Recently I cited a report about the current shortage of antiviral drugs like Tamiflu that may help lessen the severity of the bird flu.
A Shaklee distributor made this comment to that post:
Another option, is to boost your own immune system naturally. Shaklee has a relatively new product called NutriFeron (exclusive to Shaklee) that boosts the body’s own immune protection – interferon. Shaklee has 4 clinical trials thus far that are proving NutriFeron’s effectiveness. NutriFeron boosts your body’s own production of interferon. I for one am taking preventive measures to protect my family by strengthening our own immune system. We take NutriFeron everyday. If you want to learn more, click on [link removed] educate yourself, protect your family. have a great day.
This is what we in the website biz call “spam.” And the spamish claim is pretty spectactular: “NutriFeron boosts your body’s own production of interferon.”
Since interferon is produced by the immune system when faced with threats like viruses and tumors, it’s natural to assume a supplement that helps you make more interferon might protect you against the bird flu, especially if a Shaklee distributor says she’ll be using it to protect her family from the bird flu.
I hoped Shaklee wasn’t encouraging their distributors to prey on public fears in order to make a killing on NutriFeron’s supposed bird flu protection properties, but the more I thought about it, the more I doubted any multi-level marketing company would ignore such an opportunity. So I looked into NutriFeron.
It’s pricey: according to the Shaklee website, one month’s supply of 60 caplets will set you back $45 “for non-members” and $38.25 for “members.” Shipping and handling is $6.50 and in California, tax is $3.99. (Membership in Shaklee costs exactly $19.95 a year plus the annoyance of being considered a prospect for distributorship in Shaklee’s own flavor of multi-level marketing.)
And what does that $50-plus get you? Read the label.
One dose (2 caplets) gives you 500 mg of: “MACH® Patented blend of Interferon-boosting Plant Extracts.” This includes:
Nothing strange like eye of newt or human colostrum or anything — just seed and flower extracts. But what do these seed and flower extracts do for us? How do we know this “patented blend” actually boosts interferon as claimed?
The label says NutriFeron is a “POWERFUL BREAKTHROUGH IN IMMUNE SYSTEM SCIENCE” and that it is a “clinically tested, natural interferon booster.*”
Before you run out and buy a dozen bottles, look at that asterisk. It references a message found elsewhere on the label: “THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THESE PRODUCTS ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.”
This statement is pretty much the boilerplate disclaimer you’ll find on most dietary supplements. All it means is that it hasn’t gone through intensive FDA testing and can’t be considered a drug like Tamiflu. Tamiflu has proven itself as an antiviral, unlike NutriFeron.
So let’s focus on the “clinical studies” claim, because that seems to be Shaklee’s big selling point, and really, I want to see what these studies proved.
Shaklee cites four clinical studies:
I found abstracts for three studies (the fourth study only appears on Shaklee websites) and only one of the abstracts mentions interferon. (The formula “EH0202” presumably was later named NutriFeron.)
The first two studies cited examined the effects of EH0202 on middle-aged women with menopausal symptoms. The fourth study (the one I couldn’t find) apparently dealt with womens’ pre-menstrual symptoms.
NutriFeron does appear to have been “clinically tested,” but not as a flu preventative.
The third study did deal with a virus, hepatitis c, but was hardly conclusive. Out of the 35 patients who completed the third study, 4 out of 6 saw an improvement in “malaise,” 2 out of 2 lost a “bloating sensation in the abdomen,” and 1 out of 2 lost symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
UPDATE 11/20/2005: As I reread the previous paragraph, I realize I may have made the results of this study appear better than they are, for example, the reader might think that out of 35 people, 2 out of every 2 patients lost a bloating sensation, or 4 out of every six lost nausea. Forgive me, but this is incorrect.
Here is the text of the study’s abstract — you read it and decide for yourself:
Among the 35 patients who successfully completed the study, there were improvements in malaise (seen in 6 patients before and in 2 after EH0202 treatment), bloating sensation in the abdomen (seen in 2 before and in none after treatment), and nausea and vomiting (seen in 2 before and in 1 after treatment). There were no changes in hematology or biochemical examination parameters. There was a statistically significant decrease in HCV-RNA levels in patients with high viral titers after 3 months of EH0202 administration.
(Emphasis is mine. Now I’ll let you get back to my original post.)
The number of people who showed improvement is awfully small. Even the abstract states, “Further studies are, however, needed to obtain a definitive conclusion.”
The two other studies were also statistically insignificant and if they “prove” anything, it might be that NutriFeron may help relieve pre-menstrual and menopausal symptoms. I certainly don’t see any proof that NutriFeron boosts the body’s interferon-producing ability.
Of course, that’s just my untrained, unscientific opinion, but there it is. Perhaps a real scientist will tell me I’ve read these wrong, but until that moment I’ll stick with my conclusion, which is…
If you have the money to burn and you believe NutriFeron will help you fend off the bird flu, go ahead and buy it. The placebo effect might kick in and help you imagine your way to effective flu prevention.
And I say that as a woman who takes a lot of vitamins. If there was more proof that NutriFeron actually helped prevent the flu, I’d probably look for less expensive sources of the seed and flower extracts mentioned above, but I need a little more evidence before my placebo effect kicks in.
I think I’ll have better luck washing my hands frequently, living a healthy lifestyle, getting plenty of rest and exercise, and avoiding people who don’t know enough to cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing. And vitamin C. I’ll take lots of vitamin C.
