Friday, November 23, 2007

Reliv is Not a Magic Cure

I received this email a few days ago from one of our readers. Like many, she was told that Reliv is a Miracle cure for whatever might be wrong but only found out that it is VERY expensive and does not work. And like many uplines, they convinced her that the only way to go was spending 3,200$ to get the best discount. But this only left her sitting with a bunch of products that she could not use and did not want to force upon her friends.

"Let me tell you this...I have rheumatoid arthritis and started taking Reliv as a last resort due to some serious knee pain/swelling. itdid seem to help with the pain/swelling. But at the encouragement ofmany three way (annoying) phone calls I bumped it up to three shakes a day. Classic, Lemon Innergize, Arthaffect and Fibrestore. All that added up to a big expense that I wasn't happy about. But I did feel like I wasgetting some results so I kept taking the three shakes a day that I was so encouraged to do. I was told by many that I would just keep improving if I stuck with it. Well during that time my sponsor came over and brought another Reliv rep and they encouraged/talked me into signing up as a MA. I was already going to sign up at a lower level so I could get some type of discount off of this product that was now costing me around $250 a month! But somehow when they left I thought that signing up as a MA was the better route. Even though I sat there and told them that I did not have the time nor the desire to call people on the phone and I was not a sales person in the least. Anyway not long after I signed up I started having some new RA trouble in my hip. I ended up having an MRI and found it too was arthritis. I became disenchanted with Reliv. I was not about to keep paying all that money for something that was only going to help me a little bit. So I quit taking the shakes and really didn't notice any difference when I quit taking them so now I wonder if the "help" I thought I had gotten in the first place was a placebo effect or just in my head. Not to mention that I had also been warned about the soy danger as well. I decided to sell some of it on Ebay as I am not comfortable "pushing" nutritional shakes on people that cost as much as these do."

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Stop Reliv - Prevent Cancer

Six Good Eating Habits That Will Help Prevent Cancer

The American Institute for Cancer Research has released a 517-page report detailing the CONVENTIONAL medical view of what your main risk factors for developing cancer, and what you can do to reduce your risk.

Among their findings -- after reviewing more than 7,000 large-scale studies over the course of five years -- the Institute is now convinced that excess body weight increases your risk for the following types of cancer:

* Colon
* Kidney
* Pancreas
* Esophagus
* Uterus, and breast cancer in post-menopausal women


The report also found that there are certain lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk of getting cancer:

* Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight


* Be physically active as part of everyday life

* Limit consumption of "energy-dense foods," foods that are high in calories, fat and sugar. Avoid sugary drinks

*Eat mostly foods of plant origin, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans

* Limit intake of red meat and avoid ALL processed meat

* Limit alcoholic drinks to one per day for women, two per day for men

* Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy grains or legumes

* Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone, without dietary supplement

Sources:

MarketWatch.com November 1, 2007
American Institute for Cancer Research

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Even the American Cancer Society (ACS), which is as traditional as medical organizations come, have recently suggested that you can reduce your risk of cancer by more than 60 percent through simple lifestyle changes.

I am regularly challenged when I see that the ACS is the nearly inevitable source of funds collected by well intentioned groups and organizations seeking to raise money for cancer research. These funds are virtually all wasted, as they do nothing but support the traditional ignorance that has contributed to the problem in the first place.

ACS’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry runs deep, and treating cancer is far more lucrative than preventing it, so chances are good that any real prevention will be widely and vigorously resisted. It has also been argued that their ties to polluting industries has led the industry to willfully suppress information about the environmental causes of cancer, something that is not part of the recommendations above either. Cancer is undoubtedly a very important issue, as cancer has now surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 85.

However, it is encouraging to see that cancer researchers are starting to catch on to prevention through diet and exercise, rather than simply focusing on preventive drug treatments. It’s a good start, but because they are late to the game they have completely missed the most important steps to virtually eliminating your risk of cancer..

As you probably know your key to fighting cancer is prevention. But, with cancer, as with many other life-threatening illnesses, the conventional medical industry makes no money if you are able to avoid the number one cause of death in the United States. They only benefit if they can treat you for it, which means that prevention techniques are practically ignored.

