Scientific And Medical Accuracy
A Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma
calls it "pure unadulterated 'cow pies'".
A Doctor of Internal Medicine in Ponca City says it is "filled
with ...many false generalizations, internal inconsistencies, outright
lies, and potentially dangerous treatments."
They are talking about the Purification part of the Narconon drug
rehabilitation program that will be offered at Chilocco.
According to a document called the Narconon Technical Line-Up copyrighted
1984 by Narconon, their rehabilitation program consists of several steps:
First, there is a Detoxification and Withdrawal program, followed by a Drug
Education/Orientation lecture, Hard TR's (Training Routines), the
Purification program, Objectives, the Drug Rundown, and the Way To
Happiness Rundown.
Several area individuals have ask for and have been promised a copy of the
Narconon "protocols" that will be used when Narconon is in operation, but
after several weeks, nothing has been forthcoming from Narconon.
However, Narconon and Scientology
®
documents have been provided by former
Scientologists, Narconon volunteers, and Narconon patients which give a
pretty clear idea of program contents.
One of those documents, a Hubbard Communications Bulletin called "The
Purification Rundown Replaces The Sweat Program" is said to contain the
core of L. Ron Hubbard's "technology" regarding the removal of toxic
substances such as drugs from the body.
It is a regimen which includes exercise, sauna sweat out, nutrition
including vitamins, minerals, etc, as well as oil intake, and a properly
ordered schedule of activity.
This and several related documents were offered for evaluation by a
University of Oklahoma Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and by a
Ponca City Doctor who specializes in internal medicine. Their reports are
being forwarded by city leaders to the State Health Department.
The OU Professor in his August 4, 1989 report, writes, "My overall comment
on Mr. Hubbard's literature is that there is an absolute lack of data to
support his assertion that the Purification Program succeeds in doing what
the presently adopted programs fail to do. The documents reviewed also
contain many truths and half-truths."
"However," he continues, "there is no evidence that Mr. Hubbard's approach
will cure these ills.
"(Hubbard's statement that) "There is no such thing as a fat cell" is a
meaningless statement," the professor says. "'Fat tissue' should be adipose
tissue which consists of many cell types and the major lipid storage cell
is termed a 'brown cell'"
Where Hubbard suggests that in 1973 someone got a Nobel Prize for curing
insanity with niacin, the OU report says it is "too absurd to comment on."
As far as can be determined, the professor said by telephone, no such prize
was ever given.
The OU report complains of a lack of scientific data within the documents
to support the statements made, and concludes that, "Overall the program
proposed by Mr. Hubbard is pure unadulterated 'cow pies'. It is filled with
some scientific truth but mainly is illogical and the conclusions drawn by
Mr. Hubbard are without any basis in scientific fact."
A report received August 14 from a Ponca City doctor specializing in
Internal Medicine says...
"As a previous Medical Director of two alcohol and drug rehabilitation
units, I feel I am qualified by training, interest and experience to
comment specifically on the proposed treatment center's so called
The Purification Rundown is apparently either all or part of Narconon's
initial detoxification program. The ... document is in general a poorly
written program. There is extremely poor organization. The material is full
of generalizations that have no substantiation in fact. There are internal
inconsistent statements. There is no documentation.
The Purification Rundown is somewhat patterned after many reputable
detoxification programs in which diet, exercise, education and behavioral
modification are used. But due to the above mentioned deficiencies as well
as several outright untruths, I think that it is fair to say that the
Purification Rundown is without merit."
Some specific points made in the report: "There is certainly no scientific
documentation that exercise significantly speeds up the detoxification
process."
"The author states throughout, that sweating increases the rate at which
drugs in general leave the body. This is certainly untrue of many drugs, as
most drugs of abuse are eliminated from the body by detoxification through
the liver, or by passage through the kidney, or occasionally by passage
through the lungs. Although minute quantities of some drugs may appear in
the sweat it is such a small fraction of drug elimination that no matter
how much a patient were made to sweat it could not significantly increase
his clearing of most drugs."
"The author states 'There is no such thing as a fat cell.' This is
absolutely false and can be disproven by any college student who has had a
course in Histology."
"The author's recommendation for taking Vegetable Oil to replace the oils
in our fat tissue that are contaminated with drugs has no documentation or
basis in fact."
"Perhaps the most blatantly false statement made in the entire document (is
where the) author states, 'niacin's biochemical reaction is my own private
personal discovery in the middle of the 1950's. Niacin was discovered
several decades before the 1950's and its importance and multiple
biochemical reactions have been studied from that time until present."
"The author further goes on to state 'Niacin runs out radiation'... There
is no scientific documentation that niacin in any way gets radiation out of
the body. The symptoms of which the author talks are due to dilation of the
blood vessels of the skin and is a known side-effect of niacin
administration."
The report continues... "there are aspects ... which I find medically
unsafe. (Parts of the program) suggest that the author expects that in many
cases heat exhaustion will occur. Any treatment which leads to heat
exhaustion is unsound and unsafe."
Regarding suggested use of a medical officer, the report states, "It seems
quite apparent that medical officer does not equate with medical doctor or
physician as the author...goes on to say 'the medical officer gives a
person an OK to go on to the program after insuring the person's blood
pressure is normal and he is not anemic. The medical officer does these
checks himself where he is trained to do so'. Therefore, it seems medically
unqualified persons are going to be supervising this program which I think
is quite dangerous."
The report concludes, "While a drug free society is a worthwhile goal of
any institution, when the initial entry into this program, i.e. the
Purification Rundown is filled with so many false generalizations, internal
inconsistencies, outright lies, and potentially dangerous treatments, I
think it is without question that Narconon will be a detriment to the
Newkirk area, Kay County, and the State of Oklahoma as a whole."
City leaders say they intend to forward complete, signed copies of the two
reports to the same state and federal officials who previously received
other packages of material concerning Narconon.
The name "Narconon"® is trademarked to the Scientology
organization through one of their many front groups. The name
"Scientology"® is also trademarked to the "Church"
of Scientology. Neither this web page, nor this web site, nor any of the
individuals mentioned herein assisting to educate the public about the
dangers of the Narconon scam are members of or representitives of the
Scientology organization.
If you or a loved one needs help -- real help -- there are
a number of rehabilitation programs you can contact. The real
Narcotics Anonymous organization
can get you in touch with real people who can help you.
Click [HERE] to visit Narcotics
Anonymous's web site. Narcotics Anonymous's telephone number is
1 (818) 773-9999.
Return to The NarCONon exposure's main Index page.
Forward: For a systematic, detailed, professional exposure of
Scientology's "Narconon" front group, visit the
Narconon Exposed web site.
Of Narconon
®
Program Questioned
17 August 1989
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