James Hyman's Quantum Quackery

Check out this homeopathic huckster’s new age nonsense, if anyone actually believed this “quantum quackers homeopathic hype,” you might find some of us doing the following: Dear Blue Cross And Blue Shield, I’m seriously considering canceling my health insurance and future doctors appointments and throwing away my medication. James Hyman claims he’s a “shamanic healer” and “psychic intuitive” and in ONE SESSION, while working with my “chakras” he can guide me through the release of fear, anxiety, anger, depression and the need for my MEDICATION! Although he has no degrees whatsoever in psychiatry, medicine, biology, physiology or psychology he says he can release emotional blockages, negative patterns and “disruptions” from my “quantum theta” field. (Wherever the hell that is). Mr. Hyman’s “system” is so powerful, that even if I can’t make it to see him in person, as long as I pay him, he can access my “quantum theta fields” over the telephone! It must be true it SAYS SO RIGHT HERE ON HIS WEB SITE: http://www.emotionalrelease.com/ Even though I’ve had regular appointments, none of my medical doctors ever mentioned my “quantum theta fields.”

Please read further, I’ll take you through Mr. Hyman’s Shamanic Shenanigans…

James Hyman: Colonic Quackery and Shamanic Shenanigans In Sedona

James and Barbara, the hyping Hyman's, have fallen victim to their scams being called out by skeptic's everywhere! However, as opposed to getting a real job they have resorted to hawking some colonic quackery in Sedona Arizona, pushing "Detox Retreats"

Their literature, spammed all over the Internet offers "herbal cleansing," "colonics," or "detoxification." These are supposably herbal diets that clean you out like the Roto-Rooter guy: a one-way ticket on the Dookie Express. There actually a scam to separate you from your hard earned money!

Their numerous free web sites, spammed all over the Internet hawking this rip off uses the word "colon," five times, but ironically it was punctuated with no actual colons.

So, this past April, posing undercover, I took in one of their "Detox Retreats" in that Bastion of reality, Sedona Arizona!

After hearing the hyping Hyman's hawk their shamanic shenanigans, I saw first hand the 'power" of colonics, a new genre of hardcore I'm calling "poo-nography."

Julie Rogers, the leader of the hyping Hyman's colonic quackery states fasting along with colonics will "rejuvenate" the digestive organs, increase elimination of "toxins, and "purify" the body." These ideas are UTTER NONSENSE. The Journal Of Clinical Gastroenterology states: Autointoxication is an ancient theory based on the belief that intestinal waste products can poison the body and are a major contributor to many, if not all, diseases. By the turn of the century, it had become clear that the scientific rationale was wrong and colonic irrigation was not merely useless but potentially dangerous! Today we are witnessing a resurgence of colonic irrigation based on little less than the old bogus claims and the impressive power of vested interests. It seems, therefore, that IGNORANCE is celebrating a triumph over science, yes, IGNORANCE.

Although reading above shows these theories of health care are utter nonsense that doesn't stop Ms. Rogers and the ever hyping Hyman's from providing an "organic juice and soup fast" along with their "colonic" for the minimal sum of only $1,399.00!

They add herbs, coffee, (use StarButts coffee only, please) as well as enzymes, wheat or grass extract, or other substances to these "purification detoxes."

If you are really determined to try "colonic irrigation" you can buy Dr. Natura's unfortunately-named "Colonix" kit for $75.00, it will arrive in the mail in a few days and consists of all-natural pills, a powdered supplement, and herbal tea.

The Hyman's are hyping basically the same method, only the hyping Hyman's add to the $75.00 cost by $1,324.00 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?) ...

If your going to spend $1,399.00 for what you can receive in the mail for $75.00 might I suggest an alternative, perhaps, simply "flushing" (bad pun) or eating your money:

Any one of the above pictured images will will accomplish the exact same thing!

Some "alternative" practitioners (some?..mmmnn I wonder who?) make bogus diagnoses of "parasites," for which they recommend "intestinal cleansers," plant enzymes and homeopathic remedies! 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?) If your going to give hyping Hyman's your money, you might as well:

If your truly having problems with constipation or if a significant change in bowel pattern persists a doctor should be consulted, not an overweight self styled "practice manager" and her grey haired, wrinkly skinned, balding, hard of hearing and grey haired "shamanic healer" and "qigong master" husband! For detailed information about colonic quackery, please see: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/gastro.html

James Hyman: Shamanic Healer Or Shamanic Hype?

Mr. Hyman claims to be a DD (Doctor Of Divinity) however no such designation has been bestowed nor awarded him. He has not attended any accredited institution, which would allow him such a title. Here is the actual James Hyman in March 2011:

He promotes a variation of Deepak Chopra's "quantum healing" which he thinks he has cleverly named "integrated quantum theta healing. “

“Integrated quantum theta healing” is simply what Mr. Hyman thinks is a "cool" sounding term co-opted from quantum mechanics.

“Integrated quantum theta healing” has nothing whatsoever to do with the theories postulated in quantum physics or quantum mechanics.

In actuality, this so called “integrative quantum theta healing” ” is taken from the description for a phenomenon where many irrational beliefs are justified by an obfuscatory reference to quantum physics or quantum mechanics.

In this case the focus is on some sort of “quantum theta energy field” that magically turns thoughts into something tangible that can directly affect the universe.

