HCG?

[MCunningham]

Has anyone ever known someone who used HCG (either injections or sublingual drops) to lose weight or tried it themselves?

Any feedback on it? Everything I find on the internet is glowing in positivity, but I'm wondering about any real-life stories if you guys have any...

MC

 

[llp]

Has anyone ever known someone who used HCG (either injections or sublingual drops) to lose weight or tried it themselves?

Any feedback on it? Everything I find on the internet is glowing in positivity, but I'm wondering about any real-life stories if you guys have any...

MC

Someone at work did, or is doing it. She's doing it because her doctor has recommended it. She was somewhat heavy before, but, doesn't exercise, and seems like she eats decently. I believe she was losing a pound a day, but, I think she will gain it right back when she gets off the injections, as in all the diets she has been on this is what happened. This doesn't seem healthy losing a pound a day! If she got out and even walked a mile at lunch time, I think it would do her more good!

I know she was on Atkins before and lost lots of weight (maybe 50 pounds), but, it came right back when she stopped. Then when she tried it again later, she did not lose as much, quit the diet, and the weight came back.

She does have one health problem that I know of. She bruises really easily, and was on meds for that. Not sure if she got the HCG injections to help with that other problem, too.

Sorry that I am so vague, but, I don't diet like her, so, I guess I never really found out exactly what the injections were all about. I will try to remember to ask her about it Monday at work and let you know what I find out!

 

[morningstar]

Interesting info on HCG from Wikipedia:

Weight loss
A controversial usage of hCG is as an adjunct to the British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons' ultra-low-calorie weight-loss diet.[8] Simeons, while studying pregnant women in India on a calorie-deficient diet, and “fat boys” with pituitary problems treated with low-dose hCG, discovered that both lost fat rather than lean (muscle) tissue. He reasoned that hCG must be programming the hypothalamus to do this in the former cases in order to protect the developing fetus by promoting mobilization and consumption of abnormal, excessive adipose deposits. Simeons, practicing at Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, Italy, recommended low-dose daily hCG injections (125 mg) in combination with a customized ultra-low-calorie (500 cal/day, high-protein, low-carbohydrate/fat) diet loss of adipose tissue without loss of lean tissue. After Simeons’ death, the diet started to spread to specialized centers and via popularization by such as the author Kevin Trudeau, a specialist in promotion.

The controversy proceeds from warnings by the Journal of the American Medical Association[9] and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition[10] that hCG is neither safe,[9] nor effective as a weight-loss aid.[11]

Anabolic steroid adjunct

In the world of performance enhancing drugs, hCG is increasingly used in combination with various anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) cycles. As a result, hCG is included in some sports' illegal drug lists.

When AAS are put into a male body, the body's natural negative-feedback loops cause the body to shut down its own production of testosterone via shutdown of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA). This causes testicular atrophy, among other things. hCG is commonly used during and after steroid cycles to maintain and restore testicular size as well as normal testosterone production.

High levels of AASs, that mimic the body's natural testosterone, trigger the hypothalamus to shut down its production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. Without GnRH, the pituitary gland stops releasing luteinizing hormone (LH). LH normally travels from the pituitary via the blood stream to the testes, where it triggers the production and release of testosterone. Without LH, the testes shut down their production of testosterone. In males, hCG helps restore and maintain testosterone production in the testes by mimicking LH and triggering the production and release of testosterone.

If hCG is used for too long and in too high a dose, the resulting rise in natural testosterone will eventually inhibit its own production via negative feedback on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin)

Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Mark Trudeau (b. February 6, 1963) is an American author, infomercial salesman, founder of the International Pool Tour, self-proclaimed advocate of alleged alternative medicine, and radio personality. He is best known for a number of controversial television infomercials promoting his products and for several books including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About.

Because of pyramid schemes and other illegal activities in relation to these promotional activities, Trudeau has been embroiled in a number of civil suits, felonies and misdemeanors, resulting in arrests, convictions, fines and jail time.

