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Himalayan Goji Juice:
The "Doctor" will see you now ...After all the googling we did on Himalayan Goji Juice, it's little wonder we eventually landed at the Canadian Broadcasting site, where we viewed an eye-popping TV show featuring goji guru Dr. Earl Mindell. The show was aired by CBC, and you can watch it right now on their official website. We were shocked at what we learned from this video. We learned that customers and distributors put a lot of faith in Dr. Earl Mindell. He is sometimes called "the master" by FreeLife devotees (as shown on the CBC video and heard on FreeLife distributor sales training audios). There are those who actually believe he is a medical doctor (and we were among them). Some facts: Mindell is not a medical doctor. There's an overhanging question about just what kind of a doctor he might be. According to CBC, Mindell received his Ph.D. in nutrition from Pacific Western University. The Washington Post reports that Pacific Western University is an unaccredited institution offering "Public Paid for Bogus Degrees." KVOA TV News 4 reports that Pacific Western is one of seven schools labeled as a "diploma mill" by federal investigators at the U.S. General Accounting Office. See "Degrees for Sale" (illustration at top of page) In some jurisdictions (such as Texas) the use of unaccredited degree titles is restricted or illegal. Pacific Western University is blacklisted at Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas. In 2007, Pacific Western University became California Miramar University, still unaccredited by any agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the agency that recognizes the accepted accreditation agencies in the USA. As such, degrees from California Miramar University may not be accepted by employers or other institutions. Wikipedia
The CBC show reinforced our own experiences of many years in natural health. We are natural food purists, and we have personally witnessed how "natural health" companies invent a sort of "cult science" to showcase their ultra high-priced products. What we mean by that is: Distributor slogans proclaim that the juice is "alive" (see Dr. Sandy Says), a testament to a personal philosophy, rather than a science. No scientific proof is offered to consumers to back up their juice polysaccharide content claims (see Our "Open Air Challenge"), instead consumers must rely solely upon corporate leaders who give their solemn word on it. Distributors quote pubmed.com as a reference, but we were shocked to see what real M.D.s Dr. Stephen Sagar and Dr. Leon Bradlow had to say (Dr. Bradlow actually did one of the research studies often quoted by distributors). See the CBC video to hear their reactions. The FreeLife Science Team is composed of Dr. Mindell, Rick Handel (a high school graduate with no science degree or college degree), and Haru Amagase, who holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology. (UPDATE: Dr. Mindell has now been dropped from the FreeLife Science team.) If a company can just get you to believe that their product is the ONLY one that is the miracle potion, the magic bullet, the elusive elixir, then they've already got your money. And it is the "research" and techno-jargon that usually sells the customers. Dr. Mindell claims that his goji berry is "the only goji" that has a particular spectral signature. But guess what? Every fruit will have its own unique spectral signature - it's what makes a Granny Smith apple a Granny Smith. Who is to say what is the "ideal spectral signature"? Dr. Mindell, we presume? Every plant in Nature is perfect and has its own values. The "science" that FreeLife proclaims is so full of one-sided beliefs that we have inadequate time to comment here in great detail. The ingenious thing about groups like FreeLife is that people really believe they have a recognized science, and not a personal philosophy. People often won't admit that they really don't understand the techno-babble the marketers keep repeating. We heard a sales training audio where a FreeLife goji distributor complains that even she does not understand the "science" beyond Himalayan Goji Juice. It's easy to assume that goji lingo must be true because the presenters convince you it's awesome and scientific. We encourage you to ask intelligent questions, demand proof from independent sources, and not to accept wishy-washy answers or answers you cannot understand and verify for yourself. As for testimonials: Remember that even a sugar cube can cure people if they choose to believe (the placebo effect). And "outside" doctors who give testimonials often have a financial interest in goji sales.
Audio Clip 5 Hospitals Won't Be Needed Listen: Dr. Earl Mindell
Next:
April 14, 2008 - New pages now posted: NEWLY UPDATED MAY 22, 2008: FreeLife Fails to Show Proof of Polysaccharides FreeLife used their own employees as test subjects for their new GoChi research (we're not kidding). View all new pages Join our mailing list. We'll let you know of major site updates.
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