All of that is FREE (the vitamin C is CHEAP) and won’t involve giving your name, address and telephone number to a multi-level marketing company doomed to produce more failures than successes. [Broken link fixed 12/10/07. Thanks, Mindy.]
Tags: Bird Flu, H5N1, NutriFeron, Shaklee,
In respect for full disclosure let me start out by saying I’m a Shaklee distributor so if you want to taint anything I have to say as bias go ahead. Speaking of biases, your “review” of Nutriferon clearly showed your bias towards MLM and to Shaklee.
Anyway, for what it’s worth Shaklee philosphy is to do business by the Golden Rule which has lead to many corporate decisions that 99.9% of other companies (mlm or otherwise) wouldn’t make. Decisions like not to make fad products regardless of the profit to be made because the SCIENTIFIC PROOF wasn’t there. Or to to testing on raw ingredients above and beyond industry regulations. So no, Shaklee hasn’t encouraged distributors to tout Neutriferon as a remedy to bird flu or prey on that current fear. That doesn’t take away from Nutriferon’s breakthrough as an immune product.
The key point that you forgot to mention in your review is that Nutirferon was developed by Dr. Yasuhiko Kojima, MD who discovered interferon in 1954 and its critical role in building the body’s immune response. And then (and here’s the big point about Nutriferon) Dr. Kojima spent the next 40 years of his life finding a way to naturally boost interferon production testing hundreds of combinations of plants. The result being his patented botanical blend found in Nutriferon. So the label you refer to is patented blend that comes from 40 years of research by the discoverer of Interferon!
Dr. Kojima attended our recent Shaklee convention where he shared his story about his lifelong work to develop this product that you callousness snicker at.
Shaklee’s nutrition products have had studies published on their products in over 100 peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. That’s unprecedented in the wellness industry. Dr. Kojima by the way was so impressed with Shaklee scientific approach to nutrition that he joined the Shaklee Scientific Advisory Board.
As a corporate citizen Shaklee has an exemplary record. Roger Barnett, Shaklee’s Chairman and CEO highlights that record this way…
“Fifty years ago, Dr. Shaklee helped pioneer a business model that was revolutionary in using economic incentives to achieve positive social goals – better health, building dignity and self esteem, and providing both an economic opportunity and financial freedom for millions of people around the world.
“The unique part of Dr. Shaklee’s vision was to combine doing good and doing well.
“Instead of having to choose between the private and public sector, Dr. Shaklee created a business model that allowed people to earn private sector rewards while accomplishing public sector goals. This underlying desire to help achieve positive social change has been a key driver in the development of all of our products and in guiding our corporate actions. In turn, these values have allowed us to attract a remarkable group of independent distributors who deeply care about helping other people and our environment.
“Today, Shaklee is made up of a community of people that share a common passion—caring for the health of their families, the health of their communities and the health of the planet. Our association with Professor Wangari Maathai* is one of shared kinship –we both are trying to create viable economic models that empower individuals to take control of their lives, to care for others and to advocate for a healthier, greener world.
“For 50 years, Shaklee has promoted the principle of “Living in Harmony with Nature.” Our founder, Dr. Forrest Shaklee, believed in both the healing powers of natural products and in our responsibility to be stewards for our environment.
“To combat water pollution, the company created one of the first biodegradable cleaners.
“To combat deforestation, the company worked with the American Himalayan Foundation, an organization chaired by Sir Edmund Hillary, and contributed to having over 1 million trees planted in Asia.
“To combat global warming, we helped create Climate Neutral certification and became the first company in the world to be certified. We analyzed our company’s greenhouse gas emissions and offset our total Co2 emissions with investments in fossil fuel emissions reduction projects such as building solar panels and windmills in order to have a net zero impact on the environment.
“In 2002, we were awarded the Climate Protection Award by the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Environmental Stewardship Award from Social Accountability International.
“We have a long history of helping others less fortunate that us. Just one example is in just two weeks, our distributors contributed over $475,000 of products to help Tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia.
“Economic incentives can be an important driver for social change, but they are only half the story. Our Shaklee family are driven by being a positive force for social good. And in my personal view, the key to improving the world is to create of model of sustainable aid – of providing a self funding series of economic incentives to drive people to help others live better lives – and that is what we at Shaklee Corporation are all about.”
*Editorial note: Professor Wangari Maathai from Kenya won the Nobel Peace Prize for the Environment, 2004., and was a keynote speaker at the Shaklee 2005 National Convention, Chicago, IL, in August. Her and Mr. Barnett are working closely together to create opportunities in Africa.
In a world of Enron’s and Worldcoms and corporate greed, explotation and malfeasance, a company like Shaklee, with a philosophy to do good in the world, to create exceptional wellness products and a company that has opened the door to entreprenuership for thousands upon thousands of people paying over $3 billion in commissions along the way, doesn’t deserve the condescending attitude and misinformation that you threw its way (the link to the MLM truth site is a joke).
If only you would have dug a little deeper beyond your own biases and misconceptions, you would have discovered what an exceptional company Shaklee is. I and thousands of others are proud to associate our good names and reputations with Shaklee.
Sincerely,
Carl LaFlamme
Thank you for your response, Mr. LaFlamme.