This is Hyman's attempt to piggy-back on the success and legitimacy of science by claiming his quack ideas are rooted in accepted concepts in physics combined with utter misunderstanding of these concepts and a sense of wonder at the amazing magic these misunderstandings would imply if true. When an idea seems too crazy to believe, the proponent (Hyman) often makes an appeal to quantum physics as the explanation. “Integrative quantum theta healing” is an obfuscation of theorems and postulates of theoretical physicists. The true founders of quantum mechanics and quantum physics such as Erwin Schrodinger and Albert Einstein would be appalled at such a bastardization of their work.

Respected theoretical and mathematical physicists such as Michio Kaku and Yuri Manin have laughingly referred to what Mr. Hyman does as one of several nonsensical "unnaturalistic methods."

Dr. Stephen Barrett, a respected psychiatrist, known debunker of health fraud, and the editor of the science based health care fraud web site quackwatch goes one step further calling it "quackery":

The bottom line; “Integrated quantum theta healing” or “deep emotional release ‘bodywork’ or attunements" have no substantiated health value and lacks a scientifically plausible rationale. Science-based healthcare settings should not tolerate its use, and scarce government research dollars should not be used to study it at all. The fact is that none of these views has any significant support in the scientific communities of medicine, psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, nor are they even considered worthy of debate.

The only places you are likely to see these views advocated are in Mr. Hyman’s literature (or on Mr. Hyman’s web sites), which are intended to promote the sale of these products to consumers in the notoriously credulous "alternative" health and "dietary supplement" market.

James Hyman: Shamanic Shenanigans In Sedona!

A bad week for alternative medicine Ever since the late 1990’, James Hyman has worked as an “energy healer” and is currently quoted on his own web site as being a “shamanic healer,” or a “shamanic energy healer.” Most recently, Hyman has been calling this so called “human energy field” he has “discovered” and is healing by the sham name, “quantum theta energy healing.” Barbara & James Hyman claim their work occurs at the "quantum theta" level. Wherever the hell that is. The nerve of this guy! Recently, Hyman has been the subject of an undercover investigation by a writer employed and armed with financing by this very blog. (See: Undercover Investigation Of “Quantum Theta Energy Healer” James Hyman, QuackWatch, Wednesday April 13, 2011 Volume 36, Issue 23). Now Hyman and his “practice manager” ex-wife Barbara are shilling for a second in a “series” of “Shamanic Energy Healing and 5 day “Body Cleanse Kidney Detox Retreats” in that bastion of reality, Sedona Arizona! This past July of 2008, we learned that a woman suffered brain damage after one such “detox.” Could this be the moment when alternative medicine finally gets the reputation it deserves and is seen for what it is - a massive social and intellectual fraud? Everything that is wrong with complementary and alternative medicine is contained in articles written in numerous locations, including: 1.Quackwatch: The science-based health care newsletter and e-magazine edited by Dr. Stephen Barrett 2. The Committee For Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), a science blog that lists amongst it’s contributor’s, Dr. Harriet Hall a former Air Force Flight Surgeon 3. The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF): A non-profit organization, founded in 1996 by former magician turned “critical thinker” and investigator of pseudoscientific claims, Randall James Zwinge, better known by his “stage name,” James Randi. Currently, the James Randi Foundation is best known as the sponsor of the “One Million Dollar Challenge” The JREF “One Million Dollar Challenge” is available to eligible participants who can demonstrate a supernatural ability, such as James Hyman’s purported human “quantum theta energy field” under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. No one has progressed past the preliminary test, which is set up with parameters agreed to by both Randi and the applicant. Randi refuses to accept any challengers who might suffer serious injury or death as a result of the testing. A direct appeal, made to Mr. Hyman to prove his claim of a human “quantum theta energy field” and to come and pick up his million dollars, has been made, but so far to no avail. This appeal has been made on numerous occasions by one of Randi’s neighbors, a part time resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and a writer for this blog, Meanwhile Hyman’s ex-wife and “practice manager” continues to shill for her husband for his “in person quantum theta energy sessions” for $250.00 and even “transformational telephone sessions” where she makes the audacious claim that “the same powerful results available in one-on-one sessions, emotional release; more inner peace, a new “frequency of vibration” and the ability to attract a new level of energy into your life; are available in Private telephone sessions!” Mmmnn, let me get this straight, they don’t need the million dollars, but they DO want to access our collective wallets from the comfort of their own home for $150.00 in a “transformational quantum theta telephone session.” Our response, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, perhaps it’s a quack? It has been reported as far back as 1997, by health care fraud advocates QuackWatch and Jack Raso, Director of Publications for the American Council on Science and Health and editor-in-chief of its magazine, Priorities that Hyman had reinvented himself as a white-haired guru offering homeopathy, “energy medicine” and “Qigong.” Not that Hyman would admit to that, indeed his current web site utilizes a picture of him that is at least 15 years old! Here is a picture directly off Hyman's own web site where he is credited with being the "shaman energy healer":

A picture of the exact same "shaman" offering "transformational phone sessions in March of 2011:

Apparently, the telephone sessions don't require the "shaman" to "shamanically heal" his own receding hairline of all that grey hair!:

Now Hyman and his ex-wife and “practice manager” Barbara have begun shilling “detox diets” in that bastion of reality, Sedona Arizona! Dr. Hall and The Committee For Skeptical Inquiry recently reported the story of Dawn Page, a woman who is now brain-damaged after she went on a “detox diet.” This is bad news for alternative medicine that is not only founded on lies and falsehoods, but can be very bad for your health. Alternative medicine users - who are mostly middle-aged, middle-class women - are apparently prepared to suspend all normal critical faculties when they encounter an alternative practitioner, even one like Hyman, who claimed to be able to channel energy into his own head via his repulsive “mantra chanting.” You don't need to be able to speak Serbian to recognize Hyman's web site as a classic of the altmed Internet genre. As well as listing the usual contradictory ragbag of therapies familiar from the windows of the high-street altmed clinic – “Qigong,” “Matrix Energetics” ‘transformational bodywork” and the like - it is peppered with the universal language of what James Randi calls "Woo": wellbeing, harmony, bioenergy and, most revealingly, "quantum." There's the long list of ailments he claims to be able to treat, everything from depression and insomnia to increasing physical energy, stamina, self-esteem and self-confidence. Under the name of “Shamanic Energy Healer” and “Chakra Therapist” Hyman lectures on Chinese medical self healing,” “Qigong” and the “Cranial Release Technique” and is keen to promote himself in alternative health magazines and at conferences. As an alternative practitioner, he fits right in. There's no indication of his credentials, but then credentials in alternative medicine are pretty much worthless. Barbara Nash, the alternative practitioner who developed the "Amazing Hydration Diet" that allegedly ruined the life of Dawn Page, has a diploma from the College of Natural Nutrition, based in Tiverton, Devon, in the UK. This college sees "human beings as part of nature's system within the enormity of the world and the universe" and its unaccredited correspondence courses cost more than $2,000.00 per year. This sounds amazingly familiar to the Hyman’s web site where an “open letter from Jim” proclaims: “anyone who wishes to become more clear and connected to their love and personal and spiritual well-being should join me to clear lifetimes of karma, repressed emotional energy, grief, fears, anxiety, and depression, and that the healing that occurs is at the quantum-theta level.” (There’s that pesky “quantum theta” level again!) Yes, this self professed new age guru, who purports he accesses such deep emotional levels through such magic as “Matrix Energetics, Cranial Release, The Yuen Method, Chinese Qigong Self-healing, various shamanic techniques, and techniques of the Deep Emotional Release Bodywork” is in actuality not trained or licensed in anything. Although the Hyman’s have the audacity to claim James Hyman is a scientist who’s intense study of metaphysics and shamanism qualify him as an expert in several different areas of wellness. The reality is that Hyman has no degree in medicine, psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology or advanced education whatsoever. None! Nada! Zilch! Bupkis! A big fat zero! Page wanted to lose weight and claims that she was advised by Nash to drink four pints of water a day and to cut out salt from her diet. Nash denies any fault, and although she paid Page a settlement of over $1,200,000.00 in July of 2008, she did so without admission of liability. But whatever Nash did or did not advise, nowadays such advice to drink large amounts of water is found in every woman's magazine - and yet it has no scientific basis and is known to be dangerous, even fatal, if done to excess. Page began to feel ill and vomit soon after starting the regime, but claims that Nash reassured her that this was a good sign and showed that the diet was working. She now suffers from epilepsy and has severe speech, memory and concentration problems. Many "nutritional therapists" offer so-called detox diets, despite the fact that they never seem to identify the so-called toxins they claim to be banishing from the body, or any proof that these substances have actually gone. They often use the “detox” as a marketing opportunity for additional treatments such as Hyman’s “Qigong” or “transformational quantum theta energy healing” sessions.” the detox is “effective.” They often claim, with no supporting evidence, that their regimens "boost the immune system" or "rebalance energies" and “rebalance the chakras.” This is a recurring theme on Hyman’s numerous free web sites that are on virtually every free portal offered on the World Wide Web. So if these cases are not unusual, how can you protect yourself from dangerous quackery? Even a cursory exploration of the world of alternative medicine reveals that many quacks back up their ludicrous claims with the same old ideas, however different their supposed treatments. These common identifiers will help you spot a quack. For a start, quacks often use language that is abstract and subjective but is ultimately meaningless. For example, Hyman’s web sites are peppered with words such as "quantum" and “theta,” which on their face sound impressive to those of us with only a weak grasp of theoretical physics, but are in fact nothing but pseudo-scientific window dressing designed to lure a gullible public. Their therapies are frequently based on "ancient wisdom" and their methods never change, regardless of any new evidence about their efficacy (or the lack of it). Hyman has been “pushing” his so called “deep emotional release bodywork” system, described by Dr. Barrett and Raso as an “unnaturalistic method” chronicled by Raso, since as far back as 1997. The Bottom Line: The fact is that none of these views has any significant support in the scientific communities of medicine, psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, nor are they even considered worthy of debate. The only places you are likely to see these views advocated are in literature (and on Web sites) intended to promote the sale of these products to consumers in the notoriously credulous "alternative" health and "dietary supplement" market.

James Hyman Shamanic Energy Healer Or Shamanic Hype?: Shenanigans In Sedona!

A bad week for alternative medicine Ever since the late 1990’s, James Hyman has worked as an “energy healer” and is currently quoted on his own web site as being a “shamanic healer,” or a “shamanic energy healer.” Most recently, Hyman has been calling this so called “human energy field” he has “discovered” and is healing by the sham name, “quantum theta energy healing.” Barbara & James Hyman claim their work occurs at the "quantum theta" level. Wherever the hell that is. The nerve of this guy! Recently, Hyman has been the subject of an undercover investigation by a writer employed and armed with financing by this very blog. (See: Undercover Investigation Of “Quantum Theta Energy Healer” James Hyman, QuackWatch, Wednesday April 13, 2011 Volume 36, Issue 23). Now Hyman and his “practice manager” ex-wife Barbara are shilling for a second in a “series” of “Shamanic Energy Healing and 5 day “Body Cleanse Kidney Detox Retreats” in that bastion of reality, Sedona Arizona! This past July of 2008, we learned that a woman suffered brain damage after one such “detox.” Could this be the moment when alternative medicine finally gets the reputation it deserves and is seen for what it is - a massive social and intellectual fraud? Everything that is wrong with complementary and alternative medicine is contained in articles written in numerous locations, including: 1.Quackwatch: The science-based health care newsletter and e-magazine edited by Dr. Stephen Barrett 2. The Committee For Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), a science blog that lists amongst it’s contributor’s, Dr. Harriet Hall a former Air Force Flight Surgeon 3. The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF): A non-profit organization, founded in 1996 by former magician turned “critical thinker” and investigator of pseudoscientific claims, Randall James Zwinge, better known by his “stage name,” James Randi. The James Randi Foundation is best known as the sponsor of the “One Million Dollar Challenge” The JREF “One Million Dollar Challenge” is available to eligible participants who can demonstrate a supernatural ability, such as James Hyman’s purported human “quantum theta energy field” under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. No one has progressed past the preliminary test, which is set up with parameters agreed to by both Randi and the applicant and Randi refuses to accept any challengers who might suffer serious injury or death as a result of the testing. A direct appeal, made to Mr. Hyman to prove his claim of a human “quantum theta energy field” and to come and pick up his million dollars, has been made, but so far to no avail. This appeal has been made on numerous occasions by one of Randi’s neighbors, a part time resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and a writer for this blog. Meanwhile Hyman’s ex-wife and “practice manager” continues to shill for her husband for his “in person quantum theta energy sessions” for $250.00 and even “transformational telephone sessions” where she makes the audacious claim that “the same powerful results available in one-on-one sessions, are available in Private telephone sessions!” Mmmnn, let me get this straight, they don’t need the million dollars, but they DO want to access our collective wallets from the comfort of their own home for $150.00 in a “transformational quantum theta telephone session.” Our response, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, perhaps it’s a quack? It has been reported as far back as 1997, by health care fraud advocates QuackWatch and Jack Raso, Director of Publications for the American Council on Science and Health and editor-in-chief of its magazine, Priorities that Hyman had reinvented himself as a white-haired guru offering homeopathy, “energy medicine” and “Qigong.” Not that Hyman would admit to that, indeed his current web site utilizes a picture of him that is at least 15 years old! Here is a picture of Hyman directly from his current web site located at: www.emotionalrelease.com, where he is credited with being the "shaman healer":

Now here is a picture of the same "shamanic healer" and "psychic intuitive Qigong master" taken in March of 2011:

Mmnnn, "shamanic energy healer" with amazing "psychic powers," however not energetic to exercise off that belly or "shamanic" enough to rid himself of that head of grey hair! Now Hyman and his ex-wife and “practice manager” Barbara have begun shilling “detox diets” in that bastion of reality, Sedona Arizona! Dr. Hall and The Committee For Skeptical Inquiry recently reported the story of Dawn Page, a woman who is now brain-damaged after she went on a “detox diet.” This is bad news for alternative medicine that is not only founded on lies and falsehoods, but can be very bad for your health. Alternative medicine users - who are mostly middle-aged, middle-class women - are apparently prepared to suspend all normal critical faculties when they encounter an alternative practitioner, even one like Hyman, who claimed to be able to channel energy into his own head via his repulsive “mantra chanting.” You don't need to be able to speak Serbian to recognize Hyman's web site as a classic of the altmed Internet genre. As well as listing the usual contradictory ragbag of therapies familiar from the windows of the high-street altmed clinic – “Qigong,” “Matrix Energetics” ‘transformational bodywork” and the like - it is peppered with the universal language of what James Randi calls "Woo": wellbeing, harmony, bioenergy and, most revealingly, "quantum." There's the long list of ailments he claims to be able to treat, everything from depression and insomnia to increasing physical energy, stamina, self-esteem and self-confidence. Under the name of “Shamanic Energy Healer” and “Chakra Therapist” Hyman lectures on Chinese medical self healing,” “Qigong” and the “Cranial Release Technique” and is keen to promote himself in alternative health magazines and at conferences. As an alternative practitioner, he fits right in. There's no indication of his credentials, but then credentials in alternative medicine are pretty much worthless. Barbara Nash, the alternative practitioner who developed the "Amazing Hydration Diet" that allegedly ruined the life of Dawn Page, has a diploma from the College of Natural Nutrition, based in Tiverton, Devon, in the UK. This college sees "human beings as part of nature's system within the enormity of the world and the universe" and its unaccredited correspondence courses cost more than $2,000.00 per year. This sounds amazingly familiar to the Hyman’s web site where an “open letter from Jim” proclaims: “anyone who wishes to become more clear and connected to their love and personal and spiritual well-being should join me to clear lifetimes of karma, repressed emotional energy, grief, fears, anxiety, and depression, and that the healing that occurs is at the quantum-theta level.” (There’s that pesky “quantum theta” level again!) Yes, this self professed new age guru, who purports he accesses such deep emotional levels through such magic as “Matrix Energetics, Cranial Release, The Yuen Method, Chinese Qigong Self-healing, various shamanic techniques, and techniques of the Deep Emotional Release Bodywork” is in actuality not trained or licensed in anything! Although the Hyman’s have the audacity to claim James Hyman is a scientist who’s intense study of metaphysics and shamanism qualify him as an expert in several different areas of wellness. The reality is that Hyman has no degree in medicine, psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology or advanced education whatsoever. None! Nada! Zilch! Bupkis! A big fat zero! Page wanted to lose weight and claims that she was advised by Nash to drink four pints of water a day and to cut out salt from her diet. Nash denies any fault, and although she paid Page a settlement of over $1,200,000.00 in July of 2008, she did so without admission of liability. But whatever Nash did or did not advise, nowadays such advice to drink large amounts of water is found in every woman's magazine - and yet it has no scientific basis and is known to be dangerous, even fatal, if done to excess. Page began to feel ill and vomit soon after starting the regime, but claims that Nash reassured her that this was a good sign and showed that the diet was working. She now suffers from epilepsy and has severe speech, memory and concentration problems. Many "nutritional therapists" offer so-called detox diets, despite the fact that they never seem to identify the so-called toxins they claim to be banishing from the body, or any proof that these substances have actually gone. They often use the “detox” as a marketing opportunity for additional treatments such as Hyman’s “Qigong” or “transformational quantum theta energy healing” sessions.” the detox is “effective.” They often claim, with no supporting evidence, that their regimens "boost the immune system" or "rebalance energies" and “rebalance the chakras.” This is a recurring theme on Hyman’s numerous free web sites that are on virtually every free portal offered on the World Wide Web. So if these cases are not unusual, how can you protect yourself from dangerous quackery? Even a cursory exploration of the world of alternative medicine reveals that many quacks back up their ludicrous claims with the same old ideas, however different their supposed treatments. These common identifiers will help you spot a quack. For a start, quacks often use language that is abstract and subjective but is ultimately meaningless. For example, Hyman’s web sites are peppered with words such as "quantum" and “theta,” which on their face sound impressive to those of us with only a weak grasp of theoretical physics, but are in fact nothing but pseudo-scientific window dressing designed to lure a gullible public. Their therapies are frequently based on "ancient wisdom" and their methods never change, regardless of any new evidence about their efficacy (or the lack of it). Hyman has been “pushing” his so called “deep emotional release bodywork” system, described by Dr. Barrett and Raso as an “unnaturalistic method” chronicled by Raso, since as far back as 1997. The Bottom Line: The fact is that none of these views has any significant support in the scientific communities of medicine, psychology, psychiatry, chemistry, biochemistry, or physiology, nor are they even considered worthy of debate. The only places you are likely to see these views advocated are in literature (and on Web sites) intended to promote the sale of these products to consumers in the notoriously credulous "alternative" health and "dietary supplement" market.

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.

James Hyman's Shamanic Showmanship: Shenanigans In Sedona

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, the ability to rent space for the purposes of charging $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." For those of you not familiar with this rather unpleasant scam, it's a coffee enema (use StarButts Coffee only), personally I would prefer a Zapper treatment, or simply a placebo (ie. doing nothing). I guarantee it's just as effective! Here is what I can tell you about "Colonic Irrigation" And "Coffee Enema's" From The United States Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing on Swindlers, Hucksters and Snake Oil Salesmen: The Hype and Hope of Marketing Anti-Aging Products to Seniors September 10, 2001 A Written Response to the Statement of the Honorable Dan Burton (R-IN), Chairman, House Committee on Government Reform By Timothy N. Gorski, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. Assistant Clinical Professor, University of North Texas Health Science Center President, Dallas/Fort Worth Council Against Health Fraud Board Member, National Council Against Health Fraud Associate Editor, Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine According to Dr. Gorski: "Especially shameful was the allocation of $1.4 million to the work of Nicholas Gonzalez and his bizarre coffee enema and psychic hair analysis cancer treatments. Even Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, called Gonzalez' claims and methods "voodoo magic," "silly" and not scientific. "Worse than not scientific. This is pure ridiculousness." "Coffee Enema's" "Enema's" were standard practice of fifth-century C.E. "medicine men" who believed blood letting and purging rid the body of "corrupt humors" [15] Kelley/Gonzalez use of laxatives and enemas seems to endorse this ancient concept when they state that poisoning occurs when people eat "processed foods" and that an "unpoisoned body" can recognize and destroy cancer. From Dr. Stephen Barrett, Editor QuackWatch: Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives, and More Stephen Barrett, M.D. The importance of "regularity" to overall health has been greatly overestimated for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians associated feces with decay and used enemas and laxatives liberally. In more recent times, this concern has been embodied in the concept of "autointoxication" and has been promoted by warnings against "irregularity." [1] The theory of "autointoxication" states that stagnation of the large intestine (colon) causes toxins to form that are absorbed and poison the body. Some proponents depict the large intestine as a "sewage system" that becomes a "cesspool" if neglected. Other proponents state that constipation causes hardened feces to accumulate for months (or even years) on the walls of the large intestine and block it from absorbing or eliminating properly. This, they say, causes food to remain undigested and wastes from the blood to be reabsorbed by the body [2]. Around the turn of the twentieth century many physicians accepted the concept of autointoxication, but it was abandoned after scientific observations proved it wrong. In 1919 and 1922, it was clearly demonstrated that symptoms of headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite that accompanied fecal impaction were caused by mechanical distension of the colon rather than by production or absorption of toxins [3,4]. Moreover, direct observation of the colon during surgical procedures or autopsies found no evidence that hardened feces accumulate on the intestinal walls. Today we know that most of the digestive process takes place in the small intestine, from which nutrients are absorbed into the body. The remaining mixture of food and undigested particles then enters the large intestine, which can be compared to a 40-inch-long hollow tube. Its principal functions are to transport food wastes from the small intestine to the rectum for elimination and to absorb minerals and water. Careful observations have shown that the bowel habits of healthy individuals can vary greatly. Although most people have a movement daily, some have several movements each day, while others can go several days or even longer with no adverse effects. The popular diet book Fit for Life (1986) is based on the notion that when certain foods are eaten together, they "rot," poison the system, and make the person fat. To avoid this, the authors recommend that fats, carbohydrates and protein foods be eaten at separate meals, emphasizing fruits and vegetables because foods high in water content can "wash the toxic waste from the inside of the body" instead of "clogging" the body. These ideas are utter nonsense [5]. 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, periodic "cleansing" of the intestines, and colonic irrigation. Fasting is said to "rejuvenate" the digestive organs, increase elimination of "toxins, and "purify" the body." Cleansing" can be accomplished with a variety of "natural" laxative products. Colonic irrigation is performed by passing a rubber tube through the rectum. Some proponents have advocated that the tube be inserted as much as 30 inches. Warm water—often 20 gallons or more—is pumped in and out through the tube, a few pints at a time, to wash out the contents of the large intestine. (An ordinary enema uses about a quart of fluid.) Some practitioners add herbs, coffee, enzymes, wheat or grass extract, or other substances to the enema solution. The Total Health Connection and Canadian Natural Health and Healing Center Web sites provide more details of proponents' claims. The latter states that "there is only one cause of disease—toxemia" and offers "the most comprehensive in-depth colon therapy on the continent." The course 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, (that bastion of reality), were quoting a price of $1,399.00 for a FOUR DAY COMMUNAL EVENT WHERE THEY EXPECT YOU NOT ONLY TO BE "DETOXED" WITH THEIR COFFEE ENEMA'S, (use StarButts coffee only, please!) ALONG WITH AN ORGANIC JUICE AND SOUP FAST (gee whiz, I wonder where all that money is going?) ...but THEY EXPECT YOU TO SHARE ACCOMMODATIONS! Some "alternative" practitioners make bogus diagnoses of "parasites," for which they recommend "intestinal cleansers," plant enzymes, homeopathic remedies (the aforementioned juice and soup fast)... Health-food stores sell products of this type with claims that they can "rejuvenate" the body and kill the alleged invaders. The danger of these practices depends upon how much they are used and whether they are substituted for necessary medical care. 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?) Some people have reported expelling large amounts of what they claim to be feces that have accumulated on he intestinal wall. However, experts believe these are simply "casts" formed by the fiber contained in the "cleansing" products. Although laxative ads warn against "irregularity," constipation should be defined not by the frequency of movements but by the hardness of the stool. 