Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Quacks Me Up
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/malkmus.html
I have been doing some research and actually have heard of this diet at my brother-in-laws church in San Bernadino California where the Pastor was an advocate of the diet before he left under a cloud of suspicion. I did not post the entire article because it is a long one and I also did a web search and study of different 'miracle' remedies and diets. My conclusion was that "Let the buyer beware" is more true today than it ever was before. I think George Malkmus is a fraud and a quack. Many people seem to agree with me. For those who do not maybe you can do a point by point explanation of why I am wrong. My first question is what happens when a duck flies upside down? (humor me because I am trying to make you laugh)
Rev. George M. Malkmus and his Hallelujah Diet
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Reverend George M. Malkmus (1934- ) claims to have eliminated his colon cancer and other serious health problems more than 25 years ago by "following biblical principles for a natural diet and healthy lifestyle." He and his wife Rhonda Jean operate Hallelujah Acres, where they hold seminars, sell products, and advocate a diet that features raw fruits and vegetables. Malkmus and his followers claim that his methods have helped people with obesity, cancer, arthritis, and more than 100 other health problems. He is a very eloquent speaker who is capable of inspiring people who trust what he says. This article explains why I do not believe he is trustworthy.
Background History
Malkmus describes his history in books, tapes, lectures, and a newsletter called "Back to the Garden." After graduating from high school in 1952, he began working for a railroad. Soon afterward, however, he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War. After fulfilling his military obligation, he married for the first time and returned to work for the railroad. In 1957, he attended a Billy Graham crusade rally in New York City, became a Christian, and decided to become a gospel minister. He attended the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, graduated from Elohin Bible Institute in New York, and then pastored in various churches in New York, North Carolina, and Florida. During this time he hosted a radio program called "America Needs Christ." [1]
Malkmus states that by his late twenties, he says, he kept needing stronger and stronger eyeglasses and his health "progressively declined" and included problems with hemorrhoids, sinus trouble, allergies, high blood pressure, fatigue, and acne. In 1976, at age 42, he was told he had colon cancer. Instead of pursuing medical treatment, he turned to "an old preacher friend," Lester Roloff, who encouraged him to change from the standard American diet to "the original diet God gave mankind in Genesis 1:29." Within a year, he says, all of his physical problems (including his "baseball-sized" tumor) disappeared [2]. In developing his dietary approach, he studied under Ann Wigmore and Carey Reams, and was also influenced by the writings of Paul Bragg, T.C. Fry, Michael Klaper, John McDougall, Dean Ornish, Joel Robbins, Herbert Shelton, and Norman W. Walker [1]. He has also maintained relationships with Charlotte Gerson (promoter of the Gerson diet, Joel Robbins (a chiropractor who pretends to have a medical degree), Mary Ruth Swope (a physician who claimed for years that Barley Green can cure cancer), and the Contreras family (which operates the Oasis of Hope Hospital (a dubious cancer clinic in Tijuana, Mexico).
Malkmus states that he met Rhonda Jean when she attended a seminar he gave in 1991. At that time, he says, she was very overweight and suffered from severe symptoms of arthritis. Within a year after changing her diet and adopting an exercise program, however, she had lost 85 pounds and her arthritis problems were gone [1]. In 1992, they opened a small health food store and restaurant in Rogersville, Tennessee. Finding that it was successful, they moved to larger quarters in 1993. In 1994, they closed the store, moved their base of operations to a 50-acre farm in Eidson, Tennessee, and launched the Back to the Garden Ministries "to eliminate sickness from the Christian Community in particular and the world in general." [3] They estimate that more than a million people worldwide have tried the Hallelujah Diet [3], more than 3,000 have taken their training [3], hundreds have become "Health Ministers" [4], and more than 220,000 receive Malmus's free newsletter. In 1995, Malkmus received an honorary doctorate degree in literature from Louisiana Baptist Seminary.
In 1997, they relocated their base of operations to Shelby, North Carolina [1]. That same year, Malkmus announced that he had formed a "strategic alliance" under which the Oasis of Hope Hospital would offer the Hallelujah Diet and report on their results. He stated that "for the first time, the cause and effect relationship between diet and disease will be put under scientific scrutiny at a Christian cancer hospital." [5] However, as far as I can tell, no report has been issued.
In 1999, Malkmus claimed that all of his physical problems (including his "baseball-sized" tumor) had disappeared within a year after his cancer was diagnosed and that he had "experienced no sickness or physical breakdown of any kind" since that time [2]. However, in July 2001, he suffered what he describes as a hemorrhagic stroke, which he attributed to excessive stress. Several months later, he wrote:
On July 12, 2001, my body, after 25 years of excellent health, said: "ENOUGH!" Fortunately it was only a mild blood spill on my brain, and I was back speaking again within two weeks of the stroke, and never missed producing my weekly Health Tip or even failing to get it out on time.
It has now been almost 5 months since my stroke and I am back carrying on a full workload. During this time, I did give up 15 scheduled seminars, which were picked up by my personal assistant Olin Idol (who is also a Health Minister), and pastor and Health Minister Graeme Coad. I feel so blessed to have men of this caliber to call upon during time of need, who were willing to stand in the gap.
As of this writing, I am back doing my daily exercise routine, personally fulfilling speaking obligations, and planning for the future. Neither my mind nor my body appears to have any lingering effects from the stroke, even though the doctor at the hospital wanted to inject me with drugs and airlift me to Charlotte on the day of the stroke. FORTUNATELY, MY FAMILY REFUSED these medical treatments at a time when I was unable to make the decision for myself! [In another newsletter he stated that his family had taken him home and treated him with extra Barley Green and carrot juice.]
I did take some herbs for a while to bring down the high blood pressure which followed my stroke, but none of them had any effect on reducing my high blood pressure levels, and so I had to reluctantly resort to some very mild blood pressure medication. Currently, I am slowly weaning myself off these medications, while closely monitoring my blood pressure, and trying to monitor more carefully my stress levels. My blood pressure is currently running in the low normal range! . . . [6]
In January 2002, Idol took over as director of the Back to the Garden Health Ministry.
Whether Malkmus actually had cancer is not clear. In local newspaper report that was published in 1998, Malkmus admitted that he never consulted a cancer specialist for diagnosis but had relied on nutritionists and chiropractors. "We never had any biopsies to prove this," he said, "We don't know it was malignant. We know there was a tumor. We know there was bleeding." [7] The article also reported that Malkmus drank 16 to 24 ounces of carrot juice daily, which is enough to turn a person's skin orange (a condition called carotenemia). But the article did not say whether Malkmus's skin looked orange.
Antagonism toward Standard Health Care
Malkmus asserts that his methods are better and safer than standard health care. He states that his earliest memory is of crying while being wheeled down a corridor into the operating room where his tonsils were removed. He also vividly recollects frequent dental visits in which he experienced "incredible" pain when his teeth were drilled in preparation for fillings [1]. His newsletter dismisses the benefits of immunization, exaggerates the risks, and claims that dietary measures are more effective [8]. He also markets videotapes by Lorraine Day, M.D, a former surgeon who warns people that medical care is "against God's will" and does far more harm than good [9]. With respect to drugs he has written:
All drugs are toxic to the system and create new problems! The solution to our physical problems is not more pollution!
Every drug is liver toxic, even an aspirin! Every drug causes a new problem for which another drug is often necessary to relieve the symptoms of the previous drug. The taking of drugs places a person on a vicious downhill spiral that will create ever more physical problems and ultimately end in an early demise. . . .
The whole approach of the medical community is wrong when it comes to using drugs and other harmful treatments (radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) to deal with disease. They are always talking about cures and treatments for specific symptoms but they will never find a way to cure disease through the use of drugs! [10] There is more to the story at the link and there are other articles as well. As what happens when a duck flies upside down. It is very simple. They quack up. ¶ 12:55 PM
I have been doing some research and actually have heard of this diet at my brother-in-laws church in San Bernadino California where the Pastor was an advocate of the diet before he left under a cloud of suspicion. I did not post the entire article because it is a long one and I also did a web search and study of different 'miracle' remedies and diets. My conclusion was that "Let the buyer beware" is more true today than it ever was before. I think George Malkmus is a fraud and a quack. Many people seem to agree with me. For those who do not maybe you can do a point by point explanation of why I am wrong. My first question is what happens when a duck flies upside down? (humor me because I am trying to make you laugh)
Rev. George M. Malkmus and his Hallelujah Diet
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Reverend George M. Malkmus (1934- ) claims to have eliminated his colon cancer and other serious health problems more than 25 years ago by "following biblical principles for a natural diet and healthy lifestyle." He and his wife Rhonda Jean operate Hallelujah Acres, where they hold seminars, sell products, and advocate a diet that features raw fruits and vegetables. Malkmus and his followers claim that his methods have helped people with obesity, cancer, arthritis, and more than 100 other health problems. He is a very eloquent speaker who is capable of inspiring people who trust what he says. This article explains why I do not believe he is trustworthy.
Background History
Malkmus describes his history in books, tapes, lectures, and a newsletter called "Back to the Garden." After graduating from high school in 1952, he began working for a railroad. Soon afterward, however, he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War. After fulfilling his military obligation, he married for the first time and returned to work for the railroad. In 1957, he attended a Billy Graham crusade rally in New York City, became a Christian, and decided to become a gospel minister. He attended the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, graduated from Elohin Bible Institute in New York, and then pastored in various churches in New York, North Carolina, and Florida. During this time he hosted a radio program called "America Needs Christ." [1]
Malkmus states that by his late twenties, he says, he kept needing stronger and stronger eyeglasses and his health "progressively declined" and included problems with hemorrhoids, sinus trouble, allergies, high blood pressure, fatigue, and acne. In 1976, at age 42, he was told he had colon cancer. Instead of pursuing medical treatment, he turned to "an old preacher friend," Lester Roloff, who encouraged him to change from the standard American diet to "the original diet God gave mankind in Genesis 1:29." Within a year, he says, all of his physical problems (including his "baseball-sized" tumor) disappeared [2]. In developing his dietary approach, he studied under Ann Wigmore and Carey Reams, and was also influenced by the writings of Paul Bragg, T.C. Fry, Michael Klaper, John McDougall, Dean Ornish, Joel Robbins, Herbert Shelton, and Norman W. Walker [1]. He has also maintained relationships with Charlotte Gerson (promoter of the Gerson diet, Joel Robbins (a chiropractor who pretends to have a medical degree), Mary Ruth Swope (a physician who claimed for years that Barley Green can cure cancer), and the Contreras family (which operates the Oasis of Hope Hospital (a dubious cancer clinic in Tijuana, Mexico).
Malkmus states that he met Rhonda Jean when she attended a seminar he gave in 1991. At that time, he says, she was very overweight and suffered from severe symptoms of arthritis. Within a year after changing her diet and adopting an exercise program, however, she had lost 85 pounds and her arthritis problems were gone [1]. In 1992, they opened a small health food store and restaurant in Rogersville, Tennessee. Finding that it was successful, they moved to larger quarters in 1993. In 1994, they closed the store, moved their base of operations to a 50-acre farm in Eidson, Tennessee, and launched the Back to the Garden Ministries "to eliminate sickness from the Christian Community in particular and the world in general." [3] They estimate that more than a million people worldwide have tried the Hallelujah Diet [3], more than 3,000 have taken their training [3], hundreds have become "Health Ministers" [4], and more than 220,000 receive Malmus's free newsletter. In 1995, Malkmus received an honorary doctorate degree in literature from Louisiana Baptist Seminary.
In 1997, they relocated their base of operations to Shelby, North Carolina [1]. That same year, Malkmus announced that he had formed a "strategic alliance" under which the Oasis of Hope Hospital would offer the Hallelujah Diet and report on their results. He stated that "for the first time, the cause and effect relationship between diet and disease will be put under scientific scrutiny at a Christian cancer hospital." [5] However, as far as I can tell, no report has been issued.
In 1999, Malkmus claimed that all of his physical problems (including his "baseball-sized" tumor) had disappeared within a year after his cancer was diagnosed and that he had "experienced no sickness or physical breakdown of any kind" since that time [2]. However, in July 2001, he suffered what he describes as a hemorrhagic stroke, which he attributed to excessive stress. Several months later, he wrote:
On July 12, 2001, my body, after 25 years of excellent health, said: "ENOUGH!" Fortunately it was only a mild blood spill on my brain, and I was back speaking again within two weeks of the stroke, and never missed producing my weekly Health Tip or even failing to get it out on time.
It has now been almost 5 months since my stroke and I am back carrying on a full workload. During this time, I did give up 15 scheduled seminars, which were picked up by my personal assistant Olin Idol (who is also a Health Minister), and pastor and Health Minister Graeme Coad. I feel so blessed to have men of this caliber to call upon during time of need, who were willing to stand in the gap.
As of this writing, I am back doing my daily exercise routine, personally fulfilling speaking obligations, and planning for the future. Neither my mind nor my body appears to have any lingering effects from the stroke, even though the doctor at the hospital wanted to inject me with drugs and airlift me to Charlotte on the day of the stroke. FORTUNATELY, MY FAMILY REFUSED these medical treatments at a time when I was unable to make the decision for myself! [In another newsletter he stated that his family had taken him home and treated him with extra Barley Green and carrot juice.]
I did take some herbs for a while to bring down the high blood pressure which followed my stroke, but none of them had any effect on reducing my high blood pressure levels, and so I had to reluctantly resort to some very mild blood pressure medication. Currently, I am slowly weaning myself off these medications, while closely monitoring my blood pressure, and trying to monitor more carefully my stress levels. My blood pressure is currently running in the low normal range! . . . [6]
In January 2002, Idol took over as director of the Back to the Garden Health Ministry.
Whether Malkmus actually had cancer is not clear. In local newspaper report that was published in 1998, Malkmus admitted that he never consulted a cancer specialist for diagnosis but had relied on nutritionists and chiropractors. "We never had any biopsies to prove this," he said, "We don't know it was malignant. We know there was a tumor. We know there was bleeding." [7] The article also reported that Malkmus drank 16 to 24 ounces of carrot juice daily, which is enough to turn a person's skin orange (a condition called carotenemia). But the article did not say whether Malkmus's skin looked orange.
Antagonism toward Standard Health Care
Malkmus asserts that his methods are better and safer than standard health care. He states that his earliest memory is of crying while being wheeled down a corridor into the operating room where his tonsils were removed. He also vividly recollects frequent dental visits in which he experienced "incredible" pain when his teeth were drilled in preparation for fillings [1]. His newsletter dismisses the benefits of immunization, exaggerates the risks, and claims that dietary measures are more effective [8]. He also markets videotapes by Lorraine Day, M.D, a former surgeon who warns people that medical care is "against God's will" and does far more harm than good [9]. With respect to drugs he has written:
All drugs are toxic to the system and create new problems! The solution to our physical problems is not more pollution!
Every drug is liver toxic, even an aspirin! Every drug causes a new problem for which another drug is often necessary to relieve the symptoms of the previous drug. The taking of drugs places a person on a vicious downhill spiral that will create ever more physical problems and ultimately end in an early demise. . . .
The whole approach of the medical community is wrong when it comes to using drugs and other harmful treatments (radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) to deal with disease. They are always talking about cures and treatments for specific symptoms but they will never find a way to cure disease through the use of drugs! [10] There is more to the story at the link and there are other articles as well. As what happens when a duck flies upside down. It is very simple. They quack up. ¶ 12:55 PM
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One of my favorite people at Madworld opens up with bad puns before he impresses you with his great mind. The Air Force may have lost a great fighter pilot when they lost Bawb but the world gained from his retirement into civilian life. I wish him the best as he struggles with single parenthood and dumb civilians. LOL
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