The link I gave to the Shaklee NutriFeron page provides plenty of information on Dr. Kojima’s history with interferon. I have no doubt that he, like you, is sincere in his belief that NutriFeron is all Shaklee claims it is.
Unfortunately, Dr. Kojima’s involvement with this product will not erase the fact that Shaklee’s business model is a pyramid scheme — and neither will Shaklee’s humanitarian work.
It’s irresponsible for Shaklee to market NutriFeron as “proven” to boost the body’s ability to produce interferon based on four statistically insignificant clinical studies, only one of which had anything to do with a virus.
But what bothers me the most is how Shaklee distributors like Jane (and I doubt she is the only one) will continue to insinuate that NutriFeron will help protect their families against the bird flu.
Pyramid schemes are illegal. Shaklee has been legally in business for fifty years. It’s business model is both direct sales and network marketing both legal businesses. And its business model is superior to other business models because it doesn’t create barriers to entry –allowing anyone of any age, sex, race or economic standing the ability to own their own business. Nor does it put glass ceilings on what an individual can earn. It is an enlighted business model and I’m sorry you don’t understand it and I’m sorry in general that people put down things they don’t understand.
I will say like in any industry there are bad apples and some companies claiming to be network marketing companies were in fact pryamid schemes. You should learn the difference.
I hope you’ll fight the good fight and support companies like Shaklee that create products that build health and speak out against the many companies that create products that destroy health.
The good guys need all the help they can get.
Have a good life.
I agree with you Carl.
I read this opinion and was shocked. But, in the internet world you run across people of this opinion often.
I too would like to see the author join us, but it looks like her mind is set.
I have seen what the Shaklee products can do and would never switch to another company. I watched my mother in law for 3 years before I decided to actively start selling. She was kind enough to put her testimony on my site.
The difference between a pyramid scheme and network marketing is not the shape. They both look like a pyramid due to the fact that if you plan to go anywhere financially, you must have people under you. The difference is the fact that legitimate product is moved. In a pyramid scheme you pay $$ and get $$ and no product is moved, that is the illegal part.
I do agree that there needs to be more studies on a broader range of situations. But, they are on their way. I look forward to seeing the new studies!
I do know that my upline has been taking it since it came out and she has not had an asthma attack. During this time of year she is normally attatched to her inhaler.
And Bonnie we also have a time release Vitamin C if you are interested 😉
Come on you guys. You sell the stuff and so of course you’ll be biased. That’s clear to me. Bonnie has no skin in the game – she’s not selling, buying, or otherwise involved. Her analysis is well thought out and presented. Besides she really good looking!
I didn’t say it wasn’t “well thought out and presented”
I did infact agree that Nutriferon needed more research. But, for myself, from what I have seen and read, Nutriferon has already proven itself. And I didn’t even go to convention! LOL
Oh, and our iron has Vitamin C also… Just in case she decides to have some “skin in the game” at some point. 😉
I do want to say, Bonnie, that I appreciate you taking the time to do your research. Just don’t count us out yet. We may suprise you.
Yikes! I’m surrounded by Shaklee operatives!
Seriously, guys, in my defense I’ll say I never attacked you distributors. I only attacked the company. (Well, maybe I attacked the distributor who spammed me. But I did remove her name to save her from embarrassment from her Shaklee friends.)
I know the majority of you Shaklee people are honest and sincere, which ticks me off even more, considering your company’s business model. I think you’re being scammed!
And before anybody tells me again how Shaklee is not a pyramid scheme, please answer me this:
Does Shaklee still tell recruits to “find three who find three?”
I may have some serious math issues but I sense an improbability here — especially for the majority of downliners.
Not everyone who joins is going to want to make a biz out of it. The find 3 who find 3 idea is great for those wanting to quickly grow a biz. But it has its downsides too. If one of those 3 was not really wanting to grow a biz then you will not see the yeild you want.
My Shaklee biz is about the products. I would love to have several biz leaders under me, but if they just want to buy, that is fine too. I will not push them into selling.
How are we being scammed? We have access to our uplines financial statements and are able to meet with our uplines upline if we so choose. I see my upline up to 3 levels up on a regular basis.
You are still confusing pyramids with MLM. Yes, pyramids are illegal. MLMs are not. The difference is product movement.
And as with any biz, brick and mortar or not, you will get what you put into it. If you work it hard you will make more than if you just sat there and waited for people to come to you.
To some it means nothing, but to me Shaklee’s 50 year history says alot. I have a hard time believing that a 50 year company (of any type) is a scam. Wouldn’t someone have taken them to court and won or something by now?
I am sure that there are some scams out there. Sadly those are the ones that give us good companies a bad name. But there are tons of MLMs out there that are legit.
Yes, it is true that you have to be using or personally sell a certain amount of products to qualify for your bonuses. But, if you already use even just a few products, or have someone that you sell to directly from your stock (if you have any) that takes care of itself.
I don’t want to start a fight here. I am honestly trying to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Have you been to the site and seen the info on the income opportunity? Have you watched all the videos available on the site? Have you searched Shaklee with the BBB? Do you personally know someone who sells or uses?
You are welcome to contact me directly if you wish. Selling is not for everyone. And for those who wish to just use, in my case anyway, I am perfectly fine with that.
Bonnie, your perception of MLM and companies like Shaklee is terribley short sided. Most people get involved in Shaklee because of the products. The FTC defintion of a pyramid is the antithesis of ow Shaklee Corp has operated for 49 years. As far a multi-level marketing goes, I do it everyday, I often tell people about a resturant I ate at or a movie I went to see. You obviously have had bad experiences with MLM and that is ok, it is not for everyone. WE don’t take shots at you because you’re a [edited to remove non-family-friendly term] and [edited to remove non-family-friendly phrase], or do we?
If a person states she feels good about taking something that may boost their immune system, what is wrong with that? When you come out and really say something stupid, expect the firestorm.
I just made up a rule.
From now on, if anyone leaves a non-family-friendly comment, I’ll edit/delete the comment and blacklist the IP.
It is people like DJ that give the rest of us MLMers (of any company) a bad name. I like your new rule Bonnie, he had no right to post that on a public board.
I got this from my upline today. I thought I’d post it here and maybe it would help. Since it is from a pharmacist… And no, I do not know the person LOL.
BTW I love your blog. You have a wonderful writing style. 🙂
I stumbled across this site in my travels and i have a few ?’s for you:
1. Why are you so stuck on bird flu? The original conversation may have been about bird flu, but you keep bringing it up. Has any other Shaklee distributor brought up the issue of bird flu? All I have heard them say is it boosts immune response.
2. Why do you insist that Shaklee is a pyramid scheeme? It seems perfectly obvious to me that it is a perfectly legitimate Multi-Level marketing model (Which donald Trump said he would use if he had to make his fortune all over again.) Is Avon a pyramid scheeme? How about Mary Kay?
I may be way off base here , but if your natural immune system is boosted aren’t you less likely to get any virus or disease?(even bird flu)
Ang, Thanks for the kind words. I was going to let DJ’s comment stand, but Hubby reminded me that my kids read this website occasionally.
I must excerpt the article because 1) it is copyrighted material and 2) it is too long. If you have the link to the actual article, post it and I’ll add it to the comment.
Everybody: post links rather than the entire article!
Also, I can’t publish e-mail addresses because they get harvested by spam bots. We don’t want Mr. Ost to get innundated with Viagra ads!
Alan, read the first three paragraphs of this post. I didn’t make the Bird Flu/NutriFeron connection until a Shaklee distributor spammed me about using NutriFeron in the event of a Tamiflu shortage.
At this time that article does not seem to be posted online. I did find several other articles of his though… I beleive it is a subscriber email that my upline got the article from. When I find a link for it I’ll let you know.
Or, I could post it on my .WS site and give you the link there… Would that work?
E-mail me the link to the article on your website and I’ll add it to your original comment.
from what I can see [mysterius Shaklee Distributor] didn’t mention bird flu. She simply said, “I for one am taking preventive measures to protect my family by strengthening our own immune system.” she may have “spammed” on a post pretaining to bird flu, but she just stated that it would be a “preventative measure” as for the rest that is a creation of your own mind.
If, for instance you sand bag a levee, that is a preventative measure, but it does not guarantee that flood waters will not still pass this new barrier.
As for spam, last time I checked, posting ones personal opinion in a public post setting did not constitute spam.
Ah, yes, Alan, but this is not a public post setting, this is my website. People who leave comments here are my guests.
Some of my guests leave comments about Viagra, poker games, software, pornography, and vitamin supplements, among other things. Then they tell my readers how to purchase such items.
You may treat such comments with the respect reserved for personal opinions, but I choose to refer to them as spam.
Who cares? Take it or don’t. I take it along with proper dietary and rest habits. At some point or another in the annals of medical research everything will get shot down. Vitamin E….not good for you anymore. Drink juice….too many overweight children, have them east fresh fruit…..too many chemicals on our “healthy” food products. A rise in people (mostly children)with alergies and asthma. Calcium causes kidney stones. On and on. People are entitled to their opinions, but where you got yours on the Pyramid suggests you either got caught in some scam, or listened to someone who is ill educated.
Vitamin E isn’t bad for you BTW, it has to be all natural and uncontaminated. Also taken in moderation… Juice is only “bad” cause of the added sugar. But I do agree with your basic thoughts. The fact that supplements are now on the food pyramid for older adults shows that the med community sees that there is some merit to taking them. But what they neglet to say is not all are created equal. You pay $2 for a bottle of multi’s you get at the most $2 worth of good. They could, in fact, be harming you. Sadly all alot of people see are the $$ signs and don’t take into consideration the research, history, guarantee…. ect
I only made it through about 8 posts, so if something has already been cleared up, excuse me.
A pyramid scheme in addition to creating no value and exchange of no product has no end. In the Shaklee model, I believe it has 4 levels.
Having been a partner in one of the world’s largest consulting firms, the pyramid, ratio of staff to partners is key. It’s also called leverage of human capital and is true in any successful business model. That is one guy or gal gets a business going, systematizes it and then replicates through employees, partners, alliances, franchises, etc.
No different for Shaklee. Shaklee living the golden rule has paid out over $3B in commissions over the past 50 years. The have been other MLMs come and go, several of them leaving a bad taste in many people’s mouths and therefore over the whole industry.
Shaklee has painstakingly seemingly more than any other firm, whether traditional business model or MLM, lived the golden rule. Yes, sure it’s about making money, but not to the detriment of the consumer.
As mentioned before, Shaklee could (but hasn’t) and well others have, brought products to market that are not well thought out and tested with no value and potentially harmful. That especially goes for many items you find in your conventional grocery store. Shaklee has never had to recall a product.
