Juice Plus Research Blog

Over the past couple of years I've been in the company of several people who are proponents of both Juice Plus products and it's accompanying business practices. I've heard them in conversation with others about the products. On every occasion when the product or stated research was questioned the Juice Plus salesperson became very defensive and aggressive. Claims began surfacing stating "I know a person who got better from (name the health problem) by taking (name the Juice Plus product)." Then the Juice Plus person began putting their 'mark' on-the-spot, asking them to prove to them that their claims are not true. When their 'mark' continues to be disinterested or suspicious of the claims, products or practices, the Juice Plus salesperson dismisses them with ominous statements like "Well, I know people that will be around a lot longer because they're using Juice Plus". It reminds me of cult practices and thinking like "If you don't believe what I/we say is true you're wrong/misinformed/against us." I feel sorry for both parties because one loses by alienation and the other by being accosted.
 

Below is the committee’s reply to the anonymous post submitted Sept 28, 2006. Their unedited comments are included below with our replies inserted parenthetically in caps.

From: Anonymous
Subject: New comment on Prologue
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:49:54 -0400 (EDT)

I wonder who is paying Truth Seeker to spend so much time reviewing the Juice Plus literature and making such clearly biased comments? [NONE OF US HAVE EVEN THE REMOTEST FINANCIAL INTEREST BEHIND OUR COMMENTS, AND A NEGATIVE OPINION IS NOT THE SAME AS A BIASED OPINION]

I wonder what Truth Seeker's credentials are to make such statements? Although I am a Juice Plus distributor no one is paying for my time now to write this. Normally I get paid about $100/hour for professional consultations in the field of Mental Health. [HOW GAUCHE! WHY WOULD YOU TELL US THAT? TO CONVINCE US THAT THERE ARE EVEN BIGGER RUBES THAN THE PEOPLE WHO BUY JUICE PLUS!]

Many things I do in life including my professional consultation and my Juice Plus distributor ship are not merely money oriented. In fact the time I am spending now is not financially motivated at all as I expect no monetary reward by anyone. [AS A DISTRIBUTOR, YOU HAVE AN INHERENT FINANCIAL INTEREST IN EVERYTHING YOU DO THAT IS RELATED TO JUICE PLUS, INCLUDING THIS HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT OUR CRITICISM.]

Who am I to respond to Truth Seeker? [ANOTHER POSER WHO CAN’T BACK UP THEIR ASSERTIONS WITH FACTS AND DATA PERHAPS?]

Well I have a PhD in physiology from one of the top 5 Medical Universities in the country, [IF TRUE, IT DOESN’T SEEM TO HAVE FULLY PAID OFF, SINCE THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE JP DATA AND YOU’RE ONLY PULLING DOWN A C-NOTE PER HOUR FOR CONSULTATIONS. WE MADE THAT MUCH FOR CONSULTING WHEN WE WERE STILL IN GRAD SCHOOL]

I have also read the Juice Plus literature coming from the company and have read the scientific studies on Juice Plus. [THAT’S WONDERFUL. WHY WOULDN’T YOU ENLIGHTEN US WITH SOME FACTS OR CANNY INSIGHTS RATHER THAN THIS BOILERPLATE]

I am a strong proponent of Juice Plus because the studies demonstrate its effectiveness as well as almost any study done on nutritional supplements and I would submit any study done on pharmaceuticals. [YOU HAVEN’T A LEG TO STAND ON WHEN YOU CLAIM THAT THE JUICE PLUS STUDIES WERE EQUAL IN STRINGENCY TO MOST PHARMACEUTICAL CLINICAL TRIALS. NOT A SINGLE ONE OF NSAs JP STUDIES COULD SURVIVE THE SCRUTINY OF THE FDA DRUG APPROVAL PROCESS]

No study is prefect and the studies done on Juice Plus are as high a quality studies as are available in the medical field. [NOW WE KNOW YOU ARE SMOKING CRACK. HOW COULD ANYONE SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT RESEARCH THAT WAS BIASED ON EVERY LEVEL, INCREDIBLY POORLY DESIGNED, PUBLISHED MOSTLY IN RAG JOURNALS, AND SHOWED POOR RESULTS?]

On the issue of MD's recommending Juice Plus and their financial motivation to do so, I want to state most MD's make more money on the other things that they do and the amount they make on each individual sale of Juice Plus ($5/month) quite small and barely justifies their time in sharing Juice Plus with their patients. [UTTERLY FALSE! DON’T COME INTO OUR HOUSE AND TRY AND SPREAD SUCH OBVIOUS BS. THEY MAKE MORE THAN THAT ON A SINGLE ORDER. HOW MUCH FROM THE REST OF THEIR MONTHLY SALES, NOT TO MENTION THEIR DOWNLINES AND JP SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS? ASK SEARS AND DUBOIS ABOUT THE MANSIONS THEY HELPED PAY FOR WITH THEIR JP DOLLARS. AND WE BET THAT HMOS AND MEDICARE/MEDICAID WOULD BE PRETTY INTERESTED TO HEAR THAT THEY ARE UNKNOWINGLY SUBSIDIZING MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS IN WHICH MDs ARE SPENDING TIME PITCHING CRAP MLM VITAMINS TO THEIR PATIENTS FOR PROFIT. THOSE ARE OUR TAX DOLLARS BEING BILKED. THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT.]

The MD's that I have met that sell Juice Plus do so because it make sense to them that their patients should take it. They feel so strongly about this that they feed Juice Plus to themselves and their family members. [REVERTING TO ANONYMOUS, SECONDHAND MD TESTIMONIALS IN LIEU OF LEGITIMATE COUNTERARGUMENTS SHOWS HOW ILL-PREPARED YOU ARE TO DISCUSS THE SUBJECT OF SCIENCE. COME BACK WITH YOUR A-GAME NEXT TIME!]

I could go on refuting each of Truth Seeker's comments but what would be the point. [ISN’T THAT PRECISELY THE POINT? IF YOU WERE TRULY ABLE TO REFUTE ANYTHING WE SAID, YOU WOULD HAVE DONE SO]

He seems to have more time (what could be his motivation?) [WE OFTEN WONDER THE SAME THING, BUT IT’S NOT MONEY OR FAME] to refute what I am saying at each step. If we haven't learned anything from our current political climate at least I think we can agree that you can put a opinionated "spin" on anything depending on your position. [A WEAK-KNEED, TRITE COPOUT IF EVER THERE WAS ONE!]

In fact I will be shocked if this shows up on the blog since it is obviously a different opinion than the one the blog is created to support. [ONLY HALF-TRUE. IT DOES SUPPORT OUR OPINION THAT SOME JP DISTRIBUTORS ARE MINDLESS, SELF-SERVING VITAMIN CULTISTS!]

I will be swayed in my strong positive believe about Juice Plus only if it is clear to me that the person writing has read the science (this is not true for Sloan Kettering or Berkeley Wellness Letter) and can speak from knowledge and understanding of the research that has actually been done. [THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION STARING YOU IN THE FACE SHOULD BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SWAY YOU. AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE TO SWAY YOU IF YOU WERE AT ALL QUALIFIED TO CRITICALLY ANALYZE RESEARCH DATA]

If you read the information on the different websites on Juice Plus that are listed in this blog you will notice that even those that should be reputable (Sloan-Kettering and Berkeley Wellness for example) get their quotes not from the original research but from Stephen Barrett of QuackWatch (not a reputable source, check it out your self) and therefore are at best lazy in their research. [EVERYTHING SAID BY BARRETT, UC BERKELEY, AND SLOAN-KETTERING HOLDS UP TO SCRUTINY, AND THEY ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE BECAUSE THEY ARE OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID RATHER THAN LAZY. IF YOU WERE ABLE TO REFUTE ANY OF WHAT THEY CLAIMED, WHY WOULDN’T YOU DO SO RATHER THAN MERELY RESORTING TO MUDSLINGING?]

