Another MLM – When Will the Madness End?

Question: Hello Dr. Ettinger,

I have used the California Academy of Health Products for many years.  I love them and will continue using them.

However, my question is about another company’s products.  Have you heard of Rain Nutrition?  They are selling products called Soul (antioxidant liquid) and Pure (probiotics with some special patented coating).  I am not sure these products are as great as they say.  They seem kind of expensive too.  I was just hoping that maybe you could tell me your opinion on them.  The website is www.rainnutrition.com

Thank you,

Cathy

Answer: Catherine,

Rain is a multi-level-marketing company.  I don’t need to look at the products because, as far as I am concerned all MLM’s are semi-legal pyramid schemes, with inflated prices and marginal products.  My recommendation is to stay away and tell your friend (just guessing) who recommended you these products, thanks but no thanks. Keep your hard earned money.

Our Liquid Power Multi-V and Probiotic FloraHealth are dynamite products and they’re what I uses in my practice, for a probiotic and liquid antioxidant. I’d stack the above two products up against Pure and Soul any day of the week, in quality, price and effectiveness.  Just my professional opinion from 21 years in the nutrition and holistic medicine business.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc, DC

Response Back: Thanks Dr. E

I really appreciate your help.

I already use the Liquid Power but I will add the Probiotic FloraHealth.  Is the probiotic something you take on an on-going basis?

My Response: Catherine,

One a day is perfect. Basically, we have two immune systems. One in the intestines and then the rest of the body. If we keep an abundance of healthy flora throughout our life-time, we are less likely to develop any bad condition in the intestines and our overall immunity will be higher. The key to Probiotic FloraHealth is that it’s enteric coated, meaning it opens up in the small intestine rather than the stomach. That way all the good stuff goes exactly where it’s needed and not inactivated in the stomach. There IS no better type coating. Here is What Rain says, “Rain Nutrition’s probiotic, PURE, uses patented BIO-tract® technology which protects our product from the harmful effects of stomach acids so that the good flora and beneficial organisms will survive until they reach the GI tract where they will go to work on cleansing and strengthening.”

Their all hype and price, and it’s exactly what we have at a WAY CHEAPER PRICE. As I said, MLM’s are all hype and no substance. Why else would someone pay $45 for a product that they could buy elsewhere for $15. It’s the 7 levels of down-line commission added in, not that it’s a better or more unique product.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger BSc, DC

Acai Berry Scams Are Ripping People Off

I get 5-6 e-mails per day talking-up the virtues of acai as a weight-loss miracle.  I hate to be the one to break the bad news to you, but acai has as much weight-loss capability as does red grape skins or blueberry skins.  The ability of any of the products mentioned, when taken alone, to create an environment where weight just melts off is a bold-face lie.  Meaning, if you continued with your normal way of life and just added acai, changed nothing else, NO weight would be lost.  You may physically and/or mentally feel better, because acai is a potent antioxidant and antioxidants neutralize toxic free-radicals.

Below is an example of a acai berry scam that suggests people will lose between 22-30 pounds in 14 days.  I have been taking acai powder for a year now and I still weigh the same (I eat great and I exercise 3-4 days a week.  I am not taking it for weight-loss,  I am taking acai strictly for its incredible antioxidant powers).  I love acai and I sell a ton of it in my practice, I just don’t sell it for weight-loss.  That would be highly unethical and not worth the money I would make.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Acai Berry Test Results

5/5 ★★★★★

Nature’s Acai Berry blew away the competition. This is the pure acai that was showcased on CBS News and Rachael Ray. It provided a huge energy boost and healthy weight loss. Two of the three testers (women) lost over 18 lbs in the first 3 days of using it.

Total 14-day Weight Loss
Person 1: 33.1 lbs
Person 2: 27.2 lbs
Person 3: 22.9 lbs

Nature’s Acai Berry is the ONLY acai product that offers a FULL 14 day supply of acai as a free trial* and is HIGHLY recommended for anyone wanting to lose weight and detoxify their body quickly. Click here to try it for yourself now

*It has been brought to our attention that weight loss results can be doubled when Nature’s Acai Berry is used with Colon Cleanse. (also free trial*) Thanks Liz!

Is Acai Really for Weight-Loss?