Sorry for my late arrival to this interesting thread, but perhaps I can add value. It seems there may be some confusion between
• the normal English usage of the word “significance” and what statisticians mean by the term, as well as
• the difference between small sample size and statistical significance.
In normal English, “significant” means “important” but in statistics it means “unlikely to occur by chance.” Academic journals like The Journal of Gastroenterology require a .05 significance level for publication; in other words, the findings are unlikely to be due to chance in 95 cases out of 100.
A small sample is not automatically considered “statistically insignificant” and in fact, there is an entire field of statistics devoted to small sample design and analysis. Are you still with me? If so, let’s revisit the article in the Journal of Gastroenterology:
Kaji K,Yoshida S, Nagata N,Yamashita T, Mizukoshi E, Honda M, Kojima Y, Kaneko S. An open-label study of administration of EH0202, a health-food additive, to patients with chronic hepatitis C. J Gastroenterol. 2004 Sep;39(9):873-8.
The authors of the Journal of Gastroenterology article clearly state that they are testing
“the effect of EH0202, a mixture of four herbal extracts that are known to induce interferons, on hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C.”
Hence, they are testing the effect of the four herbs on hepatitis C virus. They are not testing whether or not the extracts are known to induce interferons. That is a given.
Again, with the small sample size (N = 35) and the fact that the authors report “There was a statistically significant decrease in HCV-RNA levels in patients with high viral titers after 3 months of EH0202 administration” from testing, the effect of the herbal extracts on viral levels is unlikely to be due to chance.
We all appear to agree with the author’s closing summary,
“CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that EH0202 may be safe and useful in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Further studies are, however, needed to obtain a definitive conclusion.”
Thank you for the forum. Let’s hope such independent, peer-reviewed studies continue, preferably with a larger sample and double-blind design.
Lynn P., longtime statistical wonk, newcomer to Shaklee
Thanks, Jane, for the thoughtful post. I’d like everybody to know that this is NOT the Jane who originally spammed me.
I tried to download the entire text of the original study, but it costs $30 so I opted not to. What I wanted to learn from the full text: of the original 65 patients, exactly how many of those had “high viral titers”? And of those patients with high viral titers, how many experienced the “statistically significant decrease in HCV-RNA levels”?
We can’t know how effective the herbs were unless we know how many patients saw the decrease. If only 2 patients experienced the decrease out of the original 65, would that be considered “statistically significant”?
I appreciate a statistical wonk’s input, even if she is a Shaklee operative! 🙂
Um, her name was Lynn 😉 LOL
$30 seems like a good investment to me. I may have to get that study at some point. Maybe I could forward you a copy Bonnie… Unless someone already has it. 🙂
Oh, gosh, I can’t believe I did that, Ang. I had Jane on the brain!
Forgive me, Lynn. I’m in a pediatrician’s waiting room with internet access right now—and thought I could catch up. From now on… all blogging commentary will be done at home!
Bonnie, you are terribly biased. Pyramid schemes ARE illegal, and Shaklee is NOT one. Shaklee uses multi-level marketing as their way of advertising, so they can spend more money on research, not expensive adds in stores and on T.V.
Shaklee does need to study Nutriferon further. More scientific research is always a good thing.
And nobody should be pushing it as an ironclad cure or protection for anything.
But I am convinced it does something, and I’m normally very skeptical of herb claims and “herb people” (no offense).
Why the belief in this one? I’ve had a life long battle with sinus infections. 3 years ago I moved to a more humid area and that battle turned into a losing one. Infections every 3-6 weeks, many severe, all requiring antibiotics. I was told repeatedly to see a specialist and schedule sinus surgery, or move again. But that would have been the first surgery in my life, a hard thing to do. And moving was not an option. Last March, in a last ditch effort, I went on Immunity Boost (the old name for Nutriferon).
In 8 months, not one single sinus infection. Not one cold. One minor flu incident. Reduced (though not eliminated) allergies. This is a major improvement, for me, in three areas. (I don’t usually get the flu any way, it’s the other areas where I struggle.)
Twice in that time period I’ve had extended close contact with family with bad colds. Each time I thought “Yep, when I get home it will start, probably lead to the next sinus infection.” Never happened, which is shocking to me.
Placebo effect??? I find that hard to believe (no pun intended). And nothing else has really changed in my life that would account for this. I’m very interested to see what happens through the rest of the fall/winter season. If I can make it to next March without a sinus infection, I might start selling the stuff myself.
I can see why someone would be skeptical. Shaklee needs more, larger studies. But I bet those studies will bear out some positive effects.
(BTW, I’m not a distributor. I’ve been a member for their vitamin packs, avoid most of their herbs, but have never signed anyone else up. Just giving full disclosure.)
Thank you, Mr. Taylor. I appreciate your thoughtful post and the reasonable way in which you related your experience.
Perhaps more studies will be done that prove NutriFeron to be all Shaklee claims it is. If that day comes, I will be first in line to write about it.
In the meantime, I am very glad NutriFeron worked for you. Chronic sinus infections are painful and debilitating.
Stay healthy!
