Hi,
First, remember you have to move your clock forward and
we lost an hour. I know that’s a pain but sorry,
I didn’t setup the system 🙂
Okay, yesterday I had a situation where someone was advertising
and promoting a multi level marketing company’s “nutritional”
product on my blog.
I actually police my blog and pay someone to do so. I got
an “urgent” call informing me. Now, I am all for f.r.ee
speech and everything but not this kind.
I have a ZERO tolerance policy about advertising on my
blog. Anything ads will be removed and if someone keeps it
up, there will be serious consequences.
I am not kidding around.
The situation was made even worse with the fact
it was a multi level marketing aka network marketing
product that was being promoted.
I guess since I know this industry so well (I wrote
my thesis on it, I consult firms that invest in mlm
companies, etc), and I know bipolar disorder so
well, I get mad when people promote miracle
products for bipolar disorder.
Ones with ZERO, and I mean ZERO research into
them.
Let me tell you, I have spent a TON of money
paying doctors, researchers, writers and all kinds
of investigators to find out if ANYTHING can work
and replace medication.
I have NEVER, EVER found ANYTHING. Not one single
thing. Nothing. Zero. Also, anyone that has told
me they know someone, who knows someone, who knows
someone, who knows someone, who found something, I looked
into all of these in 2006.
Actually I had a system of finding people not on medication
taking natural products and interviewing them. In all cases
they were not on the right track and they were either in
a disaster and they thought everything was “a ok” or they
were going to be in a disaster soon and didn’t realize it.
What do I mean? I remember one person that got off his
medications. He was doing just fine. He had 3 jobs,
was painting, volunteering, starting a business, and he
had lots of money. I informed him he was manic he said
he wasn’t. HELLO?
I followed up 7 months later. First line disconnected, email
address bounced back, fax line disconnected. I finally reached
him on his cell.
He lost it all and was brought into the hospital by the police.
He was broke and trying to “find” his family to get help.
I actually felt bad. And spent like half the day finding his
family and then spending hours on the phone trying to help
them.
I have lost track of him now.
He’s not an isolated case. There were so many others like
this, I had to stop even looking into it because it was a
waste of my time and money. I had to pay 3 people to
find, follow up with and preinterview these people.
The only good news is, I can pass the lesson along to
you at no cost in this email.
I don’t even bother to waste my time and money in
2007. If I hear of a miracle cure, or something
I just let it go. Michele made a comment to me
and said “Let someone else spend the time and money
running down these things.”
I almost felt like a person that was chasing Big
Foot sighting. For those out of the US, Big Foot
is a like a myth. Actually I can’t really even
explain what Big Foot is, go to google.com type
in Big Foot and look around if you want to know.
Back to the story, the thing that gets me so mad is that, people
make these claims and they don’t realize how it
hurts folks with bipolar disorder.
EVERY SINGLE person that I know that is stable,
doing well FOR THE LONG TERM, not for 6 months or
7 months but for the long term is on medication.
EVER SINGLE ONE.
Period. My mom, all the people that work for me,
all the people I have interviewed that have huge
success stories, the ones that I meet when I
got to conferences and meetings.
Sometime I am baffled that people want to experiment
either on their loved one or on themselves trying
“natural” remedies made by questionable companies
especially in the MLM industry.
Some supporters call me and say “well I don’t want
my loved one on medication” I always say “Oh
so you don’t want them on what’s proven to work? You’d
rather have them try risky non proven treatments?”
Then they get all mad at me and think that I secret
work at a drug company and I am in the global medication
conspiracy.
Sometimes I think these supporters need to have their
heads examined.
Hey, before I get the hate mail, don’t even bother
sending it, because I will not read it. I have a totally
inflexible opinion on this issue.
I am never going to promote nutritional products
made from let’s say a mlm company that is telling
you a product cures everything, fixes your hair,
turns you into a super model, cleans your house,
cuts your grass, watches your kids, etc. AND all
you need to do is “invest” a bunch of money
and you can get R I C H telling the others
the same thing.
If you are doing this, shame on you.
Look, if something really did work, don’t you think
that I would promote it? Why do I promote going to the
doctor, paying his/her fee? Because it works?
