Author Topic: Makes me sick  (Read 7343 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« on: November 24, 2005, 02:31:00 AM »
MISSION MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
Condon, Montana
John Mercer, Headmaster
Gary Kent, Treatment Director
406-754-2580

Visit report by Vicky Hartman, on June 5, 1996
staff at Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions
Albany, Oregon
541-926-7252

Young women in need of a therapeutic, structured environment to acknowledge addiction issues around food, sex, drugs and alcohol would benefit from the Mission Mountain program most. These young women need to be able to handle intense confrontation, as no stone goes un-turned here. The School prefers 15 year old students though they accept students ranging in age from 13 to 18. The program can afford to be quite selective concerning their students as out of 800 applications/inquiries only 17 young women were admitted.

The program here is intensive and quite inclusive. As Headmaster John Mercer told me, they try to make all their interactions intentional. Issues around food are explored, food is tightly monitored and residents fill out record sheets regarding what they are eating and their feelings about their food. Group sessions occur every evening. Emphasis is on development of a deeper understanding of each girls issues as well as skills to help them when they return to ?life outside,? rather than merely managing behavior.

Physical activity in and of itself and as a metaphor is used effectively throughout the program. Residents ?get it? at the school, how every act they do effects the group and this gets translated into regular group consequences...In the extreme if there is the sense (by staff and/or students) that the community is in trouble.. (i.e. people are not doing their work, being open, etc.) The whole group will go on an ?intervention.? Interventions translates into packing up, going to the woods, camping out no matter what the season, doing intense physical exercise and groups until things are worked out. The theory is that the folks that are doing their work will do well with the physical challenge, in fact enjoy it, and the ones that aren?t will be miserable and will be motivated/forced to get on with their issues. One of these occurred during graduation... John states this is evidence that these moves indicate to the kids that the staff will do what it takes to keep residents safe.

The school?s all encompassing program is powerful. Upon my arrival I was shown around by two residents who were positive about their experience while being honest about the challenges of the program.

I arrived in time for group on Wednesday evening. Group was held that night in the round corral with certain residents working through their issues via their ability to work with a particular horse. It is incredible to watch how evidence of their unhealthy relationship habits was acted out with the animal. The young women were able to acknowledge the power of the evening. The residents regularly accessed their feelings, were honest about their issues, and most seemed engaged in the process.

http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... sit02.html
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2005, 12:40:00 PM »
yea, how is this ok again?  totally sickening.  I also was sent this- it's kind of funny, luckliy this girl ran away from MMS- but her portrayal has some humor, but is still sickening:

i remember comin back and everyone was pissed at me. cause it was right after we had that bike trip and at lunch everyone said during the circle talkign thing that iw as "truthful" and "dishonest"... adn iw as this 14 yr old and i was like, what the fuck?? i was hella hurt and didnt understand so... then i wouldnt bike. and they made all u girls bike incircles for like 20 mins and finally the y pujlled me up and told me to bike so i just started wlking my bike. tehen we were going back and iw as walkin mybike and everyone was behind me BIKING up hill hella slow. and i didnt care cause i was pissed at everyoneanyways iguess lol.. well i felt kinda bad but iwas so weak. like, on the way TO lunch i was fallinoff my bike and to help me be better they were puttin rocks in my paniers. a skinny out of shape 14 yr old.. wow, thats therapeutic :razz: lol... and so, yeah, i ran the nightof the bike trip i think, or not long after that. i had decided not to put my bike back on the rack, i think part of me planned to run..and when we got back to the place i had to wash everones bike. and then i had to do kitchen chores lol.. the funnest one and i was socaking wet. adn everyone was mad at me lol... everyone except maybne a few ppl. i remember there was this new girl who was in mybunk and i was going to invite her to run with me but i figured i should let her sleep since i didnt know if shed say yes or not... damn... when i ran it was hella nighttime and i could hear all the animals! i got a few miles out and found a bar... beyond that ther woulda been nothin for like 40 mils apparently. also, a few cars had passe dand id tried to hitch. im so lucky i didnt come across any wild beasts(human/nothuman) that night


one person i remember well is lauren vasquez from cali. i remember sawing wood with her adn singing rap songs and she was all trying to be discreet sicn eits ilike "against the ruls." does anyone find it weird that we were suposed to tell our parents abotu every time we masturbated> i think thats pretty sick in the head.

and wut about those days we spent on jons proprety clearing out rocks. wuts up with that? i say child labor but i dont know how u guys feel about it all anyways... so yeah, props to all of u who lasted longer than me (i lasted 3 months) sincei know there were more bike trips and thing safter i left im sure. good job! forreal!!!


http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... 1532030062
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2005, 02:43:00 PM »
What happened to this girl? She must be a truly brave soul to have had the guts to run through the night in that unbelieveably remote and rugged country! She must have run first to the "Hungry Bear" and from there into more darkness and forest. She is my Hero!!! I hope she is doing well, what a gal! I would love to hear the rest of her story, Mercer must have had a cow. I wonder if any others escaped that we don't know about.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2005, 06:34:00 PM »
HEY wuts up??? Just checkin out this page... kinda intersting :smile:

yeas, i did run from MMS. I was very depressed and well, I guess I like the fact that u guys call me brave. Now I'm a little older and I dont know if I'd do that again. AAAH, scarry!!!! :smile:

well yeah so i biked down the hill/path until i came to a main road adn i was like, "right or left???" and i chose right. finally i came acrooss a bar and payphone. called my best friends house collect, she wasnt in but i talked ot her mom for a while who convinced me to call my mom... Well, I called MY mom, byu this time i was INSIDE the bar and a man was there but he wasn t a perv thank god!!! On the phone, my mom listend to me tellingher how horrible ti was and finally said i could come home. I was like, "okay, but I cant go back now beause it is too dark etc..." so we had the police drive me back LOL. I was back for a few days with a thought, "yes, my moms going to come get me today.." well, actually instaad i had a lovely male escort who brought em back to SUWS!!!
Dude, at mms they made me have a PAPSSMEAR and I was  a virgin. they said my mom requested it adn my mom said she knew nothing abotu it. i dont trust either party though :smile: also, i had a damaged ankle and they wouldnt take me to the doctor. so when i re-arrived at suws, i asked them to take me to a doctor. after my 2nd week they finally did and the dr said i couldnt hike or it would permananetly damage m ankle. TOO LATE, now i cant really RUN or JUMP!!! after that i got sent to another program in AZ called "spring ridge academy" i thin it was more therapy things and less wilderness. I was thre for like 10 montsh and i was doin well until my mom asked them to put me on medications. my mom was doing coke at this time, little did anyone know... so they put me on meds (i dont want this to seem like im blamin other peeps for this situation because i iknow thers a millionthings i coulda done differently... i am happy all of this is over yet i wouldnt change it because i know theres a lot ive learned and i lot i can do to grow from it... :smile:) and i go crazy. u can look up "dangers of psychiatric medications/drugs" on google etc. and ull see all the class action lawsuits, the fact that theyre banned in many countries and the fact that the testing/approving of drugs all comes down to teh FDA and pharmaceutical companys LINK ... (they get money if drugs are approved and tehn sold)... so yeah i went crazy and got kicked out of that program. got sent to mental institutions. back to my moms abusive household. then gropu homes. and then finally off meds and convinced my dad to let me stay with him in CANADA. okay, so my parents arent the best, DUH. however, things r lookin up now. therapy never really worked for me, so tospeak, but i recently found a real psychic who helps me see why i face hurdles i do and what im supposed to learn etc. its great... iv ehad a lot of health issues etc. which are also getting way better... And yeah, life goes on.. but regarding all those fucked up programs, i'd realy like to start amking websites .. as in, we can see what someone has to type on google (the biggest search engine) or any othe rsearch engine, to find MMS. And, we can create OUR OWN site to show up as well. and in it we can write all our horror stories and try to convince parents to pursue other things like naturopaths etc. i knwo someone who is able to get sites found on search engines and i would pay him once i have the money, unless someone out there is rich :smile: im startin a busienss and have no money right now but this is something ill do once i have money. so id ask if u guys have horror stories that i can post, send them to me adn also ill want u to sign a waver saying im allowed to post it... :smile:thats it :smile: this is how we can start to make a difference. :smile: see ya
jacqueline :smile:!! :razz:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2005, 07:34:00 PM »
hi by the way...
(its the girl that ran again.. )

i just want to say that i was sent to many places that r corrupt. SUWS the wilderness program i was almost bit by a rattle snake taken on the most DANGERSOUS hikes of ALL HIKES, (we all cold have died and its a miracle we didnt), and bit by two ticks. mms, u heard my story.. hte gyno thin gnad the ankel thing should be enough for now lol, and then anothe rprogram sra where they had a therapis burts intoTEARS in hte middle of our therapy cause she felt bad for me, we had "rtarainings" where they had people pretend they were goign to molest me and i had to throw them off me which was awful, and they had me sent to a psychiatrist who met me once and prescribed me meds. yes, this, ill have to share responsibility between msyelf, the gvt and the psych and my mom... but annyways.. other things went on there. peole wold sit in circles fcuttin on themselves, havin orgees, stealing pills and snorting them. LOL. serioulsy!!! once i was sent to outpatient rehab in cali and thats where wed MEET drug hookups. prety much what im gettin at is that most of these programs are fucked adn we need to halp shutall of them down. so with that website idea that i had, i think itll be really important to get a lot of ppl on board. ppl from mms, suws, sra, and all teh others. if u guys kjnow peple. lets start gettin testimonials. lets start gettin people to sign permission to put this shit online. if we can get a buncha ppl to chip in money we can do this now. itll be about 1g for the year. or so.. if not, ill pay for it mysel fan d thatll probably be in a few months etc... when i have money :smile: it may sound too good to be true but we will get the word out GUARANTEEd!!!! :smile:!!!for now u can send ur testimonials to jacquelinehecht@gmail.com... if u can include a name and phone number thatll be great. perhaps to protect all of us we wont post our names online... but we can :smile: u can tell me ur preference. also, if anyone knows about whether or not we can use the school names that would b e great. for now i wont count on it, and who wants to deal with lawsuits anyways ? LOL!!! but, yeah :smile: im really excited abotu this. itll take time to get all teh testimonials together and once the sites ready it atakes a few months to start being foun don the first pages of the search engines, but we will do this. i wont give up. ive been planning this since i was 13 so ... thers no way i would change my mind. im so happy ive thought of a way to reach people. this is great@!!! if u guys ahve any quesitons email me or whatever. :smile: see ya takec are love u all :smile:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2005, 01:50:00 AM »
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2005, 09:44:00 PM »
the site i have, from wut weve decided so far, will have the homepage with about 3 or 4 testimonials.. intesne ones. well even probably have some graphic/cartton stuff goin on. wehere we can ahve actualy movies showing some of our experiences. then there'll be a "testimonials link" where we can have as many testimonials from "survivors" as we want... I'd like our site to be a little less "intellectual'informational" and a little more emotional and personal. i mean, this is a site created by survivors, directly for parents. u know, its like WE ARE their kids... in a way. so, anyways.... THIS link however iS GREAT as a LINK FOR ME TO ADD TO OUR SITE. any link that is related to what we're talking about actually helps our site get foudn on search engines. It's also great for parents who want to get more information. Any other websites u think that can be useful to add to the website will be greatly appreciated!! :smile: still waitin on testimonials!! :smile: it all goes :smile: maybe we will take donations on line as well, to help us fund the cost of OPTIMISING teh site. the more PHRASES we're found under on search engines, the more WORK will hav eto go into the site. I wont take a penny, by the way. its all going to go to the web optimiser. my friend is going to do most of the design for free... he wont accept money. which is super sweet. :smile: all i ask u guys for is testimonials, plus other wbesite links is greatly appreciated. as well as ideas for things we can suggest for parents instaead of these places. so far ive thought of "naturopathy" whichis greatfor healing bte body/detoxifying/ and helps with depression etc. greatly!!! aits ALL natural. illa lso suggest some books and other reading materials . also , gettign kids involved iwth hobbies. do u guys have any other ideas??? maybe big brother/sister programs??? :smile: thanks !! :smile: remmber u can email ur testimonials to jacquelinehecht@gmail.com seeya :smile:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2005, 02:26:00 AM »
ive talked to some peeps and it seems i need to say somethign it hink to u guys too: dont worry abotu money. ill take care of it. i wont post anyones names NOR will i say its fromMMS. u dont even have to tell me ur name :smile: this site will be directed to all programs in general. heres what i ahve so far: my webdesigners going to do it for free and we can get the site prepared in teh meantime, til i ahve to worry abotu optimising it and getting it a domain name. but even in teh meantime, i can add it on to a site i already own... and even get it optimised under MY domain name for now :smile: so, once i get testimonials, i can start working more on how to make this work... please write as much as u feel comfortable writing. thansk so much!! letmme knwo wut u think. no one is writing ajck lol :razz:
 ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS!!! WE ARE FEW OF MANY SURVIVORS OF THE VARIETY OF ADOLESCENT PROGRAMS OUT THERE, AND WE BEG YOU: PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT INSTITUTIONALISED CHILD ABUSE! MAKE SURE TO READ THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE FOR THE FULL SCOOP! This may be your child?s only chance!!!
Are you considering sending your child away, to an institution that will help them ?get back on track!?!?? Before you sign on the dotted line, there are some things you need to know that you may not find out from your ?educational consultant,? your ?friendly politician,? or ANYONE else you have met thus far!!! Keep on reading and be amazed!!!
READ JUST A FEW SELECTED TESTIMONIALS DIRECTLY FROM THE YOUNG ADULTS WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM THESE PROGRAMS. READ NOW!!!
testimonial #1 (<-- WRITTEN), CLICK HERE TO VIEW REINACTMENT (<--LINK)
testimonial #2 (<-- WRITTEN), CLICK HERE TO VIEW REINACTMENT (<--LINK)
(LINK)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE TESTIMONIALS: PLEASE LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO TELL YOU. THESE TESTIMONIALS COME STRAIGHT FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE CONSIDERED ?DILINQUENTS? WHETHER IT HAD TO DO WITH A.D.D., DRUG ADDICTION, DEPRESSION, AMONG MANY OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS. DO NOT IGNORE WHAT WE HAVE TO TELL YOU. MANY OF US HAVE ?GRADUATED? OUR INSTITUTION, AND THERE?S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. IF YOU LOVE YOUR CHILD, YOU?LL READ THIS NOW!
(LINK)
DON?T KNOW WHAT TO DO, TO HELP YOUR ADOLESCENT? CLICK HERE FOR SOME ADVISE, DIRECTLY FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN YOUR CHILDS SITUATION, OR ONE SIMILAR TO IT. WE HAVE SUGGESTED LINKS, BOOKS, AND PROFESSIONALS TO HELP YOU THOUGH. THIS IS DEFINITELY WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT!!! WE DON?T DOUBT THAT YOUR CHILD NEEDS HELP GETTING ON TRACK. WE HAVE SPENT TIME BRAINSTORMING FOR YOU, AND THESE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS WE CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2005, 04:15:00 PM »
my concern is the exclusive push for natural remedy, otherwise sounds good- the more websties exposing the nasty underbelly of this industry the better![ This Message was edited by: katfish on 2005-11-28 13:17 ]
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2005, 05:45:00 PM »
http://www.naturalcures.com has a free video on teh bottom right side u may be interested in..

also if u look up "dangers of psychiatric drugs/medications" youll find the corruption link between fda (ppl who approve drugs) and pharmaceutical co's (ppl who sell them)... THere's also info regarding how a lot of these meds r banned for children or altogether in different countries... also many class action lawsuits going on. there r natural cures for AIDS, cancer etc. that the gvt doesnt want us to knwo about. pharmaceutical company is a public co. so its #1 goal in LAW is to SELL PRODUCTS. NOT SAVE PEOPLE. if people r WELL the pharmaceutical CO will go out of business. ITS A MULTI BILLION DOlLAR INDUSTRY. !!!! natural cures cant be patented so thats y they dont sell them. also, some countries are corrupt and acutally ahve BANNED vitamins E and C!!! Can u believe it??? the fda has gone into places WITH guns and confinscated RESEARCH done on NATURAL VITAMINS and pRODUCTS!!!! its a HUGE problem!! good naturopaths know how to help people detox a body NATURALLY so thers NO HARM and it can help clear ur head. Heres one great link as well:

http://www.candidafree.net/pages/1/index.htm

lemme know wut u think :smile:seeya!!! jacquline :razz:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2005, 10:19:00 PM »
I'm not suggesting that there is no validity to natural remedies nor am I in disagreement with the way in which policy is heavliy influenced by the pharmaceutical co.'s, but to exclude the scientific devlmt. of meds on that basis and suggest that holitic remedies may entirely replace the funtion of med provided by pharmaceutical co's seems a bit reactionary to me if not  dangerous.    I'm not saying that it's not possible to replace some types of medication with natural ones but b/c there are no FDA regs in place on natural 'supplements' the quality often varies and I find that a little disconcerting. True, I also find it disconcerting that patent laws drive up the cost of meds in a way that lines the pockets well of CEO's and at the expense of the sickly poor- or now middle class, but alas that is a  systematic problem and not a debate on natural vs. pharmacuetical meds.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #11 on: November 29, 2005, 01:51:00 PM »
I don't recommend people treating themselves. I recommend finding a LICENSED naturopath. This is someone with experience in curing all types of diseases. There are NUMEROUS success stories of people overcoming CANCER and EVEN HIV with ZERO chemotherapy, radiation, or any other type of invasive surgeries etc. You can watch the free video at http://www.naturalcures.com on the BOTTOM right if you'd like to learn a bit more. Thanks.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2005, 04:21:00 PM »
Sites like natural cures really, in my opinion, are cause for concern b/c, in the unregulated internet market where people can espouse misleading, if not blatantly false info in the interest of profit I take everything with a grain of salt.  

I heard about this guy, actually- sounds very much like a John Mercer, IMHO- selling something/himself as knowledgeable but not really knowing anything about it, making it up as he goes along.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline katfish

  • Posts: 543
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.cafety.org
Makes me sick
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2005, 04:23:00 PM »
washingtonpost.com
Wait, There's More
Kevin Trudeau's 'Natural Cures,' Swallowed by Millions Without A Prescription

By Libby Copeland
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 23, 2005; D01



NEW YORK

On this, our lucky day, Kevin Trudeau is introducing us to his personal electromagnetic chaos eliminator.

Trudeau, who has sold millions of books by touting the curative properties of things such as magnetic toe rings and crocodile protein peptide, believes the sole thing keeping his brain from being "microwaved from the inside out" by cell phones and radio waves is this electromagnetic whatever. We are intrigued.

"Would you like to see this magical device?"

Boy, would we!

On a publicity tour in the suite of a midtown hotel room, Trudeau unbuttons his fine white dress shirt.

This seems like a good time to note how extremely well-dressed Kevin Trudeau is, in the fine tradition of TV salesmen and televangelists. Over the dress shirt is a butter-colored tie that precisely matches the pocket square tucked into his luxury Brioni suit. He wears alligator shoes. On his left wrist is a Rolex Masterpiece dripping with diamonds, and on his right ring finger is a rock so big a child could choke on it.

Over the years, Trudeau, an ex-con who never went to college or medical school, has been remarkably successful doing infomercials for everything from how to achieve a photographic memory to how to cure your addictions to how to beat cancer by ingesting a particular type of calcium that, as fate would have it, he also happened to sell.

Now he sells the most popular nonfiction book in the country, according to Publishers Weekly. In "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About," Trudeau explains how a massive cabal formed of the federal government, pharmaceutical companies and the media is keeping Americans from living well past 100. He advises everybody to get off prescription drugs, even if they have serious problems like diabetes or blood clots; he reveals how multiple sclerosis can be cured by magnetic mattress pads.

He says sunscreen doesn't prevent skin cancer. Instead (wait for it), sunscreen causes skin cancer.

But back to the microwaved-brain problem. Trudeau parts his shirt and reveals a necklace with a disk of metal hanging on it. Glory of glories! So flimsy, yet so powerful. This is the vaunted electromagnetic chaos eliminator. It is called a Q-Link, and for a while lots of celebrities were supposedly into it, before they joined the Kabbalah bracelet craze.

Beneath the Q-Link is another necklace with a black triangle pendant. This is yet another electromagnetic chaos eliminator, and we stop Trudeau as he's closing his shirt and ask him about it. Trudeau says he's not sure exactly what it's made of or what it does; supposedly it offers some sort of balancing "vibration." He's just trying it out to see if it works, he says, sounding a little sheepish.

"The guy who sent it to me is kinda way out there," he says.

Enemas and More Enemas

Trudeau's publishing company -- which he happens to have founded -- says he's sold 4 million copies of "Natural Cures," many of them through phone orders. While those numbers can't be verified, his sales through traditional outlets have been astonishing -- so far he's spent 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

For those who want to save their $29.95, here are the secrets to health the government is keeping from you, according to Trudeau:

Get an electromagnetic chaos eliminator. Do some "bioenergetic synchronization." Give yourself some enemas, and then give yourself some more enemas. Wear white, for positive energy. Don't use a microwave or an electric tumble dryer or fluorescent lights or artificial sweeteners; don't dry-clean your clothes or use swimming pools or eat pork. Don't use deodorant (causes cancer) or nonstick cookware (causes cancer) or watch the news (stress alters your body's pH, which can make you get cancer). Remove the metal fillings from your mouth, and you're all set!

Trudeau's "Natural Cures" also references several helpful Web sites. One claims that if you stare into the sun every day while barefoot, you won't need food anymore. Another sells an instrument that looks rather like an index card but which promises to open a "temporal and spatial gate" that "enables an individual's entire etheric system to interface with a very large, complicated, partially automated, predefined healing process."