Early life
Trudeau grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, United States, the adopted son of Robert and Mary Trudeau.[1] He attended St. Mary's High School in Lynn, where he was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by the class of 1981.[2]

Career
After serving prison time for criminal activity in the early 1990s, Trudeau and a fellow inmate that he met in prison joined Nutrition for Life, a multi-level marketing firm, where they were successful. He and his partner were sued by the Illinois Attorney General for running a pyramid scheme. Trudeau and his company entered into a settlement with Illinois and seven other states for U$185,000.[3][4][5][6]

Trudeau then produced and appeared in infomercials, broadcast frequently on late night TV in North America and promoted a range of products, including health aids, dietary supplements (such as coral calcium), real estate investment strategies, memory-improvement courses, baldness remedies, addiction breaking strategies, and reading improvement programs, among others. The claims made resulted in regulatory actions by the FTC, based on his alleged misrepresentations and unsubstantiated claims. In 1998, he was fined, and in 2004 Trudeau settled an FTC contempt-of-court action by agreeing to a settlement that banned him from using infomercials to promote products, except for those publications protected by the First Amendment. He also agreed to pay a $2 million settlement.[7][8]

Trudeau began writing various books and promoting them with infomercials including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About published in 2005. After criticism that the book did not contain any natural cures promised in his infomercials (Trudeau said he was not able to include them because of threats from the FTC), Trudeau released an updated version of the original book. He then published a book titled More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease (ISBN 0-9755995-4-2). According to Trudeau, the book contains the names of actual brand name products that will cure myriad illnesses. In both books, Trudeau made claims such as animals in the wild rarely develop degenerative disease such as cancer or Alzheimer's and that many diseases are caused by an imbalance of vital energy, not viruses or bacteria. Science writer Christopher Wanjek criticized many of these arguments in his July 25, 2006, LiveScience health column,[9] pointing out facts that sick animals get eaten by predators. Trudeau next published The Weight-Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About in 2007. Trudeau's most recent publication, titled Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, promises to reveal secret tips and methods consumers can use to eliminate their debt.

Trudeau's books have sold well. Natural Cures was listed in September 2005 by the New York Times as the number-one-selling current nonfiction book in the United States for 25 weeks, and has sold more than five million copies.

Trudeau launched a self-titled radio talk show in February 2009. It airs on several stations across the country[10]. The Kevin Trudeau Show also contains both live and on-demand video of the show via it's website[11] and YouTube[12].

Go here for more on Kevin Trudeau, but really, do you need to know any more?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Trudeau)

 

[morningstar]

Well, maybe you do:

Publications

Trudeau's book Natural Cures – Updated Edition
Trudeau endorses Dianetics on page 226 of The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About under the heading "Things STRONGLY SUGGESTED you do" (emphasis in original)[edit] Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About
Main article: Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About
In the self-published book, Trudeau says there are "all-natural" cures for serious illnesses, including cancer, herpes, arthritis, AIDS, acid reflux disease, various phobias, obesity, multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and muscular dystrophy, and that these cures (which include apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, consuming dietary supplements, such as calcium, eating organic food, cleanses and detoxification, such as colonic irrigation, use of a rebounder, colloidial silver, Dianetics (a practice of Scientology) and a other treatments, are being deliberately hidden from the public of the United States in order to protect the profits of drug companies. The book itself directs readers to Trudeau's subscription-only website. Among his claims are that sunscreen, not ultraviolet radiation, cause cancer, that antiperspirants and deodorants contain poisons, that AIDS is a hoax and that chemotherapy is more dangerous than cancer.[13]

The consumer protection website Quackwatch analyzed a transcript of the infomercial used to sell the book and said the claims were fraudulent and misleading.[14] Other doctors have expressed serious concerns about the book's instructions, such as stopping all medication and refusing vaccinations. Some of the claims in the book are not true, such as the claim for a "natural cure" for diabetes that was researched at the University of Calgary - which the university denies.[13]