Hi,

I was on your site after visiting so many other sites claiming that taking acai berry supplements (Like Absolute Acai & Acai Max) results in lots of great health improvements including weight loss.  Yet your site, and another product site (Perfect Acai) claim to be organic, etc., but don’t list weight loss as a result – why is that?

Carolyn,

BECAUSE IT’S NOT FOR WEIGHT-LOSS!!!!!!!!!

Every site listing it as a weight-loss product is lying, misinformed or just completely oblivious to the physiology of the body. The only way acai will work as a weight loss product is if that’s all you eat. There is no chemical found in acai that promotes weight-loss, period. I am an acai fanatic and I have tons of clients who take it, but NOT for weight-loss. Your best case scenario, is if you take acai and you feel more energetic BECAUSE you’re doing something good for yourself and you start to exercise and diet – You will lose weight.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Feedback on Iodine Supplementation

Dr. Ettinger,

I wanted to get your feedback on iodine supplementation and this information -  http://www.health-science-spirit.com/iodine.html

Matthew,

I personally believe that as a population we are iodine deficient, as well as, being deficient in other trace minerals. As a responsible doctor, I can’t recommend a dose for you. If you consult with a knowledgeable holistic/alternative medicine practitioner, they will be more able to advise you on the best dosage for you. I don’t know if Apex Energetics in Irvine, CA has a referral list, but I would give them a try.

Most Important Note: Take that article with a grain of salt (no pun intended). Walter Last and Mark Sircus, write all about the good and make iodine seem like a panacea for everything that ails you, it isn’t. Just one example of when iodine can hurt, is a common cause of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto’s disease. If you give iodine (iodine, kelp or Synthroid) to this type of hypothyroid patient, which 95% of all doctors (ND,DC, DO & MD’s) do, because they don’t run the proper tests (TPO & Thyroglobulin antibody) to determine Hashimoto’s, the patient’s symptom will worsen. In Hashimoto’s the patients antibodies attack anything with iodine in it. That includes thyroid hormone, thyroid proteins and the thyroid itself.

Something that is so needed by a population could actually do more harm in a broad section of it. Find a doctor who you can work with as a coach, and ask for his or her guidance. I do distance consulting too. If I can ever be of assistance please look me up on my website.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.
www.advancedhealing.com

Will Liquid Power affect my candida?

Question: I have used your multivitamin formula (Liquid Power) for a year. I have recently been going to a Dr. who uses Metagenics. She uses them because they are controlled formulas. I have an overgrowth of candida and have wondered if the concentrated fruits are not good for me.

Answer: Jerry,

Liquid Power will not have an influence either way, as far as candida goes. Even if you avoided all overt sources of sugar, sugar (glucose) will still be present in the blood and cells. 2/3 of almost all the foods we eat convert to sugar. The only reason to change your diet (avoiding overt sugar) is if your diet (sugar) affects the way you feel. As far as supplements go I like: Thorne Research – SF722, Now Foods – Probiotic Defense Powder and Ecological Formulas – Monoalurin 600mg caps. It’s a combination I have used for years. If you can get a prescription from your MD, 6 – 150mg Diflucan’s  (1 per week for 6 weeks), you could really jump start the program. This is just my take on the situation and in no way a treatment recommendation.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

I Think a Competitor Smoked Some Goji

I must be bored, because I decided to surf some competitor sites to see what they are up to and BOY did I find some funky stuff. I am not a critical person by nature but I decided to have some fun with this. All of this comes for just one, high Google ranked site.

“I am not knocking goji berries, I love goji berries and my family and I eat them every day. I am just having a little fun at the expense of this website.

First off, “Our Goji berries come from Northern Asia in the Tibetan and Mongolian Himalayas.” 

I don’t have a PhD in geography but even a sixth grader knows that the Himalayan mountain range never has and never will extend into Mongolia, and I personally know that goji, even in the smallest quantities are not coming from either Tibet, Mongolia, Tibetan Plateau or the Himalayas. Anyone claiming as much is either uninformed or just out-right lying. I would love to have any company advertising such claims to show me a picture with GPS coordinates as proof.

More gibberish. “Goji berries will grow in almost any climate, but are most prevalent in the Himalayas.”

I forgot, some of the worlds most celebrated botanical gardens are in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau (which is at a lower elevation then the actual Himalayan mountain range) .

