James Hyman's Homeopathic Hype: Sedona Shenanigans!

James and Barbara Hyman, having fallen victim to their scams being called out by skeptic's everywhere, have now resorted to hawking and pushing "Detox Retreats" in that bastion of reality; Sedona Arizona! (Hey, isn't that where they allowed James Arthur Ray of "The Secret" fame to charge $10,000.00 per person to ridicule and then commit three separate cases of negligent homicide? Well, now the Hyman's, undeterred, have taken to hawking A "Total Body Cleanse." Proponents of "detoxes" depict the large intestine as a "sewage system" that becomes a "cesspool" if neglected. Some chiropractors, naturopaths, and assorted food faddists claim that "death begins in the colon" and that "90 percent of all diseases are caused by improperly working bowels." The practices they recommend include fasting and periodic "cleansing" of the intestines. Fasting is said to "rejuvenate" the digestive organs, increase elimination of "toxins, and "purify" the body." These ideas are UTTER NONSENSE [5]. Some practitioners add herbs, coffee, enzymes, wheat or grass extract, or other substances to these "purification detoxes." Most course's like those from the highly credible "Fit For Life" costs $985 for 5 days of in-clinic training or $295 by correspondence. The Hyman's are hyping basically the same method, only they have to add to the cost to pad their profit. Recent web site advertisements by the Hyman's hawking their "next great detox" in Sedona Arizona, quoted a price of $1,399.00 for a FOUR DAY COMMUNAL EVENT WHERE THEY EXPECT YOU TO BE "DETOXED" WITH THEIR "ORGANIC JUICE AND SOUP FAST" (gee whiz, I wonder where all that money is going?) ...and THEY EXPECT YOU TO SHARE ACCOMMODATIONS! Some "alternative" practitioners (some?..mmmnn I wonder who?) make bogus diagnoses of "parasites," for which they recommend "intestinal cleansers," plant enzymes, homeopathic remedies (the aforementioned juice and soup fast)... Whereas a 1-day fast is likely to be harmless (though useless), prolonged fasting can be fatal. "Cleansing" with products composed of herbs and dietary fiber is unlikely to be physically harmful, but the products involved can be expensive. (I'll say, $1,399.00 for 4 days of juice and soup?) Ordinary constipation usually can be remedied by increasing the fiber content of the diet, drinking adequate amounts of water, and engaging in regular exercise. If the bowel is basically normal, dietary fiber increases the bulk of the stool, softens it, and speeds transit time. A doctor should be consulted if constipation persists or represents a significant change in bowel pattern. I would advise seeing a board certified internal medical doctor before attempting anything even remotely similar to allowing a self professed "shamanic healer," "qigong master," and his over weight and over bearing ex-wife to dictate a useless protocol like the one being hawked by the Hyman's next month in Sedona (August 2-6 2011). They actually have the nerve to call it "Sedona Shamanic Kidney Cleanse"..if you don't believe me, run your own "Google search!" No system has been approved for "routine" colon cleansing to promote the general well being of a patient.