The New York State Consumer Protection Board issued a 2005 warning that the book contains no actual cures, merely pages of speculation. The Board also stated that consumers have complained that the book is merely an advertisement for Trudeau's website and newsletter, at a cost of $71 per month. The book also contains a dustcover endorsement from former FDA commissioner Herbert Ley, who died several years before the book was published. A spokesperson for the Board stated that "The hypocrisy surrounding this book and its advertisements is galling because people with real illnesses are being misled...This book and its marketing machine are a cynical attempt by Mr. Trudeau to cash in on his legal troubles with the federal government."[15] Another posting by the Board stated that Trudeau was selling the information provided by those who order the book to junk mailers, telemarketers and other direct marketers. Trudeau's website lacks a privacy policy, and thus customers are not made aware of Trudeau's use of their information. Customers have also reported being charged $71 per month without their consent for Trudeau's newsletter, as well as problems with refunds, and only being able to access Trudeau's company for a refund through a long-distance call rather than the toll-free line used to purchase products.[16]

[edit] More Natural "Cures" Revealed
In May 2006, Trudeau self-published More Natural "Cures" Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease. This book responded to complaints that its earlier version did not actually contain any cures but pointed consumers to his subscription website. In More Natural "Cures" Revealed, Trudeau describes workers at the FDA and FTC as Nazis who want to censor him and burn his books. In his review of the book for LiveScience.com science writer Christopher Wanjek described this as "a fascinating cross between a health book, fictitious novel, and a paranoid, hate-filled rant along the lines of 'Mein Kampf.'"[17]

[edit] The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About
Main article: The Weight-Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About
In April 2007, Trudeau released The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About. The book describes a three-phase multi-month plan originally made famous by British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons in the 1950s. The first phase involves switching to all organic foods with repeated colonic and liver cleansing. This is followed by a second-phase period of daily hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) injections under the direction of a health care provider. In Phase 3, use of hCG stops, but food must continue to be 100 percent organic. Other recommended activities include walking an hour a day or more and doing breathing exercises.

Critics say that as early as 1962, the Journal of the American Medical Association warned against the Simeons Diet.[18] In 1976, the FTC ordered clinics and promoters of the Simeons Diet and hCG to inform prospective patients that in their opinion there had not been "substantial evidence" to conclude hCG offered any benefit above that achieved on a restricted calorie diet. Clinical research trials published by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition[19] have shown that hCG is ineffective as a weight-loss aid.

One double blind study showed those receiving hCG lost twice as much weight as placebo group (The Asher Harper Study) Effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on weight loss, hunger, and feeling of well-being. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Feb 1973; 26: 211 - 218. It should be noted that at the time of the study W.L. Asher, MD was a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians Research Council.

The online consumer watchdog group Consumeraffairs.com has received complaints about the book.[20] The FTC has filed a contempt-of-court action against Trudeau alleging that the alleged misrepresentations in the book violate a 2004 consent order.[21][22]

 

[morningstar]

[edit] Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About
Debt Cures was published in 2007 and has been marketed on television. Chuck Jaffee, a columnist at CBS MarketWatch, stated: "Truth be told, most of the information [in the book] is readily available in personal finance columns you can find online or in books that are readily available in your local library."[23]

[edit] The Money-Making Secrets "They" Don't Want You to Know About
Published in 2009, the book says it gives tools on how to use the Law of Attraction to manifest your desires. The book also says it contain key links to using the Law of Attraction that are missing in other publications. Among the claims made in the book's infomercial is Kevin Trudeau's assertion to have virtually flunked out of high school. That claim contrasts strongly with the fact that he was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by the class of 1981 (see the Early life section above). He also says he was "taken in" by a mysterious group called "The Brotherhood" that taught him the secrets that he is now widely announcing in his book. There is also an invitation at the conclusion of the series to a "Global Information Network" which is claimed to be an exclusive private group of very successful individuals and leaders (not to be confused with the news organization of the same name).[24]

[edit] Media interviews
Trudeau has been interviewed by CNN's Paula Zahn,[25] Matt Lauer of NBC's Today Show, and Harry Smith of CBS's The Early Show.[26] Trudeau was also the subject of investigative reports done by Inside Edition,[27] ABC's 20/20[28] and Dateline NBC.[29] The 20/20 segment highlighted a Nightline interview with Jake Tapper in which Trudeau misrepresented the money he was forced to pay to the government, the charges filed against them and the reason the government did not follow-through with charges, and claiming ignorance when the claims made in his book were called false by Tapper.[28]

During interviews, Trudeau has often said that the television program in which he is being interviewed is "owned" by the drug companies. In some cases Trudeau has told his supporters, via his newsletters, that he has been "attacked" on a particular program or by a particular interviewer.