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. Defecating soon after the urge is felt also can be helpful because if urges are ignored, the rectum may eventually stop signaling when defecation is needed. Stimulant laxatives (such as cascara or castor oil) can damage the nerve cells in the colon wall, decreasing the force of contractions and increasing the tendency toward constipation. Thus, people who take strong laxatives whenever they "miss a movement" may wind up unable to move their bowels without them. Frequent enemas can also lead to dependence [6]. A doctor should be consulted if constipation persists or represents a significant change in bowel pattern. Colonic irrigation, which also can be expensive, has considerable potential for harm. The process can be very uncomfortable, since the presence of the tube can induce severe cramps and pain. If the equipment is not adequately sterilized between treatments, disease germs from one person's large intestine can be transmitted to others. Several outbreaks of serious infections have been reported, including one in which contaminated equipment caused amebiasis in 36 people, 6 of whom died following bowel perforation [7-9]. (Look out, Sedona!) Cases of heart failure (from excessive fluid absorption into the bloodstream) and electrolyte imbalance have also been reported [10]. Direct rectal perforation has also been reported [11]. Yet no license or training is required to operate a colonic-irrigation device. 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!" In 1985, a California judge ruled that colonic irrigation is an invasive medical procedure that may not be performed by chiropractors and the California Health Department's Infectious Disease Branch stated: "The practice of colonic irrigation by chiropractors, physical therapists, or physicians should cease. Colonic irrigation can do no good, only harm." The National Council Against Health Fraud agrees [12]. Perhaps this is why the Hyman's "retreat" (no pun intended) to Sedona. In 2009, Dr. Edzard Ernst tabulated the therapeutic claims he found on the Web sites of six "professional organizations of colonic irrigations." The themes he found included detoxification, normalization of intestinal function, treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and weight loss. He also found claims elated to asthma, menstrual irregularities, circulatory disorders, skin problems, and improvements in energy levels. Searching Medline and Embase, he was unable to find a single controlled clinical trial that substantiated any of these claims [13]. Legal Action The FDA classifies colonic irrigation systems as Class III devices that cannot be legally marketed except for medically indicated colon cleansing (such as before a radiologic endoscopic examination). No system has been approved for "routine" colon cleansing to promote the general well being of a patient. Since 1997, the agency has issued at least seven warning letters related to colon therapy: In 1997, Colon Therapeutics, of Groves, Texas, and its owner Jimmy John Girouard were warned about safety and quality control violations of the Jimmy John colon hydrotherapy unit and related devices [14]. In 1997, Tiller Mind & Body, of San Antonio, Texas and its owner Jeri C. Tiller, were ordered to stop claiming that their Libbe colonic irrigation device was effective against acne, allergies, asthma and low-grade chronic infections and improved liver function and capillary and lymphatic circulation [15]. In 1997, Colon Hygiene Services, of Austin, Texas and its owner Rocky Bruno was notified that their colonic irrigation system could not be legally marketed without FDA approval [16]. In 1999, Dotolo Research Corporation, of Pinellas Park, Florida, and its chief executive officer Raymond Dotolo were warned about quality control violations and lack of FDA approval for marketing its Toxygen BSC-UV colonic irrigation system [17]. In 2001, Clearwater Colon Hydrotherapy, of Ocala, Florida, and its vice president Stuart K. Baker were warned about quality control violations and lack of FDA approval for marketing their colonic irrigators [18]. In 2003. the International Colon Hydrotherapy Association, of San Antonio, Texas and its executive director Augustine R. Hoenninger, III, PhD, ND, were notified that it lacked FDA approval to sponsor "research" that had been proposed or actually begun on the devices of five companies [19]. In 2003, Girourd and Colon Therapeutics were notified that his devices require professional supervision and cannot be legally marketed directly to consumers. The letter noted that he had obtained marketing clearance only for use in medically indicated colon cleansing, such as before radiologic or sigmoidoscopic examinations [20]. In 2003, the Wood Hygienic Institute of Kissimmee, Florida, and its owner Helen Wood were warned about quality control violations and the use of unapproved therapeutic claims in marketing their devices [21]. Girouard, Colon Therapeutics, Tiller Mind & Body, operators of the Years to Your Life Health Centers, companies that manufactured several components of Girouard's colonic irrigation systems, and organizations that trained operators of the devices are being sued in connection with the death of a 72-year-old woman who perforated her large intestine while administering colonic irrigation. The suit alleges that the woman was unsupervised when she administered the "colonic," perforated her colon early in the procedure, required surgery the same day, and remained seriously ill for several months before she died from liver failure. The complaint also alleges that Years to Your Life Health Center falsely advertised colonic irrigations as "painless" procedures which provided health benefits including an improved immune system and increased energy, as well as relief from indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, body odor, candida, acne, mucus colitis, gas, food cravings, fatigue, obesity, diverticulosis, bad breath, parasitic infections, and premenstrual syndrome [22]. In response to the woman's death and reports of serious injuries to four other patients, the Texas Attorney General filed lawsuits against: Girouard and Colon Therapeutics Abundant Health and Wellness Institute, and its owner, Cordelia Beall Gentle Colonics Inc. and its owner, Denson Ingram Eternal Health Inc., doing business as Years to Your Life and Cynthia Pitre Jennifer Jackson, doing business as Body Cleanse Spa Tiller Mind Body Inc., doing business as Mind Body Naturopathic Institute and Jerri Tiller International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy, Class 3 Study Group and Augustine R. Hoenninger III Linda Gonzalez, doing business as El Paso Health Center. Soledad Herrera, doing business as Body Matters of El Paso Lisa Ramoin, doing business as Alternative Health (Houston) Janice Jackson, doing as InsideOut and Within (Houston) The suits charged all of the defendants with engaging in the promotion, sale or unauthorized use of prescription devices for colonic hydrotherapy treatments without physician involvement. In 2004 and 2005, the cases involving Girouard, Ingram, Beall, the Jacksons, Herrera, Ramoin, and their companies were settled with consent agreements under which they would pay a total of $178,000 in civil penalties, fees, and costs to the state [23-25]. For Additional Information How Clean Should Your Colon Be? References. Chen TS, Chen PS. Intestinal autointoxication: A gastrointestinal leitmotive. Journal Clinical Gastroenterology 11:343-441, 1989. Ernst E. Colonic irrigation and the theory of autointoxication: A triumph of ignorance over science. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 24:196-198, 1997. Alvarez WC. Origin of the so-called auto-intoxication symptoms. JAMA 72:8-13, 1919. Donaldson AN. Relation of constipation to intestinal intoxication. JAMA 78:884-888, 1922. Kenney JJ. Fit For Life: Some notes on the book and Its roots. Nutrition Forum, March 1986. Use of enemas is limited. FDA Consumer 18(6):33, 1984. Amebiasis associated with colonic irrigation - Colorado. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 30:101-102, 1981. Istre GR and others. An outbreak of amebiasis spread by colonic irrigation at a chiropractic clinic. New England Journal of Medicine 307:339-342, 1982. Benjamin R and others. The case against colonic irrigation. California Morbidity, Sept 27, 1985. Eisele JW, Reay DT. Deaths related to coffee enemas. JAMA 244:1608-1609, 1980. Handley DV and others. Rectal perforation from colonic irrigation administered by alternative practitioners. Medical Journal of Australia 181:575-576, 2004. Jarvis WT. Colonic Irrigation. National Council Against Health Fraud, 1995. Ernst E. Colonic irrigation: therapeutic claims by professional organizations, a review. International Journal of Clinical Practcie 64:429-431, 2010. Baca JR. Warning letter to Colon Therapeutics, April 27, 1997. Baca, JR. Warning letter to Tiller Mind & Body, June 2, 1997. Baca JR. Warning letter to Colon Hygiene Services, June 20, 1997. Tolen DD. Warning letter to Dotolo Research Corporation, July 21, 1999. Singleton E. Warning letter to Clearwater Colon Hydrotherapy, Sept 13, 2001. Marcarelli MM. Warning letter to International Colon Hydrotherapy Association, March 21, 2003. Chappel MA. Warning letter to Colon Therapeutics, Oct 23, 2003. Ormond E. Warning letter to Wood Hygienic Institute, Oct 23, 2003. Barrett S. Colonic promoters facing legal actions. Quackwatch, Nov 11, 2003. Attorney General Abbott sues ' colonic hydrotherapy ' providers for abuse of medical devices; one death reported: Suits allege unsafe use of devices without physician oversight is a public health issue. Texas Attorney General news release, Dec 1, 2003. Barrett S. Texas Attorney General reaches settlement with three colonic hydrotherapy providers. Casewatch, July 16, 2004. Attorney General Abbott wins court judgment with six colon hydrotherapy providers. News release, March 1, 2005. Conclusions Neither Kelley nor Gonzalez has identified proposed toxins in processed food. Neither has evidence that abnormal protein molecules from necrosing tumors are toxins or that they poison organs. Neither has evidence that the toxins poison oxidative metabolism. Neither has evidence that cancers thrive in an anaerobic environment. Neither has shown that coffee enemas, megavitamin doses, and their special diets inhibit the progress of cancer. Neither has produced evidence that a deficiency of pancreatic digestive enzymes is related to the onset of cancer. Neither has produced evidence that enzymes from animal or vegetable sources can replace enzymes in human organs. There is no evidence that ingested pancreatic enzymes seek out and kill cancer cells. Neither has produced evidence that their regimens are more effective than a placebo for cancer. Gar Hildebrand, president of the Gerson Research Organization (GRO) in San Diego which promotes the irrational "Gerson Method" of cancer treatment. GRO runs a Tijuana cancer clinic at which patients have been charged $9000 for a two week course of unproven care while Mr. Hildebrand lectures them, emphasizing his ties to the NIH [25]. Mr. Hildebrand says that women with ovarian cancer should not receive chemotherapy but should instead "detoxify the body" with dietary measures including "oodles of plant chemicals." Once this is done, he says, "these patients' immune systems become intelligent again. They stop making excess stupid white cells, and create more lymphocytes interested in more types of challenges." [26] Hildebrand also promotes coffee enemas, hyperbaric oxygen and other nonsensical treatments for cancer. Frank Wiewel, head of People Against Cancer (PAC), formerly the Immunoaugmentative Therapy Patients Association. PAC is a referral organization for cancer patients that promotes irrational treatments including the discredited "Immunoaugmentative Therapy" devised by zoologist Lawrence Burton, PhD. PAC also promotes the ideas of Hulda Clark and other notorious cancer quacks [27]. The organization's website states that "you are never told the truth about cancer," [28] a detestable falsehood designed to drive a wedge between frightened and desperate cancer victims and their doctors in order to exploit the sick. Wayne Jonas MD assumed leadership at the OAM in July of 1995, almost a year after the departure of Dr. Jacobs. Dr. Jonas is a homeopath, a believer in a discredited 18th Century mystical prescientific theory of medicine that asserts the truth of preposterous "laws." One of these, "The Law of Similars," from which homeopathy takes its name, asserts that substances that cause certain symptoms are effective in treating those same symptoms. Another, "The Law of Infinitesimals," states that diluting a substance makes it more potent. Thus, homeopathic "medicine" consists of substances diluted to fantastic proportions, to the point where no molecules of the substance remain. Dr. Jonas was enamored of homeopathy as a medical student at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina. After suggesting that a patient with severe pneumonia be treated with homeopathy, his supervisors asked him to repeat his rotation in medicine. But even as a medical student Dr. Jonas was impervious to reason. As OAM Director he told an interviewer that "Just as the discovery of infectious agents revolutionized our ability to care for many diseases at the turn of the century, the discovery of what happens when a homeopathic preparation is made and how it impacts the body might revolutionize our understanding of chemistry, biology and medicine." [29] Dr Jonas co-authored a book on homeopathy in which he makes it clear that he is certain of its effectiveness but is only doubtful about its mechanism. The pattern of nonexistent molecules "must be stored in some way in the diluted water/alcohol mixture" he wrote, suggesting that all manner of occult energies, imaginary "biophotons" or New Age quantum effects could be involved [30]. Of late, Dr. Jonas has become frustrated with homeopathy research, perhaps because of the obvious truth in one medical scientist's observation that such research is nothing more than "a game of chance between two placebos." [31] Dr. Jonas has suggested that validating homeopathy "may require a theory that incorporates subjective variables," [32] which is to say, how the thoughts of patients, doctors, and perhaps their next-door neighbors might influence the effects of a homeopathic remedy. This is in line with mystical beliefs in "nonlocal effects" caused by "intentionality," or, in other words, psychic powers. This is also entirely consistent with Dr. Jonas' new position on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the paranormalism-oriented Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS). According to IONS, Dr. Jonas "envisions the development of protocols using gene-array procedures to examine possible genetic expression arising from CAM signals in distant healing." He considers it wrongheaded and obsolete that "the current view of the body is grounded in molecular biology." He prefers to think that "bodily parts [can] communicate over long distances almost instantaneously" by means of "nonlocal characteristics in the biological process, with widely separated parts interacting in ways that don't have obvious physical carriers." [33]