1 Critical Evaluation of Harvey & Marilyn Diamond's Book, Flt For Life, by Dr. Victor Herbert Professor of Medicine Mt. Sinai and Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Centers, New York @ 1988 - Victor Herbert, MD, JD Preamble The snake-oil promoters of nutrition frauds claim Information Committee I chaired from 1982 to 1986). that "physicians only get about 3 hours of nutrition in FASEB consists of the American Physiological Society, medical school, so listen to us--we have had years of the American Society of Biological Chemists, the study of nutrition." Their study, of course, is of American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental pseudonutrition - basically, how to deceive the public Therapeutics, the American Association of Pathologists, with pseudoscientific double-talk. the American Institute of Nutrition [AIN], the Experimental psychologist Tom Creed of St. John's American Association of Immunologists, and the University (Collegeville, MN) writing about American Society for Cell Biology. "Pseudoscience on the college lecture circuit," in the Within the past decade, there has been a strong Summer 1987 issue of The Skeptical Inquirer stated: swing to include in the medical school curriculum more "The inability to benefit from feedback appears to be courses � nutrition, coincident with the formal the primary cause of pseudoscience. Pseudoscientists recognition of clinical nutrition as a subspecialty of retain their beliefs and ignore or distort contradictory medicine. This formal recognition occurred in 1980, evidence rather than modify or reject a flawed theory. when ASCN (of which this reviewer was 1980 Because of their strong biases, they seem to lack the President) by letter dated May 27, 1980, secured self-correcting mechanisms scientists must employ in official recognition by the AMA as a national scientific their work. Science can be viewed as a special medical society. In the same year, ASCN brought to situation in which scientists acknowledge their human fruition at our concurrent annual meeting jointly with frailties and, through experimental design, construct the American Federation for Clinical Research (AFCR), situations in which their biases will have as little the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), impact as possible. This process is even more critical and the Association of American Physicians (AAP), a in the social sciences, since the subject matter, namely formal joint subsection of the latter 3 organizations ourselves, is one on which we all have strong opinions (of which the author is also a member) on Clinical and biases." Nutrition, which Robert Herman and a core group of us Pseudonutritionists state the literal truth that had sought for years, and which took its place at physicians in a number of medical schools only get every subsequent annual meeting, alongside the joint about 3 hours labeled nutrition, in order to convey the AFCR/ASCI/AAP subsections on Cardiology, Clinical false message that physicians do not learn nutrition in Epidemiology and Health Care Research, Clinical medical school. Physicians dQ learn nutrition in medical Pharmacology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, school, and learn it intensively and extensively. What Gastroenterology, Hematology, Hypertension, they don't learn is dietetics, which is why physicians Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Metabolism, Oncology, should work with registered dietitians as an integral Pulmonary, and Renal and Electrolyte. part of the patient care team. Nutrition is an integral Perhaps the single most effective force for more part of almost every course taught in medical schools. courses labeled "nutrition" in medical schools has been This reviewer's entire career in nutrition patient care, Maurice Shils, an outstanding leader in clinical teaching, and research was solidly grounded on the nutrition, now Professor Emeritus (and still active) at nutrition learned as a medical student at Columbia Cornell Medical College and Sloan-Kettering Institute University College of Physicians and Surgeons, which, at in New York City. His views were reflected almost the time I earned my MD degree there, had no � verbatim in the recent National Academy of Sciences labeled nutrition, but extensively taught bisi.c nutrition repo� on nutrition teaching in medical schools. as an integral part of courses labeled biochemistry, physiology, embryology, microbiology, pharmacology, and [Pertinent to this review is Webster's Ninth New pathology, and extensively taught � nutrition as Collegiate Dictionary (1987) definition of "liar": an integral part of courses labeled medicine, surgery, iar. One who tells lies. pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, neurology, and ie(verb): 1. To make an untrue statement with intent psychiatry. From this solid grounding, I proceeded to to deceive. win both the 1972 McCollum and the 1986 Herman 2. To create a false or misleading impression. Awards of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition ie (noun): 1. A:. an assertion of something known or (ASCN), the highest awards for clinical nutrition believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to research given in the US. ASCN is the clinical deceive. B: an untrue or inaccurate statement that nutrition arm of the Federation of American Societies may or may not be believed true by the speaker. for Experimental Biology (FASEB) (whose Public 2. Something that misleads or deceives.] 