[edit] Infomercials

Trudeau's infomercials typically consist of a scripted "conversation" with a co-host. This is a program for his updated Natural Cures.Trudeau was a prolific producer of infomercials. He stipulated to an FTC ban applying to everything except publications that the FTC concluded would infringe upon his First Amendment rights. All of his recent infomercials advertise his books Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About and The Weight Loss Cure. Notable co-hosts have included Leigh Valentine (former wife of televangelist Robert Tilton)[30][31][32] and the late Tammy Faye Messner.




[edit] Pharmaceutical companies
Trudeau says that pharmaceutical companies "don't want us to get well" because curing disease is not nearly as profitable as treating it in perpetuity. According to Trudeau, the corporate profit motive overrides the human desire to truly help people.

Trudeau says that natural treatments cannot be patented and are not profitable enough to justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars in testing, so they will always lack FDA approval. Trudeau uses herpes as an example, saying that people with herpes must buy an expensive drug for the rest of their lives. He says that if there were a cheap, easy cure for herpes, the FDA and pharmaceutical companies would not want the population to know about it because corporate profits would suffer.

He cites the number of advertisements on television for prescription drugs and points out that prescription drugs should be advertised to doctors, not to the general public.

He states in one infomercial that there are twelve known cures for cancer but that they are being kept from the general public by the FDA, the FTC, and the pharmaceutical companies. He also says that the FDA and the FTC are two of the most corrupt organizations in America and that there is a long list of chemical ingredients that are secretly not required to be on the FDA ingredients label that are damaging to human health.

Trudeau offers a conspiracy theory, saying that the drug industry and the FDA work with each other to effectively deceive the public by banning all-natural cures in order to protect the profits of the drug industry. Trudeau says that FDA commissioners who leave the FDA to work for large drug companies are paid millions of dollars. In any other industry, according to Trudeau, this would be called "bribery," a "conflict of interest" or "payoffs." Trudeau also says in his infomercials that the food industry includes chemicals (such as MSG and aspartame) to get people "addicted to food" and to "make people obese."[33]

Trudeau has also declared that he will lead a crusade against the FDA and the FTC and will make an effort to sue companies who promote false claims in advertising, such as leading pharmaceutical companies.

[edit] References to scientific studies
One of the major complaints about Trudeau's infomercials is that he makes only vague references to scientific studies, making them impossible to cross-check for accuracy. The same criticism exists for the anecdotal evidence he presents in the infomercials.[34] He does not mention names of people who have been cured by his methods. For example, he tells a story in an infomercial about "a friend from England" who came to his house and complained of heartburn. He also references a study done on the antidepressant qualities of St. John's Wort compared to two prescription medications. He claims that the media reported St. John's Wort was "proven ineffective in study," but critics say that none of the medicines tested were effective at combating depression.

Critics say that by not referencing studies to substantiate claims, Trudeau risks a conflict with the FTC. The infomercials suggest that these subjects will be addressed further in the book, but this is not the case. Readers of his book are often referred to his fee-based subscription website to find Trudeau's suggested natural cures.

[edit] Newspaper article
A 2005 Associated Press article by Candice Choi on the infomercials elaborates on the success and problems of the programs.[35] Choi says that by repeatedly mentioning government sanctions against him, Trudeau "anticipated any backlash with his cuckoo conspiracy theory" and can partially deflect any criticism of him or his infomercials. Trudeau's use of the word "cure" is an issue for regulators. Also, bookstores are polled on their decisions to sell or not sell a successful and controversial self-published book.

