Nutritional therapist fined $1 million

Published September 15, 2007

It sounds as though Tennessee pharmacist, Larry Rawdon, is in trouble. According to a report in the Tennessean (11 Sept, 2007)

“. . . for more than 20 years, the Hohenwald man treated customers at his health-food store with juices and dietary supplements for ailments ranging from obesity to cancer.

Some of Rawdon’s patients credit him with healing their ills. Others consider his therapies pure quackery.

The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners determined his practice to be downright harmful, and in May ordered him to stop treating people and slapped him with the one of its largest fines ever handed out: $1 million.”

Then, in authentic Tennessee style,

“Rawdon calls his approach to health care “Health God’s Way.” It’s a form of naturopathy” using natural remedies such as foods, herbs and minerals to treat illness. Naturopathy is legal in some states, but not in Tennessee.

“It’s not me healing people, it’s God,” Rawdon said.

“God sent Joshua into the Promised Land and told him not to destroy the fruit trees because in them is a man’s life that he can eat and live,” he said. “So the life force that is in the fruits and vegetables, it’s what our cells need for the healing process.” ”

. . . .

The Board of Medical Examiners found Rawdon guilty of treating patients without a medical license in addition to practising naturopathy.

Now “Dr” (of pharmacy) Rawdon seems to work for Wellness America (no mention there of the fine). Their mission statement is

Our Mission is to gather, educate, and empower individuals to take control of their health and wealth by applying biblical principles to their everyday life. To promote prevention of illness, wellness from sickness, fitness for the body, freedom from debt, and health for the whole man

BODY – SOUL – SPIRIT.

You couldn’t make it up.

Very interesting uh? Someone fined a million dollars for pretending to be able to cure serious diseases by nutrition and supplements. I wonder if that could ever happen here?

4 Responses to Nutritional therapist fined $1 million

Shinga says:

September 15, 2007 at 18:38

For a moment when I read about the divine healing, I wondered if it was the chap that Orac wrote about:

As of this date (January 1, 2001), God has made it possible for me to tell about Miracle II nationwide and to people in 26 countries. The Lord has changed my professions from a rental property owner and brick distributor and has made me a BEARER OF GOOD NEWS and has given me a MASTERS DEGREE in SPIRITUAL CHEMISTRY, MEDICINE, NERVOLOGY and AGRICULTURE for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.
Because it is God’s will that we live in health, have a sound mind, prosper and go about doing good.

You might savour natural cynic’s offered definition in the comments:

NERVOLOGY – the science of the acquisition of chutzpah for the purpose of peddling woo.

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wilsontown says:

September 17, 2007 at 12:22

“The Lord” has given him a Masters degree? Wish I’d thought of that, would have saved me a lot of time and money.

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Shinga says:

September 17, 2007 at 13:46

Wilsontown – isn’t that what some honorary qualifications or visiting academic posts are for? It strikes me that both of these would save a lot of time, money and effort.

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Bad medicine. Barts sinks further into the endarkenment. says:

February 16, 2009 at 21:19

[…] is a branch of quackery that is so barmy that it’s actually banned in some US states. A pharmacist was fined $1 miilion for practising it. But Barts encourages […]

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