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Jeremy... I'm not particularly a skeptic. I've WORKED in the online industry for 7 years, 7days a week, and deal ONLY with medical/chronic disease-related forums. I see HUNDREDS of "snake oil" salesperson's posts each week (and delete them all), including those that are pictching the product/pyramid scheme that Dianne <IF that was her real name> is selling. I KNOW their line by heart, because they keep using the same approach and message-template over and over again. The moment I saw her original post, I knew who and what we were dealing with. Because of this company's repeated use of the same approach, I KNEW what her response would be to my own initiial warning to my fellow list members. Had Dianne come back online saying she had nothing to do with sales, or pyramiding for that company, and was merely an enthusiastic user of their product(s), i.e. sorta like you did in your comments about the "Overdrive" product, I'd never have written that second message. Especially since I knew I'd get some flak for my hostility to her. As to your question about how I would market my product if I found a cure for PD? Well, m'friend, I'm not gonna be the one who finds that cure, I'm afraid, so I don't HAVE to worry about marketing it. BUT.. I'd like to call your attention to a recent program of TV's "60 Minutes," in a segment about a physician living in a primative and small Brazillian jungle community, way, WAY back in the hinterlands of that nation, developed a new technique for heart surgery which had DRAMATIC and beneficial results for many of his patients. THAT was aired less than 6 months ago, and that technique is now being performed, and even improved upon by many of the US's long established teaching hospitals. How long did it take news of the Salk vaccine to get out? Penicillan? AZT? Use of Chloraform as a pre-surgical sleep inducer? Semelweiss and asepsis? The thing is, Jeremy, that today, you're most likely not going to find a lone medical researcher working away for years and years in his basement or garage in an effort to find a cure for a terminal or chronic illmess. You ARE going to find HUGE companies, like Amgen, or Sandoz, investing gazillions of dollars in research and publicity. The thing that I find interesting is that there appears to be LOTS more money being spent of research for COSMETIC products, than on Parkinson's research. WHAT is wrong with this picture? Barb Mallut, [log in to unmask] ---------- From: PARKINSN: Parkinson's Disease - Information Exchange Network on behalf of Jeremy Browne Sent: Monday, November 04, 1996 2:27 AM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Subject: Re: Depression In message <[log in to unmask]>, Barbara Mallut writes >Sorry Dianne, I'm not a skeptic at all. I don't BELIEVE in "universal >cure-alls" any more than I do in "snake oil!" >You're in BUSINESS TO MAKE MONEY OFF THE CHRONICALLY ILL, and that's the ONLY >reason you're pitching your products here. You're hawking "universial >cure-alls" here, because you're playing off the desparation of those who are >so afraid and so sick. >I've emailed the list owner to inform her that a "universal cure-all" and >pyramid scheme salesperson is using her list to pitch for sales. And, if this >were my own system, you'd be out of here so fast your head would spin! Hi Barbara An interesting response to Dianne, and I can see the reason for it. However, can I take you back a step or two? My question is "Understanding that 1. there are snake-oil salesmen and 2. there is no such thing as a free lunch, and 3. anyone in his/her right mind is skeptical of claims for wonder drugs, just HOW, if you personally were to find the answer to Parkinson's, would you get other PWPs to listen to your words of wisdom?" It's a problem which has taxed me, 'cos I'm cynical too. I USED to be a distributor for a company called Nu Skin, which markets really super quality skin- & hair-care products. One of it's divisions is called IDN, selling nutritional supplements. My upline suggested I should get involved with that part of the business, but I told him I didn't believe in them, as I couldn't see how they could help simply by adding bits & pieces to my (pretty healthy) diet. I play squash (still, but poorly, now) once a week, and one of the products he was trying to promote is called Overdrive, which supposedly helps you do better at sports. My cynicism was showing, so he gave me some and told me how they should be used. Well, I tried these capsules for four out of five of my next five week's squash games. There is a definite, but not huge, improvement in my game on the weeks I took the stuff, and I was noticeably worse on the week I didn't. I don't sell for this company any longer, but I do continue to use that one product. I don't understand WHY it works, but it seems to. Now, seeing that I was (apparently) wrong in my cynicism in this one area, could I be wrong in others? I don't know - you go figure! I guess i'm prepared to be open-minded about a lot of things. My cynicism tells me to beware of charlatans, but I have no mechanism for recognising a true saviour! I guess I'll just bumble along, not accepting people's claims, but not being quite so certain that they ARE just out for a quick buck. Maybe you are a bit hard on Dianne? -- Jeremy Browne Turnpike evaluation. For information, see http://www.turnpike.com/