FOR “ANONYMOUS” AND ANYONE ELSE WHO NEEDS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FAULTY REASONING AND COMMON ERRORS IN LOGIC. CHECK OUT CARL SAGAN’S “BALONEY DETECTION KIT”
http://users.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/baloney.html
 

Kristen Yost (Juice Plus distributor/spokesperson)- Rotten Apple nominee only please
 

The Rotten Tomato Committee has received your nomination. Any reason in particular why you feel this distributor (Yost) is deserving of an RTA?
 

We need some background on why Yost deserves a Rotten Tomato. Thanks!
 

Kuddos and props to Sir Truth Seeker. Here is South Orange County (CA) we are bombarded with zealots selling their wares as though it were more precious than life itself. Two years ago there was little (although very valid) critical information about JP. Now, in fact recently, the information tide has turned and the truth is more readily available. Thanks for your efforts!
 

Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for feeling us on this one. Your kudos and props are much appreciated. We are doing this for people like you, your kids and grandparents, and your friends with chronic diseases who are being targeted and bilked by a bunch of pushy, greedy, misinformed vitamin worshippers. If NSA had marketed this product using conventional methods, like infomercials or testimonials, which are used by other bogus products, we wouldn’t be so royally pissed off. But when they start to pervert science to sell the product, we cannot sit idly by and allow it to happen. Stop by again anytime and share your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
 

Came across your blog surfing the net. Does your blog have an "about me/us" section ? Without commenting on the merits of your positions, wouldn't your background/credentials/motivation serve readers in accessing your bona fides ?

I did not see/find such a section. If you have one, please point out where it is. If you do not, would you please respond accordingly and set forth the information mentioned ?

Best,

Anonymous
 

What no dinner? No foreplay? Just cut straight to the "bona fides" eh? We don’t let anyone "access our bona fides" until at least the third date, and we hardly even know you. Besides you’re not really our type…sorry!
 

my wife tried juice plus. however we cancelled our order, the nteh rep proceeded to send the juice plus to us and to charge us for it even though we had cancelled. They then proceeded to leave disturbing messages about how serious it was they spoke to us, implying health issues
 

Juice Plus is a scam. Sellers of Juice Plus try to shame you into buying it...well, if YOU don't want to be healthy, I guess you shouldn't buy it. And, how much do you want to spend to be healthy.

It just doesn't work!! Eat the real thing--fruits and vegetables like all of the experts advise.

Leave the multi-level marketing scams alone. It ISN"T the cure all they claim and there is NO credible evidence to back Juice Plus
 

Greetings,
A friend got me started on Juice plus quoting all the benefits from it. Well I started taking it only a few days, then missed a day so I took all 4 of the capsules at night time. That was a about one week ago and I have not been able to sleep for a week. I am a registered nurse so I have some insight to the world of nutrition. I started to do some research on this product, which led me to your web site. Thanks for all the insight into juice plus. If you know of anyone that has had a similar problem (Insommnia) please let me know. I have stopped taking the product and will not do so again.
Thank you. Scott Brewer BSN
 

THANK YOU!! My boyfriend has recently been fed all the crap the recruiter dish out - probably with no real knowledge themselves that they are not only passing on false information but in turn making some other unwitting individual liable for the misleading and misguided sales methods that are endorsed. Hopefully with all this information I can save him from wasting his time and money and above all his well-respected position as a health service provider (personal trainer). It saddens me that the distributors are being conned in the first place. As many of you say they appear 'brainwashed', unable to accept that these beautiful lies are just that - LIES!
 

A close family memeber sells this stuff. It has made family get togethers very difficult.

It is very frustrating for me that these people that I am very close to have fallen for this scam.

I wish there were more sites like this one. I wish there was some way I could make them see the light!

I feel like they have been brain washed and the whole thing is very cult like.
 

I would like to see if what I am about to say actually gets published here.
I am a healthy 46 yr female. height/weight/fine. Only issue was hyperthyroid- now on levoxyl. I eat well, sleep well.. should tone up about 5 lbs. I look great for my age. I take some vitamins.. over the counter.. sometimes a multi. sometimes A/D-cod liver oil, sometimes omega's, most times iron and B- all. I treat vitamins as a SUPPLEMENT to my life. To be taken as an addition to my healthy diet. I recently got a mammogram/CT scan.. all said I am fine-healthy. Which brings me to writing this. WHY would my neighbor/friend who is heavy and doesn't sleep well - gets a stiff neck- then headaches.. bring this juiceplus to me? I ignored it in the past.. but now she gave me the 3 bottles and talked of 2 per this and 2 per that and 1.. that is 5 pills a day. I looked them over- added up the vitamins and LACK of. ( no B,iron,D) but I see a big overdose of A and E! per day! GEE... could this me the reason she is not sleeping/getting a stiff neck and headaches?? I think this stuff is poisoning her. Of course her neuropathic Dr or Chiropr. subscribed this!. I am furious at this poisoning and she doesn't even realize it! where is the Dr. to follow-up in this? oh- no fiber either or omega's.etc. Now that I did read the site discounting this Juice plus - I see why. it is very easy to read what is in these vitamin bottles and make your own decision of this overdosing and lack of other vitamins.
Now, how do I gracefully tell her my findings? I wouldn't mind if this was a normal MLM product and all.. but to see the outright trash they are selling is very scary.
 

Thank you for this website!

I was duped into trying "JP" by an annoying cousin about 8 years ago. She has infected our church, family, and even more recently a great organization called "Relay for Life". She is constantly holding "health fairs" in my home town.

My aunt recently died of colon cancer. My cousin had her on JP as "the cure". It sickens me to fill people with false hope and to seperate them from hard-earned money. Worse, I am horrified that this company is encouraging people (and their children) NOT to eat a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables.

Over the years, I sank over $500 into this for myself and my children.

The irony of this is that I used to be a farmer of fruits and vegetables.

I started doing research, and found Dr. Barrett and "Quack Watch". Then I noticed that the JP-Nazi's are doing their best to smear him--or anyone that will get in the way of scamming unholy profits from honest people.

I would love to hear any stories about how to best counter this tide of misinformation. I am now doing my best of "word of mouth", but I would like to hear other's ideas for how to rid our families and churches of this desease.

Again, thank you for the site. It is good to know that I am not the only one who is fed up with this bunk.
 

Call me skeptical. Here is my story:

Up until 40 years of age, I was generally healthy, fit, athletic, and good natured. Upon reaching 40, I experienced a myriad of seemingly disparate medical symptoms. I was frequently sick, fatigued, foggy, hazy, and depressed. Over time, it got worse and I even began to get shaky. I went through more than 12 different tests for diabetes, hepatitis, blood sugar, colon cancer, gall bladder, liver, MS, and Parkinson’s. This was over a 2-year period, and there were no findings from my doctors.

Through this, I started taking Juice Plus at the request of a friend. Obviously it didn’t help, as my health continued to decline.

The good news is that I found the problem!

I was not being honest, with my doctors or even with myself, about how much alcohol I was consuming. I quit drinking, joined a support group, and returned to wonderfully good health (both mental and physical). I have learned, through my new-found friends in “recovery”, that my story is very common.

So, I decided to turn a good works. I contacted my “JP friend” to “share the good news” to the masses.

I explained my story, and made myself available to ANYONE (within her client base) who might be suspected of struggling with drinking. She has a very large JP-clientele, and surely runs into many people whose underlying problem is alcohol.

I haven’t heard a thing. It has been over a year now.

I have a hard time believing that anyone, even a JP distributor, would steer someone toward Juice Plus in lieu of healthy recovery from excessive drinking. After all, a drinking problem is literally life-threatening and it can destroy families and careers (and innocent people).

I honestly don’t know what to think. Do you think I am becoming too skeptical of the JP business? Has anyone else heard a story similar to mine?
 

