Earl Mindell

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Earl Mindell

photo c/o Hay House
Born 20 January 1940 (1940-01-20) (age 68)
St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation Writer, Nutritionist

Earl Lawrence Mindell is a Canadian-American writer and nutritionist who currently resides in Beverly Hills, California. He is a writer who has authored over 45 books on health and wellness, and is a strong advocate of nutrition as both preventive and homeopathy.

Mindell's controversial theories on health and nutrition have met with criticism in the scientific community.[1] For example, Mindell has previously promoted oral supplements of an "anti-aging" enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). There is currently no evidence for the supposed benefits of SOD, and it is well known that the enzyme would not survive the digestive process if taken orally.[2]

Mindell is associated with FreeLife International, a multi-level marketing company based in Milford, Connecticut.

Contents

[edit] Personal life

Mindell was born to parents William and Minerva on 20 January 1940 in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada. He immigrated to the United States in 1965 and was naturalized in 1972. On May 16, 1971 Mindell married Gail Andrea Jaffe. They have two children, Alanna Dayan and Evan Louis-Ashley.

In his spare time, Mindell is an amateur historian. In an effort to preserve the history of pharmacy, Mindell has turned his personal garage into an old-time apothecary shop containing historical items that date back to the 1800s.[3]

[edit] Education

Mindell received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University in 1963 or 1964. He earned a Master Herbalist Diploma from Dominion Herbal College in 1995.[4] Mindell's Ph.D. was conferred in 1985 by Pacific Western University, an unaccredited distance-learning institution.[5][6][7]

[edit] Controversy

Mindell's controversial theories on health and nutrition have been met with criticism in the scientific community. For example, Mindell claims that eating foods that are high in DNA and RNA will help reverse the aging process. However, these nucleic acids are digested and never reach human somatic cells in such a form that would directly benefit the consumer. Similarly, Mindell has previously promoted oral supplements of an "anti-aging" enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). There is currently no evidence for the supposed benefits of SOD, and it is well known that the enzyme would not survive the digestive process if taken orally.[2]

[edit] CBC program

Mindell has made several claims about the health benefits of wolfberry juice (commercially known as "Himalayan Goji Juice") on behalf of his partner company, FreeLife International, which sells the product via multi-level marketing. Mindell's claims regarding goji juice include supposed benefits for cancer patients. In an interview (see external links) with Wendy Mesley on the CBC consumer television program Marketplace (aired 24 January 2007), H. Leon Bradlow, the author of a study that Mindell cites as support for this anti-cancer claim, says that his original research does not, in fact, show that goji juice has any anti-cancer properties. In addition, Bradlow's study was carried out at Hackensack University Medical Center, not the "prestigious" Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as Mindell had repeatedly claimed. When faced with this information, Mindell stated in the same interview that he will stop citing the study. Mesley then went on to confront Mindell about the validity of his Ph.D from Pacific Western University. Mindell asserted that his degree is "accredited in every state in the Union."[8] Shortly after this comment, he ejected Mesley and her crew from his house and threatened to call the police.[5] Mindell's claim that his PhD is "accredited in every state in the Union." is clearly contrary to fact (see above). The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocation Schools has recently confirmed that his degree is legal and valid in California.[9]

[edit] Career

Mindell has been a frequent guest on radio and television programs, such as Oprah and Regis, typically speaking on nutritional topics. He is currently a registered pharmacist in the State of California and Professor Emeritus at Pacific Western University, a distance learning institution currently unaccredited (see above) as a college of higher education.[4]

Mindell is also responsible for the recent promotion of functional foods such as Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), soy, and Lycium barbarum (wolfberries). He currently lends his expertise to Free Life International, a multi-level marketing company based in Milford, Connecticut which sells a wide array of health products.

In February 2007, Mindell was inducted into the California Pharmacy Hall of Fame. [3]

[edit] Selected bibliography

In total, Mindell has published over 45 books. His most notable publication, Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible, is a glossary of micronutrients published in 1979 that was recently updated and re-released in 2004.[citation needed] An incomplete list of his books is available below.[10]

Title Year Publisher Co-Author ISBN
Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible 1979 Rawson-Wade   892561068
Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible For Your Kids 1981 Rawson-Wade   892561831
Parent’s Nutrition Bible: A Guide To Raising Healthy Children 1992 Hay House   1561700185
Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible 1992 Simon & Schuster   684849062
Live Longer and Feel Better with Vitamins and Minerals 1994 Keats   879836520
Earl Mindell’s Food as Medicine 1994 Simon & Schuster   671797557
Garlic: The Miracle Nutrient 1996 Keats   879837403
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: 22 Ways to a Healthier Heart 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837527
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Beautiful Hair, Skin and Nails 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837470
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Better Nutrition for Athletes 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837500
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Creating Your Personal Vitamin Plan 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837462
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Herbs for Your Health 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837497
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Homeopathic Remedies 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837519
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Natural Health for Men 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837535
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Natural Health for Women 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837543
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Nutrition for Active Lifestyles 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837446
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: the Super Antioxidant Miracle 1996 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837217
Earl Mindell’s Anti-Aging Bible 1996 Simon & Schuster   684811065
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Fiber and Digestion 1997 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837454
Dr. Earl Mindell’s What You Should Know About: Trace Minerals 1997 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879837489
Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century 1999 Warner   446607029
Earl Mindell’s Arthritis: What You Need To Know 2000 Avery Melissa Block 158333081X
The Arthritis Miracle: How Ginger Extract Can Reduce Inflammatory Joint Pain 2000 Avery   1583330607
Dr. Earl Mindell’s Secrets of Natural Health: A Complete Program for Vibrant Well-Being 2000 Keats Virginia Hopkins 879839856
Earl Mindell’s New Herb Bible 2000 Simon & Schuster   684856395
Dr. Earl Mindell’s Russian Energy Secret 2001 Basic Health Pub. Donald R. Yance 1591200008
Dr. Earl Mindell’s Complete Guide to Natural Cures 2001 Keats Virginia Hopkins 130327034
Earl Mindell’s Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret 2003 Momentum Media Rick Handel 967285526
Earl Mindell’s New Vitamin Bible 2004 Warner Hester Mundis 446614092
Easing the Pain of Arthritis Naturally 2005 Basic Health Pub.   1591201098
Dr. Earl Mindell’s Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret 2005 Momentum Media   967285577

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ James A. Lowell, Ph.D. (March 14, 2005). An Irreverent Look at the Vitamin Bible and Its Author, Earl Mindell.
  2. ^ a b Schwarcz, Joe (2006-08-19). "Beware of Juices That Claim to Cure" (subscription required). The Montreal Gazette: J11. CanWest MediaWorks Publication Inc.. 
  3. ^ a b The California Pharmacists Association (3 April 2007). California Pharmacists Take Top Honors.
  4. ^ a b HayHouse.com author biography for Dr. Earl Mindell. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  5. ^ a b CBC Marketplace exposé, 24 January 2007
  6. ^ Authoritative databases of accredited US institutions exist at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA database) and United States Department of Education (USDE accreditation database); neither lists Pacific Western University as of February 2007.
  7. ^ Oregon state department of education. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  8. ^ GojiJuiceNewsCenter.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  9. ^ Letter from Consumer Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
  10. ^ WorldCat.org. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Earl Mindell
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Canadian-American writer, nutritionist
DATE OF BIRTH 20 Januarry, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages