"Bjarne Krog" <b.krogFJERNDETTE@get2net.dk> wrote in message
news:2753nt800p7fsq6tbq6d08qju781qlfd2f@4ax.com...
> Er der nogen der har noget at sige om dette ( du er osse velkommen
> /arcana *S*)
Jada. Køb 100 liter og drik det hele - så bliver du udødelig.
Og hvis du har kræft eller nedgroede negle, så klarer det osse det.
Description
The Noni fruit is the fruit of a tree, Morinda citrifolia, which is native
to Polynesian islands. Native Polynesians ascribe healing powers to the
juice of this fruit and apparently it is widely consumed within these
cultures. Dr. Ralph Heinicke of the University of Hawaii claims to have
isolated the activie ingredient in the fruit, proxeronine, which is
converted by the body into xeronine, which he says is a newly discovered
alkaloid. Dr. Heinicke claims that xeronine is involved in cellular uptake
of vitamins an minerals and enhances cellular function. An American
multi-level marketing coporation, Morinda Corporation, is now marketing Noni
fruit juice as a natural tonic with a host of health claims.
The Skeptical Viewpoint
Tahitian Noni Juice is just the latest in a long history of snake oil
remedies. This movement, like those before it, has all of the features of a
quack remedy with a contemporary flavor. I will review the characteristic
features of the marketing of such quack remedies and indicate for each
characteristic how the Noni-juice phenomenon fits the mold exactly.
Reliance upon testimonials rather than clinical research: Testimonials are
the bread and butter of snake oil salesmen. Skeptics and scientists place
little value in such testimonials because they do not control for the
natural history of disease or the placebo effect, among other such factors.
The Noni-juice literature is filled with such testimonials, mostly with
vague claims about improved health and vigor and increased energy.
One Noni website even admits that one purpose of the testimonial is to evade
FDA regulations about unsubstantiated health claims: "The FDA likes us to be
careful what we say about health products so that we don't inadvertently
make misleading health claims. So rather than telling you what we noticed, I
have included a link to an official fact sheet from Morinda called "Tahitian
Noni Testimonials" - from Tahitian Noni Home Page
Vague use of the term "natural," conveying a mystical belief in its virtue:
The modern herbalism movement plays upon peoples fear of toxins, chemicals,
and all things unnatural, without ever clearly defining these terms. They
have fostered the notion that all things natural must therefore be good and
healthy. Most natural plants are in fact poisonous, whereas all foods
contain naturally occurring "chemicals," by any possible definition of the
term. The Noni fruit literature proclaims it is a "natural fruit juice," and
that "The noni plant flourishes in the lush and unspoiled islands of French
Polynesia, harvested by native folk."
Based upon special knowledge: Snake oil remedies are often also spouted as
being, paradoxically, either a product of the latest cutting edge
technology, or ancient time-honored wisdom, and sometimes even both
simultaneously. Noni fruit literature also plays upon both of these
perceived virtues, proclaiming the juice to have "been used for 2000 years."
The same literature goes on to say that "researchers have discovered
scientifically what the traditional Polynesian healers have always known."
Vague reference to scientific research coupled with unsubstantiated
interpretations or extrapolations from basic science research: Phrases like
"studies have shown," or "scientific research indicates" are frequently
found among such health fad literature. Actual studies are rarely properly
referenced. When they are, they typically refer to preliminary basic
research concerning small details of the molecular properties of the
substance in question, followed by wild speculations about the ultimate
clinical implications of this research. Never are there blinded clinical
studies demonstrating real health benefits of the alleged remedy.
Here again, Noni fruit falls right in line. The literature contains a great
deal of reference to Dr. Ralph Heinicke whose research has allegedly
discovered the "active ingredient" in Noni-fruit, a newly discovered
alkaloid which he named xeronine. Although his research has not even
progressed beyond the mere identification of the molecule (Dr. Heinicke
himself writes "Many years of research are still required to demonstrate
convincingly how xeronine functions at the molecular level in a cell.") he
feels free to speculate about the pharmacological effects of xeronine and
their ultimate health implications.
