Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • The Rundown On Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Uploaded by

    snippyx
    19 views1 page
    The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Original Title

    The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    19 views1 page

    The Rundown On Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Uploaded by

    snippyx
    The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 1
    cucK To i : i stor Aj one - anhattort sie Celebre. THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE OURTOWN DOWNTOWN SPIRIT Home Neighborhoods Our Town WestSide Spirit OurTownDowntona CisArts Best Of Manhattan RealEstate Abvut Us Coutact Us Subnucibe Subuait Stull Advertie Term ufService PickUsUp Strausews search The Rundown on Scientology's Purification | HOLIDAY DECORATIONS Rundown PHOTO CONTEST : ENTER NOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN ByJchn DeSio $150! “Tm not here converting these men and women to Scientology. And I've got to tell ou somethingI've been a Scientologist 20 years, In Sacramento I, more than any other Scientologist, ‘got new poopleinto Scientology, me personally. I'm very good at converting people, if Iwantto.” Jim * Woodtorths tho direetor ofthe Now York Rese Worker Detoxification Proj and ho We know the % bristling at the suggestion that his program is an arm of the Church of Scientology. He insists that holiday season is +his group is totally secular, stating that a look at his tax returns and a diseussion with any of the busy. Save time lose to 800 men and women he has treated will bear that out. His mission at the program, also by browsing our ‘mown as Downtown Medical, is to help sick rescue workers—not to make new Scientologists. “My ‘curated tech gift purpose here isthe purpose hat Istted, to restore the quality oflife tothe escaewerkers 'smeta guide and get ready to goes purpose” get alving. Z ‘howe rescue workers spoke with bac up Woodrorts statements, No paint whe parcipatd in the detonation program offered by Downtown Media sid thy were confroated wile ae ee Seiontology, its belisf at any tino. In 2003, Downtown Media, aciniepromotinga program oyster n'aaeioonisee tecereson designed to remove impurities from the body through arogimen ofsweatand vitamins, opened for Tnusiness. The projet, which focuses solely on those rescue workers who served at Ground Zewoater (MATTERS OO] =od ois based on the writings of Church of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and project leaders pblily acknowledge that Hubbard's book, Cleat Bad, Clear Mind, acs as the de facto handbook iia ermine sa forthe program. Though many pas supporters ofthe program suchas the City of Nev: Vers largest Sirefghters’ union, the Unifotnoed Firefighters Association, backed off once they learned of Geative & Fun Downtown Medicals ties to Scientology, others have been more than willing to openly show their Lessons ins support, starting with former Manhattan City Couned Member Margarita Lopes stig Henesy During her 2005 run for Manhattan borough president, was ovoaled that Lopez helped tear + Saal espns {360,000 in city funding to Downtown Medical. Following that, she reecived over $100,000 in Drersty Community campaign conteibutions from Seientology associates and the seom of Mayor Bloomberg. The mayor openly chastised Lopes, sho sppenss ina promotion video toxting the pragram, for her eonnection tm Downtown Medical. Since then, other elected officials have been happy to stand up for the benefits ofthe detosficaion program, despite Bloombers’s continued objections. Council Member (EZ 7 FTES Hiram Monserrate of Queens anounced his support for the program in April, declaring that hehad — ‘gone through the detox regimen himeelE Monsezrate even introduced bil to declare April 19 “L. Ron Hubbard Day” in advance ofa Manhattan fundraicer for the program hosted by Sdentologist actor and Downtown Modieal co-founder Tom Cruise, which raised $1.3 million. Anothor Queons Gity Council Member, Joseph Addabbo, attended the fundraiser and said the erties of Downtown, Medical were out of ine. This program helps rescue workers, Addabbo said, and that should be the top priory As east ona elected official had no ides he-was considered a supporter of the program until he was ‘contacted for this story, On the front page of Downtovm Medical’ website apnenrs a quote from ‘Michael Balboni, a former Republican state senator from Long Island and essrent deputy secretacy {for Publie Security to Governor Eliot Spitzer which states that the results ofthe detonfication ‘program are “the ulimate victory over the effects the terrorists hoped to achiave.” A Google search forthe quote finds it only on Downtown Medical's website and a search in the much more thorough Loxis-Noxis newspaper archive does not tn up the quote at all. Balboni does not know how’t got there and does not even remember saying it, not just as an endorsement of Downtown Medical but {in any context. Ihave noidea where they got that quote from,” said Belboni when asked about it, ‘noting thathe met with a few supporters ofthe program a fa years ago to diseuss the potential ‘opening ofa similar clinic in his distr, Balboni said that i participants in the program felt better ‘upon its completion, then that was good for them. That said, he isnot a supporter and will ask Downtown Medical to remove his remark fsom its website, “It's certaily not an endorsementof the program.” ‘Woodworth supplied a number ofletier of endorsement, from clected officals and union leaders like, offering their sapport for the program. One leter, written in 2004, 3 from Senator Chuck Schumer, though Schumer’ effiee has indicated that the senator no longer supports the program, Bat the only endorsement Woodworth or anyone associated with Downtown Medical cares aboutis she approval of fs patients, and those patiente I pake with were adamant thatthe program euted. their ill “Leame into it very skeptical” said Steve Mona, azetired NYPD lieutenant who worked at Ground Zero from September 11 clear through December 2003. Mona said that he was prepared to leave the program immediately if he was confronted with Scientology or pressused to convert. That never happened. “Twonty-six days later, I was a different person—not just physically but mentally. No bullshit.” Mona saye that today he sleeps better, he is losing weight and he hasan overall bottor feeling about life in general. And Scientology has nothing to do with it. “The bottom lines, I know bout as much about Scientology now as I di when I started the program.” And Downtown ‘Medica’s Seientelogy comections don’t mean a thing ta Mana, “Tycouldn't care if these guys a6 Satan worshippers a long as part ofthe daal yan worshipping Satan. They maade me well” ‘The toxins and particle matter released into the ai on 9/1 have become a major cause for elected. officials in New York, most actably Senator Hillary Cliaton, who have charged that the Bus administration and the Environmental Protection Agency did nct do enough to keep rescue workers safe in the weeks and months following 9/11 and have not dono enough since to deal with their ‘health issues stemming from their work at Ground Zero, For officials ke Lopes, Monserzateand Addabbo, Downtown Medical s just what reseue workers like Mona need. But the program is not ‘withoutits detractors, Since the desesitication program was firs launched, the bull of its citiiam has been linked ta top _sopporter and fundraiser actor Toma Cmaise, who has exhibited some bizsire behavior since he began ‘tm openly preach the benefits of Scientlogy several years ago. From jumping up and down on Opral’s couch to the constant rumors that he has virally enelaved his wife aeteas Katie Holmes, into the Church of Scientology, every move Cruise has made in recent years has been tied to Sciontology and dubbed “wacky” by the media at large. Therefore, Cruise's pet detoxification program must aso be wad Hubbard's detoxification program, which Scientologists refer to as the “purification rundown, requires an individual to ingest a vitamin cocktail and cooking of, run on a treadmill and sweat Jneaviiy ina sauna with temmperstanes ranging from 140 to 280 degrees Fahnenlheit for about a month Downtown Medical isto be beliaved, chat combination isa miracle eure for many ailments, “Patients have had black paste coming out of their pores inthe sauma,” states Woodworth on the site, “Their sweat has stained towels parple, bus, orange, yellow and black. They have reported bowel ‘movements that are blue, or een, or that have smelled like smoke—despite the fact that they had ‘not boon ata firesoone for months” A picture of a program pavticipant holding a purple stained towel in his hands appears in a slideshow on their website, and program administrators say they ‘have other similar photos available, Shards of glass have Teaked ftom the pores of detox participants, ‘according to the website, And aooounts of the program's benefits, written by reseue workers who served at Ground Zeto, cover the sita, ‘The Detox Myth ‘Woodvcorth’s concern isthe truth about the project, Beyond Cruise's involvement and the negative perception of the Church of Scientology that the media has mostly focused on. But an examination of the records and discussions with experts fndsa program lacking full scientific testing, that has been booted out of other cities, that uses potentially dangerous amounts of vitamins and that Hubbard himself admitted was not medicine, among other concerns, Multiple exports in the feld of toxicology fom across the country ware contacted for this story. Eleven replied, though some asked to remain ‘anonymous for fear of reprisal OF those 11, not one would vouch forthe programms effectiveness ot ‘would recommend itto patients, often calling it “dangerous” or “quackery.” ‘The enseworkcthat would appear ro support detonifcation as lagiimate medisine appears in mulviple places—including Clear Body, Clear Mind—on Downtown Medica’s website: on the website of Downtown Medical’s parent grou, the Intemational Acadamy of Detesiication Specialists; and in a third volume itten by Hubbard called “The Purification Rundown