Glyconutrients and MLM

[Mike ODonnell]

Did anyone catch the 20/20 story on the Mannatech product based on Glyconutrients that is making them millions? In short....they basically target sick people through MLM and flood them with belief that they can be cured of Cancer, MS, etc...all while of course giving the standard FDA disclosure of not being able to treat diseases...and then go right into how people with cancer are being cured....sick..sick....

But seems Glyconutrients are the rage as I have run across who knows how many Noni Juice pushers....all trained in the same MLM sales art....saying it's essential sugars the body needs....where as far as I know (and I do not have a degree in biology) there are no "essential" sugars...in as much that essential means the body is not able to produce it themselves.....

So how does one convince someone who says they feel so much better taking Noni juice that it is worthless?

[Derek Simonds]

MOD they only feel better as long as they have the opportunity to sign someone up downstream.

Ask any MLM'er about their product after they switched over to another dream and you will get the same thing "well in the end it wasn't everything we thought it would be".

[Steve Shafley]

I'm on the fence regarding the whole topic of "glyconutrients". At one point (when he was age 3-6) taking the Mannatech product called "Ambrotose" really helped my asthmatic son. His asthma is triggered by upper respiratory infections and I have to say that supplementing with Ambrotose really diminished the number of colds and sicknesses like that he'd get.

On the other hand, I fucking hate MLMs and the empty promises they make. In particular, up here by me they are really pushing Xango, which is a mangosteen juice supplement and claiming it cures cancer and shit like that, and I actually argued with a purveyor of this about their unfounded claims. My neighbor, who's an awesome guy, is hip deep into an MLM and has been for about 3 years, and is still about $5k down, with his hopes kept buoyant because he's got a buddy that has done real well.

[Derek Simonds]

There is some serious cult like psychology in MLM's. One of the techniques they use is to get people all jacked up at a seminar or a meeting and send them out shopping for their fantasies (i.e. the car or boat of their dreams). Once they are there and they meet a salesman after about 15 minutes they always make a go for enrolling whomever they are talking with. It sounds something like this. You know we are involved in a really great project with a huge upside can we get together so I can tell you about it.

Just last month I was in Panera Bread with my family it was late and we had been at a gymnastics tournament and we were on the way home. My wife was in line with the kids ordering and I went to the head. When I came back this man and wife were talking to them about what she did and as soon as I showed up they asked what I did. I kind of brushed them off and ordered and damned if they didn't come to the table and start pressing me. Thats when I politely thanked them for talking to us but they had to go.

I lived outside of Ada MI so we had all the Amway we could ever want. I was tired of MLM'ers about 30 days after I moved to MI.

[Steve Shafley]

Yeah, they are all over up here.

[Mike ODonnell]

taking the Mannatech product called "Ambrotose" really helped my asthmatic son

That's the one they focused on during that 20/20 special....saying people are taking it and forgoing any other treatments for cancer.....

I have an aunt who swears her arthritis is better taking Noni Juice....how the hell do glyconutrients improve health? You go on the manufacturer's website and they will disclaim curing anything...and only improving intenstinal bacteria....so it is as good as probiotics??

[Robb Wolf]

Some of the products look pretty good...all the fucks selling the products make me want to keeeeel theeeeem.

[Garrett Smith]

I've some patients say they felt better from the glyconutrients, some said they didn't feel anything (placebo, anyone?).

Thing is, all those people still were coming to me because they were still very sick. There is no cure there, as I have never heard of the cause of any disease being a "lack of glyconutrients".

MLMers sell products that wouldn't make it on the shelves of stores or even infomercials. Thus the shady word-of-mouth advertising which can't be "proven" in court without tape recorders (and which each seller is responsible for--not the company).

I personally can't stand Isagenix and their magical cleanses. I had to tell a patient (who still hadn't been "cured" by her multiple Isagenix supps and cleanses, surprise surprise) that I couldn't use that stuff because it was all full of grains, dairy, sugar, and artificial sweeteners!

[Ron Nelson]

In other news, Herbalife is now a jersey sponsor for the L.A. Galaxy. In July, you'll be able to see David Beckham running around with a big Herbalife on his chest.

No truth to the rumor that the back of the jersey will now read:
"Lose weight now, ask me how."

[Mike ODonnell]

No truth to the rumor that the back of the jersey will now read:
"Lose weight now, ask me how."

I once wore a shirt like that.....they asked how and I punched them as hard as I could in the stomach.....then said "See...you are no longer craving sweets and recovery from an injury will help you to burn more calories.....and You Are Welcome...." Then I threw them the same T-shirt and said "Pay it forward..."

I wonder if that movement is still going on today??

[Mike ODonnell]

from Dr Eades' blog

we realize that we have all the internal biochemical machinery to make glucose out of protein and out of the glycerol from disassembled fat (triglycerides), but we have no machinery to make amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and no machinery to make the essential fats. These essential amino acids and these essential fats have to come from our diet.

And we can to a certain extent replace glucose with ketones, which come from the partial breakdown of fat in the liver.

So, we need glucose for many cellular processes simply because of our primitive systems dating back millions of years that evolved when glucose was really the only food available. But we’ve evolved ways to make glucose out of fat and protein and evolved a method to replace some of the glucose by ketones, which are a fat by product.

What this should tell us is that over the recent past of our evolutionary history protein and fat have been readily available and glucose may not have been. Where do we get protein and fat? The main source for both is meat.

Obviously in our Paleolithic past (and before) we had plenty of meat and not much starch, otherwise we would have evolved differently. If we had evolved in a situation in which we had plenty of starch and no meat, we would have evolved a way to make protein out of carbs (which we can’t) and essential fat out of carbs (which we can’t). The fact that we are structured the opposite tells us the real story. And should lead us to reckon that if we evolved eating primarily meat and not much, if any, plants that we are fine tuned metabolically to operate optimally on such a diet. Which is the reason a low-carb diet works so well to reverse the diseases caused by eating in the reverse of our evolutionary heritage.
Because of this evolutionary heritage we have, I’ve always found it amazing as well as a little ignorant that educated, intelligent people tell us that we need to load up on carbohydrates, which we have the ability to manufacture ourselves, at the expense of fat and protein, which we don’t. As some of my rednecked friends would say: it just don’t make no sense.

So how can there be ANY essential carbs (going with the Glyconutrients sales pitch)?? Wouldn't our body know how to make them?? So if a person gets enough protein and fats wouldn't he/she also feel better?? Makes no sense why this stuff is even neccessary......