Wow!

I am strangely creeped out by reading some of the other posts on this site. Many of them mirror similar experiences I have had with Juice Plus products/distributors.

I am glad to see that this site allows viewers the ability to read through the JP+ research for themselves with out all the NSA marketing. I could share frustrating experiences I have had with JP+ distributors. But my beef is with NSA/Juice Plus for hustling a low grade product under the guise of advancing scientific research.

Here is my story:

One day back in the summer of 2005 I got bored and decided to read up on all the Juice Plus research after hearing my sister in-law going on and on about it. I started with the actual NSA/Juice Plus site and read the abstracts on the research that was available in 2005. What I read was basic in scope and was limited to at most, abstracts. I thought, "Well, abstracts are a start, surely I'll be able to find the full publications." So I googled "Juice Plus" and I was somewhat taken aback by all the .com domain websites I found touting the "growing body of independent scientific research" behind Juice Plus. Yet with so many rave reviews, I was hard pressed to find any sites (apart from Pub Med) that allowed me access to full publications (not abstracts) with out having to pay a fee. I was only able to get 1 full publication ( Plotnick et al.
Phytonutrients and Vascular
JACC Vol. 41, No. 10, 2003Function May 21, 2003:1744–9 ).

I read the publication and found it to be interesting, but not much else since no single publication can really define a "growing body of research". And since I didn't have the time or resources to hunt down and read all the cross references listed in the above publication, I really had no way to gauge the actual quality of the publication in terms of similar research.

So, I emailed a couple of JP+ distributors and they basically told me almost verbatim what is on all the other JP+ promotional sites.

So, I told my mother-in law, who is a distributor about how I couldn't get any full publications from anyone. She informed me only distributor could access them. She did let me read the publications she had. I read through them and didn't find anything all that definitive. Just more authors concluding more research needed to be done. Not nearly as exciting as all the smoke up the bum one gets when reading the NSA promos.

I figured most of scientific hustle of Juice Plus+ boils down to a few things:

1. It ain't new news that a healthy diet is benifical. JP+ promo material ingeniously capitalzes on this near common knowledge. Who's mom/grandma hasn't told them fruits/vegetables are good for them?
2. Marketing goes a long ways. Bandwagonig, emotional appeals, slippery slopes. You name it. JP+ promo stuff is like an English Comp II case study in faulty logic.
3. Money, who doesn't want it?
the whole JP+ distributorship scheme is so easy, it like failing off a log. Start by buying the product and then "gift and share" the product to anything with a social security number and BAHM! you got downlines making the money for you! And hey it's not Amway, it's got science and math stuff and Ph.D.-ed people to back it up so it must be good. Right?!

And as far as making JP+ distributorship a viable career path, personally, I wouldn't recomend it. The bad vibes JP+ has generated since I last reviewed the topic will more likely scare people away from it. Think Jehovah's Witnesses at the front door. And I think the money machine that is JP+/NSA will fizzle out since the carrying capacity for this sucker just isn't there. The product has been out there for too long. It's a MLM fossil! Anyone with basic knowlegde of other MLM schemes knows that it's the people who get in on the distributorships at the start make all the money.

Keep On Posting!
 

my husband was diagnosed at Johns Hopkins Hopspital w/a grad 4 glioblastoma brain tumor. he had surgery to remove the tumor which was successful. his sister is a JP rep. and encouraged us to have him take JP during his chemo/radiation treatments. i checked a sight from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which states that if you are undergoing chemo/radiation "high doses of antioxidants are not recommened during this therapy" the reason being, radiation and certain chemotherapy drugs rely on the generation of free radicals to kill cancer cells, high doses of antioxidants might neutralize these free radicals and dampen the therapy's effect. i confirmed this w/my husbands radiation dr. and he agreed. upon mentioning this to our family JP rep, they became very concerned and could not believe what the drs were saying was true. the drs. did say he could take JP after the therapy. i feel that NSA has a responsiblity to us, the consumers to inform any customer taking JP, who has the unfortunate opportunity to undergo chemo/radiation, of these signifacant findings from Sloan-Kettering. taking JP could have seriously hindered my husband's therapy, causing the tumor to grow back.
 

Wow...I'm soooo glad I found this blog. You just saved me from making what appears to be a very big mistake.

I work in a child care center and we recently had an in-service workshop regarding family nutrition. This was presented by 2 moms that wanted to share the research on America's poor health, due to diet, and the effects our children will face if we do not monitor their diet. I must say, the information was astounding. There were so many things I didn't know about Trans fats and sugar equivalents. Then came the gimmick of Juice Plus and its wonderous effects (which I bought into at first). They did not go into extreme detail, nor would they take orders for Juice Plus because they were there "primarily to educate and promote healthier eating, not to sell". That modest approach made me fall into the bandwagon, almost.

Luckily, I always have to do the research myself before using such a product. Everything I found was positive, until tonight as I Googled "Juice Plus Problems".

Thank you for posting this blog.
 

Antioxidants May Up Women's Skin Cancer Risk Vitamins C and E and Other Nutrients May Quadruple Risk of Melanoma

This is the headline on a news article on ABCnews.com

Wonder if Juice Plus reps will inform you of this? Ha. NOT!

Beta carotene is mentioned specifically!
 

Please delete my original post I put it in the wrong place. Here is the post again for the Stories section.

Thanks

It really great to see that someone has this blog in place. People need to know!

Thanks again so much.
 

You're a coward!
Hiding behind a blog?
Show yourself.
I dare you.
 

That's a pretty laughable accusation coming from an anonymous poster. Tell you what tough guy, send us you address so we can drop by and discuss who the real coward is.
 

Well I used Juice Plus based on the fact that my mother is using Juice Plus and doing well on it.

I was taking the product for about six months or so and suddenly started having trouble with extremely heavy and painful periods. I went to the doctor and he wanted me to stop taking all vitamins, minerals and well, Juice Plus. I had the tests he required and everything is normal.

Interesting thing happened. Less than thirty days of not taking Juice Plus, my cycle is back to normal. No pain, no heavy bleeding, nothing.

Here's what I didn't like. I told my distributor that my doctor wants me off all vitamins and Juice Plus until he can find out what's going on. She got extremely defensive and told me that I need to go to a seminar and hear a speaker who's a doctor talk about Juice Plus. As she put it "He's a doctor, not some amateur doctor." Well I corrected her up and down the sun and reminded her that SHE's not a doctor.

I've googled some of the doctors Juice Plus claims to be experts in this field. They're not what they claim. One claims to be an expert in exercise science when in fact he's a psychologist, and the other has some shady past.

Thanks for this blogspot. I plan to visit more often :)
 

THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF AN EMAIL RECEIVED BY THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG FROM SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE “JULIE HARRIS -- A JUICE PLUS CONSUMER WITH POSITIVE RESULTS”. THE ENTIRE UNEDITED TEXT OF THE EMAIL AND OUR REPLIES FOLLOW.

