What ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know An Analysis of Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures Infomercial Kevin Trudeau’s book, Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About, has spent months on the best-seller lists and has been heavily promoted in Trudeau’s ubiquitous infomercials. But just what is Trudeau’s rhetoric, and how accurate are his claims? STEPHEN BARRETT n September 2004, after having been charged repeat- edly with false advertising, infomercial marketer Kevin ITrudeau became bound by an FTC consent agreement under which he agreed to pay a $2 million penalty and be banned from appearing in, producing, or disseminating future infomercials that advertise any type of product, ser- vice, or program to the public, except for “truthful infomer- cials for books, newsletters, and other informational publi- cations.” An FTC official stated that the ban was “meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years.” Around the time that the consent order was signed, Trudeau began flooding the airwaves with a thirty-minute infomercial for a book called Natural Cures SKEPTICAL INQUIRER January / February 2006 51 Kevin has written a book; it’s entitled Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You to Know About. Tell us a little bit about who “they” are. I think that’s the first question. KEVIN TRUDEAU: “They,” in this case, are really several government agencies—U.S. government agencies—and other agencies around the world, and the drug industry primar- ily, but also it involves the food industry. There are certain groups, including government agencies, as well as the food industry, the drug industry, and even some news and tele- vision and newspaper organizations that don’t want people to know about cures for diseases that are all-natural because people can’t make money on all-natural cures. So there are in fact cures for cancer. There are cures for diabetes. There are cures for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There are cures— all-natural cures—for Attention Deficit Disorder, migraine headaches. [Trudeau attempts to gain sympathy and credibility by portraying himself as an underdog.] MATTHEWS: Now wait a second. Attention Deficit Disorder. Now, how can that be lumped in with all of these physical maladies? TRUDEAU: Well, when you look at the way the system works today, you have the Food and Drug Administration— the FDA—and you have the drug industry. They really work in tandem. Unfortunately, there’s an unholy alliance there. People don’t know that the majority of commissioners of the FDA . go to work directly for the drug companies upon leaving the FDA and are paid millions and millions and mil- lions of dollars. Now in any other format, that would be called bribery; that would be called a conflict of interest; that would be called payoffs. That’s exactly what’s happening right now. So what has occurred is the Food and Drug Admin istration is really working in tandem with the drug industry to protect their profits. MATTHEWS: There are natural remedies for psychological/neu- rological disorders or diseases, which they’re calling them now, right? TRUDEAU: Absolutely, 100 percent. There are absolute nat- ural cures for these problems. They don’t cost a lot. The prob- lem is the manufacturers or the people that discover an herb, a food source—these are natural, an essential oil, a homeopathic Image captures courtesy of Tom Flynn remedy. These companies cannot by law say what the product does because if they say that this herb cures diabetes, then the “They” Don’t Want You to Know About (see review on page Food and Drug Administration comes in and says, “Ah! You 57). Although the infomercial suggested that the book would can’t say that because only a drug can cure a disease.” make specific recommendations for specific problems, it actu- TRUDEAU: The drug industry just started. Before then, ally did not do this. Here are excerpts from a transcript of the there were only natural cures. [Actually, the number of cura- infomercial, with my comments (boldfaced and in brackets). tive products was close to zero.] But the drug industry in America is the most profitable industry in this country. You PAT MATTHEWS: I’m Pat Matthews. Welcome to a very special know what else is the most profitable industry is the insurance edition of A Closer Look. Today our guest is Kevin Trudeau. industry and the food industry. Stephen Barrett, M.D., a retired psychiatrist, operates Quackwatch. MATTHEWS: Right. org, dedicated to debunking dubious health information on the TRUDEAU: For example, obesity, weight loss . there are Web and elsewhere. He is also Vice President of the National natural remedies for weight loss that the drug companies and Council Against Health Fraud, and a Fellow of the Committee the food industry does not want you to know about. The for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. lobbyists in Washington right now, as we speak, are demand- ing that the federal government and the various organiza- 52 Volume 30, Issue 1 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER tions—independent bodies—do not promote TRUDEAU: So . but if there was a “eat less, exercise more.” The food industry way to cure migraine headaches forever does not want the message “eat less, exer- so they never came back . if there was cise more.” Why? Because eating less means a way—and there is—a natural remedy people consume less food. [This claim is a you can put on the skin that will get rid flat-out lie. Many government, professional, of pain forever. [I don’t believe that.] and educational organizations promote the Arthritis pain will go away. There is idea of eating less and exercising more. The a natural, herbal supplement that the most prominent such effort is published Asian Diabetes Association has called every five years as the Dietary Guidelines for “the final cure for diabetes.” [I don’t Americans.] believe that either.] It is the absolute MATTHEWS: So the common threat in all of cure. It’s an herbal remedy, it’s taken this seems to be money. for three months approximately, and it TRUDEAU: It’s all about money. The will dramatically reduce or eliminate the drug industry does not want people to get need from any insulin shots, and it can healthy. [It might be interesting to ask cure diabetes type I and type II, in the Trudeau what evidence he has for this majority of cases. Now do you think the claim.] Now think about that. People think, “[Inaudible] drugs are good.” No. The drug industry does not want people to get healthy. The drug industry wants “Do you think the wants people to buy more drugs. Healthy people food industry don’t need drugs. If everyone in America was healthy, the drug industry would be people to be thin? No. The food industry wants out of business. [That’s literally true, but irrelevant. Illness is not going to people to be fatter. There are disappear. The realistic view is that the drug industry could not succeed unless ingredients being put in food right now that it produces safe and effective products.] make you hungry.” TRUDEAU: There was a study conducted on vitamin E . natural vitamin E . as a blood thinner. And they compared —Kevin Trudeau it to the drug Heparin. And this research showed that vitamin E worked as good or better than the drug Heparin. Well, if you go to a hospital, you don’t get vitamin E. [By failing companies that manufacture diabetes products want a cure to identify the study, Trudeau makes it difficult to check for diabetes? [I find it difficult to believe that the medical whether he is interpreting it correctly. However, to anyone organizations and all of the doctors who treat diabetics familiar with medical care, the statement is absurd on its would not be promoting such a product if it existed. face. Vitamin E has slight anticoagulant effects, but hospital- Trudeau, of course, wants you to believe he has nearly ized patients who need immediate anticoagulation require a unique knowledge of the “cure” so you will buy his book.] drug that is powerful and predictable. For many conditions, MATTHEWS: I was going to mention that would put a real intravenous Heparin has been replaced by various derivatives cramp in the insulin makers’— that are safer and easier to administer.] TRUDEAU: It would wipe out a whole industry. MATTHEWS: No. MATTHEWS: Right. TRUDEAU: You get Heparin, because it’s a drug, and it’s TRUDEAU: And this is the problem. Do you think the food a profitable drug. Drug companies do not want people to industry wants people to be thin? No. The food industry get healthy; they want them to buy more drugs. If you have, wants people to be fatter. There are ingredients being put in for example, a pain, headache, they don’t want your pain to food right now that make you hungry. [Note that he doesn’t go away forever. They want you to be popping some type of identify them.] There are ingredients being put in food right pain-relieving pill for the rest of your life. [Again, Trudeau now that make you addicted to the food. There are ingredients offers no evidence that this is true.] See, if you have a head- that are being put in food right now that make you fat, and ache, it’s not because you have an aspirin deficiency. Think most of these products are called “diet products.” about it. MATTHEWS Right. TRUDEAU: Cancer . there are cures for cancer.