation of cancerous cells at the recommended dosage levels. Both products showed there was inhibition of the growth of more cancerous cells, preventing further malignant multiplication and growth of unhealthy cells.

The Clemson University studies have provided Youngevity® greater confidence in their products, scientists, formulators, and manufacturing processes and helped to understand some of the pathways the Youngevity® products may be working through in order to provide these benefits.

AL International CEO, Steve Wallach, adds, “At Youngevity® we have always sought to provide high quality and safe products, these studies have added to the assurance we have in all of the Youngevity® products.”

About Youngevity(R) Essential Life Sciences

Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com), headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a nutrition and lifestyle-related services company dedicated to promoting vibrant health and flourishing economics. Founded in 1997 by Drs. Joel Wallach, DVM, ND, and Ma Lan, MD, as AL Global, Inc., the company adopted the name Youngevity in 2006. Youngevity® is the only direct selling company to have a qualified FDA Health Claim. Dr. Wallach's work has been published in more than 70 peer-reviewed and referenced scientific journals and books.


:elvis:


Did you read that yet ??

it's called a real study...

Not some bullshit a drunken Scot found on the interweb...

[TFM_Dale]

Did you read that yet ??

it's called a real study...

Not some bullshit a drunken Scot found on the interweb...

People tend to believe a drunken Scot, they are more fun to have a beer with then those suit and tie stiffs.

Even Tapatalk thinks warf is a no class cunt.

[Seshmeister]

Maybe you should read the bullshit you find prior to posting and not just highlight the propaganda...

You've been roped into selling this stuff haven't you?

How much money have you invested?

[ELVIS]

People tend to believe a drunken Scot, they are more fun to have a beer with then those suit and tie stiffs.



The best thing after a night of drinking with a Scot would be a dose of BTT...

[TFM_Dale]

You've been roped into selling this stuff haven't you?

How much money have you invested?

Not much, I hear it is pretty cheap at Big Lots. Number one reason I hate using my phone is autocorrect, grrrrrrrrr.

Even Tapatalk thinks warf is a no class cunt.

[ELVIS]

You've been roped into selling this stuff haven't you?

How much money have you invested?

:rolleyes:

I picked out a book for ya...

http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/32500/Thinking-For-Dummies---32952.jpg


:biggrin:

[Seshmeister]

Did you read that yet ??

it's called a real study...

Not some bullshit a drunken Scot found on the interweb...




Yes I did read it and IT IS NOT A REAL STUDY.

It's not peer reviewed, it gives no details about how it was conducted. Was it double blind? It's not in a scientific journal.

It reads like a Hitch® post FFS. :D


But easier than that it says it isn't science, it's marketing you silly man.


"The INR is a national leader in nutritional research and one of the most highly regarded organizations in the field of phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. The goals of the INR are to develop greater confidence in product quality, effectiveness, and enhance consumer demand for quality nutraceutical products."


That IS NOT SCIENCE. Your goal in science is not to develop greater confidence and enhance consumer demand.

You know how you can tell this is not a legitimate institution?

Google Clemson University Institute of Nutraceutical Research

All that comes back is page after page of links inserted by the Youngevity people about their product.

That does not happen with a real institute.

[Seshmeister]

ELVIS you must be selling this, no way can you be that stupid.

[Seshmeister]

And if you are selling it, get out.

Pyramid selling won't make you money.

If you are stupid and using it then you are wasting your money and you may damage your health.

[ELVIS]

You're desperate, eh ??

I'm sure the liquor store will reopen soon...:biggrin:

[ELVIS]

If you are stupid and using it then you are wasting your money and you may damage your health.

Hahahahahahaha...

Right back at you with Big Pharma times a million...:biggrin:


Hahahahahahahahahaha...

What a fucking riot...:biggrin:

[Seshmeister]

You keep ducking the question so we can assume you are in their pocket.

[ELVIS]

You can assume anything you like...

I can assume you're drunk as usual...

Big deal...

[Seshmeister]

You must be drunk, unable to read or feeling pretty silly at the moment. :)

[ELVIS]

Yes I did read it and IT IS NOT A REAL STUDY.



Ok, it's fake...

Anything else, oh wise one ??

[ELVIS]

You must be drunk, unable to read or feeling pretty silly at the moment. :)

feeling silly for what, laughing ??

You're a status quo shill in my estimation...

You live in a tiny box with vodka and no imagination...

[Seshmeister]

You got scammed.

[ELVIS]

You need to wake up, my friend...

[Nickdfresh]

So how is it misleading again, dumbfuck ??

That article sure didn't show anything...

I'm supposed to believe the American cancer Society ??

What a fucking joke...


:biggrin:

I think if you actually read it, you'll find you're drinking overpriced shit hyped with marketing claims that would get Big Pharma sued and fined. But of course Wally-liar-rich is covered by blanket laws protecting "supplement" makers from having to tell the truth.

Why don't you just take some vitamins with your Tang instead of that shit? I take mine with V8, but not everyday...

[Nickdfresh]

Did you read that yet ??

it's called a real study...

Not some bullshit a drunken Scot found on the interweb...

That's a press release masked as a (fake) news piece, you retard!


Press Release: AL International, Inc. – Fri, Jan 25, 2013 8:00 AM EST

[Seshmeister]

It's rare you get something so black and white, completely showing something to be fake while all the time he calls me dumb? :)

Still as with any ELVIS thread you don't respond for his sake - he's gone, it's for the readers...

[ELVIS]

it's not fake...