Wow! Several things to address here. I’m fascinated by the thoughts and theories and that go into the process. I have recently started taking Nutriferon to help with an AutoImmune Thyroid Disorder. I’ve been miserable for 3 years, with thyroid levels considered “normal”. After 1 week, I visited with a new Dr., and my Thyroid levels are lower than they’ve been since before diagnosis. I’m anxious at this point to take an Antibodies Blood test. The new Dr. gave me his blessing, said Shaklee has some excellent products, keep taking it, and we’ll test at my next checkup. I guess the bottom line is, it can’t hurt. And traditional medicine does not offer all cures. For me, it has been a blessing so far. Normally after 3 or 4 days of a “new help” I crash, and feel more miserable than before. Not this time. 🙂
As to MLM, the Direct Selling Association has strict guidelines and definitions on their website. As a business owner new to the Multi-Level and Direct Selling arena, I firmly believe in giving the everyday person the chance to profit, instead of yet another brick and mortar store out for themselves. Normally at horribly high markups from wholesale.
Just my 2 cents! Glad to meet you all!
Jackie Payne
Not a Shaklee Distributor!
Hello,
I was just reading the thread concerning Shaklee’s Nutriferon product and just wanted to add my 2 cents worth if that’s ok? I AM a Shaklee Distributor by the way, in Canada, so, call me biased if you will, but, I originally joined only as a member as I was formally trained as an RN back in the early 70s and so was very skeptical, to say the least. I’d been sickly for most of my life (I’m 51 now) and mainstream medicine had never been able to help me and in fact, had only served to make me sicker with each passing year, hence my foray into the alternative health field. I joined Shaklee as a member back in 1997 and the rest is history. Their products SO changed my health for the better that it wasn’t long before I became a believer and folks began wanting to know what I was doing that was making me radiate with better health and so I began to sell the products too. No one HAS to sell and I’ve never, EVER been pressured to sell or even to sell more once I began selling, else I’d of been out of there a long time ago as I absolutely HATE pressure sales!!!!!
I’ve been faithfully taking the afore-mentioned Nutriferon product ever since it first came out under its former name (Immune Building Complex) and have not had a single cold, flu nor sinus infection ever since. That’s remarkable for someone like me who ALWAYS used to get sick if someone even sneezed one block over!
Another thing that sold me on Shaklee was their integrity. A few years back, the company discovered a batch of their raw organic ginseng had become contaminated from wind blown pesticides from non-organic farms in the vicinity. They made the corporate decision, WITHOUT being told to do so by anyone else, to recall ALL their ginseng product already out there “just in case”, as well as to cease further production until the problem could be righted. I don’t recall how many years it was off the market and they lost BILLIONS to do this but it was important for them to MAINTAIN THEIR INTEGRITY. Do you know of any other company who would voluntarily LOSE that much money just so as to do the right thing? By the way, I can’t tell you the number of folks who’ve told me that if it’d been them, they’d have continued to make and sell the product because the public would never have known…how sad, but very true. Shaklee did not do this because despite the public never knowing, WE WOULD and doing what’s right as opposed to simply making as much money as possible, is what is REALLY important to them!
There are other integrity examples I know of regarding this soon-to-be 50 year old corporation but I think my point is made. Pyramid schemes are only about ripping people off and Shaklee is definitely NOT a pyramid scheme, else they wouldn’t have given a fig if a contaminated product went out to an unsuspecting public.
Mare Moore, proud to be a part of Shaklee
Whatever may be the pros and cons of NutriFeron, there is now substantial scientific evidence that vitamin A can neutralize the lethal potential of the bird flu. Scientists at the University of Hong Kong reported recently that the difference between the bird flu virus (H5N1) and milder influenza strains is that it hyperinduces the overproduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the immune cells, which causes destruction in the lungs where the virus localizes (Lee, D.C. et al. Journal of Virology, 79:10147-54, Aug. 2005). Many studies have shown that vitamin A blocks the production of TNF. For a review of these studies, see the Nov. 20, 2005 article, “Simple antidote to bird flu revealed” at NewAIDSreview.com.
I got this in my email today. Hope it is not too long…
From Dr. Bruce Miller
Hi,
I understand the position of our friends at Shaklee. We cannot make a claim that a particular product will protect you from or cure any disease, be it yearly flu virus, bird flu virus or any other virus. However, I feel it is appropriate to explain what happens (the mechanism) on a cellular level when a virus invades your body. The immune system’s actions are obviously much more complicated than my explanation. This is the simple outline version—just hitting the main points.
A virus (any virus) cannot duplicate outside of a cell. When a cell is invaded, the virus takes over its duplication machinery and begins to replicate itself. Thus when a virus invades the body it heads for a cell.
When a virus enters a cell the cell releases a chemical messenger called interferon.
1. Interferon does two things.
1) It tells other cells how to defend against this virus.
2) It stimulates cells called macrophages to multiply and get active.
2. Meanwhile the virus is multiplying in the invaded cell.
1) When the cell gets loaded with new viral particles—it explodes releasing more particles into the body to invade other cells.
3. The newly released viral particles are in for a two surprises.
1) The exploding infected cell is surrounded by macrophages which eat up viral particles.
2) Other cells in the area are more resistant to viral invasion.
4. Most of the time a viral infection can be stopped at this stage.
What if a cell is low in interferon when the invasion occurs?
1. The interferon output is low, weak and there is a time lag.
1) There is a delay and a weak signal telling the other cells how to defend against the virus.
2) The macrophages receive a late and feeble signal.
2. During the time lag the virus is replicating rapidly in the infected cell.
1) The infected cell bursts releasing millions of new viral particles.
2) Macrophages are few and weak and many particles escape.