Sent: Wed 3/26/08 3:21 AM

I'm really disappointed in the site [SIC] that only negatively promotes this product. [WHAT EXACTLY IS NEGATIVE PROMOTION? ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT WE ARE CRITICAL? WHY SHOULDN’T WE BE] Everything seems to be based about the fact that it is an MLM company. [NOT EVEN REMOTELY TRUE. THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG HAS CAREFULLY DOCUMENTED NUMEROUS REASONS WHY JUICE PLUS MERITS HARSH CRITICISM, AND ALMOST NONE PERTAIN TO THE FACT THAT IT IS AN MLM. SOME MLMs ARE OK AND SOME ARE HORRIBLE. JUICE PLUS CLEARLY FALLS IN THE LATTER CATEGORY AND WE HAVE PROVIDED A COMPELLING AND RAPIDLY GROWING BODY OF UNCONTESTED EVIDENCE TO PROVE IT]

Nobody has every [SIC] said that it should replace fresh fruits and vegetables, but rather supplement them. [“NOBODY EVER(Y)” EH??? THAT’S NOT EVEN REMOTELY TRUE EITHER. FIRST, HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT EVERY PERSON HAS EVER SAID OR NOT SAID ABOUT JUICE PLUS. SECONDLY, IT IS CLEAR THAT MANY OF THE PROMOTIONAL STATEMENTS MADE ABOUT JUICE PLUS MISLEADINGLY IMPLY THAT IT IS A REPLACEMENT, AND QUITE OFTEN IT IS STATED SO EXPLICITLY BY DISTRIBUTORS. EXPERT CRITIQUES HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS FACT AND MOST RECENTLY THE CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST (CSPI) PETITIONED THE FDA TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST NSA FOR THIS VERY REASON (AMONG OTHERS). AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS WHEN YOU SAY THAT JUICE PLUS IS A “SUPPLEMENT” TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES RATHER THAN A “REPLACEMENT”? IT CLEARY IS A “SUPPLEMENT” BUT NO MORE SO THAN ANY OTHER MULTIVITAMIN “SUPPLEMENT” – LESS SO IN FACT. IF YOUR USE OF THE WORD SUPPLEMENT WAS MEANT TO IMPLY SOMETHING MORE, THAN YOU ARE IN FACT CLAIMING SOME DEGREE OF EQUIVALENCY BETWEEN JUICE PLUS AND REAL FRUIT/VEGETABLES – AND THAT WOULD BE ROUGHLY THE SAME AS CALLING IT A “REPLACEMENT”] I know many "real and everyday" people [AS OPPOSED TO “FAKE MADE UP PEOPLE”…COUGH…COUGH!!!] just like you and I [YOU DON’T KNOW US, SO HOW CAN YOU KNOW WHICH PEOPLE ARE LIKE US? THE ONLY SIMILARITY YOU CAN SAFELY ASSUME IS THAT WE ARE ALL HUMANS] that have greatly benefited from this product. [THE PROBLEM WITH DISTRIBUTORS WHO PROMOTE JUICE PLUS WITH STORIES LIKE THESE IS THAT THEY CAN’T SEEM TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF THOSE VAGUE “BENEFITS” WITHOUT BREAKING THE LAW BY SAYING THAT IT PREVENTS, CURES, OR MITIGATES DISEASES. VAGUE CLAIMS ARE MEANINGLESS, AND ANYONE WHO MAKES EXPLICIT CLAIMS TO PROMOTE JUICE PLUS ILLEGALLY DESERVES NOT ONLY TO BE CRITICIZED BUT ALSO TO BE PROSECUTED BY THE FDA]

Everyone seems to complain but never hear of a positive message. [PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT, AS WELL AS GOOD REASON, TO COMPLAIN. THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE TO SAY THAT IS BASED ON OBJECTIVE, VERIFIABLE FACTS. SHOW US SOME RELIABLE INDEPENDENT SOURCES THAT HAVE ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE TO SAY THAT IS POSITIVE, AND WE WILL CONSIDER IT. SO FAR, IT DOESN’T EXIST] Maybe someone should really started [SIC] checking with the consumers to see how the product has helped them. [OK. GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE OUR BLESSING] I've seem tremendous benefits in numerous people. [WHY NOT START YOUR OWN BLOG THEN WHERE EVERYONE CAN POST THEIR MIRACLE CURE STORIES. IT WILL ONLY GET NSA IN WORSE TROUBLE WITH THE FDA THAN THEY ARE IN ALREADY. AND WHAT KIND OF ‘BENEFITS” ARE YOU REFERRING TO? WHY THE VAGUENESS AGAIN? YOU SEEM TO HAVE ONLY TWO ARROWS IN YOUR QUIVER: (1) VAGUE AND MEANINGLESS INNUENDO (2) ILLEGAL DISEASE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION CLAIMS. NEITHER ARE COMPELLING IN THE SLIGHTEST.

A lot of the research doesn't seem to be false. [UH, OK. AWKWARDLY STATED BUT WE THINK WE CATCH YOUR DRIFT. WHAT THE RESEARCH “SEEMS TO BE” AND WHAT IT ACTUALLY “IS” ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. WE DON’T GET THE SENSE THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO ANALYZE RESEARCH AND WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN BY “FALSE”; HOWEVER, THE RESEARCH DATA ITSELF DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY BACK UP A SINGLE ONE OF NSA’s PROMOTIONAL CLAIMS – NOT ONE! FURTHERMORE, THE RESEARCH IS MISREPRESENTED BY NSA “AS GOLD-STANDARD”, “INDEPENDENT”, “THIRD-PARTY” RESEARCH, WHEN IN FACT THE QUALITY WAS SHODDY IN ALMOST EVERY CASE, ALL OF IT WAS PAID FOR BY THE MANUFACTURERS, AND MOST OF IT WAS CONDUCTED BY NAI EXECUTIVES AND NSA-AFFILIATED DISTRIBUTORS. ONE OF THOSE EXECUTIVES, JOHN WISE, WAS ALSO AN EXECUTIVE AT A CROOKED MLM VITAMIN COMPANY (UNITED SCIENCES OF AMERICA) THAT WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE FDA IN 1987. IMMEDIATELY UPON THE COMPANY’S DEMISE IN 1987, WISE JOINED NSA. THESE ARE THE FACTS, AND THEY RESOUNDINGLY CONTRADICT THE GIST OF YOUR CLAIM THAT “MOST OF THE RESEARCH DOESN’T SEEM TO BE FALSE”] I can prove that my own lab work has improved greatly after 45 days. [OK PROVE IT! WHAT EXACTLY IS “LAB WORK”? IS THAT YOUR WAY OF SAYING THAT IT IS CURING YOU OF SOME DISEASE? IT’S ILLEGAL TO PROMOTE THE PRODUCT WITH SUCH CLAIMS, WHICH IS PRESUMABLY WHY YOU ARE USING NEEDLESSLY VAGUE TERMINOLOGY LIKE “IMPROVED LAB WORK”. IF YOU HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT LAB RESULTS TO SHOW US, HAVE YOUR DOCTOR SEND US ALL OF THE PERTINENT DETAILS AND DOCUMENTATION, AND WE CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE. BUT THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN WILL IT?] Does anyone ever look at the positives? Just curious. [AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THOSE "POSITIVES"? ARE YOU ASKING WHETHER WE ARE SWAYED BY ANONYMOUS STORIES AND SPAM FROM DISTRIBUTORS ABOUT MIRACLE CURES? NO, WE ARE NOT; NOR SHOULD WE BE. IS THERE ANYTHING POSITIVE THAT YOU CAN SAY ABOUT JUICE PLUS THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE PROMOTING IT ILLEGALLY AND IS ACTUALLY VERIFIABLE?]

Regards
J. Harris
Juice Plus Consumer with positive results.
illusions@midrivers.com

[THE JPRB…EDUCATED HONEST PEOPLE TELLING IT LIKE IT IS]
 

THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF AN EMAIL RECEIVED BY THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG FROM SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE “BEN DULONG”, WHOSE MOTHER IS ALLEGEDLY A JUICE PLUS NATIONAL MARKETING DIRECTOR. THE ENTIRE UNEDITED TEXT OF THE EMAIL AND OUR REPLIES FOLLOW.

Received: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:45:01
From: bdulong08@gmail.com
Subject: Juice Plus

It seems to be that much of what you have published about Juice Plus+ is critical and negative. [THAT’S BECAUSE THE 30 OR SO INDEPENDENT SOURCES THAT PUBLISHED COMMENTARIES ON JUICE PLUS WERE ALL CRITICAL AND NEGATIVE, AND WE ARE MERELY ECHOING THAT MAJORITY VIEWPOINT] Now, if I remember correctly, research should cover both negative and positive information, critical testimonies and glowing testimonies; [YOU REMEMBERED INCORRECTLY. GLOWING TESTIMONY FROM THE ALLEGED OFFSPRING OF JUICE PLUS NATIONAL MARKETING DIRECTORS IS NOT RESEARCH; IT IS UNVERIFIABLE HEARSAY FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE. SUCH INFORMATION WOULD BE INADMISSIBLE AS JUDICIARY EVIDENCE AND IT CARRIES NO WEIGHT SCIENTIFICALLY] from what I have read, most of the information published on your site is negative; [YES, YOU SAID THAT ALREADY] in fact, you slander the marketers themselves numerous times. [DON’T BE VAGUE. SHOW US SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF SLANDER. BEAR IN MIND THAT IT IS WARRANTED TO CRITICIZE SOMEONE WHO BREAKS THE LAW, IS A PARTY TO DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING, OR WHO SAYS SOMETHING BLATANTLY IDIOTIC. SUCH CRITICISM IS CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED FREE SPEECH] I have taken Juice Plus+ nearly all my life, and I can tell you right now, THERE HAS BEEN A NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT IN MY HEALTH. Juice Plus+ is not just a bunch of horse shit. [NO? WHAT ELSE IS IN IT?] I had 65 food allergies and numerous other environmental allergies; I now have one food allergy and incredibly reduced allergies to pollen. etc. Juice Plus+ has been incredibly beneficial to me. [THAT’S GREAT. PUBLISH A BOOK OR A CASE REPORT IN A JOURNAL AND THEN MAYBE WE’LL GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT, BUT UNTIL THEN IT IS HEARSAY. ONCE AGAIN WE WILL REPEAT, ANONYMOUS TESTIMONIALS, NO MATTER HOW GLOWING, ARE NOT COMPELLING. NSA SPENDS A LOT OF MONEY BUYING RESEARCH ON JUICE PLUS, AND IN MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF DOING SO, HAS NEVER SHOWN ANY DATA THAT EVEN REMOTELY BACKS UP YOUR CLAIM OR ANY OTHER HEALTH CLAIMS. DON’T GET ANGRY AT OTHERS FOR BEING SKEPTICAL OF YOUR CLAIMS OR THOSE WHO EXPECT DISTRIBUTORS TO OBEY THE LAW AND NOT MAKE ILLEGAL HEALTH CLAIMS ABOUT THE PRODUCT. JUICE PLUS PROVIDES NOTHING OF VALUE OTHER THAN A FEW CENTS WORTH OF ADDED VITAMINS, SO EVEN IF YOUR CLAIMS WERE REMOTELY TRUE, THE SAME NUTRIENTS ARE PRESENT IN RETAIL MULTIVITAMINS FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST; AND NONE THAT WE ARE AWARE OF HAVE EVER BEEN CLAIMED TO CURE CANCER – THEY PLAY BY THE RULES] Simply publishing the negative and critical information without including any positive information is biased and fucking stupid. [IN THE 2 YEARS OF THIS BLOG’S EXISTENCE, COMPLAINERS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PROVIDE EVEN A SINGLE UNBIASED POSITIVE COMMENTARY, WHILE THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 NEGATIVE COMMENTARIES. THE COURT OF EXPERT OPINION DOESN’T THINK JUICE PLUS HAS MUCH IF ANY VALUE. WHY CAN’T YOU SIMPLY ACCEPT IT INSTEAD OF SCREAMING AT US THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG? IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SHOW US, OTHER THAN HEARSAY, ILLEGAL CLAIMS, AND PROMOTIONAL STATEMENTS FROM JUICE PLUS SPOKESPERSONS, SEND IT ON OVER; OTHERWISE, STOP WHINING] Anyone can make a case against anything if one biases the information one uses. I could tell you exercise is bad for you, if I used the right studies. [HERE COMES THE RED HERRING! WHY DON’T YOU BORE SOME EXERCISE BLOG HOSTS WITH THAT ONE? YOU HAVE NOT DEMONSTRATED A SINGLE INSTANCE OF BIAS IN OUR INFORMATION OR IN THAT WRITTEN BY OTHER CRITICAL SOURCES]
Now, I am not saying that all the information you have published is wrong, or that I disagree with everything; I find it hard to believe that Juice Plus is the best alternative to eating fruits and vegetables, and the fact the Juice Plus+ uses flawed tests is annoying, [MOST PEOPLE THINK IT’S A LOT WORSE THAN ANNOYING. IT’S CONSIDERED DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING AND/OR FRAUD BY MANY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES] but anecdotal evidence should not be cast away so readily. [NO REALLY, IT SHOULD. EVERY AUTHORITY ON SCIENCE, LOGIC, AND CONSUMER FRAUD WILL TELL YOU SO]
Finally, the slander you have published about the National Marketing Directors is inconsiderate and hurtful. My mother is a NMD, [AND HER NAME IS?] and does not posses any of the qualities you mentioned. [WHICH QUALITIES DID WE MENTION? DON’T BE VAGUE IN YOUR ACCUSATIONS] In fact, “The Juice Plus 12-Step Program For Fleecing Consumers” is complete and utter BULLSHIT. [DO YOU WANT TO AT LEAST MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO SUPPORT THIS ACCUSATION? THAT WOULD BE A LOT MORE COMPELLING THAN JUST CALLING IT BULLSHIT. WE HAD MANY READERS WHO WROTE TO TELL US HOW MUCH THEY LIKED THE ARTICLE, SO CLEARLY NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH YOU] If you want to question the validity of Juice Plus+, fine. [THAT’S A RELIEF! THANKS!] If you want to avoid taking it yourself, so be it, whatever. [WHEW. THANKS AGAIN] But to declare the distributors of Juice Plus+ as crooks and scam artists, that is as FUCKING DECEITFUL as you claim Juice Plus+ itself to be. [WE DIDN’T SEE ANY EXAMPLES OF US REFERRING TO DISTRIBUTORS AS “CROOKS” AND “SCAM ARTISTS” PER SE, BUT WE HAVE USED PHRASES LIKE “DELUDED AUTOMATONS”, “BRAINWASHED LEMMINGS”, ETC. AND DID YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING WE HAVE WRITTEN IS CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED FREE SPEECH?] You've got some fucking balls and are lacking some fucking brains to be so one sided and at the same time claim that those who sell JP+ are crooks and liars and scum. [HEY, GUTTER MOUTH, YOU RESEMBLE EVERY OTHER JUICE PLUS DISTRIBUTOR WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED TO DATE -- A BRAINWASHED, PROFANE INDIVIDUAL WHO CANNOT MAKE RATIONAL ARGUMENTS OR PROVIDE ANY EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEIR OPINIONS. WHEN WE HAVE IMPLIED THAT A DISTRIBUTOR IS A LIAR, WE BACKED IT UP WITH TANGIBLE EVIDENCE]. Do not make the decision for the consumer (This blog is for all those who may have heard about Juice Plus and wondered whether they should try it (incidentally, the answer is no, but keep reading anyway)), do not only offer biased research, and do not continue to attack hard-working individuals who earn their daily bread by selling something that does indeed hold nutritional value. [OK, WE’LL COMPLY…RIGHT AFTER NSA AND THE JP DISTRIBUTORS STOP SCAMMING THE PUBLIC WITH THEIR FRAUDULENT, OVERPRICED, SNAKE OIL MULTIVITAMINS] Maybe JP+ isn't for everyone. Great, neither is smoking, drinking, running, music, art, ostrich meat, teeth bleaching or phototherapy, to name a few other things that people tout and attack. [WOW. THAT’S A WHOPPER OF A RED HERRING. WE’VE NEVER HEARD OF ANY SHADY MLMs PROMOTING OVERPRICED OSTRICH MEAT, SMOKING, ART, OR MUSIC AS A CURE FOR CANCER.]
In conclusion, either update your site so isn't such a slanderous, biased, pretentious piece of shit, or go blow yourself [THAT’S YOUR CONCLUSION? WE’LL TAKE WHAT’S BEHIND DOOR NUMBER 3; THE SPORT OF WATCHING THE FDA SLAP NSA SILLY FOR THEIR MANY YEARS OF DEFRAUDING THE PUBLIC WITH JUICE PLUS. AND WHY IS IT THAT JUICE PLUS FREAKS LIKE YOU AND DOUG BARLOW ARE SO KEEN TO ADVOCATE BLOWING ONE’S SELF? DOES JUICE PLUS MAKE YOU ULTRA-FLEXIBLE?]
 

Hi, thanks for this website. I was approached by a Juice Plus representative who got me interested in Juice Plus. A way to get all the nutrients of all those fruits and veggies, without all the work and effort involved in actually eating the recommended amount of fruits/veggies each day? Count me in!
Of course, it would be stupid of me to soley rely on Juice Plus's advertising in making a decision to buy their product, so I just googled Juice Plus. What I found was a firestorm of criticism aimed not only at JP's multi-level-marketting techniques, but also at the inefficacy of their product. This blog sealed the nail in the coffin for me when it comes to Juice Plus. I'll be damned if they get any of my money! I'll just stick with putting fresh fruits and veggies in a blender and drinking the resulting concoction if I want a quick and easy way to get the nutrition of fruits and veggies.
Thanks, Juice Plus Research Blog.
 

THE FOLLOWING 2 EMAILS WERE RECEIVED ON 04/04/2008 BY THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG FROM AN ANONYMOUS CORRESPONDENT. THE ENTIRE UNEDITED TEXT OF THE EMAILS AND OUR REPLIES IN PARENTHESES FOLLOW.

This seems to be a very "biased" slant on any type of health food supplement. [FIRST, WE ARE ONLY TALKING ABOUT ONE SUPPLEMENT (JUICE PLUS) NOT “ANY TYPE” OF “HEALTH FOOD” SUPPLEMENT. SECOND, THERE AREN’T ANY SITES RUN BY NSA OR ANY JUICE PLUS DISTRIBUTORS THAT GIVE ANYWHERE NEAR AS MUCH (OR REALLY ANY) RELIABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRODUCT, SO HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY DEFEND YOUR ACCUSATION OF BIAS?] No balance at all. I think this is just another pharmacutical (sic) ran (sic) blog to stop people from making better choices for their health care. [OH, SO THAT’S HOW! DO YOU THINK OUR BLOG WOULD BE MORE BALANCED AND LESS BIASED IF WE INCLUDED MORE OF THESE TYPES OF COMMENTS FROM DELUDED CONSPIRACY THEORISTS WHO CAN’T SPELL?] Pharmacutical (sic) companies make billions every day [SO WHAT? THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY RAKES IN BILLIONS TOO. WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH JUICE PLUS?] on drugs and things labled (sic) "organic" so they can keep people sick and coming back for their meds with all the "side-effects"; which they make more meds for the side-effects and before you know if you find yourself on hundreds of different meds, [WHY EXAGGERATE? WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT TAKES 200 OR MORE DIFFERENT MEDS?] with 90% of them to control the "side-effects". [EVEN IF THIS RANT WERE TRUE, IT’S NO EXCUSE FOR THE FRAUD THAT’S BEING PERPETRATED BY THOSE WHO PUSH JUICE PLUS] So sad. I hate being bullied by the Pharmacuticle (sic) system. [AND YET YOU DON’T SEEM TO MIND THAT THE PUBLIC IS BEING BULLIED BY CHEATS AND LIARS WHO PUSH JUICE PLUS] Seems like the rest of you should begin to think for yourself and make wise, educated choices. [THINKING FOR ONESELF INCLUDES READING WHAT OTHER EXPERTS HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT JUICE PLUS, NOT AVERTING ONE’S ATTENTION FROM CRITICISM AND BLINDLY BELIEVING THE BS ON A JUICE PLUS BROCHURE] The knowledge belongs to "US" not them!!! [THAT KNOWLEDGE DOESN’T INCLUDE BASIC SPELLING THOUGH, DOES IT? AND WHO EXACTLY ARE “US” AND “THEM”? THAT SOUNDS EERILY CULTISH]

Sent: Fri 4/04/08 3:33 PM

yeah, I should have known that my comment would need "blog approval". Seems all you want to "publish" is comments that "favor" your slant. [ONE OF THOSE SLANTS IS THAT MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO PLUG JUICE PLUS SOUND LIKE THEY ARE INSANE] Why am I not surprised!!! I dare you to publish my first comment unedited. I doubt you will. [DARE US? IT DELIGHTS US. WE FREQUENTLY PUBLISH LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM JUICE PLUS FANATICS. IT SHOWS MUCH ABOUT THE THOUGHT PROCESSES AND CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PRODUCT]
 

Oh my!

I am glad you allow anonymous posts because I am not sure I want my name associated with my past mistakes.

I tried the “Juice Plus” product out of “unending devotion, concern, and deep love” by a Juice Plus relative. I thought I was getting something as part of a “free” children’s research program. It turned out that the children’s product was free, so long as I purchased an equivalent amount for myself. I let this go on for multiple years; and I ended up about $1,000 poorer as a result.

To compound my embarrassment: Just prior to my Juice Plus experience I was swindled in a used-car sale; paid $2,000 for a vacuum cleaner that I didn’t like; and my son convinced me that Encarta took the word “gullible” out of it’s dictionary. I realized I had some kind of genetic defect; and had to be on-guard against snake-oil salesman.

Even with this life experience, I fell for the Juice Plus story. After all, someone LOVED ME! They really LOVED ME (hint: Nora Desmond)!

I have learned the truth in recent months. I talked to an attorney about possibly recouping my $1,000 for Juice Plus; and I was encouraged to submit a compliant with my state’s consumer regulatory agency.

Frankly, the stories on your website have eased my anguish.

I am convinced that the side-effects of Juice Plus include: foul-language, spelling errors, a fascination with body functions and oral copulation, and overcompensation for physical shortcomings (in men, specifically).

Can you PLEASE publish more of your pro-JP letters (with your notation)?

I could use a good laugh.
 

Wow! A trailblazing case against NSA. We hope it's the first of many. Have you considered going after punitive damages as well? Who knows how you might have been harmed by the megadoses of vitamins C and A in Juice Plus, or by taking it instead of a well-balanced multivitamin.

Don't feel too bad about getting suckered once or twice. It will make you stronger in the long run.

As for your request for more pro-JP letters with our annotations...your wish is our command...
 

THE FOLLOWING EMAIL WAS RECEIVED ON 04/07/2008 BY THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG FROM AN ANONYMOUS CORRESPONDENT IN RESPONSE TO OUR 06/02/2007 "READERS RESPOND” ARTICLE ON MITRA RAY. THE ENTIRE UNEDITED TEXT OF THE EMAIL AND OUR REPLIES IN PARENTHESES FOLLOW.

Instead of casting aspersions on Mitra Ray's book being suspected "garbage", why don't you first read it? [WE DON’T SEE ANY POTENTIAL VALUE IN THE OPINIONS OF SOMEONE LIKE RAY, WHO BELIEVES THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF JUICE PLUS “WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DISCOVERY OF ANTIBIOTICS”. LOTS OF MISGUIDED PEOPLE WRITE BOOKS; THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE HAVE TO READ THEM ALL]

I juiced primarily carrot and cabbage juices for twenty years to manage my ulcerative colitis and peptic ulcers before skeptically trying Juice Plus+ in 1995. [YOU COULDN’T EVEN GO TWO SENTENCES WITHOUT MAKING AN ILLEGAL CLAIM? JUICE PLUS IS NOT APPROVED FOR THE TREATMENT OF THESE OR ANY OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS, AND SINCE YOU ARE A DISTRIBUTOR, YOUR STATEMENT VIOLATES THE DIETARY SUPPLEMENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION ACT, AS WELL AS THE TERMS OF YOUR JUICE PLUS DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENT. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER AND CONDUCT YOURSELF MORE RESPONSIBLY]

AND I double dosed from the start, and after seven months I realized that Juice Plus+ made my trusted and valued juicing machine way obsolete. Not only because it eliminated the cost, labor, time, and messiness of juicing, but it also gave me way better results. [SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT JUICE PLUS IS BETTER THAN THE REAL THING? THAT’S FALSE AND MISLEADING, AND IT IS GROUNDS FOR TROUBLE WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND FTC]

I was a pharmaceutical sales rep and decided that I could make a much greater more loving contribution to society and my fellow human beings telling physicians I called on about Juice Plus+ than even the best pharmaceuticals I was priviledged [SIC] to represent. [THOSE MUST HAVE BEEN SOME PRETTY LOUSY PHARMACEUTICALS YOU WERE REPPING…SOME PRIVILEGE! WHAT WERE YOU SELLING? THALIDOMIDE?]

Representing Juice Plus+ is the hardest thing I've ever done, [NO DOUBT! IT’S GETTING HARDER TO FIND UNINFORMED PEOPLE TO FLEECE] and after reading the negatively biased ignorant information supported by other ignorant so called experts on your "Blog" [POT…KETTLE…BLACK] I now understand why. [YES, IT IS AMAZING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PLAYING FIELD IS LEVELED AND CONSUMERS ARE ABLE TO OBTAIN ACCURATE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT JUICE PLUS]

You are doing a tremendous disservice to society blogging your diatribe about Juice Plus+. [ON THE CONTRARY, PROVIDING A CLEARINGHOUSE FOR RELIABLE PUBLISHED INFORMATION ON JUICE PLUS IS A VALUABLE SERVICE TO CONSUMERS, AND THEY OFTEN WRITE TO THE JPRB TO THANK US FOR IT]

I don't particulary [SIC] like the way Juice Plus+ is marketed either, [SO THEN WHY BOTHER MAKING AN ACCUSATION OF BIAS AGAINST OTHERS WHO ARE ALSO CRITICAL OF JUICE PLUS MARKETING?] and I don't actively sign up distributors underneath me, but that doesn't mean the product is bad. [NO IT DOESN’T; IT’S THE OTHER 100 OR SO REASONS WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED WHICH PROVE THAT THE PRODUCT IS BAD]

I can't believe all the negativity surrounding such a great product. [WHY NOT? MOST SANE PEOPLE WOULD] It's very sad and disturbing. [AGREED. IT’S SAD AND DISTURBING FOR ALL OF US WHEN WE WITNESS FRAUD AND DECEPTION BEING USED TO COERCE PEOPLE INTO BUYING JUICE PLUS]

Some of my physicians have referred patients to me [SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE PRETENDING TO BE A LICENSED PRACTITIONER. CAREFUL!] without any compensation, just like they would prescribe any of the drugs I used to represent, [EXCEPT THAT IN THE CASE OF JUICE PLUS IT WOULD BE BLATANTLY ILLEGAL] and the cancer patients they've referred with suppressed immune function and COPD patients on inhaled corticosteroids which have listed side effects of chronic bronchitis and pneumonia have been happy from the improved immune function Juice Plus+ has been giving them. [NOW YOU’VE COMPLETELY CROSSED ETHICAL AND LEGAL LINES]

They get sick less often, if at all, and if they do get sick they recover faster with less severe symptoms than they used to experience prior to Juice Plus+. [IT’S A GOOD THING YOU WROTE TO US ANONYMOUSLY OR WE WOULD HAVE BEEN OBLIGED TO REPORT YOU IMMEDIATELY TO THE FDA FOR ILLEGALLY MARKETING JUICE PLUS AS A DISEASE TREATMENT. SHAME ON YOU! IF YOU CAN’T PLAY BY THE RULES, YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN BUSINESS]

They are happy, and it makes my spirit soar with ecstacy [SIC] and exhultation [SIC] to have been able to help them. Like I said, your negatively biased "Blog" is a disservice to humanity, at least in regard to what you've been saying about Juice Plus+. [WE PROVIDE DETAILS THAT JUICE PLUS DISTRIBUTORS REPRESS, AND INFORMATION THAT OTHER EXPERTS HAVE PUBLISHED. YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, ILLEGALLY PROMOTE FRAUDULENT MULTIVITAMINS. WHO’S REALLY DOING THE DISSERVICE TO HUMANITY?]

I haven't had to use my juicing machine for thirteen years which is noteworthy, because before Juice Plus+ the longest I could go without using my juicing machine before severe debilitating abdominal pain returned was three weeks. I've never had to take any of the commonly prescribed ulcer drugs. Juice Plus+ is a great addition to any physician's armamentarium. [UNTRUE AND ILLEGAL] I'm confident that research being conducted on Juice Plus+ that will be published in the future will prove me right. [IF NSA GETS WHAT THEY DESERVE, THEY WILL BE OUT OF BUSINESS BEFORE THEIR NEXT STUDY GETS PUBLISHED]
 

I was talked into JuicePlus against my better judgment in a weak moment when my son had contracted a infection, was in the hospital and nothing seemed to be working. My neighbor is a distributor and she helpfully got us signed up for their automatic shipments. We tried the stuff for a couple of months, realized it was absolutely worthless, but neglected to cancel the order--partly because I did not want to get into with my neighbor who is a 'true believer' in this stuff. Over time, I had several boxes of unopened JuicePlus that I knew we would never use. Canceling the auto shipments has been a nightmare, so I can only imagine how successful my attempts at getting a refund for unopened product would have been. But the worst part of doing business with these people is their overly-aggressive legal department. I listed the unopened still-in-the-shipping-boxes JuicePlus I had sitting in my cupboards on Ebay for considerably less than I paid for it. It was that or throw it out. I received this letter from NSA 'Internal Affairs':

"Hi [ ],

It has recently come to our attention that you have placed an offer to sell Juice Plus+® products on the eBay auction website. This email letter is to inform you that our products are not to be sold by unauthorized individuals for your protection.

Juice Plus+® and other NSA products can only be sold through Independent Distributors. Any use of company trade names or trademarks without permission from NSA is strictly prohibited. NSA Inc. Juice Plus+® is a member of the eBay Vero program and we enforce the right to protect our trademarks.

In light of the foregoing, we request that you Please remove your auction and cease any future offers to sell Juice Plus+® products on the auction website.
Please call 1-800-347-6350 with your sales order number during business hours. We are open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm CST. Let the representative know you removed your auction from eBay for a refund. We can issue you a refund for all of your remaining unopened products.

Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
--
Jennifer Drenzek
Internal Affairs
NSA Home Office...USA
140 Crescent Drive
Collierville, TN 38017
j.drenzek@nsai.com
(901)850-3000"


For the record, there is no trademark protection that prevents private individuals from selling items they own (purchased from any company) to each other or everybody who has ever had a garage sale would be in violation of intellectual property laws. Had I sold a product that was similar to, but not actually JuicePlus and represented it as JuicePlus, that would have been a trademark violation. As it is, I sold their product, clearly identified as their product as a private individual--and at a loss. As they must surely know, they have no case for trademark infringement, so the purpose of these letters is intimidation, pure and simple. Their reference to Ebay's Vero program is a joke. Their 'partnership' with Ebay consists of a link where they spell out their desire that their products be sold only by distributor. This is their preferred business model and they have a right to it. However, it is not the law. JuicePlus is not a prescription item, so they can suggest a distribution model, but they can not legally enforce it. Can you imagine Coca-cola or Revlon or any other legitimate company resorting to these tactics? There is a frightening element of fanaticism in their sales force and clear bullying and strong-arm tactics in their business tactics. My advice to others--run, don't walk, away from these people.
 

When will the 2007 Rotten Tomato Awards be published?

Thanks for your site. I check it frequently for updates.
 

THE FOLLOWING EMAIL WAS RECEIVED ON 06/12/2008 BY THE JUICE PLUS RESEARCH BLOG FROM A CORRESPONDENT WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS “DON BERRYHILL”. THE ENTIRE UNEDITED TEXT OF THE EMAIL AND OUR REPLIES IN PARENTHESES FOLLOW.

I'm wondering why you have such a vendetta against Juice Plus. [YOU’RE OFF TO A GREAT START WITH THAT COMMENT DONNY. A SALUTATION LIKE “HELLO” MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE DIPLOMATIC. WE DON’T THINK OF WHAT WE DO AS A VENDETTA; IT IS MERELY AN ATTEMPT TO DISPEL MISINFORMATION ABOUT JUICE PLUS, SO IT IS SURPRISING THAT YOU WOULD TRY TO TRIVIALIZE OUR EFFORTS BY CHARACTERIZING THEM AS A VENDETTA] I've taken it daily for about 8 years and believe it has to have some healthful properties. [THAT’S REALLY SWELL, BUT THIS SITE DOESN’T DEAL WITH BELIEF – WE DEAL WITH VERIFIABLE FACTS AND SCIENCE] I don't sell it and am not a distributor and don't bug my friends about it. [AND YET APPARENTLY YOU DON’T MIND BUGGING US ABOUT IT. WHY THE DOUBLE STANDARD?]

I understand that I should just eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday but the reality is I don't and probably won't ever. I figure at least I'm getting some additional nutrients that I normally wouldn't. [YOU FIGURED WRONG. TAKING A FEW NUTRIENTS IS NOT A REMEDY FOR A FRUIT/VEGETABLE-DEFICIENT DIET, AND IF ALL YOU WANT IS A FEW NUTRIENTS, YOU DON’T NEED TO OVERSPEND ON JUICE PLUS]

I work in the medical industry [TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, YOU SELL MEDICAL LASERS – YOU ARE A SALESMAN, NOT A MEDICAL/HEALTH SPECIALIST. BUT IF WE NEED AN OPINION ON HAIR REMOVAL, WE KNOW WHO TO CALL] and was first introduced to it at an anti-aging conference. [THE VERY NAME “ANTI-AGING” REEKS OF SNAKEOIL] Their booth was right next to mine (Doug Barlow was there) [YES, A PARAGON OF VIRTUE. PERHAPS YOU READ OUR ARTICLE ABOUT BARLOW ENTITLED “FOUL-MOUTHED JUICE PLUS NATIONAL MARKETING DIRECTOR ISSUES STUNNING STATEMENT TO JPRB”] and one selling juicing machines was right across from me. I got to talk with both at length and determined that I'm much more likely to take a few capsules a day (and was right) than make a blender full of various fruits and vegetables every day. [IF YOU CAN’T EVEN MUSTER ENOUGH ENERGY TO THROW FRUIT IN A BLENDER THEN YOU ARE PROBABLY ALSO THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO SIT ON THEIR YOUR ASS ALL DAY THAN TO GO TO THE GYM, BUT THAT DOESN’T MAKE SITTING ON YOUR ASS A SUBSTITUTE FOR EXERCISE DOES IT? IN OTHER WORDS, YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH THE JUICER GUY INSTEAD]

As Bill Shakespeare once said, "Me thinks you protest too much". [ACTUALLY WHAT HE SAID WAS “THOU DOST PROTEST TOO MUCH, METHINKS” (HAMLET ACT III, SCENE 2). BILL ALSO MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT “A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING” (MACBETH ACT V, SCENE 5)] What do you have to gain from making such a campaign against it? [THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING THAT IT WILL BE MUCH LESS LIKELY THAT PEOPLE WILL GET RIPPED OFF BY NSA AND THEIR DISTRIBUTORS] Did they do you wrong at some point in your life? [AS CONSUMERS, THEY ARE DOING US ALL WRONG BY USING FALSE AND MISLEADING ADVERTISING TO PROMOTE JUICE PLUS]

If they're trying to pull a total scam and there is absolutely no benefit to taking the product, I'll stop taking it and go back to man made synthetic vitamins (which I don't think are all that great either)... [ALRIGHTY THEN…SEE YOU IN THE VITAMIN AISLE]
 

A pushy St Louis area woman badgered me into ordering some of this crap. I was soon covered in hives, had numbness in my feet and was bathroom dependent for days. I'll never be sold anything ever again. I'll stick to Centrum or something recomended by a pharmacist.
 

Juice Plus is a rip off, plain and simple. How anyone can believe that a few capsules of vegetable powder contains the same nutrients and pounds of fresh fruit is beyond mind boggling.
 

My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a couple years now. A family friend told us that Juice Plus did a study and found that 100% of the people who were having problems getting pregnant and took JP, did in fact get pregnant! Well, I decided to try it... after all, what could it hurt? That was the worst decision I had ever made! Not only are we out 150 bucks, there is no baby!!! I broke out in hives, my health declined and I needed to stay close to the bathroom for almost a week!!! My OBGYN said that this has been a common problem lately in her office... don't believe the lie! JP does nothing for you that real fruits and veggies can't... in fact, real fruits and veggies are much much better!
 

Wow...I really had no idea. I became a distributor two weeks ago moreso to get the product for cheaper. They kept getting me to go to these talks and started to feel guilty because I wasn't "sharing" this with everyone I knew. Now I am so glad I didn't and really feel scammed. I feel taken advantage of because we are a family going through difficult times and this type of costly mifortune is not something we need at this time. Lesson learned for sure. I am getting out of this and am going to try and get my money back.
 

Why is this Medical Doctor still selling JuicePlus+??????

NIEMEYER, Meindert Albert, MD
Location: Elon, NC (Alamance Co)
License #: 000030440 | Specialty: FP (as reported by physician)
Cause: Dr. Niemeyer prescribed a variety of controlled substances for patients A through G without
adequately determining the etiology of the patients’ complaints of pain, without adequately assessing the
efficacy of medications and without putting systems in place to ensure that patients are not abusing or
diverting the narcotics. Dr. Niemeyer also acted unprofessionally toward a Board investigator. The Board
summarily suspended Dr. Niemeyer’s license on March 25, 2009.
Action: 07/17/2009. Consent order executed: Dr. Niemeyer’s license is suspended for a period of three
years. Such suspension is stayed, except for a period of eight months beginning on March 25, 2009, and
ending on November 25, 2009, wherein Dr. Niemeyer will serve an active suspension. He shall not
prescribe the following scheduled controlled substances: Schedules I, II, IIN, III and IIIN.
 

JuicePlus+ needs to fire this distributor!!!!!


NIEMEYER, Meindert Albert, MD
Location: Elon, NC (Alamance Co)
License #: 000030440 | Specialty: FP (as reported by physician)
Cause: Dr. Niemeyer prescribed a variety of controlled substances for patients A through G without
adequately determining the etiology of the patients’ complaints of pain, without adequately assessing the
efficacy of medications and without putting systems in place to ensure that patients are not abusing or
diverting the narcotics. Dr. Niemeyer also acted unprofessionally toward a Board investigator. The Board
summarily suspended Dr. Niemeyer’s license on March 25, 2009.
Action: 07/17/2009. Consent order executed: Dr. Niemeyer’s license is suspended for a period of three
years. Such suspension is stayed, except for a period of eight months beginning on March 25, 2009, and
ending on November 25, 2009, wherein Dr. Niemeyer will serve an active suspension. He shall not
prescribe the following scheduled controlled substances: Schedules I, II, IIN, III and IIIN.
 

Hi there I have trouble sleeping An my friend is trying to get me onto juice plus, just seems weird how they push it an all the status they put up about it.