But, at this point, you also have to look at yourself and ask, “Am I willing to make the lifestyle changes needed to improve and maintain my own health? Or have I fallen prey for pharmaceutical brainwashing that they can fix me if something happens?” The industry can’t continue shoving pills down your throat unless you ask them to, and accept it as your only option. You have choices! Exercise them!

I am a firm believer that you can VIRTUALLY ELIMINATE your cancer risk if you follow risk reduction strategies that have not been formally "proven" yet by conservative researchers. It may take another 20 or 30 years for these strategies to be proven effective… And that’s IF they spend the money necessary to do all the follow-up studies required to establish scientific consensus.

Can you really wait that long, knowing that 175 Americans are diagnosed with cancer every hour? I suggest you get with the program now and save you and your family a cancer diagnosis.
What Can You Do to Virtually ELIMINATE Your Cancer Risk?

The following are my major recommendations:

1. Resolve past emotional traumas. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. Fortunately, there are now practical tools that can address this. One of the best was developed by Dr. Hammer and it is called German New Medicine. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology is one of the best approaches, and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

I have interviewed two of the top experts in the U.S. in this area. One is Dr. David Holt who is the leading US physician in German New Medicine, and Dr. Bruce Lipton who is the top researcher explaining why this approach works. I grilled each of them for nearly three hours and it was absolutely amazing information.

If the American Cancer Society knew this information and applied it, I would donate money to them because then they really would be making a difference, instead of serving as pawns of the drug industry.

Either way, information is massively important for ANYONE who is currently battling cancer. Both of these interviews should be out before the end of the year. The first one should come out the last week of November, and best of all, you will be able to get it mailed to your U.S. home for FREE.

2. Control your insulin and leptin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible. ACS indirectly acknowledges this but what they absolutely fail to appreciate is that weight is merely a SYMPTOM. The underlying pathology driving the weight gain is elevated insulin and leptin levels.

3. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats and make sure you use cod liver oil if you don't have regular access to sun exposure

4. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks

5. Get enough sunshine. It is now firmly established that you can reduce your risk of cancer by 50% if you get enough sunshine. However, did you see one word of this in the ACS 517 page report? So normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. If you have regular access to sun exposure then you should use fish oil, not cod liver oil, as your primary source of omega-3 fats. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.

6. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic, this is another very powerful anti-cancer strategy.

Other Helpful Factors to Reduce Your Cancer Risk

7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are old and wilted. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb metabolic type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein metabolic type

8. Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight and maintain an ideal body weight

9. Get enough high-quality sleep

10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution

11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Reliv Products Are Toxic and Dangerous

Hello Everyone! Thank you for taking the time to visit and read my Blog. I do hope that you will find some useful information here and that it will help you make an accurate decision when deciding to use or join Reliv. The following message was received from one of our readers who posted this in response to another article that I had posted back in October. I hope you find this interesting.

"These products are dangerous. Anyone who tries to sell you this toxic substance is only out for your money and does not have your best interests at heart. I am a medical professional (i.e. have spent thousands of hours in the classroom, lab, hospitals). I feel very strongly that these products should be illegal but we can't beat the billions of dollars spent by the supplement industry."

Friday, November 16, 2007

Reliv and DSA Can't be Trusted!

I don't know if this bothers anyone else but for me, when I saw this article a WHOLE bunch of RED flags went up. The DSA or Direct Selling Association is suppose to be a watchdog on MLMs and NMs companies but with the CEO of Reliv on the Board, naturally they are not going to look too closer at the operations of Reliv. A "You Scratch My Back and I will Scratch Yours" type of idea.

While I was working in Eastern Europe we saw a lot of these types of things happening in the Parliament. One person would want to start a "Not So Honest Business" and so he would ask help of his buddies but promise to vote on their behalf when needed.

The DSA should NOT have any CEO or other person directly related to MLMs or NM companies on their board. This is the ONLY way they can remain bias and honest. But for now, just because the DSA put their stamp of approval on a MLM or NM, this does not mean it's 100% honest and above board.

Reliv International's CEO Named to Direct Selling Association's Board Of Directors

CHESTERFIELD, Mo., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Reliv International, Inc.


(Nasdaq: RELV), an international manufacturer and network marketer of nutritional supplements and other products, today announced that Robert L. Montgomery, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Direct Selling Association (DSA), representing the interests of the nutritional products industry. Montgomery joins a board comprised of leading direct sales companies from across the
United States.

"Joining the DSA Board of Directors gives Reliv a unique opportunity to emerge as a leader in the direct selling industry. The Direct Selling Association acts as a catalyst and a watchdog for our industry. The tremendous growth of the direct selling industry over the past few years makesthis an exciting time to be involved," says Montgomery. In addition to his duties as a Board member, Montgomery was also chosen to serve on the CEO Council of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations as well as the DSA's public education organization, the Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF). The DSEF was founded in 1973 to enhance public awareness of the direct selling industry through structured educational programs and valid
research initiatives.

"Robert Montgomery was a natural choice for our Board of Directors. His leadership abilities and strong presence in the direct selling industry make him a valuable resource for the DSA," said Neil Offen, President of the Direct Selling Association. Reliv International has been a member of the DSA since 1993.

The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is a national trade association founded in 1910 to serve the direct sales industry. The DSA represents more than 140 companies and strives to "protect, serve and promote the effectiveness of member companies and the independent business people they represent. To ensure that the marketing by member companies of products and/or the direct sales opportunity is conducted with the highest level of business ethics and service to consumers."

SOURCE Reliv International

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Reliv and Teens Before Their Time

I post an article about this topic a few weeks ago but here is another article, a slightly older one, but still talking about the same topic. Reliv claims that their products are good for young and old alike but we are seeing more and more dangers of consuming soy and now we are starting to see some of the affects it is having on our children.  "Anecdotal reports of other problems associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based formula include extreme emotional behavior, asthma, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome." Just like many of the other Reliv products, the Kid's NOW is Soy based and therefore could cause some of these same problems that they are finding from Infant Formulas.

Teens Before Their Time

By Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD


A recent feature article in Time Magazine reported on the disturbing increase in early puberty among girls in the US. According to a recent study reported in the journal Pediatrics,1 one percent of all American girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three; by age eight, 14.7 percent of white girls and almost 50 percent of African-American girls had one or both of these characteristics.

The consequences of truncated childhood are tragic. Young girls with mature bodies must cope with feelings and urges that most children are not well-equipped to handle. And early maturation in girls is frequently a harbinger for problems with the reproductive system later in life including failure to menstruate, infertility, breast cancer, headaches and early menopause.

In their discussion of the possible causes, Time's reporters speculate on the role of environmental estrogens such as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of DDT), which have been shown to cause similar effects in animals.2 Meat and milk are also fingered as possible sources of dietary hormones.

But the authors never reveal the number-one suspect--soy infant formula. Although they mention the 1986 Puerto Rico Premature Thelarche study,3 they do not tell their readers that most significant dietary association with premature sexual development was not chicken--as reported in the press--but soy infant formula. The second most powerful association was indeed chicken--chicken raised on soy-based feed.

Approximately 25 percent of bottle-fed children in the US receive soy-based formula--a much higher percentage than in other parts of the Western world. The Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which supplies free infant formula to welfare mothers, stresses soy formula for African Americans because they are supposedly allergic to milk. This would explain the astronomically high rates of premature development in African American girls.

In 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is six to 11 times higher on a body weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma estradiol concentrations in infants on cows milk formula.4

New Zealand toxicologist Mike Fitzpatrick estimates that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day.5 By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products.

Anecdotal reports of other problems associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based formula include extreme emotional behavior, asthma, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome.6

In 1998, in response to growing concerns about the damage caused by soy-based infant formula, Nutrition Reviews published an article by K. O. Klein of duPont Hospital for Children as proof that soy infant formulas do no harm.7 Yet in the article Klein notes that effects of isoflavones on various animal species include hormonal changes, increased uterine weight and infertility. "It is clear from the literature," says Klein, "that different species and different tissues are affected by isoflavones in markedly different ways. It is difficult to know which tissues, if any, are affected in infants, and the variation among species makes extrapolation to infants inappropriate." This is scientific double talk. Scientists may be reluctant to extrapolate but parents would certainly err on the side of caution if they knew that "isoflavones affect different tissues in markedly different ways."

Klein says that medical literature provides "no evidence of endocrine effects. . and no changes in timing of puberty." But she makes no mention of the Puerto Rican study which strongly implicated soy formula. Why would Dr. Klein leave out any reference to the Puerto Rican study in her review? Is it because DuPont, owner of Protein Technologies International, is the leading manufacturer of soy protein isolate?

Or is it because her review was sponsored by the Infant Formula Council? Or because Nutrition Reviews, which published her whitewash, is funded by industry giants, including Pillsbury, Hershey Foods, Kellogg, Roche, General Mills, Kraft, Campbell Soup, Monsanto, Coca-Cola, Cargill, Heinz, Nabisco, Proctor and Gamble and Pepsi-Cola?

An interesting finding of the Puerto Rican study was that consumption of milk was negatively correlated with early maturation, which means that it might be protective. Whole unprocessed milk may go a long way to mitigating some of the adverse effects of soy formula. We also know of one case in which early onset of puberty was reversed by treatment with low-potency desiccated thryoid.8

References
  1. Marcia E Herman-Giddens, et al "Secondary Sexual Characteristics and Menses in Young Girls Seen in Office Practice: A Study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network," Pediatrics, April 1997, Vol 99, No 4, Pages 505-512
  2. Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly, #263, The Wingspread Statement, Part 1, December 11, 1991; Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson Myers, Our Stolen Future, Little Brown and Company, London, 1996.
  3. L W Freni-Titulaer, "Premature Thelarche in Puerto Rico, A search for environmental factors," American Journal of Diseases of Children, December 1986, Vol 140, No 12, Pages 1263-1267
  4. K D Setchell et al, "Isoflavone content of infant formulas and the metabolic fate of these early phytoestrogens in early life," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 1998, Supplement Pages 1453S-1461S
  5. C Irvine, et al, "The Potential Adverse Effects of Soybean Phytoestrogens in Infant Feeding," New Zealand Medical Journal, May 24, 1995, Page 318.
  6. K O Klein, "Isoflavones, Soy-based Infant Formulas and Relevance to Endocrine Function," Nutrition Reviews, July 1998, Vol 56, No 7, Pages 193-204.
  7. Personal communication, Richard James. See www.soyonlineservice.co.nz.
  8. Stephen Langer, Solved: The Riddle of Illness, 1994, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT, Page 52.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

RELIV DID NOTHING FOR ME

The stats show that 90% of people who join the Reliv Business Opportunity fail. This makes me wonder how many taking the products end up with no results and try to get their money back like this person below? Sadly people usually only share when something is working for them. The Internet is full of pro Reliv sites but those who are willing to really share their stories are few and far between. For the most part, if you are just looking for a good multi vitamin, I would suggest saving your money and buy something cheaper. The high dosage of Reliv and the high soy are not good for you.

DID NOTHING FOR ME
by harryhails ,Apr 18 '06

Pros: Wide variety of vitamins
Cons: Ridiculously expensive. An absolute RIPOFF!

I have been taking Reliv Now for a month and its has done absolutely nothing. I was told by a family friend who sells the stuff how amazing it is and what it did for her. (of course she is going to say its amazing SHE SELLS IT LOL!) I told her how expensive it was and she assured me its worth it. She said don't worry i'll give you your money back if no results, so I'm getting money back. it cost total $81(AUS) for 1 month supply. OMG I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!

Sure people MAY get some results but NOT ME!

You can buy complete multivitamins which have got the same ingredients for a fraction of the price this stuff!

Monday, November 5, 2007

MLM – a business of deceptions – and "The Sting"

MLM – a business of deceptions – and "The Sting"

I just watched the video of the engaging film “The Sting,” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. In the world of organized crime, and even among small operators, the ability to pull off a successful confidence game (“con game”) that defrauded others of large sums of money was a matter of pride for successful “con men.”

Experts who have studied this phenomenon of network or multi-level marketing (MLM) have been struck with similarities between these schemes and illegal confidence games. But there are striking differences:

(1) A confidence game, or simple fraud, is clearly illegal. Conversely, even when technically illegal, most MLM’s are accepted by most law enforcement personnel as harmless – in part due to the unwillingness of victims to file complaints. Even though tens of thousands of participants may have been defrauded of small to large sums of money, such victims almost never file complaints – as is typical of all endless chain selling schemes.

(2) Con artists usually are fully aware that they are cheating their victims. Conversely, it is rare for even top MLM promoters to be aware of the harm, in terms of losses, that they are causing to nearly all participants in their programs.

Typically, MLM programs and other endless chain-selling schemes are inherently uneconomic for all but those at or near the top of their respective hierarchies of participants. They defraud the vast majority of participants, who buy products on the basis of a whole set of misrepresentations. This becomes clear in analyses of actual payouts of MLM companies – based on company reports and surveys of tax professionals. For a look at the statistics on dismal earnings of MLM participants (actually losses for 99.9% of them, if all costs are subtracted from earnings), go to the page entitled “MLM - Network Marketing NUMBERS – the Odds of Success –vs. No-product Schemes & Gambling” at – http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/NUMBERS.htm

As with con artists, MLM promoters find themselves having to deceive if they are to succeed. If they tell the truth about the MLM they are promoting, no one will join and “pay to play” the game. (Such payments are usually in the form of product purchases). They must perpetuate the myth that MLM is “the wave of the future,” a truly fair and effective way to get a piece of the marketplace, a way to gain ongoing residual income by leveraging the efforts and purchases of others, etc. The truth starkly contradicts these claims. Promoters must promote a whole set of deceptions, or convoluted thinking, to create a picture of a truly viable, profitable sales or business opportunity.

A list of 30 “Typical Misrepresentations Engaged in by Recruiting MLM’s” can also be accessed at – http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/Misrepresentations-RecruitingMLMs.pdf
Reports on other law enforcement issues can be found at – http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/law_enforcement.htm

A concrete example of how clever an MLM can be at deceiving not only consumers, but also law enforcement officials, is Nu Skin’s one-page report of “Actual Average Incomes” of its distributors, on which I found 20 deceptions on a single page! Unfortunately, neither the FTC nor state officials detected any of them. To download the full “Report of Violations” of an earlier FTC Order for Nu Skin to stop its misrepresentations (including the page in question), go to Item #2 on the “Nu Skin’s Naughty Numbers” page at – http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/nu_skin's_naughty_numbers.htm

Another excellent report worth reading is “The 10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing,” by Robert L. Fitzpatrick, President, Pyramid Scheme Alert. It can be found at –http://www.falseprofits.com/MLM%20Lies.html

Mr. Fitzpatrick has written another well-researched article on the subject that every person wanting to know the truth about MLM should read titled "The Myth of 'Income Opportunity' in Multi-level Marketing."

When all these deceptions are considered together, MLM could be described as “theft by deception,” even as a con game – perhaps the most successful of all time. But the fraud is dependent on an endless chain of self-deception, which is what makes it so insidious. As I have often stated, “MLM is the perfect con game. The very people who are being victimized (deceived) are out promoting the program (deceiving others) – until they run out of money (from “failure to work the program”) and quit. Since such victims seldom file formal complaints, authorities do nothing to stop it. Promoters recruit (deceive) new participants to replace those who dropped out (the victims). And the game goes on.”

A villain is very tough to find in these schemes. This is because the core of the problem is not the people or the products, but an inherently fraudulent SYSTEM – recruitment of an endless chain of participants as primary customers. Because the fraud is to be found in the system itself, this class of fraud could be referred to as SYSTEM FRAUD. For the "5 Red Flags" that clearly indicate an MLM is a fraudulent system, go to – http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/5RedFlags2column40pages2color3-6.pdf

NOTE: There are extremely rare exceptions – but they programs that don't act at all like typical MLM's. The compensation plans pay most commissions to the person doing the selling, so there is more incentive to sell than to recruit. For evaluations of over 200 MLM programs, go to –http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/mlm_evaluations.htm