Series” published as part of The ‘Technical Bulletins of Dianetics and Scientology, a collection of letters known to Scientologists as Hubbard Communications Office Bulletins, or HCOBs, lear Body, Clear Mind is vague. Though the book does offer vitamin reeipes and isa suitable overall primer to Hubbard’ detoxification program, itis filled with anonymous anecdotal evidence about ‘he apparent positive results of the puritiention rundown. The foreward to the book is written by Dr David Root and James Bames, both members of Downtown Medical’s advisory boatd, and in icthey- recount a handfal of case studies that purpor to show the effectiveness of detoxification. They Dhighlight the cases of soldiers returning from the first Iraq war treated fer Gulf War Syndrome, ‘Vietuam veterans exposed tothe chemical “Agent Orange” and Kazakhstan citizens exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster, Similar statements are made by Hubbard in the HCOBs. All patients show incredible signs of improvement, of ours, ‘When reviewed, the studies that recount this great success do not meet the basie standards for scientific research that a high sehool student would be forced to followin freshman biology: Sample ‘Sees are extremely small, and reseateh is conducted by parties with a vested interestin the program's success, Tha same is true for the resenteh specifically dedicated ta the work of Downton ‘Medical. One study linked to the program's website is authored by seven individuals, four of whom se directly associated with Downtown Medical, ether through its advisory board or as an emplovee: ‘That stody indicates improvements in seven men who participated in the purification rundown, but ‘notes that the sample sizes to limited to make a real judgment ofits effectiveness. As forthe bias of the authors, ina written response Root declared that itis perfectly rasonable for anyone {interested in a particular area of study to research that aroa, and that independance is provided through publication in “peer-reviewed” medical journals, Several doctors consulted for this story aid that no credible, peer-reviewed medical journal has ever published a truly peer-reviewed study of the puritietion randoosn, Other smdies of larger groups of detox participants rely on subjective symptoms to minke the case that the purification rundown works. A July 2004 outcome surnmary posted on Downtown Medical’s website lists improvements in 286 patients, noting that thyroid function had improved and cholesterol levels had dropped in many participants. However, itpoints to numerous other indicators of program success that would be more difficult to measure—such as improvementin the eas of joint pain, fatigue, impaired memory, ievitabiity and eye ivitation, Fatigue can be cured by going to bed earlier, and ieitablity ean simply moan having a stressful day at work The outeome ‘surnmary even counts a deerease in alcohol eonsumption as a benefit of the program, even though ‘hat cond mean going down from sito five beers a night or just deciding ro stap drinking on your ‘ow, something alcoholics do everyday with mestings, minus vitamins and a sehnvitz Another study, authored by Root and two others associated with the project and attached to Downtown Medical’s 2005 tax return, mentions improvements in other subjective symptoms as sign ofthe program's benefit, According to that study, which examined 484 program participants, 100 percent of pationts reported improvernent in both “subjective symptoms” and "percoption of health” Italso found that participants in the purifieation rundown “found considerable reduction in days of work missod on the start ofthe detoxification program, as well as reduced concerns about forced retirement.” It even elaima that detoxification has the potential toraise your IQ level by simozt four points, a madext numer considering the official Chuteh of Scientology website boasts that the purification rundown ean raise one’s IQ by up to 15 points. A decrease in subjective symptoms isa perfectly legitimate way to measure program success, acording to Dr. Phylis Gelb, 2 physician with Downtown Medical. “Many program participants—who have not slept for vears, who are depressed, fearful, lethargic and unstable—have generally undergone multiple tests and been told thereis nothing wong, Given that the means do not exist to identify a cause oftheir suffering, there [sie] subjective statements may be the only measure of suovess,” wrote Gelb in a written response, ‘Two major problems, aside from the bias of the authors and the reliance on subjectivity, exist in each detesification stady, the first being the wter lack of any control group to balance the testing. In that Ihigh school science class, one might have pa together a project examining the effects of cigarette make on the growth of a farn, Onefem vould face a basrage of nicctine while another would sit far sxvay from the smoke for the same period of time, and growth would be measured 2t the conclusion, Fora more adult example you might look at drug companies, which test the effectiveness of every

    You might also like