# "Natural Cures" Conspiracy/ Coral Calcium/ O'Ryley Factor/ FDA **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937 "2005-09-16T07:25:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/21 "2005-09-16T19:58:36Z")
I think **Timewinder** may be guilty of Science!! Seriously, thanks to **Timewinder** for so eloquently making the point that we do have a method for determining whether something is good for you or not. **KarlGauss** has been another strong voice here in the past for the use of _Evidence-based Medicine_, and if we could just get over the whole “Western vs. alternative vs. herbal” medicine bogus smokescreen, and use therapies which have been demonstrated by the scientific method to be effective regardless of where they came from, we’d all be healthier. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/22 "2005-09-16T20:14:23Z")
> [@fishquail](#): > > calcium provides the body with so much oxygen Through nuclear fission, perhaps? I can’t think of any other way this could work. > [@](#): > > that basically it can heal any health problem, and allow the body to heal itself… something like that… Touting one cure as able to heal “any health problem” is a hallmark of quackery. As is blaming a single cause (vitamin deficiency, aspartame “poisoning”, yeast overgrowth, or what have you) for a wide variety of unrelated symptoms. > [@](#): > > He claims that the reason for so many health problems is that the drug and food industry are conspirating. He says, drug industries don’t want to sell you a cure to your problem because if they did they would be out of business. Its all about money. If drug companies wanted you healthy they would be out of business, and not to mention how big the drug industry is but this would effect the national economy. Blaming a conspiracy in one or several industries for suppressing an invention or discovery (the drug industry for “natural cures”, the auto industry for 200-mpg cars, et cetera) is another sign of a quack. > [@](#): > > So, anyone know if this is true, or is they guy Kevin, a con? I am tending to believe him. He really sounds almost like an Onion article parodying medical quacks to me… > [@](#): > > What if there are other products we use today, not aware of the long term side effects. And you know that this “coral calcium” doesn’t have this kind of long-term side effects _how_, exactly? Because it’s natural? So are hemlock, oleander, death-cap mushrooms, and for that matter toxic minerals like mercury and lead. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/23 "2005-09-16T20:16:35Z")
His infomercials still play here…several hundred times a day, more on the weekends. Does he maybe have another inofmercial that doesn’t conflict with whatever edict caused him to discontinue his other one? ---
**Author:** ![fishquail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90db22/32.png) [@fishquail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishquail)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/24 "2005-09-16T22:00:24Z")
> [@lorinada](#): > > His infomercials still play here…several hundred times a day, more on the weekends. Does he maybe have another inofmercial that doesn’t conflict with whatever edict caused him to discontinue his other one? Yes, he has a new informercial on TV now- nothing to do with coral calcium as he was sued for it by such and such… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/25 "2005-09-16T22:04:11Z")
> [@lorinada](#): > > His infomercials still play here…several hundred times a day, more on the weekends. Does he maybe have another inofmercial that doesn’t conflict with whatever edict caused him to discontinue his other one? The feds are keeping a close eye on his current scam, but so far he’s been surfing loopholes skillfully enough that he can’t be shut down. If you listen to one of his infomercials, notice how many times he says “In my opinion…” You can’t stop someone from stating their opinion, even if it’s complete nonsensical crap. He has to make solid claims for his quackery to be required to back them up. I’m sure he’s had every word of his spiel filtered through layers of lawyers this time around. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/26 "2005-09-16T22:20:08Z")
> [@fishquail](#): > > I guess the final say would be from anyone that actualy bought the book and was “cured” from any problem due to doing something in the book. Anyone??? Apparently this isn’t going to happen, at least according to people who bought the book and say that [you have to actually cough up for a website subscription as the book has no cures in it](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9006287/): > [@](#): > > But Bates, and other consumers, now say they were had. There are hundreds of angry posts on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com)’s page devoted to “Natural Cures.” And about a dozen New York consumers have now contacted the New York State Consumer Protection Board. > > “The book is just gobbledygook. There’s nothing in it. He doesn’t say what the cures are,” Bates said. Instead, Bates said, on page after page the book urges readers to head to Trudeau’s Web site, [NaturalCures.com](http://NaturalCures.com). Consumers must pay $10 a month to use the site. And for those calling the toll free number to purchase the book, operators work hard to tack on a Web site subscription. “Something should be done to pull that ad off TV.” > [@](#): > > In one of the infomercials, Trudeau tells Tammy Faye Bakker Messner — former wife of televangelist Jim Bakker — that the book includes the method Trudeau used to quit smoking. But in the book, argues the Consumer Protection Board, Trudeau simply points people to the Web site: “If you want to know the exact method that I used to quit smoking, go to [www.naturalcures.com](http://www.naturalcures.com) and become a private member." He even got a dead FDA official to “endorse” the book: > [@](#): > > For example, the agency cites what it calls a book jacket endorsement from Dr. Herbert Ley, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But, the agency notes, Ley could not have endorsed or even read Trudeau’s book because he died in 2001 — about three years before the book’s release. > > Bradford said the quote on the back of the book jacket was not meant to indicate Ley endorsed the book. “I don’t think it’s fair to say that’s an endorsement of the book,” he said. “There’s no suggestion that this individual read the book or endorsed the book.” Considering that this guy pleaded guilty to credit card fraud about a decade ago, involving the credit card numbers of his customers, I don’t think anyone should pony up that kind of info to his website. ---
**Author:** ![bobk2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@bobk2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobk2)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/27 "2005-09-16T23:19:26Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > That doesn’t even make sense, on any level. What on earth does that _mean_? Calcium provides oxygen? Oh, yeah? Well, buy my product! This activated strontium gives your body much-needed gallium! Actually, couldn’t you make an arguement that oxygen gerenated within the body (as opposed to inhaled) is _bad_ for you? IANAD but I thought one of the things that led to eventual harm to cells was dna or rna replication errors following an oxidation process within cells. There are theories (I thought) that this could lead to plain aging or in the worst case cancerous cells. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/28 "2005-09-17T00:31:03Z")
> [@bobk2](#): > > Actually, couldn’t you make an arguement that oxygen gerenated within the body (as opposed to inhaled) is _bad_ for you? > > IANAD but I thought one of the things that led to eventual harm to cells was dna or rna replication errors following an oxidation process within cells. There are theories (I thought) that this could lead to plain aging or in the worst case cancerous cells. Oxidation != oxygen. There are a lot of chemicals that could act as oxidizers. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/29 "2005-09-17T03:02:51Z")
> [@](#): > > He claims that the reason for so many health problems is that the drug and food industry are conspirating. He says, drug industries don’t want to sell you a cure to your problem because if they did they would be out of business. Its all about money. Think about this for a second. The guy is claiming that there is a secret cure, that drug company officials are keeping secret, so their company will make money. Well and good - but this means that they, and their families, don’t have access to the cure either. And when they get cancer or AIDS or all the other diseases that quacks claim to be able to cure, they are willing to die, or let their family members die, so that their company can make money. Would you do that? Would you expect that a large number of complete strangers, in companies all over the world, would do that? Every single time? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/30 "2005-09-17T04:06:24Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > I had a contractor doing work on my house who insisted I read that book. Out of curiosity/politeness I did. It’s like an encyclopedia of quackdom. You would think that having compiled a tome of thousands of remedies and healing modalities he would have stumbled upon at least ONE that had a modicum of science behind it. By the way he also says in that book that Scientology is, without a doubt, the best science of mental health available. He’s a Scientologist? That’s your answer right there. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/31 "2005-09-17T04:39:44Z")
I think the real question to ask here is: **Why would anyone want to live to be 115?** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/32 "2005-09-17T05:37:53Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > I think the real question to ask here is: **Why would anyone want to live to be 115?** 😃 Why not? People who are frail and bedridden at 65 don’t make it to those very advanced ages. The folks who live exceptionally long times are the ones who are able to be active and lead productive lives for an exceptionally long time as well. Folks who make it to 115 are probably not suffering from debilitating diseases until 110. Once you start breaking hips and going senile, you don’t have a lot of years left. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/33 "2005-09-17T08:11:30Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Why not? People who are frail and bedridden at 65 don’t make it to those very advanced ages. The folks who live exceptionally long times are the ones who are able to be active and lead productive lives for an exceptionally long time as well. Folks who make it to 115 are probably not suffering from debilitating diseases until 110. Once you start breaking hips and going senile, you don’t have a lot of years left. Your logic makes no sense to me. It’s not as though you have the body of a 40-year-old until you turn 110, and then suddenly a switch is flipped and your bones become more brittle, your mind isn’t as sharp, and you suddenly can’t see or hear as well. For most of us, this is a gradual thing. My grandmother lived to be 93, but I wouldn’t call the last 30 years of her life “active.” She had to quit driving at 62 or so because she couldn’t see or hear as well, and her reflexes were poor. After a year or two riding the bus, she quit her volunteer job at the state hospital. She had to rely on others for doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping, and she hated that. HATED it. She couldn’t eat any of the things she loved, like gumbo or blackberry jam or peanut butter. And no salt. God, she hated that she couldn’t have salt. For the last 20 years of her life, she hardly left her apartment. For the last 10, her soul had already left her. She used to say, “Why won’t God just let me die??” and she meant it sincerely. Yeah, I know, I’m not my grandma, but I don’t want to live through all of that kind of slow suffering that my grandma lived through. I don’t believe that you’re just cruising along in life and everything is just peachy, and then all of a sudden you’re struck with a debillitating disease that kills you within one to five years at the age of 115. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but it’s HIGHLY UNLIKELY. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/34 "2005-09-17T15:42:19Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > She couldn’t eat any of the things she loved, like gumbo or blackberry jam or peanut butter. And no salt. God, she hated that she couldn’t have salt. > > For the last 20 years of her life, she hardly left her apartment. For the last 10, her soul had already left her. She used to say, “Why won’t God just let me die??” and she meant it sincerely. I’m sorry your grandmother suffered. ISTM that giving up all the things that make your life enjoyable in order to prolong it makes little sense. My intent is to be a difficult patient. I am not going to stop doing what I like. If I die at eighty instead of eighty-five, so be it. Don’t know the original source of the quote, but it appears on one of the James Bond books (You Only Live Twice, IIRC) - > [@](#): > > I will not waste my days trying to prolong them. I will use my time. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/35 "2005-09-17T15:50:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I’m sorry your grandmother suffered. > > ISTM that giving up all the things that make your life enjoyable in order to prolong it makes little sense. My intent is to be a difficult patient. I am not going to stop doing what I like. If I die at eighty instead of eighty-five, so be it. > > Don’t know the original source of the quote, but it appears on one of the James Bond books (You Only Live Twice, IIRC) - > > Regards, > Shodan I agree with that philosophy to an extent…I say to an extent because most of the time bad habits don’t kill you, they just make you very sick for a very long time. All my grandparents lived to their 80’s; however, they were all quite ill those final _20 years_. My father died at 70, but had to retire at 55. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937/36 "2005-09-17T17:00:24Z")
My gramma’s in her eighties, and even though she’s got some health issues, she’s pretty happy. Not EVERYONE suffers in old age. I looked to see if my library had this book, just out of curiosity. All of them were checked out, and there’s a waiting list of about four hundred people! Yikes! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-cures-conspiracy-coral-calcium-oryley-factor-fda/321937.md?page=1)