FreeLife

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Template:Infobox Company FreeLife International is a multi-level marketing[citation needed] company established in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky that supplies health food supplements. FreeLife is best known for promoting Himalayan Goji Juice, made from goji berries.

Products

FreeLife’s product line initially consisted of nutritional supplements, weight loss products, shampoo and personal care products. FreeLife has since changed its product lines and now focuses on a juice made from wolfberry and sold under the name of Himalayan Goji Juice. FreeLife operates as an international multi-level marketing company where commissions are paid on multiple levels for recruiting others to buy and sell the product. Getting started includes an initial financial investment plus getting set up on a monthly 4-pack shipment of Himalayan Goji Juice for about $129.95 +taxes & shipping (about $200.00 per month). By recruiting others to buy and sell the product, an individual can reduce their product expenses and earn additional revenue.

History

FreeLife was backed by investors, including Anson Beard of Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter, and with nutritionist and author of the nutritional book, the Vitamin Bible, Earl Mindell. FreeLife has since grown into a large multi-million dollar international company.[1]

File:Mindellcbc.jpg
Earl Mindell and CBC reporter Wendy Mesley.

FreeLife's spokesperson, Earl Mindell, has made several claims about the health benefits of the goji brand of wolfberry juice, including that it has anti-aging properties.[2]. Several unpublished studies have been made linking the juice with benefits for cancer patients, a claim which has caused controversy because the Goji Juice is an antioxidant, which can interfere with existing cancer treatments.[2] A seller of Goji Juice, was warned about making unsubstantiated claims about the juice's health benefits by the United States Food and Drug Administration.[3]

In a hidden-camera investigation and an interview by 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, and states "I don't have proof that it would have that effect in a tumor in a mouse, let alone a person."

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.Template:Who

Mesley then went on to confront Mindell, whom FreeLife refers to as "Dr. Mindell" about the validity of his Ph.D from Pacific Western University and whether or not he is a medical doctor. Mindell asserted that his degree is "accredited in every state in the Union", a claim that is clearly contrary to fact [4]. Shortly after this comment, he ejected Mesley and her crew from his house and threatened to call the police.[5]

References

  1. ↑ The Truth About FreeLife International Review - From an Internet Opportunities website
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Oat, Brittany (July 14, 2006). "Goji: Health Elixir or Pricey Juice?". ABC News. Retrieved 2007-09-24. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ Warning Letter Bulletin. (December 1, 2006) Healthsuperstore.com, Elk Grove, CA, Aug. 7 Volume 14; Issue 12; Page 5. For a copy of the FDA letter, see FDA August 7, 2006 Warning Letter Accessed September 29, 2007.
  4. ↑ Goji Juice News Center - A partial transcript from the CBC FreeLife Report
  5. ↑ CBC Marketplace FreeLife and Goji Juice Report Getting Juiced
  • Asia Pulse. (October 11, 2004) US Juice firm takes a foothold in the Philippines.
  • PR Newswire Europe (December 15, 2004) Science Discovers World's Most Nutritionally Dense Food. The Himalayan Goji Berry Provides Complete Nutrients.
  • Brown, Campbell. (July 24, 2006) NBC Today Show Profile: What's Hot Now?; Hot trends for summer. Time: 7:00-10:00 AM (writing, "BROWN: OK, this is called--am I saying it right? Goji juice. Ms. THOMAS: Goji juice, yes. When you're at the gym, the uber cool health set is not talking about what spinning classes you should go to, they're talking about what you should order at the bar. BROWN: OK. TEXT: WHAT'S HOT NOW? -Goji Juice, 32 oz. $29.99 Vitamin Shoppe -Himalayan Goji Juice, Liter $34.95 FreeLife.com Ms. THOMAS: And it's about Goji juice. These berries were--Goji berries are like little red raisins. They taste kind of like a cranberry mixed with cherry. They're packed with antioxidants, and in Tibet they use them to fight depression, anti-aging, tons of healthy stuff in that. BROWN: Ooh, good. Ms. THOMAS: And everybody's buying--some people say makes a good margarita. BROWN: Goji margaritas, healthy margaritas, OK. Ms. THOMAS: That's so healthy. But another buzz word... BROWN: Coconut juice, also. Ms. THOMAS: Yeah, it's called coco water. BROWN: Coco water.")
  • Rungfapaisarn, Kwanchai. (September 16, 2006) The Nation Health drink in direct-marketing debut.
  • Weaver, Clair. (June 17, 2007) Sunday Telegraph Why goji is more fad than fact. Section: Local Table1 - State; Page 19

External links

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