3) The other cells fall to invasion because they do not know how to defend against this virus.
4) This is a chain reaction.
5) You become ill.
NutriFeron increases the production of your own natural interferon.
1. If a cell has a full tank of interferon, it seems to me that it would be better able to battle a viral invasion.
Merry Christmas,
Dr. Bruce B. Miller, DDS, CNS
I thought this looked like interesting info to add to the conversation.
Hello, all. Another Shaklee distributor here (full disclosure, yada yada).
Thanks, Ang, for the contribution from Dr. Miller.
Bonnie, I’m totally new to this blog, but will read more, simply because of the civil way that you’ve dealt with dissenters, as well as your pleasant prose.
I will agree that more research should be done on Nutriferon; I also would suggest that more research be done on just about every nutritional supplement in existence. There’s a lot left to know about protein and the B vitamins, not to mention obscure herbal blends. And while I would not expect you to put too much credence in anecdotal evidence, it abounds. I’ll not bore you with it; suffice to say it is proof enough for people like Daniel Taylor.
I have shared your skepticism with regard to MLM, but must say that my bias stemmed from a lack of understanding on my part, as well as my habit of accepting the opinions of others on such topics without any critical analysis. I’m not suggesting that you suffer from the same problem, but your blanket dismissal of an entire business model is probably over-broad.
I don’t know what (likely negative) experiences shaped your opinion of network marketing, but here I find the restaurant analogy useful. I have had some lousy, downright awful dining experiences; I’m sure you have too. Does this mean you no longer eat at restaurants, and encourage those who value your opinion to do likewise? (…he asked, rhetorically)
Thanks for your contribution to the dialogue, as well as the forum to engage in such, and keep up the good work.
—
Ken Johnson
Anchorage, AK
Hey, all, I didn’t realize people were still commenting on this post… I just caught Ken Johnson’s comment notification in my spam filter, so I assume more landed in there. Please forgive me for not responding to you all.
I think we’re all in agreement that anecdotal evidence is one thing, and pure research is another. My objection was with the way NutriFeron was marketed as “clinically proven” when it really isn’t.
As for MLMs, I think the majority of people involved in MLMs are hard-working, decent souls and I regret any implications that they aren’t.
I still disagree with the MLM business model, however. Nobody has yet explained to me how the “find three who’ll find three” concept isn’t pointy at the top and broad at the bottom and therefore bears more than a passing resemblance to a pyramid, but perhaps we should just agree to disagree on that one.
Ok, let me try one more time to explain the difference. If it still doesn’t work then I will agree to disagree.
Yes, an MLM does LOOK like a pyramid. I’ll give you that much. But, the difference is the product movement or lack there of.
Pyramids are illegal because of the lack of product. With a pyramid you pay money, get no product and find people under you who pay money too. You make money off them and it goes up the line. But, there is never any product exchanging hands. So, the people never get anything for their money.
Lets say I am a pyramid scammer. And somehow I have conned you into joining under me. The way this would work is, you give me lets say $3. I keep $1 and pass $2 on. My “upline” gets $1 and their “upline” gets $1. I tell you to find 5 other (or more) people to join under you and do the same thing. See how it could keep going? This is all assuming that you can find idiots to do it. They would not be getting anything for their money other than more money assuming they could find people. So basically, the bottom of the pyramid gets screwed.
The MLM difference is, you don’t have to sell. You will not make $$ if you don’t but you will still have product. You find John’s Widgets you want to buy. Lets say I sell John’t Widgets. You like the brand better than the ones in the store, so you buy from me. Since I sell, I pay $5 for them and you pay $7 since you just want to purchase. We both use them, I just pay less cause I decided I wanted to sell. The MLM gives people the $$ that would normally go straight to large corporations.
That is hte best I can do. It makes sense to my husband who just read it, so it should make sense to everyone else. LOL.
Let me know how I did…
Hi Bonnie. I knew I’d come late to the party, and so didn’t really expect that the conversation would continue (although I am pleasantly surprised that it has). As to “agreeing to disagree,” I don’t believe that will be necessary.
I acknowledge freely that a structure with one person as the top, three below him, and three each below them, etc. bears a striking resemblance to a pyramid. It also resembles every hierarchical organization I’ve ever heard of, be it Coca-Cola, the U.S. Army, or the Catholic church.
The words “pyramid” and “scheme” are most often used in conjuction to describe the classic Ponzi-type scam, which likely accounts for “our” (the “operatives'”) rapid and sometimes ascerbic reactions. It is a term of derision, as indeed it should be, but as such it should be reserved for those (people, organizations) who deserve it. Just as Coke isn’t a pyramid scheme, neither is Shaklee.
What makes a pyramid a Ponzi is the “robbing Peter to pay Paul” element. That is, Peter’s monetary investment is paid to Paul as “interest” on Paul’s initial investment. Paul tells John about this great yield, and John invests. The scammer uses John’s investment to pay “interest” to Peter, who tells a friend, etcetera. Of course, eventually this system breaks down, not only because it’s illegal, but because the sum of the “company’s” resources is less than the total return owed investors. As soon as someone seeks to divest his principal investment, he discovers that in fact there is no corpus, and the whole thing comes crashing down.
