Friday, July 18, 2008

What does Colonix have to do with Lowcarb?

UPDATE

Lowcarbfriends have pulled the thread. Perhaps it followed a couple of complaints they received for a post where a woman talked about starting her 6 year old (!) on colon cleanse. The reason doesn't really matter. What is important is that the thread is no longer there to trick any unsuspecting, desperate, low carb dieters. A huge thanks to the LCF mods!




I have no idea. I know that Kimmer was a big proponent of cleansing and had a fasting/cleansing forum on Kimkins until the Ducks started to report what was going on there.

Kimmer was of the opinion that "toxic waste" had to get out as soon as possible, as is evident from the laxative abuse she pushed. You can see examples of this at Truth's blog.

Colon cleanse works on the same principle; taking fiber capsules and laxatives to get the toxic waste out. Even worse, people also believe that our intestines are full of parasites and "plaque" and the only way to get rid of it is by a three months' cleansing regimen. Colonix and similar cleansing products are sold by use of graphic pictures of the "worms" expelled, which in my uneducated opinion are just congealed mass from the fiber in the cleansing product.

If we all had all these parasites inside us, how come the medical community knows nothing about it? How come our doctors don't tell us that we have a problem and suggest a cure for it? How come the pharmaceutical companies don't develop medicines that will address the issue? Probably because it doesn't exist.

But then again, what does this have to do with lowcarb? Yes, some people use Colonix to lose weight, which obviously is of interest on a lowcarb board. Yes, some lowcarbers complain about constipation, and colon cleanse will help with that also as it is a laxative. Any further connection escapes me.

So why is there an entire thread, with 69 pages and 1820 posts on Lowcarbfriends dedicated to Colonix? The particular thread any one tried colonix exhibits all the typical signs of being populated by a large number of sock puppets. With the agenda of selling Colonix.

What does a colon cleansing thread do on a lowcarb board? Why would anyone set up a new user account on a weight loss forum to discuss colon cleansing? Why would several? All at one time?

There are more than a dozen people who have posted one time and one time only and it was on that thread and it was usually positive. There are quite a few people who have posted on that thread and that thread only. Most of the newbies of late post only there.

It does not make any sense to me.

It also upsets me as I (and many others) buy products based on reviews on our home board, LCF. Are we being misled by hired sockpuppets?

Like they talk about in this article: I'm Evil.


And for your amusement, see how this blogger exposed "Dr." Suzanne Gudakunst.

Suzanne's marketing approach reminds me a lot about Kimkins:

  • Scare tactics; Suzanne with parasites and Kimmer with dangers of staying obese.
  • A pretty woman on the page. Suzanne may be Suzanne but Kimmer was a Russian bride.
  • A very generous affiliate program, making internet marketeers jumping on the chance of making a buck.
  • The promise to lose weight.

Credits for links, ideas, material and discussions go to my fellow posters on fascinated.


Edited to add:
If you are like me, you can not stand reading the "any one tried colonix" thread. A friend of mine has a stronger stomach than I, and she pointed out this gem to me: Post#1670. This seems to be a genuine review of colon cleansing products.

11 comments:

Medusa said...

Excellent post, Mariasol. Thanks for exposing this tripe and the bottom feeders who promote it.

What a bunch of bunk that is about parasites, worms, etc. The use of scare tactics to sell any type of product is reprehensible.

That colonix thread on Low Carb Friends needs a good cleanse itself.

And nice pic, BTW :^)

mariasol said...

Thanks Medusa! All the sites selling this stuff are using these types of pictures. I don't get it. Not marketing material IMO.
The thread on LCF should have a warning label. It's the most disgusting thing I have ever read, and I just managed a few pages in.

Unknown said...

I, myself, have posted on that particular thread to warn people of the dangers, but no one took the warning seriously.

Colon cleansers, laxative teas, are harmful and too many young girls on those pro-ana sites encourage each other to use them. :(

mariasol said...

lj - Kudos to you for trying. You are not going to change the minds of the socks, obviously, but it does make a difference to a regular poster that stumbles into that thread.

theTRUTH said...

I tried that product, and guess what? Monkeys! Monkeys flew out of my butt!

Seriously, very interesting. Wonder what LCF Admins would say to this inquiry?

mariasol said...

I would prefer monkeys over what is described on that thread. LoL.

The LCF admins generally allow a lot of freedom to discuss plans of choice, as crazy as they may seem to an outsider. But this one? It's not even a weight loss plan. It's a product promotion.

bluesuede said...

Truth, I hope they were sea monkeys!

Thanks for exposing this for what it is Mariasol -- product promotion.

Anonymous said...

Does Netrition sell Colonix? If so, that might explain why Tom is allowing the thread in spite of the obvious hired fake forum posters.

Another question -- did Tom himself hire those posters in order to boost sales?

Has he ever done so in the past with other products? Is this a test run to see how well such a scheme will work?

Questions, we got questions. But, thankfully, no monkeys! lol

Anonymous said...

Dr Natura users are not all happy. Some do have serious complaint about the over commercialization of cleansing. Probiotic regimen is a must do for any accelerated cleansing regimen. If this life saving organism are not replaced it could lead to serious complication especially for the chronically ill. I will look for a program with probiotics as a priority. The posting on mdNatura.con offers that kind of benefit.

mariasol said...

mdNatura - I have a much simpler solution for the probiotic issue: why not refrain from ANY cleansing in the first place and keep the natural bacteria that is supposed to be there.
I just don't get why the body can not handle the disposal of waste on its own. The way it was designed to do.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant mariasol!
When choosing what kind of herbal colon cleanse you want to try, make sure it is for colon cleansing, not for other types of internal cleansing. These may be good to use as well, but do not use them in conjunction with a colon cleansing product, or plan, unless advised to do so by your doctor.

To get the most out of an herbal colon cleanse continue to eat a colon-friendly diet. This means you should eat a diet that has little red meat or animal fat in it. These foods are slow to process through your digestive system as are cheese and other dairy products, except yogurt. Yogurt aids in digestion because it contains live, good bacteria that we need in our intestinal tract. You can also take a probiotic supplement which helps provide these good bacterium to our system with every meal. Also eliminate as much processed food, including fast food, from your diet as you can. You should also add fiber to your diet to help keep your colon healthy.