[edit] Additional marketing ventures
[edit] Audio tapes: “Mega Memory”
Trudeau says he adapted techniques used to improve the memory of the blind and the mentally challenged to create Advanced Mega Memory and Mega Memory audio tapes. His promotion of memory-enhancing products was stopped by the intervention of the Federal Trade Commission which had determined that the claims made by Trudeau were false and programs involved would not enable users to achieve a "photographic memory", as the advertising claimed.[36]

[edit] Non-surgical face lift
In addition to Natural Cures, Trudeau also hosted an infomercial that features the "Perfect Lift" non-surgical face lift. In England, this infomercial was found to violate the ITC advertising rules.[37]

In 2008, Trudeau began airing another infomercial, for a product called Firmalift, with Leigh Valentine.

[edit] Trudeau partners with Donald Barrett and ITV Direct
On September 11, 2006, Donald Barrett and ITV Direct, a direct marketing company based in Beverly, Massachusetts, announced that they had partnered with Trudeau to market both of his Natural Cures books.[38] Trudeau also worked with ITV to create ITV Ventures, a new MLM group based out of ITV's home office.[39] As of December 2006, ITV Direct has pulled all information concerning both this partnership and Trudeau's books from its corporate website; however, the infomercials have continued to run as of April 14, 2008.

[edit] International Pool Tour

IPT Starship Stage for TV rounds and finals at North American Championship held in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 2006Main article: International Pool Tour
Trudeau founded the International Pool Tour (IPT), with some of the largest purses and prizes given out in billiards.[40] The IPT was unable to pay prize money from a 2006 tournament in Reno, Nevada, which the New York Times said had a crushing effect on the pool community as a whole.[41]

 

[morningstar]

[edit] Legal proceedings
In connection with his promotional activities he has had a felony conviction and has been an unsuccessful defendant in several Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuits.[42][43][44][45][46] Trudeau has been charged several times by agencies of the United States government for making claims without evidence. In these cases Trudeau signed a consent decree in which he did not plead guilty but did agree to stop making the claims and to pay a fine. Trudeau subsequently began to sell books, which are protected by the First Amendment.[28] His change of modus operandi as been explained thus:

"Certainly pitchman Kevin Trudeau learned this lesson years ago. After serving a 2-year federal prison sentence for credit card fraud he changed course. He's since made far more money stealing from the gullible using phony self-help programs and books than he ever did as a common forger... Kevin learned a valuable lesson: outright stealing--doing things like forging checks and stealing credit card numbers might get you locked up--but dressing up a pyramid scheme to look like a legitimate business will probably only get you sued."[47]
Trudeau was convicted of fraud and larceny in the early 1990s.[48] The FTC has sued him repeatedly and keeps an extensive record of its conflicts with him.[49] A court order currently restricts his ability to promote and sell any product or service; however, he is permitted to promote books and other publications due to free-speech protection under the First Amendment as long as they are not used to promote or sell products or services and do not contain misrepresentations.[7][8] On November 19, 2007, a court found Trudeau in contempt of that court order for making what they consider deceptive claims about his book The Weight Loss Cure "They" Don't Want You to Know About.[50][51] In August 2008, he was fined more than $5 million[52] and banned from infomercials for three years for continuing to make fraudulent claims pertaining to the book. The amount of the money damages was later increased to $37 million.[53]

[edit] 1990-1991: Larceny and credit card fraud
In 1990, Trudeau posed as a doctor in order to deposit $80,000 in false checks, and in 1991 he pleaded guilty to larceny. Trudeau had used the credit cards of eleven customers of a mega memory product to fraudulently charge approximately $122,735.68.[54] He spent two years in federal prison because of this conviction (Choi, 2005). Later, in his book Natural Cures, Trudeau claimed that he has since learned from his experience, and is now motivated to help people rather than merely make money for himself.[3]

[edit] 1996: SEC and various states
Trudeau began working for Nutrition For Life, a multi-level marketing program, in the mid-1990s. In 1996, his recruitment practices were cited by the states of Illinois and Michigan, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Illinois sued Trudeau and Jules Leib, his partner, accusing them of operating an illegal pyramid scheme. They settled with Illinois and seven other states for $185,000 after agreeing to change their tactics. Michigan forbade him from operating in the state.[3][4][5][6] A class action lawsuit was filed by stockholders of Nutrition for Life for violations of Texas law, including misrepresenting and/or omitting material information about Nutrition for Life International, Inc.'s business. In August 1997, the company paid $2 million in cash to common stockholders and holders of warrants during the class period to settle the case. The company also paid the plaintiffs' attorney fees of $600,000.[55]