What must be recognized is that, due to the complexity of mammalian
biochemistry and physiology, it is impossible to speculate with any
confidence about the ultimate effects of a newly discovered molecule on
overall health, or even a particular disease process. For example, many
hundreds of candidate drugs identified as promising based upon basic science
research are studied for every one that ultimately proves clinically useful.
Exaggerated health claims: Snake oil hype often both exaggerates the impact
of the particular substance on overall health and claims that the remedy is
good for a wide range of health problems. Such claims should always be met
with high levels of skepticism, for it is very unlikely that a single
substance could benefit many different diseases with varying and different
causes. Dr. Heinicke claims for Noni fruit that it is good for "high blood
pressure, menstrual cramps, arthritis, gastric ulcers, sprains, injuries,
mental depression, senility, poor digestion, atherosclerosis, blood vessel
problems, addiction, relief for pain and many others." Testimonials broaden
these claims, adding that Noni fruit juice gives energy, provides longevity,
and even treats cancer, among other claims. This should be a very familiar
list of diseases to anyone familiar with snake oil literature. The same
claims are made for honey bee products, DHEA, ozone therapy, chelation
therapy, and most other alternative health cures. Other Noni literature
exclaims, in typical prose, that "Noni is one of the most important natural
health discoveries in recent decades."
Multi-level marketing: Many snake-oil products are now being sold through
multi-level marketing, which is a scheme in and of itself. Such companies
are organized in a pyramid fashion, with revenues trickling up the pyramid
to the few at the top. In order for those in the lower tiers to make money
they would have to sponsor even lower tier salesman, requiring a geometric
increase that quickly saturates the market, imposing ultimate limits.
Another benefit of multi-level marketing is that customers, converted by the
propaganda and testimonials, and their own anecdotal experience, to the
virtues of the product, become zealous and sincere salesmen. As ever more
customers become salesmen, lured by the promise of easy profits, and a
genuine desire to spread the news of what they perceive as an amazing
discovery, money flows to the top of the pyramid.
Noni once again fits the mold. The Morinda corporation, the major marketer
of Noni fruit juice, is a multi-level marketing company. Their literature
promises "Tahitian Noni is a network marketing product from Morinda which
provides an outstanding opportunity to have your own business as an
Independent Morinda distributor." As a distributor you can purchase Noni
fruit juice by the case, at $120 dollars for four 32 oz bottles. You can
then sell these at the going rate of $40 a bottle, or $160 dollars a case.
If you are lucky, you may just be able to pay for your own habit.
Claims of a conspiracy of suppression: Given the incredible health claims
made by such product promoters, with little or no substantiating evidence,
the scientific and medical communities eventually will criticize and speak
out against such claims. Since the promoters lack scientific research,
plausibility, and, in short, the truth, to defend themselves, they almost
always resort to the good old conspiracy theory to explain away their
detractors. They defend their outrageous health claims for their product
with the even more outrageous claim that physicians and the scientific
community are not concerned with public health, but only their own power.
They foster the ludicrous notion that a widespread conspiracy of
governmental, academic, and private institutions, with the support of the
medical community, through either greed, malfeasance, or simple ignorance,
is at all possible.
The conspiracy, of course, is designed to suppress the promoters
revolutionary new health cure. What else can explain such condemnation? They
will then invoke time-honored principles - such as freedom of choice - to
defend their right to defraud the public.
The Noni fruit phenomenon is too new to have encountered much resistance yet
from mainstream medicine or consumer protection agencies. We will have to
wait and see if the Morinda corporation and other Noni fruit juice advocates
respond to articles such as this one in the characteristic fashion described
above.
References
Jim and Regina Sease: Tahitian Noni Juice Homepage
(
http://www.sease.com/noni)
Dr. R. M Heinicke: The Pharmacologically Active Ingredient of Noni
--
Med venlig hilsen
/arcana