The Quackometer

Recently, I wrote about how Julian Graves was selling and age-old cancer quackery cure in the form of quite poisonous apricot kernels. (Julian Graves: Not Just Nuts - Dangerously Irresponsible.) Hardly the tasty snack they normally peddle. And to remind you, the shop assistant actually told me that this cyanide producing inedible food waste was "good for certain types of cancer". One of the readers of this site knocked off a letter to Julian Graves to ask what this was all about. I humbly reproduce the correspondence in full...

Sent: 15 October 2008 14:49

Dear Julian Graves Organisation,

I see with concern that you are not only selling apricot kernels, but recommending to potential purchasers "We strongly recommend that if people want to know more about bitter apricot kernels and vitamin B17, they should go online and do their own research". As I am sure you know, the internet is not a reliable source of information, and may include information which is not just false but also potentially lethal. Can I suggest that you offer a link to Cancer UK's website? This is a charitable organisation, and has no conceivable axe to grind in this matter. To provide such a link would be the act of a responsible retailer - not to do so, and to recommend browsing on the wild web, is irresponsible in the extreme.
I look forward to hearing from you,

Reply: 22 October 2008

Dear XXXX

Thank you for your comments with regard to Bitter Apricot Kernels.
On a daily basis we have consumers and health professionals phoning us requesting information regarding this product. We have taken considerable time to ensure that no health claims or false statements have been made with regard to this product and the amount recommended on the bottle as a daily intake is clearly stated and why.
We provide a link to http://www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/ because, when having recommended websites such as Cancer Research and Cancer UK, customers have returned to us reporting that the information they wanted was not available. To our knowledge no persons have become ill from eating the kernels. If a customer reports they are receiving medical treatments we always recommend that they see a medical professional prior to starting to eat the product.

With regard to charitable organisations having no axe to grind, when we first started to investigate this product due to customer requests, we contacted a number of these organisations and received no constructive feed back or information; to put it bluntly they were not interested. We have also found no evidence that anyone is going to investigate the kernels or Vitamin B17 formally either as a preventive or possible assistant in the treatment of disease. It has been suggested to us the reason for this is that the kernels are a natural product and therefore no one can make any money from it.

This product and subject can produce an emotive response with many people, but we have tried to be constructive and definitely not give false hope.I hope this answers your concerns but if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mrs (name deleted)
Technical Manager

Reply Reply: 22 October 2008
Dear (name),

Sorry, I still think you are being irresponsible. I'm sure you are aware that there are wild claims about laetrile curing cancer on the web, and that searching without guidance will find these. As a professional researcher, I can assure that these claims are without an evidence base.

With regard to the feedback you received, could I suggest that most charities are not able to provide information services to commercial organisations? Moreover, the admin and office staff don't have the qualifications to give such advice. Your organisation still bears responsibility for its actions, and advising people just to look on the web is irresponsible. I mentioned the Cancer UK site because it does indeed include valuable advice to all cancer sufferers, including guidance on alternative therapies. It would cost you nothing to add this link.

You say "It has been suggested to us the reason for this is that the kernels are a natural product and therefore no one can make any money from it." I did rather despair at this. First, it is not true. Vitamin C is a natural product, and businesses make large sums of money from it (and you are making money from kernels ). Second, the assumption is false. I've carried out research into cancer. It was funded by a charity, not by a pharmaceutical company. As part of this, I met both the dedicated charity collectors (often family members of sufferers) and sufferers themselves. My team and I would have done anything, and explored any reasonable avenue, to help alleviate or cure the condition. Profits did not feature. Indeed, if we had discovered a more effective therapy, I would have been famous and well rewarded, especially if it was one that was easy to obtain, effective and safe. Apricot kernels are neither effective nor safe, and 'conspiracy theories' are a way of excusing the evidence that they are not effective. I'd be happy to discuss the evidence further with you, if you like. But at the moment, the people who are aiming to profit from these remedies are you.

You also know that on the web there are a significant number of alternative sites which imply or state outright that cancer sufferers should abandon their medication. By advising potential purchasers to browse the wild web, some will arrive at these sites, and may act on them. You can't stop this happening: but you can provide a link to a measured, kindly and evidence based site as well - such as Cancer UK. Isn't that worth it?

Yours with best wishes,

The response from Julian Graves is just stunning. I love how these organisations, like Neal's Yard Remedies, love to think of themselves as ethical and caring, but actually are deeply corrupt and irresponsible (like lots of other businesses).

Let's deconstruct their response a little more...

Thank you for your comments with regard to Bitter Apricot Kernels. On a daily basis we have consumers and health professionals phoning us requesting information regarding this product. We have taken considerable time to ensure that no health claims or false statements have been made with regard to this product and the amount recommended on the bottle as a daily intake is clearly stated and why.

You may have made efforts to ensure your adverts and websites do not make claims as this would break the law. But your shop assistant made claims without any hesitation.

We provide a link to http://www.anticancerinfo.co.uk/ because, when having recommended websites such as Cancer Research and Cancer UK, customers have returned to us reporting that the information they wanted was not available.

Responsible web sites do not tell people that fruit food waste can cure cancer. There are lots of barking web sites out there that do. Julian Graves is relying on nutty (excuse pun) web sites to do the advertising that it dare not do.

To our knowledge no persons have become ill from eating the kernels.

See here. One would have thought that an ethical business would have done the research. It is easy to have 'no knowledge' if you do not undertake the due diligence required.

If a customer reports they are receiving medical treatments we always recommend that they see a medical professional prior to starting to eat the product.

Did not happen with my experience in the shop.

With regard to charitable organisations having no axe to grind, when we first started to investigate this product due to customer requests, we contacted a number of these organisations and received no constructive feed back or information; to put it bluntly they were not interested.

There is a surprise. Should that not be an alarm bell?

We have also found no evidence that anyone is going to investigate the kernels or Vitamin B17 formally either as a preventive or possible assistant in the treatment of disease. It has been suggested to us the reason for this is that the kernels are a natural product and therefore no one can make any money from it.

Again, not looking is a good way of finding no evidence. Bandolier reports 36 studies (2006) - all rubbish. Its conclusion was "The bottom line is that there is no conclusive evidence of efficacy, but considerable evidence of toxicity, especially that associated with cyanide poisoning." Perhaps the largest study of apricot kernels (amygdalin) concluded "No substantive benefit was observed in terms of cure, improvement or stabilization of cancer, improvement of symptoms related to cancer, or extension of life span. The hazards of amygdalin therapy were evidenced in several patients by symptoms of cyanide toxicity or by blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range. "

The response to the letter above quite nicely dismisses the nonsense about "no one can make any money from it". This is an appalling statement to make and is typical of extreme alternative medicine views who see medicine as a corrupted practice driven solely by money. Many cancer treatments do not rely on pharmaceuticals (radiotherapy, surgery) and the majority of researchers and practitioners are driven by greater goals than shabby financial ends.

This product and subject can produce an emotive response with many people, but we have tried to be constructive and definitely not give false hope.I hope this answers your concerns but if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

I have a feeling that this will not be the end of this. If the management of Julian Graves are so convinced that they are not being irresponsible and making claims for a quack cancer cure and if they are so convinced that they have never heard of anyone being made ill by these products then I challenge them. As everything else they sell is a snack food, can I suggest that their board meetings from now on supply apricot kernels as a mid table snack item and that each member must consume 20 kernels at their next meeting?

(Thanks to 'Allo V Psycho' for all the hard work)

Further reading on the shabby history of this quackery at Quackwatch.

Labels: Julian Graves