Scientific And Medical Accuracy Of Narconon
®
Program Questioned
The Newkirk Herald Journal (?),
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 fall 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 sup- port 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
Purification rundown.
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
detoxificalion 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 ex- haustion 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 in- consistencies, 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.
17 August 1989
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