Fact: The Tibetan Plateau, comprising most of Tibet north and east of the Himalayas, lies at more than 3000 m (10,000 ft) in altitude, with poor soil and arid climate conditions unfavorable for fruit crops. Defined by the geography of Tibet, particularly in the western Himalayas, cold nighttime temperatures averaging -4°C year round  with six months of continual frost would inhibit plant bud development and prevent fruit formation. Existing in Tibet are minimal subsistence agriculture and impoverished crop management and transportation facilities unsupportive of commercial berry production. Although limited fertile regions suitable for food crops exist in the valleys of Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse, and the Brahmaputra River, there are no objective economic, scientific, or government reports on the commercial production of Lycium berry species from these Tibetan regions. (from Wikipedia, also verified via references)

More? “We are the best source for Himalayan Goji Berries because we directly import the authentic Lycium Barbarum, the original and most nutritious known strain of the 41 Asian varieties.”

There is that Himalayan goji berry again. This time it’s the most nutritious of 41 strains. Again, I am not a PhD ethnobotanist but I have done enough goji research over the last 3-4 years to know that there are less than a handful of edible Lycium varieties world-wide; Lycium chinensis and Lycium barbarum being the most famous  and well known. They have the best strain of the ‘41 Asian varieties’. They better get some anti-virals, it sound like the flu to me.

Again, more non-sense: “500 times more Vitamin C than oranges.”

I want some of this action to help me if I get some of the above. So, if a 6 ounce orange has 50 mg’s of Vitamin C, than 6 ounces of Himalayan Goji berries would have 2.5 grams of Vitamin C. Now I see where their coming from, they have the special strain, Himalayan variety, that’s it. Joking aside, the berries have between 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams. Goji is a very good vitamin C source and I do recommend them daily in my practice.

I am starting to feel bad about picking on this site but it’s like slowing when there’s an accident of the side of the road, you just can’t help yourself.

Another doozy! (Any typo or misspelling here comes from their site): “HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE:
Goji berries are known to have a unique polysaccharide that stimulates the pituitary gland in the anterior of the brain to produce more Human Growth Hormone, the master hormone in our bodies. HGH is know to slow down, and even reverse some of the effects of aging. For centuries, people in Asia that have customarily eaten Goji berries have been documented to live longer and healthier lives with little or no incidence of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple scirosis, or a host of other “dread” diseases that are afflicting many of the Industrialized Nations of the world.”

We better let every professional sports player in on this one. Just think steroids will be a thing of the past. All you need to do now is eat a hand-full of goji berries and watch time being shaved off your ¼ mile sprint or amaze your friend with your new found muscles and ripped abs, just from eating goji berries.

The best part about the above referenced paragraph, is that if I eat goji berries I won’t get the ‘dread’ disease – multiple scirosis. That sounds like a nasty one!

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Have a question? Ask the Doctor! July 2008

Question:Dr. Ettinger

I am a 43 year old woman…weighed 122 pounds in February and starting gaining weight unexplainably…all in my stomach.  I have now gained 27 pounds.  I am a runner and typically watch what I eat so this is unusual.  I have also had gas….daily.  My stomach is bloated/distended to the point I look like a pregnant woman by the end of the day.  My Doctor has ran a series of tests including referring me to a gastro-Dr…..had a colonoscopy.  Not sure what is going on.  I was in Mexico in January…..possibly a parasite or something.  The weight gain is extremely unusual.  I have been under a lot of stress….my daughter was killed in an accident in Oct. 2006.  Any thoughts on what may be going on and any natural remedies I can try.??

Thanks

Sarah

Answer: Sara,

First, please read all the disclaimers below. (Only found at the bottom of my out-going e-mails)

As you mentioned, it could be a parasite, stress or any number of other things. It would take a thorough consultation, initial exam with labs to get a confirmation of what’s going on. If you can get to Orange, California, that would help us both out. If not, I would find a holistic practitioner in your area. The medical profession is great with diagnostics but lousy with treatment.  

Let me know your thoughts on this.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Can you help me with a nutritional program?

Question Dr. E

I have been using your products for the last 6 mo. and have been very happy with them.
I currently take 1 scoop of your protein powder, 1 oz of Acai and 1 oz of goji in a soy/rice milk shake every morning. I’m always looking to try and experiment with new things.

I’m going to be placing another order and would appreciate your product recommendations. I’m 45, very fit, active and plan on staying that way,…LOL

I’m currently interested in:

• L-Tryptophan

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

1. Would all of the above be recommended or would the benefits of some be found in the others and then they would overlap eliminating the need for all of them?

2. Would you have any other recommendations?

3. How would you recommend taking the supplements?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Tom

Answer Tom,

I am almost 44 and have the same goals. This is what I do in the morning. It’s a little extreme but I want to live to 100, go to bed with a smile on my face and just not wake-up the next day, never having to see any doctor and not on medications. You can also check out my practice website here
www.advancedhealing.com

From caoh.com* I take daily:

• 1 scoop whey protein*

• 2 scoops Absolute Acai*

• 1 ounce Liquid Power*

• 1 tblsp liquid flax seed oil

• 1 tblsp wheat germ oil

• 1 tsp molecularly distilled fish oil

• 1 heaping tblsp Ultra Supreme Greens*

• Frozen strawberries and blueberries

And if I need a little immune boost I will add 1 ounce of TheraAloe*.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

Reply Dr. E,

Thank you for your reply.

I have a couple more questions:

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other?

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be?

• Whey Protein Powder

• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji

• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder

• Liquid Power

• 10 oz soy milk

• 4 oz rice milk

• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Tom,

1. How do you feel about L-Tryptophan? What kind of people would you recommend this for? I know way back they took it off the market due to some unfortunate incidents. It was as still is totally safe. FDA made a big mistake now it’s fixed. 3 before bed is the recommended dose and can be taken by most adults.

2. ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder? Why choose one over the other? Absolute Acai, because it’s pure 100% acai goodness.

3. Taking the list below, how beneficial would adding supreme greens be? Very beneficial.

• Whey Protein Powder
• Goji Fusion OR Absolute Goji
• ACAI Max OR Absolute Acai Powder
• Liquid Power
• 10 oz soy milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 4 oz rice milk – Would use water, too many sugar calories and not much nutritional benefit.
• 1tbl flaxseed oil

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger Dc, BSc

Shanghai to Yinchuan flight video

I finally got the video back from our Shanghai to Yinchuan flight. This really wasn’t our flight but if there was a film crew there to film our flight, it would have looked like this. 

Related link to our hazardous flight in search of the perfect goji berry.

Picture of you on the plane

“Some people think we only post fantastic testimonials and helpful information, we actually post it all.”

Comment:

“I was going to make a purchase of the Acai products that you have available until I seen one of the owners wearing an atheist shirt. I know it really does not matter to you but I do not support atheists. I will spread the word through the Christian Community as well.”

N. Abraham

Response:

Mr. Abraham,

If I wear a shirt that says Ford does that mean I hate Chevrolet? It may, but 99% of the time it doesn’t. It’s more likely that the person wearing the shirt likes or has a fondness for Ford’s.

Assuming, that you know the answer to a question before you have all the facts, by definition, is ignorant/ignorance. I do not mean this in a derogatory fashion, as we are all ignorant to things we don’t know or are unaware of.

Ignorant:
1. Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact: ignorant of quantum physics.
2. Uninformed; unaware.

Without getting into a dissertation on being non-judgmental, non-evaluative and non-invalidative; all good Christian values, I will just cut to the chase.

The T-shirt I am wearing in the referenced picture is from a store in Soho, New York called, “Evolution”. I bought it while on a business trip in 2006 (links to the store below). As a doctor of chiropractic (a doctor who specializes in the skeletal system) I have a fascination with skeletons and have a few shirts with skeletons on them. There is no hidden meaning in it, it’s just a shirt. (shirt in question)

http://www.evolutionnyc.com/
http://www.myspace.com/theevolutionstore

At this point, I would like to respectfully request that you reevaluate this situation with the new and accurate data that has now been brought to light. You may even want to print this and consult with your pastor or another trusted Christian advisor, for their take on this matter. Labeling people is not productive (see passage below). Look at what happened in World War II when the Nazi’s labeled the Jews and the hundreds of years that the Catholics and Protestants killed each other, just because of a label.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

P.S. And by the way, I am a religious person, far from being an atheist. My favorite passage and one that I live by, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” [Proverbs 23:7]

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