While I am not (yet) an expert on MLM, I can speak to Shaklee’s model. Without going into exhaustive detail, it is not a pyramid because money is exchanged for products (the quality of which is, in the case of Shaklee, beyond reproach). The money that is paid to distributors is not taken out of the “pockets” of those under them in the organizational structure, but is instead paid by the corporation itself in the form of commissions and bonuses based upon the volume of product sold.
In short, value for value (with apologies and thanks to Ayn Rand and John Galt) defeats the assertion that Shaklee is a pyramid.
You’ll excuse me, I hope, for being gauche enough to talk about something after you’ve indicated that you don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just felt compelled…plus, my operative license is up for review.
–Ken
p.s. Just as I was about to “Make it so,” I got an email notice that Ang has posted to this thread again; I hope the redundancy isn’t too much of a reduncancy.
PPS
I think you did well, Ang.
—
Ken
…and to guild the lily, or maybe bludgeon the deceased equine, this online movie is an excellent explanation of the MLM business model.
Bonnie, this movie is on our (my wife and my) business site, but my purpose here is informational only; I am certainly not trying to spam you.
explorefreedom.com/kj
…and click the Step 3 link.
Cheers!
—
Ken
Hey Bonnie…I didn’t put in my website or usual name here because I sure don’t want these pyramiders to go after me! Hey, you have my e-mail here anyway. (I just posted about the ferrets…so you’ll know who I am!)
Obviously they attacked you with their stupidity and I am sorry. Man, I’d just remove this so I wouldn’t get anymore of their idiotic comments. As if you aren’t entitled to your own opinion on YOUR blog. I also don’t see any of your regular viewers here…these guys just crawled out of cyber-space woodwork or something??? I am laughing at the later posts that they actually ask you to remove the name thing. One dee ten tees. I would because I can’t stand spammers but then again I might think twice because they want me to! HA!
STUPID PYRAMID SCHEMES! I HATE EM!
I’ve also never heard of this vitamin thingy and don’t ever care to try it anyway…especially after your warning but I wouldn’t have in the first place!
Well hello, “One of [Bonnie’s] blogger devotees.” Nice to see that the level of discourse has descended to promoting baseless prejudices and name calling. And did you really just accuse me of “attacking” our hostess with “stupidity”? Reread my posts, then read your own, and perhaps you’ll discover the extent to which I’m rubber, and you’re glue…
Thank you, Bonnie, for entertaining this discussion so far, and for being reasoned and reasonable in your disagreement and skepticism. It seems that indeed this equine has deceased, and as such, I’ll “crawl” back into “cyber-space.”
Cheers.
—
Ken Johnson
Yowza!
Dear Anonymous Person, I do appreciate your concern for me and my blog!
Ken, if the discourse didn’t descend when Shaklee Devotee DJ gave his or her opinion, it can’t possibly descend over this latest poster’s opinion!
I edited DJ’s comment because I felt the sexual terms were inappropriate, but My Anonymous Person never dropped to that level, just saw what some people said and tried to step up to bat for me.
It’s difficult for most visitors to read through all these comments and understand how most Shaklee people were pretty cool about the whole thing, and that only a minority were hotheads.
I appreciate everybody’s comments, and hope nobody feels like they must crawl anywhere!
TO THOSE SUBSCRIBED TO THIS POST: My upgrade to WordPress 2.0 appears to have broken the Subscribe to Comments plugin. I’m working on a replacement.
I love you Bonnie!
I know you may not care at this point… But I was talking about you to my Shaklee upline in our biz meeting last night. lol I was telling them about an example of a veiw of our Nutriferon. and the fact that I agree that there needs to be more research. I also called you intellegent (well, not understanding the MLM thing aside) 😉
Just thought you might find this amusing…
Hi! What a great blog! Great job! thanks again for the info! WordPress rulez!! Hey, did I tell you about these amazing vitamins? I Feel great as never before!
[URL edited out by mean ole’ Bonnie Wren—boy, is she cranky about spam!]
Now THAT’S spam!
Ha! You’re right, Ken. Man, are they sneaky. You should see how many spammers get caught up in my spam filter. It’s too funny to delete, though, so I just edited out the URL.
Ang: that was nice of you! I would like to see more studies on it, as well as a more accurate label.
Blogger Devotee: Shhh! Hubby reads this blog!
That was more deserving of being called SPAM than the original post. At least the original one read the blog and tried to offer alternatives…
I found a site http://www.readyforcrisis.com/Fluprevention.html it has some info on the Dr that discovered interferon. He was not paid by Shaklee and chose us after 40 yrs of research. I don’t think this is mainly a Shaklee site as I see other products listed too. Thought it might give you more info that you hadn’t seen…
Oh, and btw. To my knowledge, the FDA does not evaluate any claims made by any supplement companies. They don’t police the formulas only set down guidelines.
Okay Bonnie, I am beginning to understand better why those of you with a non-commercial online presence are so fed up with solicitations of all flavors. That last (48) is damned insidious. Thanks for persevering.
—
Ken
Yikes, Ken! There were two spammers, #47 and #48, which I marked as spam and my software deleted from the queue. Now YOU are #48… sorry!
Many bloggers have noticed a big upswing in spammers…apparently they all figured out at once how to get past certain barriers.
The tiny few that made it through to this post—well, let’s say they’re nothing in comparison to 1) the spammers that were blocked from accessing this site and 2) the spammers that actually made it through but were caught before they could comment.
I didn’t mean mine to be spam 🙁 I thought it would be helpful. That site is not mine and I do not know whose it is…