Lastly, if you have depression, Trudeau writes, stop taking your medication and by all means stop seeing doctors, who can't be trusted. Rather, go for a long stroll outside every day and "look far away as you walk."

If that fails, the book advises you to try Scientology.

From Kirstie to Mikhail

Trudeau is a remarkable American success story in the grand tradition of traveling salesmen with cure-all potions. He could sell you your own shirt and leave you grateful for the bargain.

When he talks, his hazel eyes get big and he taps his listener on the knee. He claims he knows important people in important places. He says he was just on the phone with Kirstie Alley. He says he met Mikhail Gorbachev, "fascinating guy."

He's a victim. He's a martyr. He's just trying to help his fellow man. He hasn't been sick in 25 years and he's going to stay healthy till 150 and he might run for president one day because "there's 25 million people that would probably vote for me."

He is like a magician; you're watching his hands and all of a sudden there's some confetti and a woman in a bathing suit and when you look back, lo and behold, there's a dove. When you ask Trudeau over and over for proof of his "natural cures," he says his studies are unpublished; he says he doesn't believe in studies; he says the studies are in the book -- but they're not there. They're never there.

Watch the hands.

He does an infomercial with Tammy Faye Bakker Messner and manages to seem utterly reasonable.

He makes the credit-card fraud and larceny he committed in his twenties sound like no big deal.

Trudeau, who now lives in Ojai, Calif., east of Santa Barbara, grew up near Boston. He says his dad was a welder and his mom a housewife. He went to his first Amway meeting at 15, and there learned he wanted to be "financially free." He started a mail-order business, which he says netted him a $1 million profit by the time he was 18.

After high school he sold cars, then joined the seminar circuit, offering techniques to help people improve their memories. It was during this period that he says he got caught up in the fast life and making money. In 1990, he pleaded guilty to depositing $80,000 in worthless checks. In the sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said he impersonated a doctor when he met with bank officials. Trudeau says he served fewer than 30 days.

In 1991, he pleaded guilty to obtaining and fraudulently using 11 credit cards and served close to two years in federal prison.

Trudeau, now 42, has several explanations for his crimes: They were youthful indiscretions and not as bad as they sound, and besides, both were partly the fault of other people, and besides, he has changed. The larceny he explains as a series of math errors compounded by the "mistake" of a bank official. As for why the bank thought he was a doctor, that was just a simple misunderstanding, because he jokingly referred to himself as a "doctor in memory."

He still can't quite believe he was prosecuted. "Give me a break," he says.

The fraud he says he committed because he paid a bill late, which led to American Express giving him a bad credit rating, which just wasn't right. After that, no one would give him a credit card, which was "insane," so he had little choice but to apply for cards with fake Social Security numbers.

According to officials at the time, Trudeau also misappropriated for his own use credit card numbers belonging to customers who'd signed up for his memory improvement courses. The man formerly known as "Mr. Mega Memory" says he doesn't think he did that, but adds that was a "very blurry time in my history with all the stress."

He calls that prosecution "outrageous" and says American Express and the prosecutor had it in for him, rather like he believes the federal government has it in for him now.

"It was a sad day because I remember walking into the courtroom and above the courtroom it says these words which are completely untrue: 'Hall of Justice,' " Trudeau says, relaxing in the hotel suite with fresh fruit and magnetic water nearby. "And I thought, 'This is not the Hall of Justice because this is not justice. This should say 'Hall of the Technicalities of the Law.' Where's the justice? Where's King Solomon? But I said, 'Y'know, I've been focused on making money and what I did was wrong -- even though it wasn't a heinous crime and I could justify it nine different ways.' "

In any case, in prison "everything got reprioritized," and Trudeau says he decided to stop focusing on money. He became buddies with a visiting Lubavitch rabbi. He decided to try out being Jewish (he'd gone to Catholic schools) and found out about "corruption in the Department of Justice" when he had difficulty getting kosher food.

He decided his new mission was to help people. (The Jewish thing didn't last.)

'One of the Best Salespeople'

In prison on the West Coast, Trudeau hooked up with a fellow inmate named Jules Leib, who was in for attempted distribution of cocaine. He gave Leib some self-help books. When they got out, they went into business together, making infomercials and selling health products as distributors for an Amway-type multilevel marketing company called Nutrition for Life. Right away the trouble started.

David Bertrand, the former president of Nutrition for Life, remembers Trudeau listening to motivational tapes "incessantly." He says Trudeau was "brilliant" and "one of the best salespeople I've ever known," and recalls that in 1996 the company nearly tripled its sales in large part because of Trudeau. The man could sell because he seemed to really believe in what he was saying, Bertrand says, but he repeatedly took it too far.

Bertrand says he became concerned that Trudeau was making overly optimistic promises to potential distributors about how much profit they could make. "We had a number of conferences where we asked him to cool it," Bertrand says. "It scared us."

At one point, Bertrand says, he learned that Trudeau had promised free trips to entice people to sign up as distributors. The trips never materialized, there were complaints, and Nutrition for Life had to step in, says Bertrand, and fund a weekend cruise for thousands of people.

"At the time he made the promise he fully intended to comply," Bertrand says. "He always intends to but he kind of gets carried away in his exuberance."

In 1996, the state of Illinois sued Trudeau and Leib, accusing them of operating an illegal pyramid scheme. The men wound up settling with Illinois and seven other states after agreeing to change their tactics. Trudeau and Leib split up, though Leib still speaks fondly of the former "life coach" who introduced him to the magic of multilevel marketing.

"He's probably one of the brightest guys you'll ever meet," says Leib. "He gave me Anthony Robbins's 'Awaken the Giant Within.' " (Later, Leib encourages a reporter to try supplements. "I'm on this great liquid," he says.)

In 1998, Trudeau paid half a million dollars to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint that several infomercials he helped create were false and misleading. The products included a "hair farming system" that -- according to the infomercial -- was supposed to "finally end baldness in the human race," and "a breakthrough that in 60 seconds can eliminate" addictions, purportedly discovered when a certain "Dr. Callahan" was "studying quantum physics."

In 2003, the FTC came after Trudeau again. The complaint and a separate contempt action centered on two products, one of which, Coral Calcium Supreme, was being billed as a cure for cancer, according to the FTC. Trudeau's guest on the infomercial, a man named Robert Barefoot, went so far as to claim that in cultures that consume a lot of calcium, people are so healthy "they don't even have children until they're in their seventies when they're mature enough to handle kids."

This time, said FTC attorney Heather Hippsley, the settlement was "unprecedented" in its scope. In addition to paying $2 million (in part by handing over his $180,000 Mercedes Benz), Trudeau agreed not to do any more infomercials selling products or services. The only thing he would be permitted to sell on-air was "informational publications," and he has greater leeway with what he can say in those because of his right to free speech.

Hence, the book.

Trudeau points out that his settlements were not admissions of wrongdoing. His attorney, David Bradford, suggests that the terms of the most recent settlement weren't terribly punitive -- indeed, this was a direction Trudeau wanted to take anyway.

"Trudeau had made an independent decision that he really wanted to focus on being an author and consumer advocate," Bradford says.

Still, in his book, Trudeau claims repeatedly that he's the victim of censorship. He likens the government to the Gestapo. He compares himself to Rosa Parks and Gandhi. He says because of "this FTC suppression" he can't recommend specific products to cure his readers' illnesses.

However, he says, readers can join his Web site. For just $9.99 a month or $499 for a lifetime, they can gain access to the special members-only section, and there they can e-mail him and he'll reveal his secrets.

'They Know That I Know'

Trudeau says he has considerable proof of the conspiracy working against the health of the citizens of this nation, but the nation will have to take it on faith. He says there are "government agencies" and "entire industries" that are spending "billions of dollars" to keep people sick so they can continue to make money. He says he has Nobel Prize winners as informants.

"I can't mention their names," he says. "There's a lot of insiders that I know, that are friends of mine, but I can't mention their names because one of the reasons why I was capable of writing this book was I have so many insiders that give me the information. . . . And this is why everyone in Washington is frightened to death, and that's why the government is trying to shut me up. Because they know that I know. They know I've been in the meetings. You know what it's like? It's kind of like I've got the black book with everyone's names. And they know: This guy starts naming names, it's going to be out of control."

Readers will have to trust that Trudeau knows of a doctor who found a cure for AIDS, and that another doctor "discovered a serum that virtually made cancer tumors vanish in 90 minutes" but "was completely shut down by the FDA." Trudeau never names these doctors. He says "researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA," but he never reveals who these researchers are.