2 REVIEW adverse facts which destroy their claims). With this book and their media tour promoting it, Living Health, like Fit for Life before it, is an the Diamonds keep up their relentless sustained salvo of example of the big lie - lie up front, lie big, and lie pseudoscientific deception, misrepresentation, and often. Publishers know that titles sell books: character assassination. Such character assassination, sensational titles sell sensationally. The biggest lies in imputing evil and mercenary motives to responsible both books are their titles. Fit for Life is unfit for health professionals, is a necessary part of the act of life. Living Health teaches you how to destroy your snake oil promoters, for only by making good seem evil health. The Living Health book jacket deceives that can they make bad seem good. "the Fij for Life series puts you in control of your The quackery mafia-type litany of character health." It puts you in control of destroying your assassinations of responsible dietitians and physicians in health. Double-talk characterizes both the book and this book and in the Diamonds' media appearances the promotional tour for it. Both seemingly ignorant reflects the similar behavior of the organized quackery (despite the "pop psychology" in their books) of mafia in the US and reminds one of the attempted psychosomatic medicine (knowledge of which explains assassinations of Elliot Ness and other lawmen by Al their recurrent symptoms), Marilyn, a divorced mother Capone, Frank Nitti, and the Chicago Mafia. The book of two, met Harvey in a health food store; they shared is right out of Orwell's .1SM - evil is good, good is their neurotic histories of similar psychosomatic evil; black is white, white is black. problems (periodic stomach pains and low energy) and Few recognize the breadth and coordination of the a partnership was born. The result is a cunning delivery of misinformation by the quackery mafia in the exploitation of the vulnerable and the unsophisticated. US. A succinct but complete expose of the quackery As this reviewer stated at the beginning of the mafia was this reviewer's testimony, pages 88-105 and King Show, "It's a quack book, full of deceptions, 131-133, at the Hearing, "Quackery: A $10-Billion misinformation, and fabrications, with a lot of advice Scandal." Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care harmful to your health if you follow it. Children can (Chair: Congressman Claude Pepper, D-FL) of the Select be killed by the advice in this book," and, about the Committee on Aging, US House of Representatives, 98th Diamonds, "They are charismatic. They are charming. Congress, 2nd Session, May 31, 1984. Committee They are smiling. They are liars." Masters of pseudo­ Publication #98-463 (509 Cong. Rec.). A free copy of scientific double-talk and double-speak, and ruthless this 250-page book is available from House Documents exploiters of the gullible, the Diamonds are phony Room, US Capitol, Washington, DC 20515 (send self­ health scientists, complete with sham credentials from addressed label). Also available by telephoning Pepper a sham college, run by a high school drop-out cult Subcommittee in Washington, DC, at 202/226-3375). leader named T.C. Fry, whom the State of Texas In Living Health, the Diamonds display the same forbade in 1986 to continue calling his diploma mill a hatred toward health professionals that Al Capone had college. In 1983, the US Senate Committee on aging for lawmen. In her cover story interview of the described such operations as "schools for scoundrels, Diamonds in USA Today (June 1, 1987), Karen S. run by con artists to teach other con artists how to Peterson states: "The Diamonds ... are visceral in their make a sting." hatred for the medical community. Harvey contends The problem with the Diamonds is not only what treatment for his father's cancer helped kill him. 'That's they don't know, but what they claim to know for sure what started me on this thing."' Their character that is dead wrong. They display an appalling assassination of responsible health professionals, ignorance of epistemology, the science of "how do we particularly dietitians