[edit] 1998: FTC fine
In 1998, Trudeau was fined $500,000, the funds to be used for consumer redress by the FTC, relating to six infomercials he had produced and in which the FTC determined he had made false or misleading claims. These infomercials included "Hair Farming," "Mega Memory System," "Addiction Breaking System," "Action Reading," "Eden's Secret," and "Mega Reading."[56][36] The products included a "hair farming system" that was supposed to "finally end baldness in the human race," and "a breakthrough that in 60 seconds can eliminate" addictions, discovered when a certain "Dr. Callahan" was "studying quantum physics."[3][57]

[edit] 2004: FTC contempt of court and injunction
In June 2003, the FTC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Trudeau and some of his companies (Shop America (USA), LLC; Shop America Marketing Group, LLC; and Trustar Global Media, Limited), alleging that disease-related claims for Coral Calcium Supreme were false and unsubstantiated. In July 2003, Trudeau entered into a stipulated preliminary injunction that prohibited him from continuing to make the challenged claims for Coral Calcium Supreme and Biotape.

In the summer of 2004, the court found Trudeau in contempt of court for violating the preliminary injunction, because he had sent out a direct mail piece and produced an infomercial making prohibited claims. The court ordered Trudeau to cease all marketing for coral calcium products.

In September 2004, Trudeau agreed to pay $2 million ($500,000 in cash plus transfer of residential property located in Ojai, California, and a luxury vehicle) to settle charges that he falsely claimed that a coral calcium product can cure cancer and other serious diseases and that a purported analgesic called Biotape can permanently cure or relieve severe pain. He also agreed to a lifetime ban on promoting products using infomercials, but excluded restrictions to promote his books via infomercials.[7][8][58] Trudeau was the only person ever banned by the FTC from selling a product via television. Lydia Parnes, speaking for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection stated "This ban is meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years." Trudeau claimed the government was trying to discredit his book because he was "exposing them."[13]

[edit] 2005: Trudeau v. FTC
On February 28, 2005, Trudeau filed a complaint against the FTC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Trudeau also filed a motion for preliminary injunction, which the court denied.[59]

The complaint charged that the FTC had retaliated against him for his criticism of the agency by issuing a press release that falsely characterized and intentionally and deliberately misrepresented the 2004 Final Order. That conduct, Trudeau asserted, exceeded the FTC's authority under 15 U.S.C. § 46(f) and violated the First Amendment. The FTC responded with a motion to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), and for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted under Rule 12(b)(6).

The district court granted the FTC's motion to dismiss. First, the court concluded that it lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the press release was not "a 'final agency action'" under “section 704 of the [Administrative Procedure Act]”, 5 U.S.C. § 704. Second, the court held, "in the alternative, that Trudeau’s claims failed to state a viable cause of action as a matter of law."[59]

Trudeau later filed an appeal which was unsuccessful in reversing the court's ruling.[60]

[edit] 2005: Trudeau v. New York Consumer Protection Board
Trudeau filed a lawsuit on August 11, 2005, accusing the New York State Consumer Protection Board of violating his First Amendment rights by contacting television stations in New York state and urging them to pull Trudeau's infomercials promoting his book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About.[61] Trudeau won a temporary restraining order on September 6, 2005 prohibiting the Board from sending letters to the television stations. The temporary restraining order was replaced by a preliminary injunction. However, Trudeau lost a motion to have the Board send a "corrective letter" to the television stations and subsequently dropped all claims for monetary damages. The case is still in litigation.[62][63][64]

[edit] 2007: FTC contempt of court action
The FTC filed a contempt of court action against Trudeau and the companies that market The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About, alleging that Trudeau was in contempt of a 2004 court order by "deceptively claiming in his infomercials that the book being advertised establishes a weight-loss protocol that is 'easy' to follow." The action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on September 17, 2007.[21] According to an FTC press release, Trudeau has claimed that the weight loss plan outlined in the book is easy, can be done at home, and readers can eat anything they want. When consumers buy the book, they find it describes a complex plan that requires intense dieting, daily injections of a prescribed drug that is not easily obtainable, and lifelong dietary restrictions.[22]

 

[morningstar]

On November 19, 2007, Trudeau was found in contempt of the 2004 court order for "patently false" claims in his weight loss book. U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Gettleman ruled that Trudeau "clearly misrepresents in his advertisements the difficulty of the diet described in his book, and by doing so, he has misled thousands of consumers."[50][51][65] On August 7, 2008, Gettleman issued an order that Trudeau was not to appear in infomercials for any product in which he has any interest, for three years from the date of the order; and was to pay a penalty of $5,173,000, an estimate of the royalties received from the weight loss book.[66][67] On November 4, 2008, Gettleman amended the judgment to $37,616,161, the amount consumers paid in response to the deceptive infomercials. The court denied Trudeau's request to reconsider or stay this ruling on December 11 of the same year.[53]

Trudeau appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit which upheld the contempt finding, but sent the case back to the lower court to explain the basis of the $37,616,161 damage finding and the three-year infomercial ban.[68]

[edit] 2010: Arrest and imprisonment for criminal contempt of court
On February 11, 2010, Trudeau was arrested and appeared in U.S. District Court before Gettleman for criminal contempt of court after he "asked his supporters to email the federal judge overseeing a pending civil case brought against him by the Federal Trade Commission." He was forced to turn over his passport, pay a $50,000 bond and was warned he could face future prison time for interfering with the direct process of the court.[69] On February 17, Gettleman sentenced Trudeau to 30 days in jail and forfeiture of the $50,000 bond.[70] Well-known critic of Trudeau, Stephen Barrett, the creator of Quackwatch.org, "has for years labeled Trudeau a fraud" and was quoted: "He struck me as somebody who (believes he) is omnipotent. That is, no one can touch him," Barrett said. "That’s almost been the case."[69]

[edit] Other criticisms
[edit] No medical training
One common criticism by consumer groups is that Trudeau has had no medical training. Trudeau responds that by not having such training, he is not biased towards pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, and that medical doctors "are taught only how to write out prescriptions" for "poisons" and "cut out pieces of a person's anatomy."[71]

[edit] No proof of claims
Trudeau has also been criticized for his inability to provide substantial evidence to back up many of his claims. Although he provides anecdotal evidence, he has not provided evidence that such customer claims have been evaluated by a licensed medical practitioner. As such, any claims made by Trudeau or his supporters that his book or other business endeavors have helped people cannot be verified and are based solely on testimonials. In instances where Trudeau has been asked to provide proof of his claims, he has misinterpreted medical studies or cited dubious or fictitious studies. For example, Trudeau cited a nonexistent 25-year research study involving a natural cure for diabetes at the University of Calgary.[72] When Jake Tapper confronted him, Trudeau insisted that he had a copy of the study and would provide it, which he never did.[73] He now claims on his infomercials that the University destroyed its findings to prevent reprisals from the pharmaceuticals industry.

[edit] False endorsements
In August 2005, the New York Consumer Protection Board warned consumers that Trudeau has used false claims of endorsements to promote his products, noting that the back cover of Natural Cures includes false endorsements. Further, the NYCPB states that Trudeau's television ads “give the false impression that Tammy Faye Messner opposes chemotherapy in favor of the ‘natural cures’ in Trudeau’s book.” A representative for Messner before her death from cancer said that was not true and that she was starting chemotherapy again.[15]

The back cover includes the following quote from Dr. Herbert Ley, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration who died three years before the book was written: "The thing that bugs me is that people think the FDA is protecting them. It isn't. What the FDA is doing and what people think it's doing are as different as night and day." Trudeau's lawyer, David J. Bradford, says that this quote does not constitute a false endorsement of his book by Ley but rather is merely a statement that is in line with the purpose of his book.[74]