Do you think that I have a financial agreement with all
doctors all over the world and they give me a commission
on all the people that come to them from me?
I know you don’t think that but you know what? There’s a
few people that have written me that think:
-I own a drug company.
-I own stock in drug company. Actually maybe I do or maybe I don’t. If I could even figure out how to read my mutual fund statements I would know.
-Someone in my family is a doctor and I make money sending people to doctors.
-You’re gonna laugh but some think, I have been hired by drug companies
to promote medication because I am a tool in a global conspiracy
to promote medications instead of nutritional products. I know that sounds
crazy but people tell me this. One person said “Dave, I can tell
you are a nice guy but you’re being used by ‘them’.”
When I ask who “they” or “them” is/are I never get an answer. I guess it’s the 4 or 5 people that control the world?
If you have bipolar disorder and you are doing well,
for a while, it’s because of proper treatment.
Oh and I just thought of another thing I almost
forgot.
If you take ANY nutritional supplements, you MUST
tell your doctor so he/she knows. For example,
my mom’s doctor, who is EXCELLENT, believes
in complementary natural treatments to medication.
If my mom sees something and wants to try it,
she takes in the literature and/or the product
and gets her approval. My mom’s doctor is
very open and will do research to check up on it
and give my mom the okay. She will also monitor
my mom.
GUESS WHAT?
There are tons, and tons of other doctors that are
the SAME EXACT way. So don’t think, “Oh, it’s easy
for him to say because his mom has the only good doctor
on the earth, and well there’s no one like his mom’s doctor
for me to talk to.”
HAVE BIPOLAR?
In my course/system at http://www.survivebipolar.net/
SUPPORTER?
In my course/system at http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING CHILD?
In my course/system at http://www.bipolarparenting.com/report2/
I have an entire system of finding a doctor. If you are
“in to” natural complementary treatments, make sure you
put that on the call back request form you use to
find doctors.
That’s all you need to do. And when you interview the doctors
that are calling you, ask about if they support natural
complementary treatments.
These days, many doctors include complementary nutritional
products AND other natural things along with medication.
BUT you have to work as a team. You can’t go it alone, like
so many people do.
The people that “sneak” stuff behind their doctors back
are just hurting themselves. Actually I take that back,
they might be hurting others. Do you know how many people
get off medication and kill someone else? It’s sad.
Not to mention, do you know how many people that get off medication
and then commit suicide? Just ask Michele who writes for me. She
has a blog as well. Her sister had bipolar disorder and got off
her medication. She was doing great in her own head. Then she
killed herself.
She is gone. She will never be back. There are no “do overs” for her.
All because she got off her medication.
Anyway, back to the lady who posted the stuff on my blog.
I told my mom the
entire story and I was rather annoyed that this person
also included “maybe this can help your mother.” My mom
asked me why I was so mad and I said, “Because you are
doing fine and don’t need any questionable mlm nutritional
product’s help.”
My mom said, “David don’t get so worked up
the woman probably didn’t mean anything by her comment
and she probably just wants to help but doesn’t know
all of what you know.”
I told her she was probably right.
I called her and explained a) don’t promote products on my blog b) how
serious it is.
Anyway, the woman I
spoke to was a really, really, nice person who really
didn’t know a number of things. I felt bad for her. I feel
she had been suckered by a mlm company. But that’s my opinion.
Nevertheless, she said sorry.
I was also really concerned for her brother. He
got off his medication, without checking with the doctor,
and now he thinks he is doing okay. I have seen over
the years, people get off their medication and they THINK
they are doing well. In their minds, everything is going
along just wonderful.
Now if you check their life out, it slowly turns into a
disaster.
I hope this woman’s brother gets back to the doctor
and gets back on his medication.
Anyway, okay enough about multi level company’s today,
I have a bunch of stuff I have to do.
Hey I have to figure out how to record into my computer.
I am going to Radio Shack because I found some kid that
says he can explain it to me. I am still working off
recording into audio tapes. That’s really old school,
don’t you think?
On a side note, I listen to cds, and I was in the gym
and had my cd player, this guy came up to me and pointed
at my cd player and asked me if I ride horse to work
:).
I need to get with the times I guess LOL.
Okay have to run, catch you later.
Your Friend,
Dave