Readers will have to take it on faith that Trudeau will soon be putting proceeds from the book and the Web site into nonprofit groups dedicated to teaching natural remedies and suing the government. They'll have to trust that they don't really need medications their doctors have prescribed and that the supplements they're ordering over the Internet will work.

They'll also have to ignore the places where Trudeau stretches the truth: What appears to be a back cover endorsement from a former FDA commissioner is actually a 35-year-old quote. Quotes inside are purportedly from Bill Gates in a television interview, but Trudeau puts more words in Gates's mouth. ("I paraphrased," Trudeau says.)

Trudeau's book appeals to a nation that has been disillusioned by managed health care, by rushed and impersonal doctors, by diseases that didn't use to be diseases except these days everything has a name and a pill to go with it. Ask your doctor if it's right for you.

Those who report success with Trudeau's book say they're discovering that they've been overmedicated. They've cut down on this or that drug for this or that minor problem and discovered they never needed it. They've tried the book's most conservative recommendations -- eating organic foods, taking supplements, cutting out sodas -- and write in to say they've lost weight. Few appear to be curing their muscular dystrophy, or reporting success with magnetic toe rings.

Some people post angry reviews on Amazon.com, saying they feel "ripped off" and "gullible" for buying "Natural Cures."

Some vacillate.

"It's a scary step to take," says Joyce Nuuhiwa, 61, who lives in Honolulu and has Type 2 diabetes. Nuuhiwa has read Trudeau's book, and she's considering quitting both her medications and trying a combination of herbs that Trudeau advises. (He writes in the book that this diabetes "cure" was discovered at the University of Calgary, but officials there say they've never discovered any such thing.)

Nuuhiwa is disappointed by what her doctor said -- that the disease is progressive, that eventually she'll have to be on insulin. She wants to believe the diabetes is reversible, and frankly, she doesn't trust everything doctors tell her. She suspects, for example, that there's already a cure for cancer, that Trudeau is right about the conspiracy. But she's not sure if he's right about her diabetes.

She says there's something "slick" about him that makes her uneasy.

"If I could be assured that he's totally honest I would be diving into this, but this is my life I'm talking about," she says.

He is slick, but somehow likable, too. He curses and does voice imitations. He is attractive, if not handsome, and people say he's popular with the ladies. He says he has a girlfriend who's almost 20 years younger; she's a student and part-time model.

He says he lives out his healthy living convictions. He says he recently got back from an ashram. He says he carries a shower filter with him wherever he goes, to eliminate the fluoride and chlorine he considers poisonous. After a few hours with Trudeau, you think maybe it's not all just a show. Maybe he really believes he's offering cures. Then he says this about that funny-looking necklace he wears, the electromagnetic chaos eliminator:

"If it doesn't work, what's the harm?"

He reveals that when he was young he used to perform magic tricks at kids' birthday parties.

Watch the hands.

"Kevin wouldn't allow us to have Equal in the office," says Janine Contursi, who briefly dated Trudeau in the 1980s and then worked for him in the '90s. She remembers that once, when she worked for him, she threw out her back, and Trudeau spent "thousands of dollars" to send her to an alternative health clinic. There, she was offered tips on positive thinking.

Her back did get better, she says. But it could have been because of the chiropractors.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 72_pf.html
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Offline Anonymous

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 164653
  • Karma: +3/-4
    • View Profile
Makes me sick
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2005, 05:17:00 AM »
the book was on the top sellers for over 16 weeks? It's probably for a reason, no??? Or you can believe this article. You'll find many others too. Even good morning america wanted to interview him. Not live though, only if they could EDIT it. When he told them hed be happy to do it live, what did they do? They went to his house early in the morning out of nowehre, and made it seem like he was declining to be interviewed all together. Also, the government has stripped him of many of his rights. He's not allowed to list any products by brand name etc... Or use any company names. There are reasons PEOPLE DONT WANT US TO KNOW ABOUT NATURAL CURES, hense the TITLE of the book!!!! I feel that if you DONT at least LOOK INTO the book and what he is TRYING to put out there us all, you will be missing out on some IMPORTANT information. NO BOOK thats filled with GARBAGE is goign to sell so many copies. Same goes with MICHAEL MOORE> Why do his books sell so much? or should we just beleive what the government and certain medias tell us about HIM as well??? I know that "natural" cures seems a little ineffective. That's what the media has trained us to believe. It's all for a reason.. if you havent guessed it: MONEY... (1 word is all it really takes to explain it...)your 30 bucks wont be wasted... actually u can just read it for free in the bookstore... theres chairs... etc. :smile:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »